As soon as Stacy and I got to the Magic Kingdom, it was time for the fireworks to start—talk about perfect timing! Because of the wider street, it was easier to get a better vantage point even though we showed up about 10 minutes before the pyrotechnic display began (don’t think for a minute that means that I’d trade my Disneyland Main Street for WDW though!). It should come as no surprise that I took a ton-o-photos, but will only bore you here with a handful:
I was even able to capture Tinkerbell:
The park and especially the castle sure looks even more magical at night:
It was time to walk through the castle and check out Fantasyland.
Philharmagic has the dubious distinction of being the one attraction I wanted to experience but was unable to, due to technical difficulties. Got as far as the theater doors when we had to exit because of this. Naturally, Stacy had to tell me just how good it was when she saw it the day before!
Dark rides are hard to photograph, especially if you’ve never been on them. Because of the long lines, Peter Pan only got one ride through for us (translation: you only get a handful of photos and they are kinda' sucky!). The WDW version is similar, but I believe I liked the flying over London section at Disneyland better; there is less hustle and bustle; I found all the movement below to be a little distracting and took away from the fantasy feel that you get at Disneyland's version.
Snow White was a different story; I was able to do this one twice. And surprise, surprise...I believe I actually prefer the WDW version!
Somehow, Stacy got me on small world...I think I'm still waiting for a compensation prize. I definitely prefer the outdoor queue for Anaheim’s version; having an indoor queue (somehow) seems to make the attraction a little less special.
After a few texts back and forth, Stacy & I were able to meet up with Walt & his amazing mom (she is one cool mom who you WANT to hang out with!), our friends that we met at Candlelight (and you also might remember him as the crazy person who ran the WDW Half Marathon and full Marathon back-to-back in an Aladdin costume!). We met at the Haunted Mansion, and just as I thought back in 1978, the attraction is even better at night!
I still needed to ride Space Mountain, so we all headed for Tomorrowland. Since the ride had made Stacy a little queasy the day before, she and Dottie hung out while Walt & I braved it. Actually, not much to brave...I found it lackluster compared to Disneyland’s version; both the queue and the attraction (devoid of music) seemed a little ho-hum. It was also less fun to not be able to sit next to who you are riding with the different vehicle configuration.
As you can see here, I think I fell asleep!
We picked up the energy level with Buzz Lightyear, but again, it paled in comparison to Disneyland’s version, not seeming to be on par technically with its west coast counterpart.
On the way out of the park, we posed for a few photos in front of the castle; and yes, it was DAMN COLD!
The saddest part of the day is always when I leave; which is why I try to dull the pain with more photos and a trip through the candy shop!
On the way back "home" to the Polynesian, I stopped at the Contemporary Hotel to get some shots of the Mary Blair tile murals:
To my surprise, this model of the Tower of the Four Winds by Rolly Crump was also there:
One more trip entry to go! See more WDW photos at my website.
5 comments:
Wow, great trip report, thanks for all of the beautiful photos! Cinderella's castle does look great at night. Do you know if the Small World clock puts on a show every 15 minutes like the one in Anaheim? It's nice to know that the model for the Tower of the Four Winds is still around.
Wow! The castle is dazzling with all those lights...thanks Dave!
I've often wondered what Rolly thinks of the fact that DECADES after he did his Tower and Knott's Beary Tales, people not only still know them, they are actually acclaimed and missed.
... and all spontaneous feelings. No marketing manipulation.
I definitely like WDW's Snow White attraction better than Anaheim's. All four Snow White attractions around the world are different, but WDW and Paris have "finished" happy endings to them while Anaheim and Tokyo have abrupt "Oops, we ran out of space" endings.
Wow, thank you for the close-ups of the Mary Blair mural....and yes, it is nice to see that Rolly's model is still around!
Is WDW's Main St. Cinema still a souvenir shop? I hope they never convert Anaheim's!
Yes, the Cinema is still a souvenir shop...as if they really needed another one!
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