New To Me
On our recent adventure to Walt Disney World parks, Gideon and I decided to ride the Tron monorail to the Magic Kingdom. When ComingSoon.net shared pics of the coming monorail I thought it was a joke. I wasn’t that impressed with the imagery. But when it appeared zooming along the highway in the sky my opinion changed. Although I prefer the “white” color scheme to the “yellow” color scheme. The Disneyland monorails are a solid color so I was fond of the change and began to consider other “wrapped” ideas. Perhaps we could have a Mickey Red, Minnie Pink, Donald Blue, Goofy Green, or Chip N Dale Purple monorails instead of the traditional color striped variety. And then…I got onboard the Tron monorail. Its reminds me of that scene in Snow White when Dopey has the bejewelled eyes. I found the view of the windows visually disturbing almost as if my eyes couldn’t focus
With previous decals like the current balloons there were gaps for picture taking. I didn’t realize how important those gaps of clear view had been. What a disappointment to be unable to capture those first moments seeing various Disney World landmarks or picturesque overviews of Epcot. Perhaps a better option for “wrapping” will be available in the future but for now its an idea that I’m glad to know is only temporary.
Upon entering the Magic Kingdom adventure we enjoyed the 3 o’clock parade, followed by a tasty Tomato & Mozzarella sandwich from the Bakery. Its a hearty sandwich on a thick ciabatta roll with pesto. As we finished the sandwich at one of the Center Street tables, the Main Street Philharmonic appeared and began their march toward to Main Street to entertain the guests. Knowing it was still Spring Break we decided to head over to Pirates of the Caribbean. On a hot day the fast moving, temperature controlled queue was a good call even though it was a 30 minute wait. It was the first time I’ve waited in a longer line alone with our 14 month old. It was a bit more difficult to keep him corralled in the exterior queue which has the easy to duck under metal chains but once inside the castille he toddled along the corridors with the line for a bit before having be held. Certain areas of the walled queue were a bit wider so I was able to put him down from time to time so he could safely explore. Trips to the Magic Kingdom are much more fun now as he discovers new things. On this trip through Pirates of the Caribbean Gideon was curious about the approaching misty image of Davy Jones. Now that he plays in the water areas he was readying for the approaching waterfall and then was obviously quite confused when we passed through it. He turned to view the waterfall until we reached the next scene. As a littler one he pretty much held the same look on his face throughout the ride, nothing seeming to catch his attention more than any other portion but now during the darkened waterfall and the battle scene he scooted deeper into my lap for security. He strained to view the Pirate with his kitty (we were on the other side of the boat)
New step mounts and handles on the Carrousel
Following Pirates we trekked over Fantasyland so he could explore the Pooh playground. We passed the queues for it’s a small world and Peter Pan as they were much too long for us to jump in. As a Peter Pan FastPass addict, if the line is over 20 minutes I’ll skip it as I find that particular queue a really unpleasant experience. But as always the Carrousel was a short wait so we hopped aboard and discovered some changes. Instead of the previous rectangle shaped foot holds there was now a graduated step style mounts. The new mounts made it much easier to access taller steeds while also being easier for short legs to reach once on the horse. Also of note was the addition of hand holds to either side of the brass pole. Both additions made it much, much easier for me who wears a leg brace 24/7 to join Gideon on the carrousel horse. The smaller handles enabled Gideon to have a nice firm grasp, too. I’ve been told that they have been adding these features to the carrousel a few horses at a time over the past few weeks and are still working on completing the entire carrousel. I appreciate the improved accessibility and look forward to riding the carrousel more often as a result.
New graduated step stirrups make the ride more comfortable for shorter legs – easier to reach while riding and easier to reach when getting on. You can see the classic style on the next horse.
Smaller diameter handles provide smaller hands a better grip.
On our way out of the Magic Kingdom, we stumbled upon some fun for the little one. As the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade was exiting Main Street, the Main Street guest control cast members and even sweepers follow along behind it. The parade and its costumed performers disappear behind the gates but the music continues to play and the Main Street cast keep the dance party going in the little area between the Firehouse and the Barber Shop. Its off the heavily trafficked path so Gideon was able to get out of the stroller and dance along with them. He danced and clapped along with them until the parade tune ended. As a little, little one (new walker) he can’t yet participate in the street party on his own so this was a great way for him to get in on the fun. We’ll definitely be back there again real soon.