Favorite Favorites at the Magic Kingdom
by: Scott Sevener
Happy New Year, and welcome to what will hopefully be another great year of My Time with the Mouse columns in 2008! I’ve got a whole lot of great plans to share my love for all things Walt Disney World over the next twelve months, and to start things off I thought I’d begin with the first in a new series that I’ve appropriately dubbed Favorite Favorites…
My line of thinking with this series is that simply put – Disney World is huge – to the extent that no one can expect to experience it all in a single vacation, whether a week or a month in duration, and in the same right, no one can hope to write about it all in a single article or feature. That’s why we’ve got entire websites devoted to exploring the World, including AllEars.net, WDW Info, and so many more than I really have room to name here! So while each of these hit sites goes into the absolute utmost of details upon every single facet of the four theme parks around Walt Disney World, I still thought that it might be fun to explore with a little more depth my own personal favorites here in this special series of My Time with the Mouse… columns.
And that’s where Favorite Favorites comes in, for this series of columns over the next year is aimed simply at taking an even closer look at my own personal absolute favorites within the four Walt Disney World theme parks. We’ll hit on everything from attractions and shows, places to eat and even shop, special events that occur at the various parks throughout the year, and even some of those special nuances that us Disney fans just love to tell first-timers as we guide them through the World. Call it the next best thing to a personal tour through the parks by yours truly because when I’m in the parks, these are my own personal favorites!
I’ll space these out over the year so you won’t get barraged with all four columns right in a row and also so we’ll have some time to cover a few other topics along the way to help keep things fresh, but I hope everyone enjoys this new approach that I’m taking with these columns as we fly into the new year! Aside from my weekly humor column, My Time with the Mouse is probably one of my favorite columns to write because it gives me a chance to share my own experiences with the magic with all of you and if there’s anything else that I can do to make your experience even more enjoyable, then certainly don’t hesitate to drop me a line via e-mail and let me know what’s on your mind.
And now with all introductions aside, let’s find ourselves a parking spot somewhere in that massive TTC parking lot and prepare to make our journey across the Seven Seas Lagoon to Walt Disney World Resort’s flagship theme park, the Magic Kingdom…
Next stop - fun!!!
Now right off the bat, I hope that you got a good night’s sleep because it seems that out of the four Disney theme parks, my days at the Magic Kingdom always end up being the longest! For starters, it’s almost always the last park to close on any given night – except for special events nights, that is – and if we also happen to be staying on-site, those Extra Magic Hour Evenings that push the park’s hours ‘til way past midnight are sometimes too good to pass up! I know that not everybody is particularly fond of Extra Magic Hour Evenings as opposed to the mornings, but let’s face it – my sleep schedule is simply never going to accommodate the morning hours, so this is the best it’s going to get, and besides, on those nights where the crowds are less than chaotic, there’s nothing better than walking onto Big Thunder or Space Mountain or even better yet, four or five consecutive runs through Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin!
Upon our arrival at the Ticket & Transportation Center, my instinct is almost always to steer towards the monorail because simply put – the monorail is cool. We’ll opt for one of the riverboats if the monorail line is unusually long or if we don’t have any other option because the trains are down altogether, but there’s something special for me about speeding towards the Magic Kingdom in a futuristic kind of way via the monorail! And as an added bonus, there’s also the option to possibly ride up front with the conductor himself – certainly not a treat for everyday travel, but it’s a neat little addition if you’re visiting with guests from out of town and there aren’t a lot of people to compete with for the front seat. Honestly, if I had a choice I’d shoot for the front at the end of the day when we’re leaving the park as opposed to the beginning both because it’s a quaint way to unwind as you leave the Magic Kingdom and also it’s much easier to be first in line as many of the parents who would normally fight for this position with just be ready to get home at this point…
But regardless of exactly how we traverse the Seven Seas Lagoon, it’s time to get to walking once we pass through those turnstiles because there’s a lot of ground to cover and chances are if you’re with me, it’s not exactly still morning time when we take in that picturesque view of Cinderella Castle at the end of Main Street USA for the first time! In fact, at this point as much as I love each and every one of the shops along Main Street, the beginning of our trip just isn’t the place for them and we proceed to make a bee-line towards the hub, most likely diverting off in the direction of Tomorrowland via the sneaky little Noodle Station Bypass! Don’t worry, we’ll revisit Main Street later on in the day once the sun has come down and we’re itching for some shopping and possibly even a little ice cream, but first – “To infinity and beyond!”
| Tomorrowland Favorites… | |
| Attractions | Dining |
| Stitch’s Great Escape | X Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café |
| Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor | Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station |
| X Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin | |
| X Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress | |
| Astro Orbiter | |
| X Tomorrowland Transit Authority | |
| X Space Mountain | |
| Tomorrowland Indy Speedway | |
That’s right, call it an addiction at this point, but nine times out of ten Buzz is our first stop because the game is just that much fun. In fact, if it’s in the cards sometimes my fiancée and I will play three or four times (or more!) in a day if we’re feeling extra competitive, and believe me, this ride will do that to ya! Depending on the length of the line, we’ll usually begin by grabbing a Fast Pass for Buzz right off the bat, then proceeding to either actually ride the ride first without the Fast Pass if the wait is manageable (read: 20-30 minutes or less) or if it’s just ridiculous on those really busy days, we’ll pop over to Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café for a bit of lunch before pitting ourselves against the Evil Emperor Zurg. With any luck, though, we’ll be firing those laser blasters in no time.
"Zurg's forces are stealing up power cells - without those cells we'll be ... powerless!"
Must-Ride Ride: Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
I just can’t say enough good things about this ride – we have an absolute ball every time we ride and there’s always that desire to come back again and again! It’ll take a while, but eventually you start to remember which targets offer the most points – namely those either moving or located at hard-to-reach distances and angles throughout the course. Of course, it’s no fun if I give away all of the best secrets here, but for starters try aiming for the tile on the ceiling as you leave the first room, the far volcano in the second room, and the reflector at the bottom of Zurg’s space ship in the third. And don’t forget to keep shooting during the animated scene in the long, tube-like room – the battle ain’t over yet!
From here we have a couple of different options throughout Tomorrowland and to help us decide, we’re going to look to both the weather and our stomachs to help lead the way! If it’s raining or we just happen to have a fair amount of time on our hands, we can hop over to the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor or possibly even (gasp!) Stitch’s Great Escape, but chances are more likely that it’s time for some grub so if we didn’t get food before riding Buzz, now’s the chance to dine with Sonny Eclipse and get some much needed energy to help us through the next leg of the day…
Must-Eat Eatery: Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café
It’s not gourmet food, but it’s certainly not cafeteria slop either! I personally like Cosmic Ray’s for a solid combination of atmosphere and food variety because there’s a good myriad of options no matter what we’re in the mood for, and let’s face it – Sonny Eclipse is one heck of a fine entertainer to boot! Add bonus points for being such a central location, in that it’s only a quick jaunt across the path to Space Mountain, around the corner for the rest of Tomorrowland’s attractions, and even onward into Fantasyland when we’re ready to move on, and we’ve got ourselves an easy meal. Besides, what visit to Tomorrowland would be complete without a lunchtime serenade of everyone’s favorite alien hometown, Yew Nork?!
Yew Nork is my kinda town, too...
With full bellies and a catchy spring in our steps, though, it’s back into Tomorrowland for a few more favorites before continuing on into the most iconic themed land in all of the Magic Kingdom, Fantasyland. If the timing’s right and the line isn’t backed up halfway across the plaza, it’s hard to pass up an intergalactic ride on Space Mountain – not my absolute favorite rollercoaster in the park, but certainly worth the time if the wait is reasonable … otherwise if anything we’ll grab a Fast Pass just in case we feel like coming back later on in the day. But fortunately besides the mountain itself, our remaining highlights around Tomorrowland are fairly walk-on friendly – the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, for a carefree, leisurely tour around Tomorrowland with a birds-eye view, and of course Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, a timeless classic that Walt Disney worked on himself for the New York World’s Fair back in 1964.
And now that we’ve helped Buzz to defeat Zurg, taken trips both back in time and across the galaxy, and even rocked out a little with Sonny Eclipse and the Space Angels, it’s time to hop on over to the area of the park probably most widely known of all, Fantasyland…
| Mickey’s Toontown Fair Favorites… | |
| Attractions | Dining |
| The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm | n/a |
| Minnie’s Country House | |
| X Toontown Hall of Fame Tent | |
| Mickey’s Country House | |
| X Judge’s Tent | |
| X Walt Disney World Railroad | |
Or maybe not just yet!
We’re not going to dwell on Toontown too much here because frankly, not having any children yet myself, we don’t really tend to stop here very often – unless you have a desire for character photos or your little one wants to take on a rollercoaster his own size (Goofy’s Barnstormer), Toontown really doesn’t have much else to offer you except for a brisk train ride back to the front of the park. As for the character greeting spots, Toontown is the official meeting place in the Magic Kingdom where you can stand in various lines to have photos taken with a variety of the characters (typically Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto share a line, the Princesses will offer a line of their own, and then maybe Chip & Dale, with Mickey, of course, in an area by himself in the Judge’s Tent).
Just between you and me, if it must be done here, just pick one line at a time and prepare to be patient, but if you don’t absolutely have to do your character greetings at the Magic Kingdom, you’ll find the same characters over at Epcot’s Character Spot and the lines are typically a lot shorter.
‘Nuff said – either check it out if the characters are your cup of tea, otherwise we’ll just wait until we see them roaming around the park and instead keep walking towards that whimsical wonderland that can only be … Fantasyland.
| Fantasyland Favorites… | |
| Attractions | Dining |
| X Mad Tea Party | Cinderella’s Royal Table |
| The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Pinocchio Village Haus |
| Snow White’s Scary Adventures | |
| X Dumbo the Flying Elephant | |
| X Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel | |
| X Mickey’s PhilharMagic | |
| X Peter Pan’s Flight | |
| X It’s a Small World | |
dizzy yet?!
It’s hard not to feel like a little kid again as we walk through this treasured section of the Magic Kingdom, surrounded by all of the classic fairy tale characters that many of us grew up on, now brought to life by the magic of Disney. A glance to the left unveils the Alice in Wonderland lose-your-lunch favorite, the Mad Tea Party, just beyond that we see offerings of Winnie the Pooh and Snow White, and of course, nothing brings back those memories quite like a ride on Dumbo the Flying Elephant – if that doesn’t do it for you, I’m sorry, but I just can’t help ya!
With epic Cinderella Castle at its epicenter, Fantasyland is probably what most commonly comes to mind when people think of Walt Disney World, as its iconic offerings arguably best depict Walt’s dream for his parks – to create a place where adults and their children can have fun together. And as we’re surrounded by all of the classics that do their part to not only take us older folks back to the days of our childhood and also introduce future generations to their timeless tales, it seems that Walt would be very pleased to walk through the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland today. Of course, being a child of the ‘80s and ‘90s myself, nothing hits closer to home for me than Mickey’s PhilharMagic…
Must-See Show: Mickey’s PhilharMagic
This is it, folks – if I had to select a single attraction in all of the Magic Kingdom to visit, one that truly encompassed all things Disney, this would be my selection hands down, no argument. By far the best 3D show you’ll find at Walt Disney World, part of the thing that attracts me to this, well, attraction is that it happens to feature just about all of the Disney animated classics that came out while I was growing up – The Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King – and although I certainly have grown to appreciate a much wider selection of Disney’s libraries, these stories and their characters hold a special place in my heart because they’re how I first got interested in all of this to begin with!
The show itself makes great use of 3D effects, and let me just say that if you can leave this show without wanting to make a bee-line to the nearest dessert stand, you’re a stronger man than I…
Some ducks never learn...
Now after we’ve gotten PhilharMagic out of the way, it’s typically a combination of mood and wait times that dictates where we’ll be heading next. If the kid-at-heart needs a little extra indulgence, then we can’t go wrong with Dumbo the Flying Elephant; if we haven’t eaten in a while, it might just be safe enough to take a spin on the Mad Tea Party; and of course, those hopeless romantics know that they can always win a girl’s heart after dark with a ride on Cinderella’s Golden Carousel. On this trip, though, we’re fixing to keep moving on to new horizons, so as we proceed onward to Liberty Square, it’s a toss up between It’s a Small World and Peter Pan’s Flight for one last ride before we prepare to get spooked…
Must-See…Despite the Obnoxious Song: It’s a Small World
Just a quick note for this one – yes, it’s a song that will stick in your head for days to come, but for the amateur photographers in your group, It’s a Small World can also be one of the most enjoyable attractions to shoot in the entire park. The rooms are loaded with all sorts of great colors, the specific themes of each room offer a variety of subjects to shoot, and best of all, unlike far too many other attractions, the boats in It’s a Small World actually move slow enough that you don’t need to have a super-fast camera to get decent pictures.
Plus, the wait times typically aren’t too bad unless it’s super-busy season anyways, so take the detour – your friendly, neighborhood photographer will thank you later!
It's a Photographer's World After All...
Must-Wait…If the Line’s Not Two Hours Long…Attraction: Peter Pan’s Flight
Now admittedly I went many a trip before stopping to take in this one, and even then, it was simply because we saw a huge rainstorm on the horizon and the queue line seemed like as good a place as any to ride out the storm, but if you ever actually get inside, Peter Pan’s Flight really does have some pretty neat views to offer. It’s a peaceful ride as you float over the various scenes from the movie – the streets of London, Captain Hook’s ship, and so forth – but ultimately this is a great attraction to really just take in all of the deals that go into crafting all of these five-six minute immersive worlds. I really enjoy the colors here – all very bold and bright – and while I wouldn’t necessarily deem this one a must-see if the line is backed up into It’s a Small World, given decent wait times it can be a fun trip!
But if you’ve had enough fairytales – at least for a little while – then let us next head over to an area of the park based on the days of yesteryear, where the men and women were a bit more proper and the houses were all just a little more haunted…
| Liberty Square Favorites… | |
| Attractions | Dining |
| X The Haunted Mansion | Columbia Harbour House |
| Liberty Square Riverboat | Liberty Tree Tavern |
| The Hall of Presidents | |
To be honest with you, this is going to be a pretty quick stop if I’m the guy leading. For starters, Liberty Square is the smallest of the seven themed lands that make up the Magic Kingdom, and likewise, there’s really only one attraction here that I feel is truly worth its salt. Granted, if there are any history buffs in the crowd, they’re likely going to enjoy The Hall of Presidents and even much of the themeing throughout the Square, but for me, it’s pretty much just a quick brush with death before proceeding on to the wild wild west.
Must-Spook Spectacular: The Haunted Mansion
Whether you’re a firm believer in the supernatural or wholeheartedly argue that these ghouls and ghosts are but a figment of your imagination, I think we can all agree that The Haunted Mansion is simply one of those classic attractions that no trip to the Magic Kingdom is complete without. The special effects are certainly top notch and for repeat visitors, the latest enhancements from last fall provide a fun opportunity to try to guess which are the latest additions to the timeless attraction. And for curious adults wondering about their children, while yes – it can be a little creepy in some parts, it more so borders on goofy scary most of the time and if nothing else, isn’t any worse than some of the zombies the kids likely ran into last year during trick or treating…
So are you scathingly scared yet? Well, don’t worry – I won’t make you stop at The Hall of Presidents on our way through the rest of Liberty Square. Ghouls and ghosts are one thing, but learning while we’re on vacation? Where do you think we are, Epcot?! Let’s just mosey on along – we’ve got a lot ahead of us before sundown. You know you don’t want to be messin’ around these next parts after sundown…
| Frontierland Favorites… | |
| Attractions | Dining |
| Country Bear Jamboree | X Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe |
| Tom Sawyer Island | |
| X Splash Mountain | |
| X Big Thunder Mountain Railroad | |
| X Walt Disney World Railroad | |
Despite not exactly being of country-origin, I kind of like the atmosphere that Frontierland has to offer. Maybe it’s the food offered in Pecos Bill’s, maybe it’s the fact that it boasts two of the big three coasters in the Magic Kingdom, or maybe it’s just because I like quoting the old prospector while we’re waiting in line for the “…wildest ride in the wild-er-ness!” I like it so much that I even forgive it’s absolutely horrible audio-animatronic show just on the outskirts of town … you know, the one with the talking bears? Yeah, just keep moving along – besides, for your sanity’s sake, Splash Mountain has much better animatronics anyways.
Big Thunder offers some nice views of the park, especially as nightfall approaches...
Now depending on your perrogative, your appetite, and also your ability to keep down a meal while being tossed to and fro, the order for our next chain of events is somewhat up to debate. If you’re itching for some grub and you don’t have an affinity for losing your lunch on rollercoasters, then I’d first direct you over to Pecos Bill’s for my second-favorite counter service meal in the park (behind Cosmic Ray’s). Nonetheless, if you’re like me and don’t feel like having to buy another shirt later…even if you very well might anyways…then I’d strongly recommend hitting my next two favorites in reverse order – your belly will thank me later.
Must-Graze Galley: Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café
Despite the departing audiences from the Country Bear Jamboree dumping right into the restaurant, luckily the suckiness from the show itself hasn’t managed to contaminate the food at this western-themed eatery in Frontierland … cheese fries are “western,” right?! It’s usually a toss-up between this place and Cosmic Ray’s if we’re looking for a meal in the Magic Kingdom, mostly dependent on which end of the park we find ourselves when hunger strikes. My only qualm about this joint is probably the noise factor – sometimes it seems that the tables are so crowded together that it can be tough to get away from other guests and their families, particularly if it happens to be a busy time of day, and it also doesn’t help that unlike Cosmic Ray’s, Pecos Bill’s doesn’t have a singing alien to help drown out the neighbors while you’re eating…
Must-Ride Coaster: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Hands down my favorite coaster in all of Walt Disney World, the only thing that makes this wild train ride any better is by riding it at night! It’s not the fastest, it’s not the twist-and-turniest, but it’s still a nice ride through mostly open air areas and in the evening hours after it gets dark, you get some really cool views of Cinderella Castle off on the horizon that you won’t find anywhere else in the park. Of course, in being one of the three big attractions in the park, the line for Big Thunder can get pretty bad, but if you’re planning on hitting up both this one and Splash Mountain next door, you can at least ease up on the wait times by grabbing a fast pass for one and then spend your wait time in the shorter of the two queues.
So far we’ve seen robots, alien invaders, flying elephants, ghosts, cowboys, and probably even a character or three there in the mix. We’re almost done with attractions for the day and I know you’re getting hot and tired, but I promise you that the spoils when we return to Main Street will be well worth your touring efforts! Of course, there’s still one thing that stands between us and all of those delectable goodies to be found within the shops along Main Street USA – men, hold your lasses close, for there be pirates ahead in the distance…
| Adventureland Favorites… | |
| Attractions | Dining |
| X Pirates of the Caribbean | n/a |
| The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management | |
| X Jungle Cruise | |
| The Magic Carpets of Aladdin | |
| Swiss Family Treehouse | |
Now I’ve got to be honest – we don’t really spend much time on this end of the park, which is kind of a shame because I think of Adventureland as one of those areas that should be a lot cooler than it actually is. I mean, I like adventures, per se, but I suppose aside from something like Pirates, pretty much all of the other adventures that I tend to enjoy exist elsewhere in Tomorrowland, Frontierland, and even Fantasyland. In fact, much like this very trip today, Adventureland typically doesn’t even see much traffic from the likes of us unless we’re coming from Frontierland and feel like making one last stop or two before buying dessert back on Main Street on the way out!
Nonetheless, we’re here, albeit probably a tad bit tired after having ran around the park all day, but there are definitely still at least a couple of worthwhile stops here on our way back to civilization, so let’s get swashbuckling…
The pirates' booty is yours ... if you make it through the attraction, that is...
Must-Swoon Johnny Depp Experience: Pirates of the Caribbean
I know I was a little harsh on Adventureland as a whole there just now, but please don’t let it diminish my thoughts of its star attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean – frankly, unless there’s a ridiculous line (which there usually isn’t), I can’t walk by without taking a float through this one! Maybe it’s a nostalgic thing, maybe it’s the offering of 8.5 minutes of air conditioning on a muggy Floridian afternoon, but this one is certainly a classic – there’s no arguing that. Plus, I think it’s kind of cool to see an attraction that’s truly gone full circle … in a good way – the classic attraction inspired the series of great movies (well, the first two anyways…) starring Johnny Depp, which then turned around and invited a few new upgrades to the ride itself to incorporate the dastardly Jack Sparrow into the story, all while still maintaining the classic image that Pirates is known for.
Not many could pull off a stunt like that, but Pirates definitely earns itself a few dubloons for that!
Yo ho, yo ho – wasn’t that fun? After you’ve had a chance to spend some of your hard-earned gold in the massive gift shop as we exit Pirates, we’ll continue our journey back to the front of the park … of course, not before we stop by an old favorite to help let off a little sarcasm, that is! No, no – I’m not talking about The Enchanted Tiki Room … you’ll want to just run past that one as fast as you can.. The laughs that we’re looking for can only be found in the heart of the wild jungle…
Consider viewing this photo to be all the exposure to The Enchanted Tiki Room that your visit needs and just keep walking...
Must-Mock Mini-Cruise: Jungle Cruise
For anyone who’s been bottling up their sarcastic commentary ever since we passed Cinderella Castle, now’s your time to let it all out … and believe you me, even being the gigantic Disney fan that I am, I’m also a fairly cynical person the majority of the time so if anything, the Jungle Cruise is a great chance to sit back, relax, and let your tour guides belt out all of the best scathing lines that have been bouncing around inside your head all afternoon! You’ll laugh, you’ll groan, and then more likely than not you’ll jump right back in line again afterwards to see if you’ll get a different comedy routine from a different skipper! Nothing like a little lighthearted mockery to round out the day.
And that’s just about it, folks – at least for Adventureland, anyways. If you feel like doing a little climbing on your way out, you might be interested in the Swiss Family Treehouse, straight out of the book and then later the live-action film by Disney from the 60’s, although consider yourself warned that despite the copious amount of stairs in the treehouse, there was an alarming absence of slides in the original story and not much has changed in its transition into a Disney attraction! For a bit less walking, you might be better off just grabbing a Dole Whip at Aloha Isle on your way back across the bridge towards the hub – you’ve earned it at this point…
So here we are, back where we first started many, many hours ago – a little tired, a little wired, but hopefully still looking forward to the two final things that our trip to the Magic Kingdom is still lacking – fireworks and dessert! Luckily, in both regards, we’ve come to the right place…
| Main Street, USA Favorites… | |
| Attractions | Dining |
| X Walt Disney World Railroad | Tony’s Town Square Restaurant |
| The Plaza Restaurant | |
| X Shopping!!! | X Casey’s Corner |
| The Crystal Palace | |
Main Street USA is bustling with activity in the evening
It’s been a long day, that’s for sure, but considering how much ground we covered in the largest of the four parks (not counting the majority of the Animal Kingdom that’s savannah, anyways), I don’t think we did all that bad! We saw each of the Magic Kingdom’s seven themed lands, hit up the best of the best attractions – at least in my opinion! – and probably experienced more of the classic Disney magic in this one park today than we’ll find in all of the other parks combined. Of course, that’s nothing to knock the others, mind you, but lest we not forget that this is the park that started it all back some 37 years ago.
But you know, there are still a couple of things left to do around this place, and we need to hurry if we’re going to cover all of our bases before Wishes lights up the night sky over Cinderella Castle, so let’s get to gettin’ while the gettin’s still good! Granted, I don’t think I really need to spell it out to you just exactly what Main Street, USA is known for – between all of the flashy signs along the storefronts and our mad dash past them earlier this morning, let’s just say that it should be clear by now that we’re here to shop and we’re here to eat!
…and not necessarily in that order…
I think out of all the theme parks, and arguably even the absolutely gigantic World of Disney store at Downtown Disney, the Magic Kingdom still boasts my favorite locations for souvenir shopping at Walt Disney World. Everything is in one general area, but still spaced out enough so that the separate stores still feel like stores instead of different departments along one huge block. There’s a great variety of the stores themselves, from the crystal shop and the jewelry shop to the massive clothing and everything else shop that is The Emporium encompassing the entire opposite length of the street! I dare might even say that one could likely fill just about any souvenir desire that they had along this strip, and even better, it even comes with a sweet array of yummy treats when the shopping is done and it’s time to indulge a different sense…
Hurry up and get your snack before the show starts!!!
Must-Snack (If You Really Like Corndogs…): Casey’s Corner
I probably don’t eat here nearly as often as I’d like, but if you’re looking for something quick and on the go, either to munch on while you proceed off to your next attraction or even while you’re watching SpectroMagic or Wishes, if it’s salty that you’re longing rather than sweet, you really can’t go wrong with an order of Casey’s corndog nuggets! Of course, you can also pick-up a hotdog or some fries, or even – as one would only expect from a baseball-themed eatery – some Cracker Jack for a great snack when you find yourself with five minutes to kill between shopping and fireworks.
Must-Indulge Tie-Breaker: Main Street Bakery / Main Street Confectionary
Boy, did we earn this little treat … and you’re soon going to find out that little treat when said regarding these two Main Street highlights is just about the understatement of the year! These are the stores whose smells waft out into the street and barrage you with an overwhelming lust for their contents – believe it or not, there are actually special vents along the front of the building that offer up an artificial scent to beckon patrons inside. Mind you, even without such trickery we’d be visiting anyways – between the bakery’s cakes and cookies and brownies, and even a few other treats that somehow don’t contain chocolate, and the candy store’s ridiculous array of fudges and candies and chocolates – it’s a wonder we don’t just drop into some sort of sugar coma right then and there! So many choices upon choices upon choices, and don’t forget that there’s even an ice cream shop on the opposite side of the bakery if you find yourself needing even more options!
But don’t take too long perusing the shops of Main Street, USA, for you don’t want to miss the evenings festivities as they parade in front of you, then burst into the sky in an array of colors that just hit home a pleasant reminder that you truly are at the Happiest Place on Earth, and besides, you know that they’ll all still be open long after the last burst fills the sky anyways! Of course, as for those two nighttime presentations themselves, I really don’t think I need to even mention that SpectroMagic and Wishes are most certainly must-sees during our trip to the Magic Kingdom – these two presentations simply embody the Disney magic that we’ve been experiencing all day long. Between the spectacular soundtrack to SpectroMagic and the quaint, albeit somewhat tear-jerking narration to Wishes, I can’t think of a better way to end our day here at Disney World.
Wishes rounds out a seemingly perfect day at the Magic Kingdom
That is, unless they happen to be running Extra Magic Hour evenings tonight, of course! If so, then we have a bit of dessert and enjoy the shows while we take a breather, and then head right back into the madness for another few hours filled with reruns of our absolute favorite attractions! There’s nothing quite like running around the magic Kingdom at 1:00am, believe you me. It’ll no doubt lead to a bit of sleeping in come morning, but if you know me, that’s not really going to be much of an issue…
So there we have it, folks – your very own personalized tour of Walt Disney World’s flagship park, the Magic Kingdom! I really hope you enjoyed our walkthrough of my favorite sights and sounds around the park today – and I know, believe it or not, that I didn’t even get a chance to touch on every single attraction around the park, but for that we’d have been here all day and by now I’m sure you’ve got something else you’re supposed to be doing!
Anyways, over the next two months, I’ll be bringing you different types of columns more along the lines of what you saw in My Time with the Mouse… last year, but come April you can bet your giant, chocolate-covered Rice Krispie Treat that we’ll be taking to the streets once again to explore all of the nooks and crannies to be found in the next destination in our series – the home of technology and ethnicity at Walt Disney World, Epcot!
See you real soon…