Throwback Thursday: A Magical Memory at Walt Disney World

Photo from the Walt Disney World website

It's been six weeks since our last trip to Walt Disney World, but it feels like ages have passed. An amazing thing, the pull that WDW has on its true fans -- most of us would be there on at least a weekly basis if it were practical. Hey, some people do visit that often! Perhaps we will one day, if we ever move to Orlando to escape our brutal winters.

The trip was by far the best we have taken yet, largely due to it being the first trip we went on alone. It was just the two of us, and Disney World was really our very own oyster. We made the most of the entire week we were there, and on a really reasonable budget -- something we will definitely blog about in the future! Every day was a special treat, but we want to share our fond recollection of one particularly memorable day.

We started the morning at Magic Kingdom, where we always make it a point to get there in time for "rope drop." Really, we try to arrive at all of the parks before opening, as there are slightly different benefits to doing so at each park, but the experience at Magic Kingdom is far and away the most special. In fact, it is likely to be one of the most powerful "Disney Moments" you experience in the parks -- if you haven't seen what we are about to describe, you really need to put it on your "must do" list for your next trip. About fifteen minutes before the official opening time, the cast members perform a short welcome show at the train station and then the train rolls in carrying Mickey and friends. That morning, however, the show played through without the train. The effect wasn't the same, and we were momentarily heartbroken before we realized that the train was likely just undergoing some maintenance -- luckily, the train was back in the show later in the week!

Our plan was to head straight to the back of the park, into Fantasyland, to stop into Gaston's Tavern for one of their famed behemoth cinnamon rolls (they are literally the size of a football!). Of course, we got sidetracked (as we often do, and frankly that is the best way to experience Disney -- give in to these DIStractions!) along the way, and hopped into the surprisingly short queue for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Bouncing along with Tigger made us a little nauseous on our empty bellies, so we headed straight to Gaston's Tavern for coffee and a cinnamon roll. Surprisingly, the whole area was pretty empty so we were able to enjoy a serene morning for a while, just soaking up some sun and letting ourselves digest all that sugar before getting on another ride. We wandered over toward Rapunzel’s tower and spontaneously got in line for Peter Pan’s Flight. That line turned out to be significantly longer than we thought, but at least no little kids threw a fit.

After lunch at Columbia Harbor House (one of our favorites!) we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion with our fastpasses. In between fastpass times, we visited the Hall of Presidents and took a spin around Tom Sawyer Island on the river boat— it was a nice, breezy trip, but we weren’t fast enough to snag seats.

In the late afternoon, we headed out of the park and walked along the brick path over to Contemporary Resort. We’re quick walkers, so we arrived in less than ten minutes, with plenty of time to spare before our dinner at The Wave… of American Flavors. Inside, we settled into one of the plush couches scattered all over the lobby to wait for our dinner reservation. Those couches are a great place to relax if you’re at Contemporary for a meal! The Wave was a new restaurant for us—tasty with an emphasis on local and organic food.

After dinner, we rolled ourselves onto a bus and hopped over to Hollywood Studios. We had planned on being in Hollywood Studios in time to see the first showing of Fantasmic. It's one of our absolute favorite attractions on property, and usually has us shedding at least one nostalgic tear. Alas, we got there just as it started. But, that was fine. We got to mosey around the shops on Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Blvd in peace, we saw almost no one, since most guests were watching Fantasmic. We stayed in the stores until the exodus out of the park. Then we jumped in line for the next showing. Since the crowd saw the early show, the arena wasn’t even full the second time around. Since we’re young and quick (and we don’t mind stairs) we were able to score sweet seats right in the center, far back enough so we didn’t get sprayed by water, but near enough to feel the heat form the fire. We were so glad out original plan didn’t work out because we ended up having a wonderful experience! Leaving the park afterward wasn’t hard because the crowd was really light by then.

Overall the day was superb—you can’t beat Magic Kingdom, tasty food and Fantasmic! And it just goes to show that even the best plans often have better alternatives. Also, we make a point to try at least one new thing every day while in Walt Disney World—there’s so many things to do! That day, we rode The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan’s Flight, and the riverboat; we used the walking path to the Contemporary Resort; we ate at The Wave; did some late-night park hopping. With so many new adventures, and so many things going our way, that day at Disney World was one for the books!

This post was written and reviewed by Robin and Brad, creators of the Everyday Magic Blog

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