DiDeAd Part 2

After all the discussion of which order to attack the parks, O’C’s original opinion that MK is the place to go first proved out. While I reserve the idea that, with kids, it might be best to work up to it, to avoid the perception that the other parks somehow don’t match up, there is no question that, as adults, we all arrived full of anticipation and energy, more than capable of attacking the MK in one physically grueling day. The hours of the park were from 9:00 am to 10:00 pm. We were at the bus stop at the hotel at 8:00 am exactly. (O’C was almost there at 8:00 am exactly, which is close enough, for him.) We traveled as a group to gates of the Magic Kingdom.

Once upon a time, opening the park meant slowly leading the assembled multitudes in through a series of steps leading to multiple rope drops in the directions of the various E-ticket attractions, in aid of minimizing the inevitable stampede. Now they have a little opening show up at the train station, and the early risers get to watch some Disney dancers sing and high-step to some gleefully peppy music, and then the Mayor of Main Street comes out and welcomes us. I understand that when hizzoner is unavailable, it will be the Vice Mayor of Main Street, or the Speaker of the House of Main Street, etc., doing the honors. Then the train comes steaming into the station and various Disney characters and a family chosen at random for their gleeful peppy appearance all wave at us and they shoot off the metaphoric starter’s pistol and we all go storming into the park for our promised magical day.

Right off the bat, cast members were waving people away from Space Mountain, which wasn’t running at the opening, or, for that matter, distributing fast passes. We took this in our stride and went on to #2 on the Unofficial Guide touring plan, which is Buzz Lightyear, where you shoot at aliens and rack up a very impressive score that makes the rest of your group look like inept invalids. Oh, wait. It was only me who racked up a very impressive score. A word to the wise: study the literature before your trip to learn how to improve your score, and you too can lord it over your friends and relatives for the rest of the vacation, or at least for the two minutes subsequent to the ride, after which you mosey on to the next attraction.

I won’t list them all, but, for the most part, we did them all. “it’s a small world” was under rehab, which was probably a good thing, because it is the attraction that has sent the most guests into rehab, babbling the music while drooling into their pillows, lying on their hospital beds in their straightjackets. Space Mountain came back up fairly early and we grabbed fast passes; one benefit of O’C’s iPhone was access to information on wait times and the like. For many of the group, SM was something of a maiden event, their first SM or, in some cases, first roller coaster ever, or first roller coaster since seventh grade. Everyone survived admirably, although I have to admit, when you look at the official photos they take on the rides, in virtually all of them Katie and I look as if we’re enjoying ourselves and the rest of the DiDeAd look as if they rather be in rehab wearing straightjackets drooling onto their pillows. These are the only pictures from the trip where O’C isn’t on his iPhone. After SM, we did the other coasters in turn over the vacation. Everyone loved Thunder Mountain, which is something of the anti-SM, being out in the light and all, although in the evening Kate and I rode it again, going for the dark of night approach, and it was great fun then too, and quite different. Speaking of night, we also waited until dark for the Jungle Cruise, and I have to admit, this made a big, positive difference. I’ll never ride it during the day again.

There were many high points of the day. We discovered Dole Whips, for one thing, which are only available at two venues on property, and are not to be missed. I ran into Lou Mongello, a podcaster I’ve followed for years via whom we found our travel agent. We took a midday break to strut with the swells over at the Polynesian resort, which was much classier (and more expensive) than our hotel, but it is nice to get away to recharge for an hour or so. And don’t forget, when it first arrived, the monorail at Disneyland was an E-ticket. Since for our trip to the Polynesian we got on the wrong one first, for us it was sort of an F-ticket, but you can’t win them all. Despite some drizzle that started at night, the Mainstreet Electrical Parade and the Wishes fireworks both went off to the great satisfaction of all and sundry. I was especially awed by the fireworks, which are incredibly choreographed to the accompanying music to the point that it’s almost unbelievable. During the day at some point O’C and Kaz got to ride the Carrousel, which is admittedly an old classic but it was a bit much watching them push little kids aside to get to the best horses. Thank God they also didn’t want to do Dumbo, or were at least too ashamed to admit it. This is the first time we’ve seen the Haunted Mansion since it’s last refurb, and it is spectacular. It was always top five, but now it’s even more top five. (We spent a lot of time discussing top fives and top tens, both extant and extinct.) Kaz felt that the Hall of the Presidents made a good lesson plan, while Kate felt that it made a good nap. I’ve never gotten past the absolute surrealism of the proceedings, all these robot chief executives nodding and scratching and whatnot. O’C even got his updated Cinderella autograph, although admittedly, since he was the only adult on the line (alone at the time since the rest of us were doing something else), park security was keeping a close eye on him from that point on. By the way, character actors at Disney must keep their hands visible at all times when encountering guests. Cinderella, interviewed after her meeting with O'C, claimed she did not find this to be a problem in his case.

All if all, a swell time was had, and it was a great start to the proceedings. One park down, three to go.