Orlando, Florida
"A place where dreams come true......"
Day 5 (5 August '07)
This day was planned to visit Disney's Magic Kingdom. It is, in fact, the most popular theme park in Disney's World.
With experience working in a theme park, we knew that going in when the park has just opened will be the best - shorter queues, shorter waiting time, not as many people yet. But again, with delays at waking up, we ended up at Magic Kingdom only at 9.10am, which wasnt that bad actually..
The main entrance::Still have to go through security check
Well, the park is divided into 7 areas, each with its own theme and special attractions...
Upon entering, we first came to the Main Street, U.S.A., and what greeted us were two rows of shophouses-liked and the iconic castle in the distant....
The castle::With the fantasical castle
But our first stop was planned to go Frontierland first, so we skipped "Adventureland" along the way. At Frontierland, it is a very 'mountaineous' place, with attractions named 'Splash Mountain' - a water ride, ' Big Thunder Mountain Railroad' - a train coaster etc. And our first ride of the day was the 'Splash Mountain', and KR was scared of getting dirty wet, so he chickened out... HAHA.
Getting wet::A fifty foot plunge::Cute rabbits in the interior
Actually the ride was very interesting. There were many cute stuffs and lively music in the interior and the ride was pretty long. Quite new to us considering there wasnt such kind of ride in Cedar Point. The plunge wasnt that scary though. Ha.
And we proceeded to the train coaster next, and it was quite fun, though it wasnt the thrilling kind...
In front of the rocky mountain::The rocky mountain full view
After that, we went back to Adventureland again. It was quite a tropical-feeling place. And first stop was the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' which is another water ride seeing the adventure of Captain Jack. Next was the 'Jungle Cruise' which we sailed through a safari tour, seeing fake animals in jungle. And the tour guide was quite entertaining, but i guess she probably said the same stuff over and over again that even her jokes sounded quite emotionless... ha
The boat::Going under the falls
And we also went for the 'Magic Carpets of Aladdin' ride where we went up and down. Very childhood-ish. Ha...
Us onboard
Then we rushed for the musical show that was happening on stage at 11.30am... It was quite interesting and had some pyrotechnics at time, very magical feeling.
Cinderella and Prince::Donald in pirates suit
Lunch time after the show and we chose the 'Columbia Harbour House' at the Liberty Square. It sells mainly fish and chicken baskets. And the weather was too hot to bear...
My chicken finger with fries and large drink::All sort of sauces
In fact, my lunch cost US$10.10 which is actually cheaper than Cedar Point's US$13.08 for the same combo - 3 chicken strips, fries and large drink. And it has more sauces for choice too!
After lunch, we were pretty much reluctant to step out of the restaurant because the weather outside was simply too hot. At least 35 degree Celsius man! But no choice yah. So we continued visiting various attractions.....
Trying to pull the sword::The hat!
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh::'It's a small world'
All these rides are very cutesy and fairy tale like. Some are water rides, while some are flying ride. But all of them are about seeing set-ups of the characters in various setting and much like story-telling.
Of interest is the 'It's a small world' water ride. Inside, it brought us to various countries' culture and all parts were playing that familiar tune in different language.... 'it's a small world afterall.. it's a small world afterall..' and it keeps going.. Ha
In a safari::Dancing dolls
At 3pm, we were waiting fainting-ly under the sweltering sun for the Disney's Dreams Come True Parade. That's when all the characters come into life!
Hot-dog look-alike brooms::Snow White::A witch
Cinderella::Chipmunk::End of parade
After the parade, it was back to the other attractions again. The Fastpass system they used is very useful. We could just collect the pass from 1 attraction and go back at the time as stated on the pass. In the mean time, we could visit other attractions and go back to join the fast queue....
Fastpass for Stitch's Great Escape::Spaceship-interior
The Lightyear ride was very cool. We sat through the ride and had to shoot at targets with our laser guns on the seats that could spin around with our own control. And points were given at the end. Very fun.
An outdoor ride::My dinner
At Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, it was an interactive show. At the beginning, random people will be captured on screen with very interesting captions. The purpose was just to make people laugh. Throughout the show, the animated characters on screen tell jokes and they involved the audiences. So to speak, all the shows are different! Very cool.
Then we sat on the train and brought us round the area and went on a fastspeed roller coaster. Dinner at 8pm and we were starving by then. Had to rush for the night show Wishes at 10pm at the castle....
The dazzling fireworks spectacular was sure very sensational to watch. Definitely win Cedar Point's mini night show. Next, at 11pm, it was the night parade, SpectaMagic...
Cinderella and Prince::The white floats
One interesting was the lights of the entire parade will change from colourful to all white and all would happen at the same time even though the lights or wires did not seem connected together. So that was quite interesting.
We managed to stay in the park until 1.30am because we as the resort hotel's guests, we have that special privileges. Ha. But we were too tired at the end of it.
But one last photo before we left....
With Walt Disney, the creator
That's it, 16 hours of fantasy at the Magic Kingdom....
Day 6 (6 August '07)
This day was dedicated to Disney's Epcot. As we slept late the previous day, we only managed to start our adventure later at 10.15am.
The first thing we saw was the iconic globe...
The entire park is divided into 2 parts and we visited the Future World first. For this part, it consists of a few attractions, each with its own unique structure...
Imaginations!::The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Our first attraction was the Test Track, said to be the longest, fastest attraction in Disney history. There was a long queue but we decided to join instead of getting the Fastpass.
The interior is all about car testing
Fortunately, the wait was only 20 minutes and the ride was interesting. Just like the name of the ride, it was supposed to test the car in various setting and we had to go through that. From bends, to immediate braking, to acceleration and even heat and moisture testing, it was definitely a fun ride. But not fast enough!
At the end of the ride, we were in some car exhibition, showing some nice cars and future cars.
Dinosaur::Space ship interior
Next, we were at Ellen's Energy Adventure which supposed to bring us to the dinosaur era. But so unlucky, the ride broke down while we were on it. Possibly hundred of people have to leave then.
Then we were for Mission Space. This ride was special as we were placed in rocket style setting and set off to Mars for a mission. Each of us has a role to play and press the necessary buttons on the control during take off and exploration. The ride was in fact rotating and make use of the centrifugal force to allow us experience more than 1 G-force during the ride. But it made one feel motion-sickness after that.
There is actually a greenhouse in the park. Quite interesting and we took a water ride to see all that and including a fish farm. There are papaya, vanilla plants, eggplants and some with giant fruits..
A big pumpkin::Some fish
Then it was time for lunch only at 2.45pm and more attractions after that. But we were very tired, and i think i felt asleep on one attraction that featured characters from the Lion King in a film about the circle of life.
Some flower::Journey into Imagination with Figment - a sensory attraction
Well, the type of attractions are similar to the Magic Kingdom. Most are either 3D interactive shows or rides that you sit through, looking at figures or things that move. But for that Honey, I Shrunk the Audiences, the characters are from the movie itself and they actually filmed specially for this attraction at the time the movie was made. Meaning in the show, we could see the characters that looked so 80s or 90s. Ha, but interestingly that Disney actually had foresight of making them as attraction when the movie was made.
Leave a Legacy - plaques with visitors' photos
Then it was already 5pm and we left 5 hours to explore the second part of the park - World Showcase. It is a place with 11 countries-flavoured buildings, cultures and food. Visiting this place equals visiting all the 11 countries. Ha.
First stop, Canada!
In front of the falls::At some garden
United Kingdom next...
Sunflower among straw huts::The big lagoon at the center of park
France next...
Flavoured street::Maze
Morocco...
The sky
Japan...
USA and Italy...
Really nice Italian feel::Some miniature buildings
Germany, China, Norway and Mexico....
Some sea god?::Mexican
Ha, pictures taken at each country were getting fewer and fewer because we were rushing for time...
Then, we rushed for another attraction, Soarin' which brings us to various part of the world by flying above them, like a simulator ride but still quite different feel. Had our dinner within 1 hour and it was time for another show at 9pm - IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.
This show happened on the lagoon and anywhere round it will have a good view of it...
It was mainly fireworks but the standard was similar to that of Magic Kingdom. Quite good to watch nontheless. But unfortunately, halfway through the show, it started to rain. But it was small enough to make us stay.
At the end of the show, the rain got bigger and we had to ran for refuge - under an umbrella shelter and in a shop. When the rain got smaller, we rushed for the exit, but not without a last picture with the globe in our drenched look....
So we finally left the park at around 10pm after 12 hours of adventure at Epcot and took the shuttle bus back to hotel.
With that, our Disney's magical tour had come to an end and had to leave for our next leg of our USA tour... ...
Previously:
New York, New York
The Very Last Week
Reminiscing Cedar Point...
Niagara Falls Trip
Cincinnatti + shopping Trip
Trip to Aurora, Ohio
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