Let The Memories Begin! – Day 13
We are back at Magic Kingdom again today.
As we stepped into the park, the Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party was approaching, so we stopped to watch. Perfect timing as we need not return to Main Street again just to catch it. Five brightly colored floats adorned with favorite characters and dozens of dancers enthusiastically sing and dance. After the party, Ashley was hungry so we headed to Columbia Harbour House again. We chose to eat there again as we needed a break from burgers. We were glad that Ashley is eating very well on this trip, unlike our last trip to Hong Kong. Ashley had her usual fare. Jarod had Shrimp again while ZA and I had the Grilled Salmon. We loved the Specialty Cobbler and had it for dessert again. (ZA : This free dining plan with the included dessert for meals is making me put on weight I think. There is no bathroom scales in the hotel. The Cobbler is delicious and worth the calories. Will TRY to cut down on the fries)
We entered Frontierland and grabbed FastPasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and walked towards Fantasyland and Ashley posed for some photos at Rapunzel’s village and spotted various Pascal hidden amid the greenery.
Ashley wanted to ride The Barnstormer again but the line was long, so we hopped aboard the Walt Disney World Railroad for a relaxing vintage steam train ride.
Next, we went to Tomorrowland for the Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. We fired lasers to defeat Zurg in this shooting gallery inspired game. We went back to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and skipped the line. This is a ride through a gold-mining town on a runaway train. We loved this ride and grabbed another set of FastPasses to return later.
Next on our list was Pirates of the Carribbean took us on a voyage when pirates ruled the seas. Then we rode The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, which took us above Adventureland on the magic carpet. This is similar to Dumbo but you get to control the height of the magic carpet you were in. As we stepped out of the ride, we entered Agrabah. Ashley saw a musical Aladdin and Jasmine and wanted it very badly. We did not buy it as it was fragile and highly likely that it would be broken. She broke into tears but accepted the fact.
We walked back towards Liberty Square and got a Funnel Cake dusted with cinnamon using our snack credit. (ZA : Best snack so far….I will miss this). This was our first time trying it and it was delicious! Jarod had very much wanted to get a coffee from Starbucks at Main Street but had to wait as Ashley wanted to do more character meeting. This time, she met with Aladdin and Jasmine. She was thrilled when Aladdin took her hand and danced with her. We took photos of her with them together as well as Aladdin alone.
Next, she met Tiana and Naveen. They were friendly and Ashley had her autograph book signed and photos taken.
We made it to Jingle Cruise next. This is actually Jungle Cruise in the day through exotic rivers. By night near Christmas, it becomes Jingle Cruise where there were jokes aplenty. We rode the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad again and Jarod was freezing cold as he only wore short-sleeved Uniqlo Heattech. He was so glad that it was dinner time so that he could go indoor. Our dinner reservation was at Be Our Guest.
We checked in at the podium and requested that we do not sit at the West Wing as Ashley found it eerie. We were informed that they were running 15 minutes behind. However, it was not long before our buzzer lighted and were ushered into the Ballroom. Attention is paid in great, breath-taking detail here at the Be Our Guest restaurant. From the gorgeous chandeliers, grand columns, “in character” wait staff who call Beast their “master”, down to the very digital pixels used from the film for the snowflakes falling in the window scenes. Such detail truly makes it an awe-inspiring and breathtaking magical experience as if you are transported into the world of Beauty and the Beast.
Jarod missed the Potato Leek Soup so much he had to have it. So we ordered 2 to share. Ashley ordered Grilled Fish Of The Day while the rest of us ordered Grilled Strip Steak.Every hourly, The Beast would appear as he walked and waved to diners before proceeding to his study to meet the guests. Ashley did not like her Mahi Mahi but we enjoyed the steak. They were better than the ones we had at Mama Melrose’s. Desserts are served table side from a French style lit dining cart that rolls around the restaurant with decadent puff pastries and cupcakes. Ashley picked The Grey Stuff, Jarod had Chocolate Puff, ZA has the Tropical Fruits Puff while the boring me picked Strawberry Cheese Cupcake.
Ashley seemed to feel uncomfortable in this restaurant setting. Perhaps Disney had been too successful in re-creating the scenes from Beauty and the Beast that like Belle, Ashley was afraid of The Beast. We had to coax her to have a photo taken with The Beast as the only exit from the restaurant was through the Beast’s study. As she was dressed up as Belle, The Beast bowed to her and kissed her hand. She felt more at ease after this. I liked that the characters at Walt Disney World really took the time to interact with us, unlike Disneyland Hong Kong. No comments about Disneyland Anaheim as Jarod would never want to do a meet and greet.
As we walked out of the restaurant, we were greeted by the magnificent scene of fireworks, Wishes. We enjoyed the show right at the entrance of Beast’s castle.
The weather was turning rather cold, so we headed indoor to watch Mickey’s PhilharMagic, a 3-D movie starring Disney characters. This was our last event for the night and headed back to our hotel. This time round, we tried the monorail to the carpark. Although the line was longer than that of the ferry, the ride time was shorter. We preferred the ferry as it was more relaxing. But on a cold night like this, the monorail made more sense.
(ZA Afterthoughts : After visiting WDW for a few days, I would not want to go Disneyland Hongkong anymore if I can help it. The “magic” is well and alive here but somewhat missing in HK. Plus, I do not feel rushed or stressed just queing for anything in WDW. I feel I need to rush, protect my space in the queue to prevent queue jumpers in HK and watch in disgust when queue jumpers manage to get in way down the line in front of me. Plus when in queue in here , there is more personal space (gap) but they are standing way to close in HK for comfort while in the queue)