WDW Trip Report 2015: Tuesday: The One Where We Have Rumblies In Our Tumblies, and Delicious Hallowishes Pt. I

Tuesday: The One Where We Have Rumblies In Our Tumblies, and Delicious Hallowishes Pt. I

Are you ready for the pictures? I hope you’re ready for the pictures.

Our first full Disney day! Fortunately...I was feeling much better!  I’ve never been more relieved! I thought it was maybe a migraine (I rarely get them, but when I do I’m usually sick). I took it sooooo sloooowwwwwly getting ready that morning, so as not to set myself off again, which seemed to do the trick. Soon we were both ready to start our trip for real! There is only one place, to us, to start a trip to Walt Disney World. The heartbeat of a holiday. The main (st) House of Mouse. We were headed for MAGIC KINGDOM!!!


Magic Kingdom is my very favourite park. When I would watch the planning videos as a child (that I would call the hotline and order when my parents weren’t in the room, either that or beg them to call for me, even though they told me a million times that we couldn’t go, because I just wanted to watch the video), everything that I added to my little kid bucket list was in Magic Kingdom. On our last trip we spent two full days there before John reminded me “There are three other parks, you know…”, I was in my element! I was so excited to be going back to my favourite place to attack our latest bucket list (which I just realised, I never shared with you all...Hmmm...Seperate post, I think!).


It was no cooler than the night before (shock, horror) so I was slathered in sun lotion. I HATE sun lotion. If Ambre Solaire shares skyrocketed the first two weeks in October, they have me to thank. Ugh. I did take an appropriately named solution to the sticky skin feeling that I hate though: Lush Fairy Dust dusting powder! As I learned in MCO, you can buy this in America too. It smells like cotton candy and sugary treats, and it contains a healthy dose of lustre dust. This does mean that, if you are as pale as me, you look like some kind of twinkly vampiric extra from Twilight. Unless your in Disney, of course, and then you look like a magical, sparkly fairy being (because, of course, you look wayyy too happy and un-constipated to be in Twilight!). It’s like getting pixie dusted every morning and because you’re sticky, it lasts all day! I am not on commission. It’s just awesome. Anyway...


The bus arrived quickly, we barely had time to check out all the posters in the bus shelter, and soon we were on our way. Our first Disney bus trip! The first time I have been excited to be on public transport since learning to drive over a decade ago! When we walked to OPR the night before I wasn’t really paying attention, and we walked around the lake, so this was my first time really seeing all the other islands of CBR. They were all very pretty, but personally I preferred Jamaica! There’s just something about the blue and yellow and white combo that I love.


When we arrived at MK I was SO excited to see the Mickey pumpkin wreaths on the toll booths. That has been the iconic image of our trip planning for me, I love it. Disney, yet seasonal and oh so cute. I tried to make one as a room decoration, but it went horribly wrong, so it got left at home! One thing I wasn’t expecting on the bus was the “Welcome to MK” fanfare/speech. I nearly cried!


We both had rumblies in our tumblies, so we hurried towards the gates. We actuallly hurried so fast that I didn’t even take a photograph of the MNSSHP sign under the monorail track. When I’m in too much of a hurry to snap pictures, it’s serious. We got through the bag check line, and then went to put our Magic Bands to the ultimate test. They got us into our hotel room, but would they get us into the Kingdom? Or would we join the Blue Light Brigade and have to go and get them fixed? Fortunately they worked first time and we added our fingerprints no problem. Here we go!! I’m sure by now you might have guessed where we were going, but this should give the game away and get you in the mood! I was so happy when they played the instrumental version of it while we were eating!




Yup...We had a breakfast reservation at Crystal Palace! 


As it was our first experience of the bus system we had set off early for our 10:35am reservation. Fortunately we made it to Magic Kingdom with time to spare, and just in time to see the Trolley Show! I loved their Autumn outfits!



Sorry, that’s a terrible picture. There are better ones later on in the trip, I promise.


There’s my castle! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I may have shed a happy tear or two. It’s just so beautiful!




I can’t believe how pretty MK looks decked out for Autumn/Halloween.






I loved how it looked when we went last time so I wasn’t sure if the colour change would spoil it, but nope, I loved it!! We dawdled in The Emporium and a couple of other shops, mainly because it was SO hot I didn’t know what to do with myself other than seek out the nearest air-conditioning, spotting the new merchandise along the way, and heading into Arribas Bros. Soon John dragged me away from the shiny things to get to our reservation. I have a real case of the “Oooh, shiny!-s”, as Ariel called them later in our trip (spoiler alert. Oops. Too late) so that was no mean feat. But a breakfast buffet with one of my favourite bears was calling. We checked in and got our pager, and just had time to snap a quick castle shot before our table was ready.


Ahhhhh, stunning.

This was our first time at Crystal Palace, what a beautiful place! When we were shown to our table Tigger was already making his way around our section. Now...I don’t know precisely why I put myself through character dining. At anywhere other than Disney, I have a major fear of fur characters/mascots. I HATE them, even if I know the person in the suit, I’m not happy unless they take the headgear off. I just can’t be around them. In Disney, well, all the characters you meet are the real deal obviously, so my irrational fear does not apply!!! I am always still a little on edge though, especially when multiple characters are milling around near me and I can't see where they are at all times. So character dining was quite the experience!

Our server was lovely, I can't find the bill at the moment and I can’t remember his name, but he was from NY. He was very attentive, keeping our glasses filled and nipping over to tell me where the characters were and who was coming next (I think maybe he heard us discussing me not being keen on not knowing if the characters were sneaking up on me!). He was lovely!


Very excited to get his breakfast at last. This is a man who never eats breakfast at home. Holidays are a different matter, however!


This was my view from the table. 

I made my trip to the buffet first.


There was an exclusive Crystal Palace item on our To Eat bucket list: Pooh's Puffed Toast. Let me tell you I was not disappointed! The only thing that made me sad was that I only had room for one plateful (but I was grateful for that plateful...Hum-hum de dum, hum de dum-dum…). John managed a second trip but I was just too full! Though obviously I fulfilled my wifely duty and had a taste of anything that he brought back that I hadn’t already tried! What with being ill the night before (always makes me a bit wary to eat again, “Am I prepared to experience this food in reverse?” kind of thing), and carefully watching what I ate before we left and losing 1/2st, I think my rumbly tumbly had shrunk a bit! This was no good for two weeks on the DDP! Still I really enjoyed what I did eat, it was all delicious. One by one, the characters made their way around to us, by the time we finished eating there was only Piglet keeping us waiting.













As we left I noticed the cute topiaries in the entrance that we’d rushed past on the way in. They are adorable! I had to go around and get a picture of each of them before we went.









And an extra one of Eeyore’s beautifully beribboned butt. 



This will be the last trip when I book so many (expensive!) ADRs on our first full day. We weren’t ready. I in particular wasn’t ready. Early start, 8+hr flight, restless night’s sleep, 5hr time difference, all within 36hrs. I was desperate to get out there and play and stuff my face with Disney treats, but I don’t think we got full value for money out of either of our ADRs today. I don’t mind, we really enjoyed them and that’s what matters, but next time I would book for later in our trip.

We also had a full complement of FP+s booked, so off we went for the first one...