Walt Disney World Day 5: Magic Our Way

Disney Fun Fact: Disneyland in California would fit inside the parking lot at The Magic Kingdom in Florida.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Destination: The Magic Kingdom
Weather Forecast: High of 57˚

7:30 am, EST [5:30 am, MST]: I thought I'd try setting my alarm for 7:30 again, but yep. It's too early today, too.
9:00 am, EST [7:00 am, MST]: Ok, ok. I'm up.
10:59 am, EST [8:59 am, MST]: We're out the door. Finally. What did we spend all morning doing?
11:03 am, EST [9:03 am, MST]: I'm making a quick stop at the gift shop to get some locking pin backs. I'm wearing my lanyard of Disney Trading Pins and I don't want any of them to fall off. I'm hoping to find a pin trading station today. I've seen several of them, but didn't have my pins with me.
11:10 am, EST [9:10 am, MST]: Oops. I forgot the Dramamine. We're already at the shuttle stop, but I don't dare go without. Hopefully I can make it to the room and back before our shuttle comes.
11:19 am, EST [9:19 am, MST]: I made it back, and the shuttle didn't come while I was gone. That's good.
11:35 am, EST [9:35 am, MST]: And . . . we're still waiting.
11:55 am, EST [9:55 am, MST]: We finally made it to the Magic Kingdom. From the Disney app, our plans for the day:

12:16 pm, EST [10:16 am, MST]: We've completed the requisite milling about, restroom stops and map consultation. We've boarded the Disney Railroad and will be departing from the Main Street Station momentarily.
12:23 pm, EST [10:23 am, MST]: We disembarked at the Adventureland Station, wandered over to Tomorrowland, found snacks, milled about some more and used the restroom. We're off to a smashing start.
12:51 pm, EST [10:51 am, MST]: The standby line for Space Mountain is only 20 minutes. That's Grasshopper's favorite and LadyBug likes it pretty well too, so we're going for it. Wait times are short today.
1:47 pm, EST [11:57 am, MST]: The wait times are increasing; it is handy to have the app. At the moment, we're using our FastPass for Big Thunder Mountain and are glad we don't have to wait in line for 45 minutes.
2:18 pm, EST [12:18 pm, MST]: It's time for a late lunch. Up first, pizza for Grasshopper and LadyBug.
2:42 pm, EST [12:42 pm, MST]: And now tuna salad sandwiches for Mr. Bug and me. {We had to go to two different places to get what everyone was after.}
3:05 pm, EST [1:05 pm, MST]: We made it to our Haunted Mansion FastPass by the skin of our teeth. I love the hitchhiking ghosts {who have learned a few new tricks since I was last here}. They are totally fun. ♫♪ Grim, grinning ghosts come out to socialize. ♪♫
3:42 pm, EST [1:43 pm, MST]: We're boarding the Jungle Cruise via the FastPass line. And the jokes are just as cheesy as I remember. Although there is something quite . . . endearing . . . about a plump, grey-haired, grandmotherly-type woman with deadpan delivery who is outfitted in jungle gear and driving a boat.
4:02 pm, EST [2:02 pm, MST]: We're doing a little exploring at the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. And some of our party may or may not be a little grumpy. I think we've hit a mid-afternoon slump.

4:16 pm, EST [2:16 pm, MST] Time for a rest stop/bathroom break/consultation of the map. Today, it's a little bit cool. We didn't rent a locker because we've kept our coats on all day. As the temperatures go down, so does the crowd and correspondingly, the wait times.
7:08 pm, EST [5:08 pm, MST]: We hit our stride took full advantage of the short wait times. We've rode Pirates of the Caribbean, after which we headed on over to Tomorrowland and did Stitch's Great Escape, the People Mover, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin and the Tomorrowland Speedway. Then we cut back across to Fantasyland and rode It's A Small World. The wait for it has been pretty non-existent all day, but every time I suggested it, the Not-So-Little Bugs soundly dismissed it. In the end, I prevailed and although the wait time was listed at 5 minutes, we really didn't wait at all. I didn't find anyone to trade pins with today, though. We're at the shuttle stop now, waiting for a bus to take us to the Port Orleans - Riverside resort {which is just North of where we are staying}, where we have reservations at Boatwright's Dining Hall for dinner.
8:07 pm, EST [6:07 pm, MST]: It was a really long wait for a shuttle, but we made it to the restaurant only a few minutes late for our reservation. LadyBug is pretty much done for the day. She's put her head on the table and I'm fairly certain that she's asleep.
9:43 pm, EST [7:43 pm, MST]: Dinner was delicious. I had Voodoo Chicken; cajun blackened with peach marmalade on top with a side of rice and collard greens. I even ate the collard greens. They weren't too bad. LadyBug woke up to eat and she and the boys had New York Strip Sirloins which, I hear, were delicious as well. We took the Water Taxi back to our resort {Port Orleans- French Quarter} and LadyBug and Mr. Bug headed to our room. Grasshopper and I are now taking a very cold trip farther down river to Downtown Disney because Grasshoppper has his heart set on taking home another set of LEGOs. It is so hard to resist an entire store of LEGOs.
10:35 pm, EST [8:35 pm, MST]: LEGOS successfully procured. Grasshopper found a smokin' deal on the sale shelf. 50% off. Now that's what I'm talking about. We're on the boat now and when we get back to the hotel, I'm headed straight for a nice, long, hot shower.
10:56 pm, EST [8:56 pm, MST]: It's time to call it a night. Our trip is over tomorrow and we'll be heading home. I'm a little bit sad to be leaving so soon. It went by too quickly.