12/5 Day 5
So, we had all loved RSR so much on Wednesday, that we had a brilliant idea to try to get two rides in on Thursday. It was a nice try I guess, but made for a very long day.
We got up at 6 am, our earliest morning yet. After breakfast, we made it to the Mickey and Friends garage by 8:07am, and headed straight for DCA. Once inside we had to wait at the end of Buena Vista Street for the rope drop. Already our plans were foiled, as the line for the RSR fast pass was over an hour long. We decided to head straight for the ride itself and see how the FP line was after. At rope drop, it seemed like everyone at the entire park headed to the same place, RSR. We walked into a line that was over an hour long. After the ride we headed over to check out the FP line. It was still very long, and they only had 45 minutes of FPs to hand out. Oh, well. Twice was better than not at all.
My daughter and I headed over to pick up our FPs for that nights' World of Color, while the guys headed over for a bonus ride on Goofys Sky School. We met up at the Phineas and Ferb sing a long show, and after another ride on the Golden Zephyr, we headed over to DL.
We all waited in the stand by line for the Matterhorn, only 35 minutes. It seemed a lot longer, because we were all getting worn out. The ride was fun, but bumpier than I remember. My daughter said she enjoyed it, but said she wouldnt go on it again. Too bad, it was her favorite ride on our last trip, but that was before they changed the cars. Now, instead of sitting in my lap, she had to sit alone, and I think that was what changed it for her. Before leaving Fantasyland, we had pretzels (a churro instead for Mom), rode Dumbo (when did that ride get so high?) and the Carousel. Then we headed over to Tom Sawyers Island, I mean Pirates Lair. We should have hit this the first day of our trip, because my husband and I had a really hard time keeping up with the kids. Seriously, where do they get the energy? After chasing them all over the island, it was time to spend some time in Critter Country.
The guys headed over to Splash Mountain (no wait) while us girls headed to the much tamer Winnie the Pooh. I like Pooh, but grew up with Country Bear Jamboree. I miss the bears. I miss the 15+ minute shows you got to sit through with heat/ac. Again, oh, well. For lunch we ate at the Hungry Bear. They had the same burger as Taste Pilots, but without the condiment bar. The kids had burgers, Hubby had his with the chili, and I had the turkey and provolone sandwich. Not great, but not bad. It was also a nice break.
After lunch we headed over to the Tiki Room, but made a slight detour to Tarzans Tree House. Yet another attraction I would recommend on the first day of a trip. While the parents wheezed up the countless steps and tried to enjoy the breathtaking (literally) views, the kids dragged up through at break neck speed. I dont think they saw anything inside the attraction. They just wanted to laugh at us old folks. Once down at the bottom, it was back on track to Tiki Room.
Still a favorite of mine, though its technology is no longer new, I think it survives because of the passion that Walt put behind this attraction. As a child, I dont remember the courtyard. Did it always have a story of the Gods in it? Our kids walked around the courtyard as the story moved along, and met up with us before we went inside. The show is exactly like I remember it, and it was wonderful. For some reason, it is this attraction that stands out the most in my childhood memories. Perhaps it was the magic, the music, or the fact that my dad always sat in a back corner and took a nap. Who knows?
After Tiki Room, we headed to Main Street to catch the Holiday Parade. In my opinion, this parade is always better if you can catch it in the evening, once it gets dark. The lights add a lot. Thats just my opinion, though. Our kids were able to get seats on the ground a little in front of us, so they had a much better view than we did. A few obnoxious teens squeezed in around us and stood right in front of me and my husband. We were taller than them, so it didnt bother us too much, until they pulled out their cameras and stuck them up over their heads for the entire parade. So annoying. At least the kids got to see. They had never seen this parade and enjoyed it very much. My husband thinks they should add some more verses to the song. I think it was grating on his nerves a bit.
Once the parade was over and Main Street thinned out a bit we made our way back over to DCA for World of Color check in. Once in the park, we realized we were a little early, so we made our way over to the Fiddler, Fifer, and Practical Caf. The hubby and the kids enjoyed beverages from Starbucks, while I indulged in a scoop of Mint Chip from Clarabelles next door. After a nice little break we headed up to Ariels Grotto where the blue group of World of Color was gathering. The wait wasnt too bad, and boy was it worth it. This was the holiday version Disney put together, but the only version weve seen. It was wonderful. Olaf was so much fun. It was mostly clips from the new Frozen movie, and a really cute Toy Story does the Nutcracker segment, but there were a few other clips in there too. Those are just the parts that stood out to us. At this point of the trip, we had not seen Frozen, but afterwards the kids were very excited to see it. Suppose Disney planned that? After a long day, we shuffled back to our car, back to 7-11 for a few munchies and fell into bed at 11pm.
Tomorrow, Friday, our last Disney day, and Fantasmic reservations
Bookmarks