11/30 Magic Kingdom Day, part 1
After going to Magic Kingdom last year on a
MVMCP day and finding really low crowds, we decided to go on a party day again this year hoping for the same luck. Since we weren’t eligible for early entry we arrived at the TTC right around regular opening time. As we boarded the ferry, we went to the upper deck to discover only two other families onboard.
Even though we were expecting low crowds, I purchased
Genie+ and an ILL for Tron. I also did a VQ for Tron. As we entered the park, we headed for Adventureland to ride the Jingle Cruise. Here’s what the walkway looked like at 8:11, with early entry at 7:30.
We walked right onto the Jingle Cruise and then headed to Frontier Land at 8:45.
I rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with a posted 15 minute wait but it was really a walk on. We then headed to Haunted Mansion. We were so excited to see the wait time!
For those who don’t know, a 13 minute wait at HM indicates no wait….and the excitement didn’t end there.
As we were getting on the ride, I remarked to my DH that the Hat Box Ghost was supposed to appear in November. Considering it was November 30th and there had been no recent posts about his appearance, I guess they missed the deadline. No sooner had I said this, we turned a corner and were greeted by the Hat Box Ghost! I quickly grabbed my phone out of my pocket but unfortunately with just an iPhone in the dark on a moving ride, this is my photo, taken at 9:11 am…
But, it was so cool to be one of the first to see him! When we exited the ride I asked a CM when he started appearing and she said, “just today.” So awesome!
At this point it was time for our LL for Peter Pan so we headed to Fantasyland and rode PP. With all this excitement it was time for a mid-morning snack. We headed over to Gaston’s Tavern to pick up one of our favorite treats.
Gaston’s Cinnamon roll with extra icing. We get this every time but this one was exceptionally good! I wish I had taken a side view photo as the whole thing was at least three inches tall. It didn’t even need the additional icing. It was phenomenal!
We also finally had the opportunity to try the Master’s cupcake, which had not been available our last few trips.
This was pretty good. The chocolate cupcake was nice and moist. The grey stuff was fine. Definitely not something we would get every time, like the cinnamon roll.
After our delicious snack break, we rode Little Mermaid, It’s a Small World, and the People Mover, all with no waits. I got in line for Space Mountain which was showing a 10 minute wait but then all of a sudden people started coming back through the line saying it was temporarily closed. I decided to wait a little to see if things started moving and probably waited 10 minutes before things started to move. A CM asked if there were any single riders and so I was able to jump ahead of a bunch of people. The wait would have probably been another 10 minutes at least. I think I’m getting too old for Space Mountain or maybe Guardians has spoiled me but I find the ride way too jerky. I love coasters and have ridden every single one at Hershey Park, Dorney Park, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Cedarpoint, and Universal but Space Mountain just does me in…lol.
After my Space adventure, we headed for our LL at Winnie the Pooh, which actually was showing a 25 minute wait. This was the longest we had seen all day with the exception of Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train that hovered around 45 all day. I immediately grabbed a LL for Buzz Lightyear after scanning in at Winnie the Pooh so we headed there. My DH outscored me badly. My hand eye coordination leaves a lot to be desired!
It was approaching noon and we had already experienced 10 attractions so we decided to mobile order a quick lunch at the Lunching Pad. We decided to share the Cuban Hot Dog:
All-Beef Hot Dog topped with Diced Ham, Pickles, Swiss Fondue, and Dijonnaise served with a choice of Side. We chose potato chips as our “choice of side”.
This looks worse than it was. It was okay. The ham and pickle dices were very tiny and under the mound of swiss fondue and dijonnaise so you really couldn't taste them much. The hot dog was only lukewarm. The bun was very soggy due to all the fondue so we had to eat it with a knife and fork. Overall the flavors were good but nothing we’d get again.
We also ordered Cream Cheese Warm Stuffed Pretzel.
This was the highlight of our lunch. It was very good. We’ve never had any sort of stuffed pretzel before and very much enjoyed the sweet cream cheese inside.
Here’s an inside view:
After we finished lunch I checked to see how long until my VQ return time for Tron and, as soon as I checked, I got called, so we headed there. I had snagged a VQ for both of us in case my DH wanted to give it a try but he opted to stay with me in line and then duck out at the end. We waited about 35 minutes. I ended up getting assigned the first car along with a woman whose husband was also sitting it out. We actually had a lot of fun riding together for the first time for both of us. It was a blast! Wish it were a little longer but it was really fun.
Since we hadn’t used a LL yet for Haunted Mansion, we grabbed one to be able to try to get another picture of the hatbox ghost.
This picture didn’t come out much better…I was hoping the ride would stop near him so I could get a good picture. No such luck.
We then decided to see the Country Bears one more time before it gets updated.
Up next…more rides, a tasty treat and a delicious dinner!