I spent the first two days of Independence Day weekend this year having an incredible time at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. I’ve got a lot to say about it, so here’s an overview of my trip.
On July 4th, I left the house much later than I planned. After a few stops for gas and food, I got to the Magic Kingdom around 3pm. I spent some time listening to Grayson the amazing pianist at Casey’s Corner before listening to a bit of the Dapper Dans on Main Street. My next stop was Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room. That was my first time seeing the show, and I’m so glad I saw it. It was a fun, lovely, relaxing show. Shortly after that, I heard a whistle blow. Thinking it was the train, I turned around and was delighted to see the Liberty Belle riverboat about to set sail! That was pure magic. I ended up riding the Liberty Belle around the Rivers of America and then exploring Tom Sawyer Island later in the afternoon. It was wonderful to revisit them both after so many years away. Since they both closed forever right after my trip, I was extra glad to say goodbye to them and have fun on them one last time. In fact, that’s the whole reason I went to the Magic Kingdom.
That first day was pretty slow going until nightfall. I enjoyed some chocolate ice cream and a delicious root beer float right before the big fireworks show started. During the show, I rode a bunch of rides with little to no wait time! That got me through more than half of my list on the first day. It was also amazing seeing fireworks from the PeopleMover. Altogether, I did about 13 attractions that day, including exploring the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse that wasn’t even on my list. I finished with Pirates of the Caribbean right before the park closed. After a lengthy exit process, I got to the place I was staying around 12:30 in the morning. That was the best Independence Day I’ve had in years.
Unfortunately, the second day was extremely mixed. I felt upset after getting a much later start that I had planned. I felt quite a bit better after visiting with and receiving so much love from two dogs that morning, including a super friendly throwback Pomeranian! Fortunately, the place I stayed was only 20 minutes away from the Magic Kingdom, so I was back in the park a bit after noon. The first thing I did was listen to the Dapper Dans again. That cheered me up a lot, as did riding the train all the way around the park shortly after. I wish I’d met Winnie the Pooh and Tigger after riding The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh right next to their meet-and-greet. Still, I had a blast on that classic ride.
Things took a bad turn a few hours after I got to the park. Nearby lightning resulted in temporary shutdowns of both the Liberty Belle and Tom Sawyer Island. Although I ended up taking two rides on the Liberty Belle that day, I didn’t get to explore Tom Sawyer Island on the final day of my trip due to bad weather and time management issues on my part. I also didn’t end up riding Peter Pan’s Flight or the Astro Orbiter at all that weekend, which were the only attractions on my list I didn’t experience. That plus some other negatives had me feeling awful. Fortunately, as I talked about in an earlier post, I cheered up a lot after meeting Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Goofy. Some delicious ice cream, a few more pictures for the memory book, and one last ride on the Carousel of Progress finished my trip. A few hours later, I was back home in my own bed.
Unlike my previous Disney trip in which I just watched MuppetVision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios repeatedly throughout the day, I did almost everything the Magic Kingdom had to offer on this trip. Because of that, and because this was my second solo Disney trip and my first solo Disney trip that lasted more than one day, I did more planning for it than I’ve done for a trip in a long time. I looked up the duration time and average wait time of each attraction I wanted to do, plugged them into a spreadsheet, and came up with a rough estimate of how long it would take me to do them all. I pared the list down a few times until it focused on the attractions I most wanted to do and gave an estimated time to experience all those attractions that seemed possible to complete within two days. Aside from being fun to make and play with, I’m extra glad that the spreadsheet gave me enough confidence that I didn’t buy any Lightning Lane passes or otherwise spend more money in the hope of getting shorter wait times. I’ve almost finished creating a similar spreadsheet for a different Disney trip next month that I’m sure will also serve me quite well there.
This was such a great trip for my inner little kid. Most of the time I was in the Magic Kingdom, I felt like a little kid getting to do as I wanted, see old friends, and have fun in my own time. I especially loved riding the Carousel of Progress on July 4th and hearing the dad character talk about drinking root beer on July 4th before enjoying a root beer float afterward. I’m glad I made that the last attraction of my trip since the final scene reminds me of my grandparents’ house and the grandfather character reminds me so much of my maternal grandfather. I also loved seeing Rover the dog character as he reminded me of my dog Sawyer, especially since he received a gift during the Christmas scene just like how Sawyer received gifts every Christmas.
I’m so glad I got to experience so many nostalgic attractions and try some new ones on this trip. That’s comforting to me since massive changes have already been made to the Rivers of America, Liberty Belle riverboat, Tom Sawyer Island, and the train. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin will also undergo refurbishment in the near future, so I’m glad I got to ride it while it still matched my memories. I so wish I’d explored Tom Sawyer Island on both days, met Winnie the Pooh and Tigger on the second day, and ridden Peter Pan’s Flight and the Astro Orbiter at some point that weekend. I also wish Big Thunder Mountain Railroad hadn’t been closed for refurbishment as that was the only attraction I wanted to do that I couldn’t do at all on either day. Still, I had fun with everything I did get to do. If I end up going back to the Magic Kingdom, I will prioritize any attraction I wanted to do this time and didn’t end up doing as long as it is open on my next trip. I think I’ll go back again someday. Even though this was meant to be my final visit to the Magic Kingdom, I had such a wonderful time despite the difficult moments and felt such lovely nostalgia that the thought of never going back again devastates me. Since I got back, just thinking about the good experiences makes me smile and cheers me up when I’m feeling down (as did writing this post). I’m glad this trip was as good as it was, and I hope the next one will be even better.
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