Last weekend, I had yet another trip to Disney World. Unlike previous trips in which I attended the same park for multiple days, this one featured a different park on both days. It was lovely and also heartbreaking. I’ll give an overview of each day and then focus more on what I enjoyed as well as what I disliked. Here we go.
The primary purpose of my trip was to say goodbye to Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. This is one of my favorite attractions in all of Disney World and, apart from a few minor changes, has remained the same since the current version opened up in 1994. Unfortunately, it closed at the end of my trip and will be reopen next year after being changed into a totally new show. As such, I decided to go back to the Magic Kingdom and see it multiple times in one day, similarly to what I did with MuppetVision 3D last year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Speaking of which, I went to that park the day before to revisit some old favorites, check out some new stuff, and enjoy much more of what it has to offer than I did on my last visit. Here’s how it went.
The first day started off on the wrong foot with a huge amount of traffic a bit into my trip. That annoyed me a lot and took away time that I could have spent in the park. Once I got over that, I had a lovely day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I checked off everything on my list except Slinky Dog Dash and Toy Story Mania. Bad weather and technical difficulties prevented me from riding those rides. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was just as I remember it. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is still a blast. I love all the Muppet stuff in there, especially the MuppetVision 3D props and references. It was so fun blasting around the track past various Muppet sight gags with “Walking on Sunshine” as the soundtrack. Afterward, I enjoyed a root beer float from FØØD by Swedish Chef and headed over to the new Animation Courtyard. I loved playing rock, paper, scissors with Donald Duck and the other wonderful character interactions there. All the characters were lovely, as always. Fantasmic! blew me away. I appreciated how much of that show and the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Show have stayed the same over the years. That was a lovely way to finish off a great day in the park.
The second day was also lovely with only a few downsides. At the Magic Kingdom, I missed the Dapper Dans as their last set got canceled due to lightning. The big nighttime fireworks show ended before I could ride Peter Pan’s Flight or the PeopleMover with only a 5-minute wait time for either; I ended up skipping both in favor of more rides on the Carousel of Progress. I had a lot of fun meeting Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Stitch, Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger throughout the day (as well as getting autographs from the latter three). Just like last year, I had a great time listening to Grayson play anything and everything on piano. We had some good conversations, took a picture together, and he even played “The Entertainer” at my request. I rode the Carousel of Progress at least eight times while singing along every time, watched Sonny Eclipse while eating dinner, ate a bunch of ice cream, rode the Astro Orbiter for the first time ever, and saw some of the parade on my way out early in the morning on July 5th. After a smooth drive, I got home super late and slept soundly.
The biggest bummer of my trip was the fact that it was the last time I could experience the longest-running version of the Carousel of Progress. I started missing it even before it closed. The attraction has changed only slightly since it reopened in 1994 (mostly some alterations to some clothes of the characters and other minor details like that), meaning that it’s been the same for almost my entire life. I will sorely miss the version I’ve known all my life, especially the final scene where the house and grandfather character remind me so much of my maternal grandfather and my maternal grandparents’ house.
Another big bummer was missing the Dapper Dans. I always enjoy their show and figured I’d have time to see their last one of the day. I didn’t count on lightning near the Magic Kingdom canceling that show. While I did hear them a bit toward the end of one of their songs earlier in the day, I still wish I’d gotten to see them for at least one full set. Next time, I will make sure to see them earlier in the day so that this doesn’t happen again.
I was glad that the ear, nose, and throat issues that had started the week before my trip cleared up before I went to Disney World. Unfortunately, that’s not my only health concern as of late. I partially rolled my ankle a few days before the trip. That was the same ankle that I rolled earlier this year. Fortunately, I immediately started doing the same exercises that fixed it the first time. I believe that that, the previous rehabilitation I did for it, and the fact that this incident was far less severe than the first incident are what allowed me to spend two days in Disney World with little to no pain. Even now, my ankle is still feeling about as good as it did before my trip.
I enjoyed getting all the pressed pennies on my list and a few others. The ones I went there intending to get were of Pluto, various Muppet characters, and Winnie the Pooh and friends. I also got an additional Pluto design and two designs with Chip ‘n’ Dale. I also got keychain versions of Rowlf and Fozzie and a Kermit plush. I’m glad to finally have some Muppet plushies after being such a big Muppets fan my whole life.
Until recently, I thought my EPCOT trips back in May would be my only times going to Disney World this year. I also thought that I’d either never again visit the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios or that it would at least be many years before my return to those parks. Once I learned that the Carousel of Progress would be completely changed, I decided to go say goodbye to that. Going to Disney’s Hollywood Studios the day before came about after my interest in the new Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets coaster was piqued, in addition to wanting to do more things in that park that I skipped last year while saying goodbye to MuppetVision 3D. My original idea to visit each park on a separate trip in different months of this year fell by the wayside when I realized that it’d just be easier, more efficient, and less costly to go to both parks in the same weekend. I’m glad I did as it was such a lovely trip.
This trip taught me a few things. Aside from managing my time better and not counting on being able to do something later on, it showed me that I can still enjoy something even if it’s different than it used to be. I dearly miss Muppet Courtyard, MuppetVision 3D, PizzeRizzo, the Rivers of America, Tom Sawyer Island, the Liberty Belle Riverboat, DinoLand U.S.A., and the Affection Section. All of those closed at Disney World between last year and this year. Although I like each park, and thus Disney World as a whole, less since those closures, I still had a wonderful time. Whether revisiting old favorites or checking out new attractions, I found much to enjoy in both the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios this past weekend. Similarly, I still find much to enjoy in life despite missing my dog Sawyer, my grandparents, and other loved ones who have died or left my life in other ways. Since I know how to let go of pain and negative emotions, I can sit with those feelings long enough to see the value in something, even if it’s not as nice as it once was or has brought me pain. I’m glad of that, and I’m glad I did so much letting go this year. While it wasn’t my intention to prepare for this trip that way, it still helped me enjoy it as much as I did and make the most of it, whether things were going well or poorly. I hope to continue enjoying Disney World and life itself in this way for as long as I can.