The Magic Kingdom(s)

Up and at 'em, on the resort bus to the Magic Kingdom at 7am. This involved getting up at 6am for an energy-packed breakfast so we could attack the parks with a clear focus and military precision. Our trip to Disneyland LA last year was a great success due to our strategic approach to the day, and efficient use of fast passes and power naps. We were hoping to repeat this success this year. We'd bought a Park Hopper multiple park pass, as we wanted to get into the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom (a fabulous animal-centric park, including some zoo action). The Animal Kingdom was the main attraction for us, but it was only open from 9 til 5, whereas the Magic Kingdom had 'Magic Hours' (official title, I didn't make that up) from 8am until 7pm. We hit the Magic Kingdom for an hour then left to take the Disney 'public' transport to the Animal Kingdom. 

It turned out the Animal Kingdom was kind of the place to be. For everyone. Thousands and thousands of them. Mostly small screaming children. But it was really, really awesome. The park is split into continents mostly (as well as Dinoland) and does its usual Disney-cute interpretation of Asia, Africa etc. While it is a very sanitised and commercial interpretation, like any day at Disneyland, you can't help but be charmed by it and it's so well done. We capitalised well on our fast passes and did all major rides, some twice. The best rides were probably Expedition Everest (not just because of the odd picture of Sir Edmund Hilary around the place getting me all patriotic) and the new Dinosaur ride (since we do love dinosaurs so much). 

We also loved the Safari trip, which is kind of like the Jungle ride at Disneyland, except the animals are real, and really beautiful - elephants, lions, cheetahs, rhinos, crocodiles, hippos, gazelles, giraffes, ummmm and heaps and heaps more. The zoo areas were set up to be un-zoo-like... obviously the fiction for the kids is that you really are in Asia/Africa/Dinoland. So, for example, the Tiger enclosure is rambling and massive and set up to make it look as if the tigers have taken over an old hunting lodge and you're in their space. 

The animal highlight was probably the gorillas - I've never seen gorillas live before. Their enclosure was really big, and there were two pretty much spooning right next to the glass. They weren't fully grown yet, still bigger than humans but not too much and so unbelievably human-like. They were all cuddled up and sleeping and every now and then an insect would land on one's face and it would swat it away in exactly the same way we would. We were super impressed with these two and the ones romping around them - incredible muscle and strength. Then we saw the Silverback. It was like seeing an unbelievably hairy, grey Incredible Hulk. He was HUGE. HUGE. And really really chilled out. Just wandering around the enclosure like he'd lost his glasses or something. 

The only slight downer was the Kali River Rapids ride. We were kind of chilled about it as it looked exactly like the California River Rapids we'd done at LA Disney last year. You get a bit wet, but the ride is quite long and well worth it. Well, Kali river rapids was not. The ride seemed a whole heap shorter than its mate in LA - and what was worse is that one person on the ride got drenched. Absolutely drenched. More drenched than you'd get standing in the shower. And of course that one person was me. It took me hours to dry out. I went into the bathroom and took off my skirt (a nice heavy absorbent cotton) and ringed it into the toilet and half a bucket's worth of water came out. Not happy. I wouldn't have cared if the ride had been awesome, but it was not. I felt like a small child who'd wet its pants, as mine took about five hours to dry. Unfortunately, later back at Splash Mountain the same thing happened to Mark, but of course he's got much more good grace than I do.

Anyway, after we'd bled the Animal Kingdom dry, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom to do the favourites - Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World, Big Thunder Railroad, Splash Mountain, the Jungle Cruise (my favourite) as well as the American Presidents presentation ('now with President Obama!'), which I'd never done before. It was actually really lovely - kind of like an animated Madame Tussaud's of robot US Presidents - Abe Lincoln does the Gettysburg address and George Washington does a wee monologue. The nicest bit is at the end where all of them are on stage, and each has their name announced and acknowledges the crowd - they all move to look at the President being announced, some nod their heads or acknowledge others in some way. It's really well done. Then Obama speaks and everyone listens politely. 

Come 7pm, the Magic Kingdom was changing the guard - all normal pass holders had to get out for Mickey's Halloween party that was taking over the park for the night. People in fancy dress were everywhere - mostly adults, and most dressed as pirates. We got on the Big Thunder Railroad with Mr and Mrs Incredible and their Incredible kids. There was a disturbing number of really flammable looking little princesses - courtesy of the Bibbedy Bobbidy Boutique at Disneyland where, for a fee, your child (I only saw daughters do it though) can be princessified and then pose, rather like Jon-Benet Ramsey, for a photoshoot in front of the Disney Castle. The Pirates League offers piratification as an alternative. That looked much more fun. 

We headed to Disney's Hollywood Studios park, which had Magic Hours until 9pm. We managed to do the Star Tours ride (Star Wars 3D runaway space shuttle trip - good fun) and then Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller Coaster - which Mark was very excited about as it is the only proper rollercoaster at the park and actually goes upside down. We queued for about fifty minutes, did the ride just before 9 and then got the bus back to our hotel room, in time to pack, sleep and wake up bright and early to face the end of our holiday and the beginning of the Dublin Chapter.