Walt Disney 2020
Day 3: We're off to see the mouse! Walt Disney World
I really loved the location we picked to stay at. It was so close to everything and easy to access all the parks and freeway. Our rental company had ask us when we picked up the car if we wanted to purchase the fast pass, but we declined. There were 2 tolls on the way from the airport to the house @ $1.75 each, which wasn't bad compared to the $40+ pass they wanted us to buy. However, our map had us get on a freeway/highway type of road down the street and there was a booth that said to stop at (on the on ramp) and pay $1.00 to enter. We stopped, I rolled down the window, no one was there and I didn't know what to do. There was a big cup area that it said to throw in $1 in change ONLY. Um, I don't have change on me! What was I to do? There were cars lining up behind me so....I just went. I looked in my rear view mirror to see if home land security or the swat team was coming after me and noticed that the cars behind me were not even stopping. Hmmm. Well, I'm sure to get a nice big ticket once I return home I'm sure.
Pulling into the parking lot at Disney, I was glad that I had
brought my handicapped placard with me and they
instructed us where to park up front. It was a very short
walk to the area they had wheelchairs waiting at. The hubby
grabbed me one and off we went toward the monorail.
Safely on the monorail and my wheelchair was with us.
We had our first glimpse at Space Mountain, which we had
plans to head there first after we entered the park. Sakari has
been on an extreme thrill roller coaster kick for a few years
now and I knew this was going to be a highlight for her.
Then we had our first glimpse of the Cinderella Castle standing in all her glory.
It wasn't long before we pulled up to the monorail landing area and the lines didn't seem too long. I hate to say it, but this pandemic we are in is rocking when it comes to going places and reduced crowds. Disney is only operating at a 35% capacity. Tell me how awesome that sounds!
We had purchased our 3 day pass online using our Southwest card for points (how we manage to travel for free) and I wasn't quite sure how this whole system works with not having actual "passes" (meaning paper). Times have changed so much since I was here last (which was actually for me and the hubby's honeymoon many years ago).
I approached a worker and asked if we needed to stand in the ticket line or go on to the entrance. He ask if we had already purchased tickets and my reply was "yes". Of course we did...didn't everyone where my thoughts. I mean you have to purchase tickets AND go online to reserve your spot for that day or you can't go in. During COVID there are no walk ins allowed and everyone needed a reservation. That left me confused but I went on in. Then something stopped me. It was just this feeling. I was looking around and seeing people with cards in their hands the shape and size of a credit card. Hmmm, I think we should go back.
I stopped a helper again and ask if we needed these "cards" and was told yes. Back to the ticket line we went. So how this all works now is new to me. You go to the ticket counter (of any of the Disney parks you are visiting during your stay) and they get the confirmation number from your purchase and they give you cards to use that is good for all the parks you purchased. You have to make sure you hold on to them for each park. So the next park, we wouldn't have to stand in line at the ticket counter.
We had made it into the park. We headed over to the wheelchair rental area where we had to turn in our parking lot wheelchair for an electric wheelchair people mover. To rent the people mover at any of the parks, it was $70 with $20 of that being returnable at the end of the day when you brought it back. A quick lesson on how to not run over people when driving, no piggyback riding while on the scooter, no one without a license (children) on the chair, a "get outta my way" button, and the convenience of having a smaller than small shopping cart attached to the front. Then we were off.
After entering the park on Main
Street, there was the barbershop
quartet riding a trolley being pulled
by a large horse and singing songs.
As they headed down Main Street...they left a mess for the crowd to maneuver. No worries, one of the workers made sure to block the accident from the crowd. I would have thought they would have one of those poopy pouches on the rear of the horse to catch the droppings.
Main Street was VERY crowded. There was absolutely no social distancing here and no way to do so because of everyone coming in. I guess that's just a given in this area. But, things did get better as everyone spread out once inside the park.
Now I can tell you that I studied the maps of all the theme parks we were visiting like if I was back in nursing school studying for an exam. I looked up all the rides, watched videos, printed out a map, highlighted the "must dos" on it and planned how to get there. (Everyone knows I'm a planner) But I tell you what, looking at it on a map and actually being there are 2 different things.
I knew that Space Mountain was located in Tomorrow Land and that was to the right. Once we hit the castle area, we were gonna head right and hopefully find it.
Coming up on the castle was just WOW! I mean really WOW! I honestly don't remember it being that color and bright the last time we were here or any times before that. I had to stop for some pictures.
Actually I decided to look up my old pictures from when we went last time and yes, it has definitely had a makeover done.
Wow what a difference!
We headed right and found Tomorrow Land.
Sakari could not wait to get to Space Mountain and ride the roller coaster in the dark.
Here's a little history and info on Space Mountain:
It originally opened on January 15, 1975 and is the oldest operating roller coaster in the state of Florida. It has been replicated at all but 1 of the Disney theme parks. This coaster is located inside a building and you are riding in total darkness not knowing which way you will turn at any given moment. One interesting fact is, everyone thinks that the coaster is going extremely fast. However, the speed of this coaster is only 28 mph and topping out sometimes at 30 mph! I remember growing up and everyone telling me it goes 70 mph in the dark! I honestly believed it up until I just read up on the history of it! I would have never believed it. I did notice all the remodel changes inside as well. It used to be all open inside and when you were standing in line you could look up and see the people in the coasters with the carts glowing in the dark. Now, you can no longer see them. Everything had changed. But I liked the change!
So me being in a wheelchair, we went up to the line and was directed to go to the person standing in the front helping others at a desk. There they would have us sign in and they would give us a time to return. They told us (I think) a 40 minute wait. Hmmm, I figured we could go do the Astro Orbiter, right in front of Space Mountain, and get back in time. Our Disney app said there was a 15 minute wait. We went and got in line, making sure to social distance and they have the walkway marked off at every ride. However, there are just some that don't pay attention to any of it. We had a guy behind us that was right up on my wheelchair the entire time. I would look at him, look down at the markers, look back at him, give a little eh-hem, a little stank eye, and he would still stand there. Remember the wheelchair people said "NO PIGGYBACK RIDING" and he was pretty darn close to doing that!
We waited in line for 30 minutes and still had a way to go. So much for that 15 minute wait. I looked at the app again and it said 45 minutes now. I figured we wouldn't make it on the ride in time and I didn't want to lose my place in line for the Space Mountain, so we decided to get the heck away from the wanna be piggyback rider and reclaim my own personal zone space and we left the line. When we made it back to Space Mountain, we went up, they scanned our cards, then we had to park the people mover and walk in. They will provide you with another wheelchair if needed but I knew "I got this!" We had a line that passed everyone else standing in line and went straight into the part of the line that goes right onto the ride. Hey, I'm liking this!
Sakari absolutely LOVED the ride and so did I of course. She said she just knew it was going to be her favorite ride there.
Then we were off to find the next roller coaster. The next
thing on my map was either the 7 Dwarfs mine or
Barnstormer coaster. We headed in the direction of
Fantasy Land, but the line for the Dwarfs was crazy long
so we bypassed it and headed for the Little Mermaid.
I was abled to take my people mover in the actual line at this
attraction. This would put my maneuverability to the test.
Twisting and turning in all the lines. It ended up being
quite interesting. I'm pretty sure I only ran into the
barriers a couple of dozen times but hey...I can proudly
say that I hit 0 people! Go me!
This ride is a slow and relaxing ride and very cute. Since
it's a "mermaid" Sakari thought it was an acceptable ride.
At one point, it actually felt like you were going into the water and "under the sea". I held my breath but soon discovered I could still breath. Maybe I'm part mermaid too.
Make sure you ♪ Kiss the Girl ♪
♫ ♪ ♪ Sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Kiss the Girl ♪ ♫ ♫ ♪
The hand drawn animations and special effects made this a pretty awesome ride to get you out of any heat and save you legs for awhile.
We were now making our way over to the Barnstormer roller coaster. It is located in the Circus section of Fantasyland. It would be our second roller coaster and Sakari was excited again. Now I honestly didn't remember this "circus" section the last time I was at Disney so I looked up the history.
History:
*This are was originally opened as Mickey's Birthdayland on June 18, 1988. It became Mickey's Starland on May 26, 1990, and was briefly renamed Mickey's Toyland in late 1995. The land was closed in early 1996 for an extensive refurbishment, and on October 1, 1996, it reopened as Mickey's Toontown Fair and had their vacation home there. I remember this part very well and the house and area was so darn adorable.
*Mickey's Toontown Fair was closed on February 11, 2011 and it has become the Storybook Circus. I have to admit, I liked the Toontown Fair a lot better. It was a lot cuter. I remember Minnie's house so well. Here's a picture I took from back then:
The line was a little long, but it was moving fairly quickly. I got my second chance at maneuverability in this line as well. This time I think I only ran into the corner line post maybe a dozen times. Hey, I've managed to cut my accidents in half and only on my second try! There were some areas that had shade, so that was a plus.
We finally made it to the ride and away we went. Hmmm, it was a VERY VERY SHORT RIDE! I would also find out it was made for the "littles" and not really a roller coaster to write home about for adults and older children who were thrill seekers. It was definitely a "go ahead and pass next time" type of coaster for us. Such a let down. Had the ride been a little longer, it might have been worth it.
I did notice, while standing in line for the Barnstormer, they were doing some building next door. I don't know what they are making, but it looked like one heck of a roller coaster and tall!
After these rides, we were getting hungry. The hubby decided to stop at (I believe) Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe. I have to say the food and drinks here are SO EXPENSIVE...especially the pop. I'm a huge pop drinker and when it's hot out and your pop gets warm, it just isn't good anymore and all you can do is crave an ice cold new one. The pop here cost $4.25 each and Sakari likes the Poweraid, which would cost $4.69. Our total each time we purchased drinks was around $14!!! YIKES! But the food here at this place was AMAZING! The hamburger and fries were absolutely perfect and so yummy. There's a HUGE area to eat in and you can be entertained by a piano playing monster which I think had a previous job at Chuck E Cheese's playing the piano. There's also plenty of seating outside. Yes, they do have all the tables marked off for social distancing.
We ended up passing back through the castle and found the characters out on a balcony waving and singing to everyone.
More beautiful castle pics
The Seven Dwarfs was still an incredibly long line so I looked at my app and it said that it's a small world was about a 30 minute wait. I think we should head there. This has always been one of my favorite rides since I was a kid. From the meaning of it to getting out of the heat and into the a/c for awhile to it being a pretty long ride. It's also filled with so much animation and cute things that there's just so much eye sensory overload during the entire ride.
History:
*it opened on October 1, 1971.
*The name for this distinctive attraction was originally going to be “Children of the World”, it was changed to “it’s a small world” to better fit the theme. The name in lower case was the way the attraction was trademarked. It is to convey smallness.
*Lyrics: “It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears. It’s a world of hopes and a world of fears. There’s so much that we share that it’s time we’re aware. It’s a small world after all.” This theme song is performed in English, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Swedish. The title song for the attraction that will get stuck in your head for hours after you hear it. I happen to think that it gets stuck in my head for days after. There are rooms representing 29 different countries and areas of the world. In the very last scene of the attraction are colorful signs announcing the Good Bye in many languages.
We approached the person at the entrance about being in a people mover. They immediately walked us over to a door and took us inside and put us on the ride. Wow! There was no waiting involved.
Winding our way to another one of my favorites....The Haunted mansion, located in Liberty Square which is the smallest section in Disney. Since it was next door to it's a small world, we figured we should get in line for that.
Some fun scenes along the way.
We have arrived at the spooky Haunted Mansion and I just couldn't wait to get the heebie jeebies scared out of me.
I was able to wheelchair my way up most of the way and did some walking the rest of the way.
A little history:
*There are 999 "haunts" in the mansion.
*The "backstory" of the mansion is as follows: Many years ago, Master Gracey and Emily were engaged, but Madame Leota was also in love with Master Gracey. Leota believed that if Emily were “gone” Master Gracey would then fall in love with her and they could get married. On Master Gracey and Emily’s wedding day, Leota killed Emily and put her body in a trunk and put the trunk in the attic of the mansion. Well, Master Gracey was so distraught over Emily’s death that he hung himself. Madame Leota was left to haunt the mansion after she presumably died of old age.
*It is the only attraction that is located in a different "themed area" at all 5 of the Disney parks.
*The front door of the mansion has columns and they are shaped like coffins.
*The tombstones in the graveyard pay tribute to the imagineers who worked on the mansion
Of course since the covid is present, I feel like we missed a lot of the things they had before. Usually you walk into a room (the foyer) and the doors close and there where pictures of the family members of the house turning into skeletons or ghost before your eyes. There was no music playing. There was no voices of the ghost like before. There was a room with portraits that stretched that wasn't there. Thunder and lighting blow out the candles and in the ceiling you will see the Ghost Host hung by his neck...again, not there. Portraits were the eyes follow you. I just felt like it wasn't the same experience as all the other times I had been on this ride. We walked in the front door and into the library and around a few rooms as we moved along quickly and onto our buggies for the ride. I believe that is why we missed everything. They just didn't have the lines going the way they usually do and they were moving the entire time.
It's always hard to take pictures in the dark and especially when they are ghosts and moving quickly.
As always, my favorite part of the ride is looking in the mirror and finding the hitchhiking ghosts are now in our buggy. I never could understand, as a child, how that happened and always thought it was the coolest thing ever.
As we continued to work our way around, we came across a parade and had to stop and watch.
We came upon Splash Mountain, located in Frontierland and decided it was definitely hot enough to take the plunge.
Right next door was Big Thunder Railroad. Sakari screamed with excitement. I guess she had watched video's of one of the roller coasters at the theme parks we were visiting prior to vacation. She had seen a roller coaster that the track ended and all of a sudden you were going backwards. She was super excited to ride that ride. She thought this was it and honestly I wasn't sure which park it was at. But, I knew it existed and I really wanted to surprise her with it (while on the ride and get her reaction) but that little turd found out on her own.
Winding my way in the aisles with my people mover, I managed to only hit about 6 bars at this point. I'm getting the hang of it. I think the extended glass barriers along the walls threw me off. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
History:
*Splash Mountain was built after removing the railroad.
*The log ride at Splash Mountain drops guests 52 feet from the ride's highest point.
*Since the log reaches speeds of 40 mph, deceleration must be accomplished quickly and safely so that the log can continue through the ride's winding, water-filled channels. This was accomplished by a pair of 40-ft pneumatic brakes at the bottom of the drop that is used to slow down the log.
Well, it wasn't the ride she thought it was but she had a blast! I scooted away with the song Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah in my head for the next few hours.
Ok ok...it was time to head back and try to get in line for the 7 Dwarfs Mine Coaster. We were winding our way back to that area and noticed lines everywhere. We weren't sure where they were going. We would find out once we got back to the 7 Dwarfs ride. It was the line for it. The line had increased to around 75 minutes according to my app. Oh geesh! We went up to the desk and ask about my people mover. They told us the line could accommodate it and that was somewhat of a letdown. I was hoping to get into a queue. We were weaving our way around everywhere trying to figure out where the end of the line was. We actually circled the attraction (yes the entire circumference of it) before finding the end of the line. At this point, the fam was complaining of their feet hurting. Not sure why? Mine were just fine. I felt bad and at one point I switched the hubby and did the ....well, it wasn't really "walking" and more like "standing" in line. Actually the line moved pretty quickly and it really didn't seem like a 75 minute wait but we did cover a lot of ground just to make it to the entrance where they would ask my husband if his "special needs" self could transfer onto the ride by himself.
History:
*This attraction opened in May 2014 Replacing 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage (1971-94) and Pooh's Playful Spot (2005-10).
*The drops are around 39' and has the speed of around 34 mph.
At this point, it was getting later in the evening and about to get dark. The only ride that we had left that we wanted to go on was Pirates of the Caribbean. However, I had been watching for hours that evening and it was saying temporarily closed. (It had been open during the day so not sure what was happening).
We circled back around toward the entrance and Main Street area. Everything was now lit up and the area was looking beautiful. Of course, as always, Main Street was a whole lotta people in the area. No worries though...my people mover had the ability to push people out of the way. I only managed to take out 3 people. What an accomplishment for me! I was breaking all the rules and Sakari was piggybacking with me and absolutely no "farks" were given that night.
We still had hours before it was time to close and we were trying to decide what to do. Sakari stated she wanted to go back to Space Mountain for a second go around. We headed back to Tomorrowland and it was beautifully lit up.
Back up to the stand to be put in queue and was told to come back in 30 minutes. We headed over to a stage and took some family Christmas pictures. lol
Then decided to go over to the Carousel of Progress next door since it was a 21 minute "ride" and everyone would be able to sit down and relax. Sakari had been eyeballing the "ride" since that morning and noticing that the entire building spins and she just had to know what was inside. Ok, I'm game since there was absolutely no line for it and we had just enough time.
History:
*The ride you sit, theater style in rows and it shows the progression of time living with the invention of electricity up to modern day and video games. Hey, the grandma was even playing a vr game!
*This attraction has updated 5 times to keep up with the technology of the world.
*The Carousel of Progress holds the record as the longest-running stage show in the history of American theater.
*It is one of the oldest attractions in the Walt Disney World Resort.
*The scene starts in the 1900's, then 1920's, 1940's, and then the 21st century.
It always amazed me how old these people were but never aged much and the dog...well he must have had 9 lives as well.
As the show ended, we noticed the time and rushed over to Space Mountain. We were a few minutes late and I hoped that they were still going to let us in. We checked in, parked the people mover (speaking of people mover...the real one was not working today. I'm not sure why) and then headed inside for a long walk to the ride. They have really extended the waiting line areas. Especially when you get off. The flat escalator is no longer there and there's a lot of walking. It also comes out in a store that I don't remember from before.
Ok, my family had been walking all day and they were giving up on me. "No more rides mom" Sakari insisted. Geesh, she can't be my child. As we made it back to the area in front of the castle, I was mesmerized at the castle all lit up in a Christmas theme. WOW! I couldn't get enough of it.
The colors of the castle did change every so often. There were also moving "parts" on the castle projections as well. This was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!
Then we heard a BOOM! Oh my gosh! Fireworks! I know I had read that during the COVID, they weren't having fireworks. However, I would later find out that they weren't really having a fireworks show but merely letting off fireworks every 15 minutes (just one on each side).
They have added a bunch of fake grass in the area in front of the castle and there were people sitting in the grass watching the castle. So we sat there for awhile and ate our $15.75 scoop of popcorn while I tried to catch the exact moment the firework went off for pictures.
After spending about an hour sitting around and just relaxing, eating popcorn, and watching the castle, we decided to head out.
Going back down Main Street in the crowd.
Mickey and the gang was all at the entrance waving goodbye to everyone.
A quick stop to turn in our people mover and get my $20 back, which I will need for my next round of pop at the next Disney location, and then it was my turn to do some walking.
Goodbye Mickey! We enjoyed our day with you!
As we made our way out of the exit gates, I wasn't quite sure how to proceed. We were told to "head that way" and followed everyone else. We came to a "bus station" and everyone was getting on buses. Now I don't remember having to ride a bus back to the parking lot any other times we've been here. I thought we always got back on the monorail. When we asked which bus we were suppose to get on, I bet you can guess where it was located....all the way toward the end! Whew, I want my people mover back!
As you can tell, we were the only one's waiting on the bus. When the bus finally arrived, we were told exactly where to sit on the bus. It had sections of up to 4 people on a side with a plastic barrier. We sat there for awhile and then finally more people decided to come to this bus and load up. It took us over to the parking lot and everyone was dropped right at the parking lot entrance. I honestly felt so sorry for those people that walked all day and then had to walk to their cars so far away. I mean some cars were REALLY far away. Disney is not running the trams to take people to their cars during this pandemic I read.
We made it to our vehicle and off we went. GPS was put in and....it took us an entirely different way home than what we came. Things that make you go hmmmm
Once home, I decided to cook everyone dinner and let them rest. I know they did a lot of walking and their feet hurt.
We spent the rest of the night trying to figure out why our internet wasn't connecting in the home. Sakari had some issues with it yesterday during school so she ended up having to use her hotspot to do school work and get on zoom. I messaged the property manager telling them the tv's have not worked in all of the rooms since we've been there, except a weird channel on the main tv that played reruns of the news and weather channel for Spectrum.
I also messaged her about the cleaning fee. I told her that I feel as if I shouldn't have to pay a cleaning fee for this place since I'm the one who cleaned it. She immediately returned my cleaning fee and I was shocked because the amount was only $95! I had to get on my account and see the breakdown of the charges because I couldn't believe that it was just $95. Most places I have stayed at have been well over $200. But, $95 it was and that's what I got. I really should have ask for my first nights rent back as well.
When she answered me about the tv, internet and phone not working, she told me to call Spectrum and they could troubleshoot the problem. I'm not sure how this works but at our house (we don't have Spectrum because I don't like them) you have to provide personal information and a PIN code for them to even talk to you about the service in the home. I figured I would wait until the following day to deal with it since it was so late.
She also confirmed that they did not have a record of anyone coming in on the 18th and we are definitely booked until the 22nd. She wasn't sure where the cleaning guy got that from.
A little weather and news updates and off to bed we went. Sakari had school in the morning and we were all tired.