We all got up at 7:00 and were out the door by about 8:15. We took the bus to MK and arrived pretty much at opening. We walked straight to the castle to check in for our 9:30 breakfast at "Cinderella's Royal Table" (CRT.) There was a problem with our reservation, however. It seems that someone had gone in to the system and deleted our reservation. I suspect it happened when I called the night before to cancel another PS we had but decided to skip. That's what I get for being a Good Samaritan! Regardless, we were assured that yes, we would get in and yes, the characters would still be there. Still, yes, there would be a long wait (because there was 6 of us they had only so many tables we would all fit at.)
A picture that is a must for every trip
She'll make an offer you can't refuse
OK, you can call our name now...
The characters included Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Prince Charming and, of course, our hostess Cinderella. As usual the kids really enjoyed meeting all the princesses. I really enjoyed meeting Jasmine. I wanted to get my picture taken with her, but Andie interceded. I suggested that she could get her picture with the Prince, but she said he wasn't her type. Personally, I think he looked more like the type who would enjoy the company of another prince. That didn't stop my mom from posing with him, however.
Actually, I think that the whole experience may have gone to Charlotte's head. A few nights after we returned, Andie and Charlie were talking. Charlie proclaimed "Mommy a girl, Daddy a boy". "What about Charlotte?" Andie asked. No answer. "Is Charlotte a girl too?" Finally she answered "No, Charlotte a princess!"
Our hostess
Our hostess gets a big hug
One popular gal
The interior of Cinderella's Royal Table
Sleeping Beauty
Could you blame me?
A prince of a guy
I'll take mine to go, please
Since, as I mentioned, we were able to get other FP tickets, we went over to the "Jungle Cruise" (JC) and got FP tickets for it as well. The FP time for JC was 12:10 - 1:10. It was a real hot day, and when I returned from getting FP tickets I found the kids playing in a fountain.
We were right by the "Tiki Room" (TR) and there was no wait, so we went in. We got in to the pre-show just as "William and Morris" started their routine. As we were entering the room I remember thinking how there is a section of the theater that has a much better view of the show, but I couldn't remember which section. Well, we lucked out and ended up in that better section, where you have a clear view of Iago when he makes his re-appearance.
After the show, our FP time for SM had arrived. I tried to convince my folks to join us, but they reneged. My mom was gun shy of any water ride after the "Bluto incident". We left then on a bench in a shady spot near TR and we went to SM. We took Charlie with us, deciding to do a "baby swap". This also meant that Nat was able to ride twice. Andie and Nat rode first, then Andie left to go back to my parents while Nat and I rode. Of course, after her second ride she wanted to do it again. Theoretically we could have as we only used 3 of the FP tickets and we had 2 left, but I didn't want to leave everyone else waiting any longer. Besides, out FP time for JC had arrived.
Nat and I returned to discover that my dad was missing. He had left about 30 minutes earlier to use the men's room and hadn't returned. I went out to look for him, and when I returned 5 minutes later he was back. I could easily understand how he could have gotten lost; the Frontierland/Adventureland section of MK is quite confusing. Add to this the fact that he's real familiar with Disneyland, and the fact that MK is just different enough in it's layout to really screw you up. He said he actually came back to the right place but didn't recognize it (something I can easily believe - I almost didn't recognize it myself.)
Since that little adventure was over and we were all together, it was time for another adventure. Off we went to JC. JC was fun, I hadn't been on it in years (actually I don't think I've ever been on the MK version - I didn't recognize the "Asia" part where you go indoors.) Our "skipper" was pretty good, with just the right amount of sarcasm in her voice, but she wasn't a stand out.
Relief on a hot day
All puns intended
Who let these guys out of Animal Kingdom?
I walked Andie and the kids to the main entrance, then they left and I started taking pictures. I decided to start with Main Street and work my way through the park from there.
While I was in Liberty Square I saw new recruits signing up to join the revolutionary forces. It was very cute. While I was in Adventureland I treated myself to a Citrus Swirl. Other than that I just walked around the park clicking away. By the time I got back to Main Street to head out there were hundreds of people lining the street waiting for the afternoon parade. It's a good thing I had already gotten the pictures I needed of Main Street.
I left MK about 2:45 and was back at BW around 3:15. Andie and the kids were napping when I arrived, but everyone was up soon and we headed out to the"Luna Park"pool. I can't say for sure, but I would assume that "Roller Coaster Meltdowns" were consumed.
After swimming for a while we headed back to the room, got dressed, and were on our way back to MK by about 6:00. When we arrived at MK my parents were seated at a small table right out in front of Tony's. They told us that they had a terrific time wandering around the park, and that they saw "Hall of Presidents" which they really enjoyed. I went in to check in to Tony's. I reiterated our request for an outdoor table, and they said they'd do their best. I looked at the patio and noticed that all the tables were for 4 or 2, and since we were a party of 6 I was a bit concerned.
I kept a weary eye on what was happening with the tables on the porch. A table for 4 opened up and nobody was seated there right away. Good so far. A table for 2 right next to it opened up a few minutes later. Great. The 2 tables were pushed together and set up. Looking good. I knew that if our name was called we would have success. Well, our name was called and we were promptly seated outside. Perfect! It was a bit early (about 7:10) so we would have plenty of time to enjoy our meal before "The Main Street Electrical Parade" (MSEP) started at 8:30.
The biggest complaint I have against Tony's is that, since it's in MK, you can't order wine with dinner. An Italian dinner without wine seems almost sacrilegious. Regardless, the best meal we had on our trip in 1997 was at Tony's, so we figured the food would be good.
We were not disappointed. We all shared calamari and fried cheese appetizers - both quite good. Andie had pasta with chicken, my dad had spaghetti with meatballs, my mom and I both had pork chops, and the kids had plain pasta with butter. We all enjoyed our dinner; my dad in particular sang the praises of the spaghetti.
Not long after we finished, MSEP started. I brought back many fond memories for me to watch the parade. Tony's is a very comfortable spot to watch, but it doesn't have the best vantagepoint, as you can't see stuff near the ground. Regardless, sitting at the table on a nice warm Florida night, and not having to deal with the crowds, makes it a very pleasurable experience. One thing I noticed was that Pete was not perched atop his dragon. The saddle was there, but no Pete. I don't know if they stopped using him altogether or if he was just missing that night.
Dinner at Tony's
Main Street Eletrical Parade
Main Street Eletrical Parade
Main Street Eletrical Parade
We strolled around the park for the last time this trip. It was a beautiful night. We had a terrific viewpoint for the fireworks - even better than we had the last time we watched them. Again we saw Tinkerbell, this time even more clearly. We strolled around a little bit more, then started heading out of the park about 9:30, when the initial rush started to taper off a bit. As the bus was driving away I made a point of keeping my eye on the castle for as long as I could. We don't have any plans to return to WDW, and I doubt we'll return for at least a couple of years.
The kids were real tired and crabby when we got back to the room. We put them to bed, than Andie and I did our routine again - a trip down to the main porch to chat. We were in bed about midnight.