Is it just me, or is the MK parking lot somewhat less than crystal clear, even with the road cones out? I went the wrong way and almost exited the lot before I got to a parking space, very close to the TTC. I walked the short distance and found to my surprise that early arrivals were being stopped at the TTC gates; having a breakfast reservation, however, allowed me access, and I was soon on the Resorts monorail along with a few other folks who had breakfast reservations in the various MK restaurants. On arrival at the MK gates, I found a crowd gathered, waiting for the gates to open. Someone called out my name, and I met Sally Drago and her family. Sally posts in the Clubhouse as Mickeyfan1; she and her family had PS in the castle at the same time I did. We chatted for a few minutes while we waited for the gates to open. Once the gates opened, yet another Clubhouse friend, Rosalyn Furakawa, who posts as Diskid, found me and walked the rest of the way to the Partners statue with me, where Ramona Pinter was already waiting.
We had quite a group now, and it got bigger quickly, as we were joined by Dave and Amy Balbach and their daughter Alyssa, and then by another Clubhouse family (whose names I failed to note and can't remember). By now it was 8:00, and our PS was for 8:05, so we were unfortunately too rushed to do more than take a couple of pictures at the statue before we had to go check in at the podium. At check in, I told the CM that our group, which was originally supposed to be 8, was now 6. We were seated immediately and our waitress got us water and orange juice; I wasn't feeling sick anymore, but I was feeling a little run down, so I drank lots of orange juice.
We ordered quickly, since the choices at Cinderella's Royal Table are rather limited; there is a "Traditional" breakfast, and a "Healthy" breakfast, both of which sounded terrific. I went with the Traditional, which was scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, and a croissant topped with baked cinnamon apples. I've heard many people disparage the quality of food at this hard-to-get-into character breakfast, but I loved the food. I found the portions quite large, too, and I wasn't able to completely finish mine.
During the entire breakfast, I snapped a picture every time a character posed with Alyssa. Dave's digital camera was giving him trouble, and while Amy had a film camera, she was sitting next to Alyssa, and wasn't positioned very well to get good shots. I was sitting next to Dave, across from her, so I was in a good position. I was having so much fun watching her interact with the characters that I completely forgot to interact with them myself, and wound up with no pictures of myself with the Princesses. This was a terrible oversite on my part, since it's the Princesses who are the main appeal of this breakfast.
I also noted after the fact that the Princesses paid little or no attention to anyone else at our table, concentrating almost exclusively on Alyssa. This was in stark contrast to other character meals I've eaten at WDW, where Mickey, Pooh, and their respective crews, all paid attention to each Guest individually, whether there were children at the table or not. Thus, none of the Princesses came near me, and Rosalyn and Ramona, who were sitting at the opposite end of the table, might as well have been sitting in a different time zone.
Breakfast, as I expected, didn't last very long; the restaurant has a pretty high turnover during the morning hours, and they tend to rush the Guests a little bit. But I think we all enjoyed the experience, and I promised to email everybody copies of the photos I had taken. Dave took Alyssa out a little early to try to make it to Dumbo's first ride, and the rest of us made our way out of the restaurant a little more slowly. We said good-bye to Amy; Ramona, Rosalyn, and I stood outside the castle talking for quite a while. We also got to see Flora, Magee, and JeanS when they showed up for their breakfast PS, but they were seated pretty fast, so we only got to talk for a few minutes.
I would have liked to spend more time in MK, especially so early in the morning when the lines were still short, but I had a very important errand to run: I had to get back to the Swan and buy my ticket to tonight's E-Ride Night. These tickets, unfortunately, can only be purchased at your resort, and I hadn't had time to get one last night, because the Disney desk at the Swan was closed by the time I got back from Epcot.
I headed out of the park, but instead of taking the monorail, I got on the ferryboat back to the TTC. So early in the morning, just after park opening, the ferryboats coming into the park were packed like sardine cans, but the boats leaving the park were nearly empty. I love riding the various boats at WDW, and a quiet, nearly-empty boat is a Holy Grail for me, so I really enjoyed this ride. I stood out on deck right next to the pilot's cabin, feeling safe from the sun thanks to my newly-aquired sunblock, and even took a picture of the pilot when he took the controls. When we passed another ferryboat on its way into MK, I took several pictures of it (and its hundreds of passengers crowding the rails).
It's nice these days to meet someone who really puts an effort into customer satisfaction.
Before leaving the Walgreens, I bought a spray can of Solarcane, and sprayed some on my back and shoulders in the parking lot. It helped; the pain didn't go away, but the Solarcane took the edge off of it and made it easier for me to walk around.
I knew that with the E-night I was going to have a long day today, so I wasn't particularly worried about getting back to the parks quickly; I figured I was going to have 3 hours in MK after closing, so I didn't need as much time in the park before closing, when the lines are longer and the crowds thicker. So instead of going directly back to MK, I decided to do a little shopping.
My first shopping destination was the Lake Buena Vista Factory Outlet Stores on SR 535. Here I visited the best of the 4 Disney outlets I knew of, Character Corner. I bought a bunch of stuff, although I noticed that this outlet was just beginning to become more like the Disney outlets at Belz and the Orlando Premium Outlets malls, with newer stuff and smaller discounts.
Speaking of the Orlando Premium Outlets, they were my next stop. I like this mall, although it is full of some of the most expensive 'outlets' I've ever seen. They, too, have a Disney outlet, and also a Universal Studios outlet, both placed conveniently next to the food court. I wound up buying nothing at either of these stores; the bargains are not as good as the LBV Factory stores. But I like the mall; it's a quiet, pleasant place to shop, even when it's crowded.
It was getting close to lunch time now, and I was getting hungry. I looked around the food court at the Orlando Premium Outlets, but I wasn't in the mood for anything there, so I got back into the car and went to Downtown Disney. I walked around a little, trying to decide where to go for lunch, and bought a sunshade for my rental car (a must when the Orlando sun heats your car up to 160 degrees!) I also browsed the Lego store a little, looking for something for my nephew, Greg. Greg had been in a bike accident a few weeks before, and I had promised him after he got stitches that I would bring him something special from Disney World. He requested something from the Lego store, as he is a big fan of Lego toys. I noted a few good prospects for a gift before my hunger got the better of me and forced me to resume my search for lunch.
I may have been seated quickly, but I found myself waiting quite a bit for my drink order. I passed the time by whipping out my notebook and writing some trip notes; I was not only trying to chronicle my day, but trying an experiment. I had heard tell of folks on Disney trips writing things in their notebooks and getting treated a little differently by Cast Members who mistook them for professional reviewers. I was hoping that my notebook, combined with the huge, impressive, professional-looking camera perched on my table, would serve to subtly convince my waiter that I was some sort of restaurant reviewer masquerading as a tourist.
I don't know if it worked, but my food came far quicker than my drink, and I never saw the bottom of my glass.
After lunch, I browsed the World of Disney, buying a few small things, then I went back to the Swan for a nap. I was feeling a little queasy again, thanks to too much lunch, and I needed a rest if I was to be out until 1am at E-night.
Waiting for the bus at the Swan's bus stop, I passed the time talking to a nice family with a developmentally challenged little girl of about 11 or 12. She had one of those fancy, glittery face paint jobs done somewhere earlier that day, and the three of them were going to E-night for the first time. They were also on their first Disney trip; I told them a few of my Disney stories and passed on a few nuggets of information. They seemed to be having a wonderful time; the Magic of a Disney vacation with your family was palpable about them.
I got to Magic Kingdom with plenty of time to spare. It only took me a few minutes to trade in my ticket for a wristband, and I set off to find a good spot to watch Tinkerbell fly from the castle.
Two minutes later, however, I was regretting my location selection, because I was so close to the castle that I couldn't see any of the fireworks, which were set off behind the castle and very low! I tried moving to the side, and got as far as the ramp leading up to the castle itself before the crowd was just too dense to move. I snapped a few pictures of what I could see, not expecting them to turn out super well, and waited patiently for the show to end. When it did end, and the people all began flowing toward the park exit, I slipped through the castle itself and hung around in Fantasyland for a while. Once the crowd was thin enough, I made my way into Tomorrowland to begin my e-night. I started with Alien Encounter, then moved on to the Tomorrowland Transportation Authority, Space Mountain, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, all of which were walk-ons (gotta love e-night!) After Buzz, I caught a glimpse of the Contemporary; it was all lit up, and would have made a perfect picture opportunity, but wandering around Tomorrowland for fifteen minutes didn't produce a single spot where I could set up my camera for a long exposure with no trees or buildings in the way. I decided to try later from the bus stop or monorail station when I left the park.
Everybody was getting a little hungry, so we all went out to Main Street USA for a snack. Rosie, Mike, and I went to Caseys Corner for hot dogs and Cokes, while Lisa and LB went to the ice cream parlor for ice cream. We all sat at an outdoor table next to Caseys and enjoyed our snack. I hadn't noticed, but it was getting close to 1am, and the park was getting ready to close for the night.
I wound up on the bus with the same family I had ridden with on my way in. They seemed a little tired, but they had enjoyed themselves immensely. The little girl's face paint had been washed off on Splash Mountain, though.
Once I got back to the Swan, I was very tired, but couldn't get to sleep, so I wound up reading until I finally drifted off about 3am.
I never did get my night-time picture of the Contemporary.
Walk Miles: 11.6