Just wanted to pop in and say that our second trip to Disney World went magically! I've been back for a week now (well, a week tomorrow), and can't believe that this week has flown by. It already feels like we had just first arrived. I was a little jet lagged from all of the sleep recuperation and catching up at work that followed, but now I'm itching to resume posting again.

I was asked if I will now begin detailing my latest trip, to which I replied:
No! I haven't even finished talking about the first one!

So it may take a while before I reveal how my second trip went specifically, but I am anxious to talk about many rides that were new to us this time, and I'll get to those eventually. Also, be on the lookout as I revisit my previous "DL vs WDW" posts. I actually was FAR more observant this time around, especially since we got to spend plenty of time in each park. I also went with more of an eye on paying attention to differences between the parks, and realized that I was WAY off on some of the things I had written the first time.

Finally, I will leave you with a list of the attractions we visited during each day of our trip. Have a great day!

Magic Kingdom (Sunday 10/31: 9am-12:30pm)

Pirates of the Caribbean
Big Thunder Mountain
Splash Mountain
Tomorrowland Transit Authority
Space Mountain
Snow White's Scary Adventures
..........6 rides in 3 1/2 hours

Downtown Disney (Halloween: 7pm-9pm)

Epcot (Monday: 10am-8pm)

Test Track
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
Maelstrom
Reflections of China
American Adventure
..........6 rides in 10 hours

Disney's Hollywood Studios (Tuesday: 10am-6pm)

Great Movie Ride
Toy Story Midway Mania
Rock 'n Roller Coaster
Tower of Terror
..........4 rides in 8 hours

Epcot (Wednesday: 11am-9pm)

Mission: SPACE (Ana only)
Test Track
Journey Into Imagination
Impressions du France
Gran Fiesta Tour
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Test Track (mike only)
Spaceship Earth
..........8 rides in 10 hours

Magic Kingdom (Thursday: 11:30am-9pm)

Walt Disney Railroad (Round Trip)
Stitch's Great Escape
Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters
Carousel of Progress
Space Mountain
Autopia
Mickey's Philharmagic
"it's a small world"
The Haunted Mansion
Liberty Square Riverboat
Big Thunder Mountain
Splash Mountain
Peter Pan's Flight
Aladdin's Magic Carpets
Jungle Cruise
Tomorrowland Transit Authority
..........16 rides in 9 1/2 hours

Animal Kingdom (Friday: 10:30am-8pm)

Expedition Everest x2
Dinosaur
Primeval Whirl
Dinosaur
Expedition Everest
Kali River Rapids x2
Kilimanjaro Safari
Dinosaur
Primeval Whirl
Expedition Everest x2
..........13 rides in 9 1/2 hours

Magic Kingdom (Saturday: 10am-1:30pm)

Snow White's Scary Adventures
Peter Pan's Flight
Haunted Mansion
Big Thunder Mountain
Splash Mountain
Pirates of the Caribbean
Jungle Cruise
Swiss Family Treehouse
..........8 rides in 3 1/2 hours

The cast members running "The Hall of Presidents" said that it should be up and running again in about twenty minutes. We decided to make due with that time to stroll through Fantasyland and get a Fastpass for "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh". While the Disneyland counterpart of that ride never really has a wait, we weren't going to take any chances in Florida.



Like Frontierland the night before, we really didn't get to see as much of Fantasyland because it was dark and we were just too excited to notice many of the details. As we made our into Fantasyland we noticed the old building that used to house one end of the Skyway. It's interesting that the Fantasyland stations at both Disneyland and the Magic Kindgom are still standing - over a decade after the closure of the ride. Ana has always had a fascination with the Skyway buildings since she never had the chance to ride it - thus, she wanted a picture with it behind her. Seeing remnants of past attractions always strikes me with a weird feeling of nostalgia, intrigue, and a little bit of frustration. Despite the building still sitting out, it blends into this area better than the Disneyland version (which is starting to look like some forgotten project hidden behind an overgrowth of trees).



I knew what to expect of Fantasyland long before we embarked on our trip. I knew that it would have more of a medieval renaissance faire feel (reminiscent of the architecture throughout the film "Sleeping Beauty"), and less detailed buildings than Disneyland's Fantasyland. (Note: What I'll eventually delve into in a later post is that this is actually very similar to how Disneyland's Fantasyland looked prior to a major facelift it received in 1983.)

What surprised me though is that there WERE fully themed Bavarian/Swiss styled buildings, and the entire land wasn't a bunch of tents (which is how I had always pictured it). These buildings were beautiful, and gave us an early indication of how the theming around Epcot was going to be.



Somehow it was all less tacky than what I had expected going in, and again, the fact that it wasn't 100% Tentland really helped. If anything, it really had me excited for the upcoming Fantasyland expansion that's in the works.





A major disappointment I experienced was with the facade of "it's a small world". As we walked by it, we were really underwhelmed by the entrance, as well as the fact that the huge loading area was actually on the inside of the building. I've always seen "it's a small world" as a main attraction within the parks, and Disneyland does a much better job of showcasing it.



One aspect the Magic Kingdom DOES emphasize well is it's castle. As we continued our way through Fantasyland it was if we could turn around at any given point and see Cinderella's castle looming in the sky.



The thing I really loved about this Fantasyland was the size of it. There was plenty of space to walk around, and while there were a lot of other guests in this area, it never felt crammed.



Ana and I made our way over to Winnie the Pooh and got our Fast Passes. There was a printer error though, and only her pass printed. A nearby Cast Member signed it for us and said it would still be ok to use. It had been a few minutes, so it was time to head back over to Liberty Square for a second attempt at "The Hall of Presidents".

As I said in my previous post, Liberty Square is Walt Disney World's version of New Orleans Square. Almost immediately upon entering this quaint land was a strong feeling of patriotism, and I really felt as though I had been whisked away to a colonial town with a vast history. What helped to further this feeling were the replicas of the Liberty Bell and Liberty Tree - ideas borrowed from the abandoned Liberty Street project originally intended for Disneyland. Also of note was the representation of several important flags from American history surrounding the Liberty Bell.



Directly behind the Liberty Bell is the Hall of Presidents. The building entrance is yet another example of how the Imagineers are able to fool visitors by making the facade appear as nothing more than a small city hall. However, once you step inside, you realize that it's much larger than you might have initially expected.



I've been looking forward to seeing the Hall of Presidents since I was a kid. I'm not typically patriotic, but I love AA figures and was always impressed by what I imagined the scale of the show to be. Having so many animatronic figures on stage at once seemed like a spectacle to me, and I was excited to finally get the chance to see it.

The two of us entered the main waiting lobby for the Hall of Presidents, and just as soon as found ourselves walking in, we were walking right back out. The show had been halted due to technical difficulties and we were all told to come back later to catch a later show. Ana and I decided that we would have to venture back over to Liberty Square a little later in the day to make a second attempt at watching the show.

There was also a set of stocks set up as a photo op. Another guest offered to take this picture of us, and he remarked "you're not supposed to smile in the stocks!" I said, "well, we're on vacation and the sun is in my eyes." HAH!



I also want to point out that near the far side corner of Liberty Square lies The Haunted Mansion. It sits on a hill and has an other worldly quality about it. Rather than seeming to fit in as the New Orleans Square Haunted Mansion does, this version of the ride seems eerily out of place within Liberty Square. To help it maintain a bit of consistency with the land however, the architecture diverts from the Louisiana mansion style. From Wikipedia: "This Mansion was given a Dutch Gothic Revival style based on older northeastern mansions, particularly those in older areas of Pennsylvania and in the Hudson River Valley region of New York. The mansion is surrounded by large oak trees donned with spanish moss, red maples, and pines, all of which are native to Florida."



The next closest land was Fantasyland - so we figured we would head over there and hit some of the rides we didn't go on the previous night before we would head back to Liberty Square.

I followed Ana across the bridge in front of Splash Mountain over to the section of Frontierland heavily themed to resemble a small western town. Here we swing a left passing the Town Hall and Pecos Bill's Cafe.

The main road of Frontierland is a long stretch alongside the River - much larger territory than the small entrance area of Disneyland's Frontierland.



The Magic Kingdom actually began doing their Princess and the Frog Showboat Jubilee a few weeks before Disneyland did, so we noticed that the Liberty Square Riverboat was decorated especially for the promotion.



Finally we made our way over to a "hole in the wall" attraction that I had been excited to see for a number of years now (at least since the California Country Bear Jamboree show closed back in 2001).



Inside were decorations similar to ones that I had seen in the queue I remembered. Pictures depicting a band of country bears were scattered around the waiting room, giving us a glimpse of the characters we would soon be seeing on stage.



We waited about 8 minutes or so before it was time to head in to see the show (and I could hardly contain my excitement). I knew going in that this was the original country bear show, with a lineup of songs that I was not familiar with. I had grown accustomed to the "Vacation Hoedown" which used to rotate at Disneyland over the Summer season. They eventually kept it year-round until it finally closed down. The Vacation Hoedown had tracks that I loved such as "Ghost Riders in the Sky", "California Bears" and Wendell's slideshow of a vacation trip gone horribly wrong. The only thing I really knew about the normal Country Bear Show was the rendition of "Blood on the Saddle" sung by the fattest of the bears, Big Al.



Entering the theater, it was nearly identical to the Disneyland setup - the only difference being that the heads of Max, Melvin, and Buff were on the opposite side of the room.



It was great to see the bears in action again, though it wasn't the same. I missed the feeling of going into a cave to see the show, as well as being able to sing along to songs that I knew. I was also very excited for Ana to see the show, as I had talked about it several times over the years. She really wasn't that into the setlist of country songs they played, though she appreciated it as a Magic Kingdom original and something she had never seen before.



The show ended, and despite having been a little disappointed by the show, I was glad to have had the chance to see the bears still alive and rocking.

Our next stop was going to be Liberty Square, a land exclusive to Walt Disney World. Before reaching our destination, we had to take a long walk up the Frontierland road. Passing a shady side area was a cowboy version of Goofy accompanied by Donald Duck dressed up like Davy Crockett.



In the distance on the left was the corner of the Rivers of America. There, atop a hill, was the Haunted Mansion.



While not as foreboding as it looked the night before, it still had an eerie vibe during the day. We knew we would be riding it a little later, but first it was time for a little lesson in history (and a few technical difficulties...)

After getting soaked on Splash Mountain, we decided to dry off while hanging out around the Rivers of America. It had been so dark the night before that we really couldn't see much of it (it's not as well lit as it's Disneyland counterpart). One main difference we couldn't get over was really how small that overlook of the river was. At Disneyland you can venture along the river as far back as Critter Country. Disneyland also has the drydock area for the Sailing Ship Columbia, as well as the loading area for the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes. The other difference? There's no stage-like area on Tom Sawyer's Island.



The Magic Kingdom doesn't actually have a Fantasmic show like we do in California (it's actually at the Hollywood Studios park instead). This is probably a smart idea, as there seems to be a lot less room around the river to cram in a bunch of people to watch such a show.



We sat back and relaxed for about 10 minutes or so - taking it all in. The view behind us of the Big Thunder Mountain skyline...





squirrels scurrying around the nearby shrubs...



a map of "things to come" when we visit Tom Sawyer's Island later that day...



and totem poles hidden within the trees.



It was a relaxing area with plenty of shade and a wonderful view across the way of Tom Sawyer Island.



The Rivers of America also offers a glimpse at the distant Cinderella Castle which dwarfs the rest of the park.



We looked at the clock and realized we had better keep moving onward. Having entered Frontierland from Adventureland (which divides Frontierland in half), there was still another section we hadn't had a chance to see. It was also about time to pay a visit to a bunch of old friends of mine. Who, you might ask? You may know them as Buff, Max, and Melvin.

-It has now been a month since we went on our trip, but it still seems like yesterday. Work is getting busy right now as we head into Holiday season, so updates may slow down a bit for a little while. I'll still try to use whatever free time I can to update my trip report.-

We left Pirates of the Caribbean feeling a little...well...underwhelmed. The both of us wanted to ride something that we knew we would enjoy, so we would decided that we would re-ride the three big rides that we rode on the previous night (Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and the Haunted Mansion). Since the closest of those three was Splash, we decided to ride that first. Luckily, we were smart and stopped by Big Thunder Mountain first to get a Fast Pass. (Thanks to Disneyland, we pretty much already knew the in's and out's to the Fast Pass system)

Walking around the front of Splash Mountain, and seeing it in broad daylight for the first time, the difference of the mountain was instantly apparent. The walkway that takes guest around the front of the mountain is actually at eye level with the people on the ride as they round the bend. It's also very easy to get a look at them as they pass by. At Disneyland, there is a large wall obstructing onlookers, and you are only able to view the people going down the drop. On the other side of the wall is a bit of foliage, with the thorns further in the distance.



The curve following the drop was also pretty unique, and had a small island in the middle. Several white birds walked around, and it made for a fun moment - you're on a ride with dozens of animatronic figures, but these birds were real!



Another striking difference is that WDW's version allows guests to look down at the curve that follows the drop (so you can wave down to your loved ones if you want). Disneyland only offers a very brief glimpse down, and it's a bit difficult to find this spot if you're not familiar with the park.

The entrance is also very different, probably because this is Frontierland and not Critter Country.



The one REALLY cool thing about this version of the ride is that you can sit side-by-side (unlike Disneyland's version where you sit single file). This allowed the both of us to experience the ride together for the first time, and it was such a blast!









We left the ride extremely soaked, though it actually wasn't from the drop. Some sneaky Imagineers crafted a failsafe to ensure that you get wet. As your boat passes by the log falling down the big drop, it causes a huge splash to shoot up and drench the rear section of your boat (which is normally left dry after the drop). It was almost like it happened in slow motion, as we both watched the huge burst of water rise and fall right down onto us. We looked at each other with our jaws hanging incredulously, and we both began to laugh. I can guarantee that this version gets a lot more "splash".

So now what? Oh! We have Fast Passes! And it's already time to use them? We're heading to the wildest ride in the wilderness!

(for more on Splash Mountain, stay tuned for my DL vs. WDW post)

We walked into the dense jungle of Adventureland. It was our intention to make our way over to The Pirates of the Caribbean, and so we just looked around as we kept on traversing the area. We made a mental note of where the Dole Whips were being sold so that when we came back to this area later, we'd grab a few. We also circled around the left side of the Aladdin Carpets - taking note of giant golden camel statues that would spit water at unsuspecting guests.

Around the corner, we found ourselves standing in front of the ride. The outside was intricately themed as a Spanish fortress of some kind, and really did a great job fitting amidst the lush greenery of the surrounding jungle. In a way, it almost seemed like an oasis hideaway.

(from Wikipedia:)
"The attraction, guarded by the Caribbean watchtower Torre del Sol, is housed in a golden Spanish fort called Castillo Del Morro, inspired by Castillo de San Felipe del Morro in San Juan, Puerto Rico."





Excitedly, and because there still seemed to be no people in line for anything, we headed in.







The Spanish halls began to transform into fortified catacombs littered with various equipment left from pirates of a bygone area. It seemed as though they once stowed away here.









It was great not having to walk through it with anyone else, and seemed as though we had snuck into this dwelling and we weren't supposed to be here. It was a very long queue though, and even without a line of people, it seemed to take forever for us to reach the loading area. I think that in the end this queue is what made the ride. The moment we stepped into the building, we felt like we were being transported through time. I think we were both in awe of how well themed it was.

(for a detailed explanation of the ride, stay tuned for the DL vs. WDW comparison article).