Disney World – Day 3 (October 2022)

The previous day was definitely good for her, because Farrah didn’t exactly sit up and announce the morning like she usually does. A nice thing about Disney – one way or another, your children will be tired at the end of the day. Thoroughly worn out from the previous night, we all slept in and took our time getting ready for our first real day at the Magic Kingdom.

This time, we knew we’d be facing the full might and fury of the Florida sun, so we came prepared with hats, sunscreen, and bottles of water. We arrived there a little after lunchtime and the plan was to tour the park through the afternoon, then make a judgement call about how long we’d stay into the evening depending on Farrah. We hoped she might be up for staying through the evening festivities and fireworks, but we’ve both dealt with more than a few “I’M NOT TIRED” tantrums to know better.

Princesses, Rides, and Dole Whip…Oh My

Wanting to do things a little different this time, we passed on taking the monorail in and opted for the ferry. Farrah wasn’t exactly on the same page about that mode of transportation, and it took a little convincing to get her on it. Once the ferry left the dock and the wind was in our hair, she didn’t really change her mind, but didn’t scream for help either (sparing me the side eye from onlookers).

We arrived just in time for one of the regular parades going through, full of actors and dancers prancing around as different Disney characters, and even a fire-breathing Maleficent dragon that I thought was pretty impressive…until finding out months later that the one in Disney Land was a potential death trap, and am now very happy we didn’t go out of our way to get pictures of her in front of it.

The crowds were in full swing, and naturally, all the wait times were topping out at the double- and triple-digit level (in minutes, that is). We did some walking around and tried to find a few options before hopping on the rides, including checking out Cinderella’s Royal Table and the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. What the staff running both were kind enough to point out is anything at Disney that requires reservations means you should make them months in advance. We would really get this pounded into us over the next few days, and it’s a lesson learned that I cannot stress enough.

On the plus side, there’s was still plenty to do and see. As luck would have it, the Meet a Disney Princess attraction was a double-header hit for Farrah. The two princesses up that afternoon were two of her favorites, Tiana from The Princess and the Frog, and one of her long-time favorites – Rapunzel from Tangled. I will give the cast members who take on those jobs, I can only imagine how hard it must be maintaining appearances, playing the role, and keeping a smile on your face after so many kids posing with them. Farrah was excited and loved seeing two princesses “in the flesh,” even getting big hugs from both women.

We eventually bit the bullet and went for a bunch of rides knowing we were in for some long waits. Farrah insisted on doing the Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid ride…again. We tried convincing her to go on new rides, but she loves that Mermaid. The other ride she took a big interest in was the Tomorrowland Speedway. I remember doing this when we went to Disney Land as a kid, and absolutely nothing about it has changed. It’s the exact same experience, right down to the obnoxiously loud motors belching out overwhelming, noxious exhaust that hits you in the face the whole time. Farrah insisted on steering while I hit the gas, and she walked away feeling like a race car driver.

As the after wore on, stomachs grumbled and we took advantage of trying some of Disney World’s renown snacks and treats. Michelle sprung for some at Gideon’s Bakehouse, and at some point we did what all visitors must do – try the Dole Whip at Aloha Isle (and settle Michelle’s near obsession with that confection). We considered some of the restaurants for dinner, but as expected, they were hopelessly booked solid or not quite what we were looking for or offer anything Farrah would want (also, did I mention you should make reservations months in advance? Yes, I think I did…). At long last, we found Casey’s Corner and enjoyed what turned out to be crave-ably good chili dogs.

One observation I need to make goes back to what I said in the Introduction to this trip. Throughout most of the day, I noticed couples or families with babies or toddlers, and whether in the middle of the day or as day turned to dusk and twilight, a lot of those tiny ones were out cold in their strollers or carriers. Seeing little children wiped out and unaware of the fun they were missing made me glad we waited until Farrah was a little older before attempting Disney World.

The Evening was a Blur…No, Literally

Before we knew it, the sun was beginning to set and I rummaged through my backpack for my glasses case…until I realized I left it in the rental car. Not one to walk around looking like a bad 80s cliché like a pretentious asshole ridiculous wearing sunglasses at night, I resolved myself to spending the rest of the evening there seeing things in a blur. Judging from Farrah’s mood and preference for hopping in the stroller, we estimated we had maybe one or two more rides worth of energy in her, and she picked the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. After a very long wait for the very short ride, we thought we might be able to do the Jungle Cruise, but that was a different story. Besides the fact that we grinned and bared nearly an hour into an almost two-hour wait was definitely testing our resolve about the last ride of the day. The other factor was the waiting line for the ride may be one of the most claustrophobic and densely packed lines in the whole park. I can tell you that waiting in near suffocating close quarters in Florida heat and humidity, plus wondering how many around us without masks might be COVID positive convinced us to give up and work our way out of the line. This was far easier said than done given how packed in we were, but we eventually escaped and tasted fresh air again.

As we made our way toward the park entrance, another big parade was wrapping up, so we were caught in a throng of equally tired and worn-out people who wanted a cold drink of water, AC, and maybe a shower if they didn’t collapse first. We lucked out with remembering where we parked combined with using the car’s key fob alarm button to find our transportation back to the hotel.