Magic Kingdom

This was a last-minute addition to my trip, and probably the best idea I could have possibly had. I was flying out in the afternoon on Sunday and had planned to go to SeaWorld that day, but SkyNEXT ended up scheduling the evening social on Friday at the park so I had the chance to sneak one more big park into the trip. I was heavily considering Epcot, as it remains as my favorite park on earth, but I had visited it on both of my last two visits, and Magic Kingdom was left out of my most recent trip. Plus, there’s a ton of rides at MK that I had failed to experience, so I knew I had to make that right.

My day started in my favorite theme park land of all time, Tomorrowland. The hopeful, retro-futuristic vibe is just so awesome, with the Peoplemover zooming around above, and all of the different things to see. And also I had an early morning slot at Tron. But first,

Space Mountain (#217, #??)

I’ve never been a huge fan of Space Mountain. Pre-thoosie, I thought it was too slow and boring especially for the wait. But, as I’ve gotten older, I have learned to appreciate the experience especially for how old it is at this point. It’s a classic attraction, in the same vein as Whizzer. I did a lap on both sides, because I wasn’t sure which one I had counted a credit for, but in the end the ride is just as fun and classic as I remember. The turns were actually quite potent in the back of the train, where I got sat both times as a single rider. The wait was nonexistent as a single rider and thoroughly enjoyed the experience as classic Disney fun. Huskin also thoroughly enjoyed his fastest coaster yet. I would really love to climb around that jungle gym of supports some day! 8/10

Tron: Lightcycle Run (#218)

Wow. This ride took forever to build, and yeah it’s a “clone” but my god what a wonderful experience. The locker situation worked perfectly fine, and the queue experience was great. I love the whole aesthetic, and am a huge fan of Daft Punk, so waiting in this queue was a joy. The main load platform for this ride looked great (except for the drop ceiling, really??). But the star of the show was the on-ride audio and visual experience. The speakers and music sounded incredible, far better than any other on-ride sound that I have experienced. I think it helped that the speakers were in front of your ears instead of behind, but just wow. Jamming out to Daft Punk while screaming around the layout was pure bliss. The outdoor section was a blast, and the indoor section reminded me of a tech-upgraded Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster with some huge, impressive screens. Honestly I have no idea what the layout was, similar to HRRR, I was just entranced by the music. I remember there being a lot of fun forces, and the ride vehicle being super comfortable especially for a straddle seating position. The only downside to the experience was only being able to ride once, but I would much rather ride once and wait in a virtual queue than wait in a real 3 hour queue! This ride can only get a 10/10.

After my incredible start to the day, I started following the Genie+ reservations that I could snag on some classic rides that I have so far missed out on. Starting with the most high-effort coaster in the park,

Barnstormer (#219)

Vekoma junior coaster. Yay. With a wing to bang your head on. Most interesting part about this was the chain lift and hidden maintenance shed. Good for kids I guess? 4/10.

Pirates of the Caribbean

This classic ride is one that I have experienced, in fact the last time I was at the park I rode it probably 5 times. It’s a great story and it spawned one of my favorite movies. The animatronics look better than ever and it was great to get back on this ride after 7 years. 9.5/10, great memories on a great ride!

Haunted Mansion

Another ride that I have zero recollection of ever riding. I knew a lot about this ride’s story just based on all of the behind-the-scenes videos I have watched, but the effects were impressive nonetheless. The stretching room was really cool too, though it would have been cooler if it was a real elevator like in California. Overall some of the effects looked a little funky, and the sets were impressive, but I didn’t really understand the story. Also, with these Omnimover rides it’s quite common to get stopped during the ride which really hurts the immersion. Overall though I can see why it’s a classic even though it’s not my favorite. 7/10

its a small world

I loved this as a kid and I really enjoy the message of the ride. But, that soundtrack never leaves your head, that’s for sure! Also had way too many boats on the course and we stacked for like 5 minutes. 7/10

Peter Pan’s Flight

not-ET was a decent ride, but it seemed to break down pretty often and was a bit of a short experience in relation to the bloated wait. Probably a one and done for me, but the sets looked nice. 6/10

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (#23)

This ride is definitely one of my favorite classic Disney attractions. The train feels sufficiently “out of control” during the whole experience and the visuals look fantastic. The long trains lead to a rambunctious ride, especially as a single rider as you slide back and forth on your seat. This is one coaster that I could lap all day! 9/10

Seven Dwarves Mine Train (#??)

The other Vekoma mine train in this park was interesting for me. I had marked it on my credits list from forever ago but had no recollection of the ride experience. The ride was surprisingly short, and the swinging motion was barely noticeable. Definitely just felt like a souped up junior coaster with a great dark ride lift hill. The attraction was gorgeous but the ride experience was entirely forgettable (makes sense). 6/10

Buzz Lightyear Spaceranger Spin

This ride was my introduction to shooting dark rides and my addiction has never left. As with Haunted House, the omnimover ride system led to us stopping a few times, but that meant that I got this pretty nice score after being stuck in front of this guy for 60 seconds. Definitely feels more dated, but still a lot of fun, and very responsive at least. 7.5/10

Peoplemover

Just a wonderful attraction to sit back and relax and listen to the quippy spiel as you travel around all of Tomorrowland. I like how well it integrates with the structure of Space Mountain, and the gigantic EPCOT model. Plus, LIMs! 8/10, if you can call it an attraction.

Carousel of Progress

Though the sets are a bit dated at this point, the song is catchy as hell, and the positive outlook on the future is fantastic. Plus the quippy humor, interesting ride system, creative practical effects and solid air conditioning make this World’s Fair attraction a really wonderful experience. 8/10

In my few hours at the park, I rode a ton of attractions, but this was definitely my most rushed experience out of all of the parks (except maybe SeaWorld, but that doesn’t have as much interest as the destination parks to me). Some rides that I still haven’t ridden, but really should, include Jungle Cruise, Aladdin, Enchanted Tiki Room, Swiss Family Treehouse, Tom Sawyer’s Island, Country Bear Jamboree, Hall of Presidents, Liberty Belle, Little Mermaid, Winnie the Pooh, PhilharMagic, the steam train and the Tomorrowland speedway. It’s crazy how many rides this one park has, and I could spend a week here just exploring everything and catching all of the little details. 

Another omission was Splash Mountain, which is of course closed for a retheme to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The exterior of the ride had a ton of work being done, but the theming enhancements already looked great. I hope at some point soon I can come back and experience that!

Food

My friend had some more interesting food picks for me to try. These cheeseburger spring rolls seemed like they would be a crime against nature but were surprisingly tasty and filling. The Gaston frozen apple juice rivaled frozen butterbeer for best slushie-thing on the trip, and even though SFGAm does Dole Whip now, this cone was so much better than anything I had tried before!

The Park

The park in general looked perfect. Every sightline looked good, and there was so much detail. You can tell that this is arguably the flagship park of the Disney brand, where Hollywood Studios needed a little jank like the exit of Toy Story Mania, none of that was present here. Everything felt so well thought out and put together compared to any other place that I have experienced. It truly felt magical.

One ride that I didn’t miss was the monorail. I also loved these as a kid and I still love them to this day. They look so different from anything else out there and are a pleasure to ride. The whole entry experience to Magic Kingdom was incredibly pleasant, with the ticketing then choice of boat or Monorail to get around the lake. 

Overall my day was slightly rushed but I am thankful that I got to experience the park again at all. I hope to be back there sometime soon and see even more of it!