Magic Kingdom – 05.22
Our family made a quick stop at Walt Disney World at the end of our Florida trip in May 2022. We were able to stay 2 nights and have one day in the Magic Kingdom. My girls and I always love any chance to seek some time in any Disney bubble! We can never get enough!
What We Did
We arrived at Walt Disney World in the early afternoon. First we had lunch at the food court at our resort, All Star Music. Mobile ordering with the My Disney Experience app is quick and easy. It is even easy to see what allergy friendly options a location offers.
After lunch we took about an hour to swim in both pools at our resort. They weren’t crowded and were so refreshing and pretty. After our quick swim, we headed out for some fun on Disney transportation. We love all of the transportation options at Disney World. Our travels started with a bus from All Star Music to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Then we transferred to the skyliner. The skyliner is the newest style of transportation in the Walt Disney World resort and we love it! We rode the skyliner from Disney’s Hollywood Studios over to Epcot. Once we arrived at the World Showcase entrance to Epcot, we headed toward the Beach Club to pick up our next style of transportation.
We realized at this point that we were running late to get to our dinner reservation, so we had to take a break from our exploring. We took a quick Uber ride to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. This resort is so pretty. We enjoyed looking around while waiting for our table to be ready at Storybook Dining.
After dinner we continued our transportation adventure by taking the boat from the Wilderness Lodge over to the Magic Kingdom. It is a very beautiful and peaceful trip. We also enjoy seeing the water bridge from the boat on top since we more often are on a bus going under.
We hopped onto the monorail for a full loop trip. We rode the resort monorail, but I decided mid-trip that the express monorail probably would have been a better choice. We would have missed out on the stops at each resort which give you just a few minutes to soak up the atmosphere of the resort, but we would have had a smoother ride. It would have been less waiting for people to load and unload and less people shuffling for seats, standing positions, loading strollers, etc. We do love the monorail though and taking a loop around is not to be missed.
At the end of our monorail loop, we caught a bus to Port Orleans Riverside from the Magic Kingdom. We love the show by Yehaa Bob at the River Roost lounge at Port Orleans Riverside. He is a great entertainer. His piano playing is amazing and the sing along and interactive performance is just so much fun. It’s a great place to hang out for a while and have a drink.
Once we knew we were out of steam for the day we took a bus from Port Orleans Riverside to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We then transferred to a bus to All Star Music. You do need to watch closing time of the park if you are doing this. The buses consistently run an hour after the park closing time though.
After a great night’s sleep we were up and so excited for our day at the Magic Kingdom! We started by purchasing genie+ at 6:45am. It is our first visit since that system has been in place. We did not purchase any of the individual lightening lanes. We then arrived to the park more than an hour in advance of the early morning entry time for resort guests. This put us pretty near the rope waiting for the park to open.
Upon opening we moved quickly to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Our day did have a forecast including major rain and storms much of the day. The weather started to interfere right off the bat. When we got close to boarding Mine Train the announcements started that approaching weather systems included lightening and they may need to stop the ride. Thankfully we were able to ride before it was stopped.
After Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, we went to Space Mountain and then to Splash Mountain. We did have a 45 minute wait for Splash Mountain. I would not have chosen to do it at that time normally. I think a smarter choice would have been to use my next available genie+ selection for it, but we knew bad weather was coming. We knew if we waited and got a genie+ for it, the return time would have been later in the day and we probably wouldn’t have gotten to ride. Especially because of the upcoming renovation of this ride, my girls wanted to be sure we got to ride it this way one last time. So we waited for it at this time of day to be sure we could ride.
The time had come for our Jungle Cruise genie+ selection. When our jungle adventure ended, we mobile ordered lunch from Pinocchio’s Village Haus. On the way there I realized there is currently a 12:00 and a 3:00 running of the Festival of Fantasy Parade. We love the parade and it was high on our must do list. Again, thinking of the pending weather, we decided to watch the noon parade just in case the 3:00 parade couldn’t run due to weather. After enjoying the parade, we went to Pinocchio’s for our lunch.
We headed toward my favorite attraction next, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, aka the people mover. Very shortly after we boarded and left the station the people mover was stopped due to incoming storms. They didn’t unload people, but we were stopped for a while. While we were in the area we also did the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor and the Carousel of Progress. Near the castle, we stopped to watch the 50th anniversary cavalcade go by.
Upon arriving in Fantasyland we did It’s a Small World with genie+, Peter Pan’s Flight with genie+, and Mickey’s Philharmagic. Around this time we had dinner at Cosmic Ray’s.
On our walk to Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid, we knew the storms were really approaching. When we came out of the ride the sky had let loose. It was pouring and there was intense thunder and lightning. We needed a restroom break, so we headed to the restroom by Gaston’s Tavern. We hung out in our respective bathrooms for a bit while we evaluated our best moves. We decided to head toward the front of the park. On a whim I made a reservation at The Plaza restaurant. I thought it would give us a chance to sit down inside and watch the castle through the rain. We waded through deep water and thunder and lightning to get there.
In retrospect, I think making the reservation was a mistake. The restaurant was running very late to seat people because the people seated were staying at their tables. They saw the storm outside and hung out longer after their meals than typical. After having braved the walk over there and waited quite a while, plus we had the reservation, it seemed like we shouldn’t leave. After a long wait we were seated and inside the restaurant. It is a cute restaurant. We like the atmosphere. We had already had dinner, so just ordered some ice cream. As soon as our ice cream arrived, the fireworks started outside. We tried to stand and watch through the windows, but it didn’t work well. We eventually went outside and were able to see part of the show. They understood why we stepped outside, although processing the bill was still kind of awkward.
After some discussion and in spite of being soaked, we decided to press on longer and do a few more attractions. We did Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, met Tiana and Rapunzel at Fairy Tale Hall, and then met Cinderella and Elena. The park closing was quickly approaching and we were so wet and very tired. On the walk to the front of the park, we walked through the castle and stopped for pictures. After a slow stroll down Main Street, we met Mickey Mouse at the Town Square Theater. Then we headed for our bus. It was a great day at the Magic Kingdom.
The following morning we went to Disney Springs for a short visit before beginning our long drive home. We went into World of Disney and the Co-op. For the first time we had lunch at D-Luxe burger. Then we started our drive. Even though we had less than 48 hours on Disney property, we fit in a lot of Disney fun.
Where We Ate
The Intermission Food Court at All Star Music was our first meal on Disney property. It was a good meal. There were gluten free chicken tenders available – even with fries! That was a winning meal for our teen who needs gluten free choices. The rest of us had pasta, pizza, and burgers. Everything was good. We used the app to mobile order and that process was very smooth.
That evening we had a special dinner at Storybook Dining at the Wilderness Lodge. This was such a fun character meal. It had been on our wish list for a long time. We got to meet Dopey, Snow White, Grumpy, and the Evil Queen. All are great characters. The characters dance and parade around the room and everyone gets a photo op with each character. The food at this restaurant was a stretch for our family. It was a little on the fancy side for us. The appetizers and desserts were served in a very unique and theme fitting way. The gluten free menu options didn’t really appeal. We loved, loved the experience of this meal, but for the cost and due to the food offered we probably won’t do it again.
At the Magic Kingdom we had lunch at Pinocchio’s Village Haus. We love the atmosphere here. I think for my girls it is a “must do every trip” kind of magic. They have always loved to get a table near the overlook to It’s a Small World and wave at the people in boats moving into the ride. So many great family memories have been made right here doing that. We all had pizza. It’s great that there are gluten free pizzas offered. I know we will be back.
The following day before heading home, we had lunch at D-Luxe Burger at Disney Springs. This was our first time here and we loved it. The burgers were yummy and there were gluten free buns available. The fries were super tasty and fresh. We also had milk shakes which were very good. I would recommend this as a great option.
Where We Stayed
For this short trip we stayed at Disney’s All Star Music. We decided to make this Disney stop fairly last minute and this was the only value resort available. We did also compare prices to staying off site that would not have been a savings. There are some nice perks to staying onsite at Disney World, plus it is so fun! On site is always our first choice.
All Star Music was great. The theme is cute. We enjoyed walking around the grounds and checking out the lobby and gift shop. The pools are fun. They are so pretty and nicely decorated to fit the resort theme. There is a guitar shaped pool and a piano pool. My kids are music and theater fans, so the theme was extra appealing to them. The buses to the parks work well from the resort. I like that the bus stops are organized and that there are clearly marked lines.
Our room was clean and functional. The shower and toilet are separated from the sinks which are separated from the main room. There is a small closet area for hanging clothes and several hooks in the room. There is a coffee maker and a small beverage cooler. Both beds are comfortable. Our air conditioning worked great.
One Comment
Madelyn
hello! i love your blog, mama <3