Disney's Magic Kingdom, Orlando

Christmas Day 2009


I was looking forward to my first Christmas in sunny Orlando. We’d left a snowy England just the day before and couldn’t wait to hit DisneyWorld and spend Christmas Day with Mickey. So, I woke up on Christmas morning to torrential rain and grey skies! What????? Ex-cuuuse me, but I came here for the sun, and warm weather – did you not receive my requisition?
Eventually, the rain let up and we headed for Magic Kingdom. We arrived at about 1pm and it was strange, because even though they parked us close enough to walk the ticket booths (well, some of us could be carried in, but you know what I mean) rather than get the shuttle, once we got to the monorail station/boat dock just beyond (for transport to the entrance gate) there was a huge queue/line. I've never seen so many people. Fortunately, they'd put on additional buses to the entrance so we took one of those instead. Much quicker.
Big question – why did Disney (and SeaWorld) invest in bar code ticket readers and finger print technology yet still have loads of people manning the ticket machines. I know some guests are a bit dim, but why not make it simple? It takes so long for people to put their tickets in six different ways, then put the correct finger on the light, or not put it on when Disney decide they don’t care whose finger you brought. Of course, I don’t do the whole finger-printing thing, due to my total lack of, well, fingers.
Three hours later (well, okay, maybe seven minutes) and we were in! ‘Bout time. So, what to do now? We’d done all the parks back in August, some several times (yes, I know I haven’t told you about them yet, I’ll get to it, I’m a busy bear!) So, we started out sauntering down Main Street.
The first stop was when we heard a Barber’s Shop Quartet singing. They were drawing quite a crowd, but I managed to squeeze through to take a look.
Anyway, we watched a few numbers, before they asked me to sit in for the last song, Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer. I tried not to make them look bad, and I think our matching reds really worked well.
Suddenly, it was raining again! Grr. We dipped into one of the large gift shops along Main Street. On the left hand side as you face the castle, there is a huge store that runs almost the entire length of Main Street - so you can shop without going outside in the wet – did I mention the rain?
By the time we arrived at the castle end of Main Street to find the rain had eased off (no, not stopped).

We headed into Adventureland, thinking we might do a Jungle Cruise, but the 45 minute wait put us off.
We kept walking and spotted something I hadn’t done before – the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. We crossed a bamboo bridge and passed a waterwheel before we got to the living area of the tree house. As we climbed up through the house, I took in the view – there were trees everywhere.
They must have extended, cos this tree went on for miles (well, feet). Rope ladder walkways joined tree platforms together - it's pretty nice!
It’s not a big-wow attraction, but it was a nice diversion. Plenty for bears (and their kids) to spot as they walk round. The shorter wait was good too. I wouldn’t recommend it as the most important thing to see, but it’s definitely worth a look. Even in the rain!
As we exited the house, the rain began to pour again, so we slipped into the nearest show – with a roof – which was due to start in just five minutes. Housed in the Sunshine Room. Hmph! The Enchanted Tiki Room – Under New Management show is an animatronic musical show, with singing birds, flowers and tiki idols.
Apparently Disney birds, Zazu (The Lion King) and Iago (Aladdin), are trying to give the show a new lease of life. They didn't. I’d like to say this was a cute show, I’d like to, but I think I’m just a bit too cynical for this. It was dull, and the sound was poor - I couldn’t hear anything that was being said - so any jokes they did make (I assume they did?) just weren’t funny. Call me a grumpy old bear [You’re a grumpy old bear! – Di], yeah, yeah, very funny, anyway it was just boring. That said, it was boring and dry! Dry being a plus.
We headed outside again, and yes, the rain was pouring down, again.
Where next? Not far away, in Frontierland, we found another show – we'd just missed the start so we had to line up for the next show, but, good news, the line was undercover, which was our main aim anyway.
The name of this show was encouraging, however, The Country Bear Jamboree. What could be wrong with that?
Sadly, almost everything. I suppose I was expecting too much, but these were animatronic, not real bears, like me. It’s something of a bear-iety show, with an MC and a few different country acts – a five piece country band, a dolled-up bear on a swing and a couple of other acts.
They’ve even got their own Muppet-style hecklers!

Again, this was a great show for getting out of the rain, and if you’re an easy-going bear, with easy-going younger humans, maybe this one’s for you. But for those of you with more sophisticated bears, or even older kids, you’d be better off finding something with a little more ‘go’.
By this time the water was coming down like a sheet of water, and there was nowhere to shelter – too many guests, not enough overhanging buildings. We got a bit damp. "Where were your Mickey Mouse capes?" I hear you ask? Well, we’re far too cool for those! No, my assistants hadn’t brought them and were too cheap to buy new ones. Besides, they don't do a bear size. I did have a cape made for me when I went to Niagara Falls some time back, but that’s long gone. Maybe it’s time to get another?

TGTips
If it rains while you’re at a park, you can buy 'cheap' polythene ponchos for a few dollars. Stronger ones are available for a little more. But, if you plan ahead and visit a 'dollar' store, you can often pick one up for, you guessed it, a dollar. If you have one, it probably won’t rain at all!

Another show we missed back in August was the Hall of Presidents. This is (yes, another!) indoor animatronic show. This one was special – I had to pose in my Santa outfit for one of my fans! I’m soooo popular. (What do you mean, what Santa outfit? Why do I bother?) Waiting for the show, you can peruse a display of presidential artefacts, first lady dresses and mementoes of the presidency of the United States.
This was way better (comparably). This show combines a history of the USA with an introduction to the presidency. President Lincoln recites the Gettysburg Address and President Obama gives the presidential oath. Apart from the annoying people seated next to us who wouldn’t shut up, this was far more engaging.

The presidents look about as good as Madame Tussaud’s waxworks (i.e. Not much like) but it’s a useful introduction to American history – although Disney’s “stirring speeches that swell with patriotism” seem a bit flag-wavy for us Brits.

When we got out it was still raining. We figured we'd got our money's worth out of our annual passes for the day. Also, they kept making announcements about how the parade was delayed due to “inclement weather.” It seems they did not want to endanger the cast members – it would be pretty bad having Mickey slide off a float. Funny though. Didn’t happen, so, rather than stand in the rain waiting for the parade (I saw it in August anyway…one day, I’ll tell you about it), we decided to head home.

So, is there stuff to do in Magic Kingdom in the rain? Of course there is. I've been a few times, and have an annual pass so I can take it easy. If you're on a time limit, or a tight budget, then the cape is the fashion accessory of choice. With a Mickey Mouse cape, you can take on the (Disney)World.


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