The fourth day of my solo trip was a busy one, and the next two days were spent traveling home and visiting family. Then, I headed back to work. I finally have a moment to give you a recap of my last days at Walt Disney World.
The Mature MouseTM took advantage of the Extra Magic Hour at Epcot, arriving at 7:45. After a ride into the past on Spaceship Earth, I enjoyed several of the exhibits of the Flower & Garden Festival. Very few Future World attractions, restaurants, and stores are open during Epcot’s Extra Magic Hour.
My afternoon and evening were spent in Adventureland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square at Magic Kingdom. I had planned my three visits to the MK to focus on specific areas of the park. This minimizes walking, and allows for flexibility in experiencing these areas.
Mark Twain once described golf as “a good walk spoiled.” The Mature MouseTM finally rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. And, to paraphrase Mr. Twain, BTMR is a well themed attraction spoiled by a thrill ride. This rollercoaster never slows down long enough to enjoy the scenery created by Disney’s Imagineers.
The Mature MouseTM also had the opportunity to ride the Liberty Square Riverboat, something I have not done since my first visit in 1972. This ride down the Rivers of America afforded me a great view of Frontierland and Haunted Mansion.
I make every attempt to make appropriate FastPass+ selections each day of touring the parks. Because I used one of my FP+ for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the other two were used for the Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise, I had to wait about 15 minutes in the stand-by line for Pirates of the Caribbean. This attraction is always worth the wait.
The morning of my last day at Walt Disney World was spent roaming All Star Music Resort. If you are planning a WDW vacation with a very tight budget, All Star Value Resorts are a good choice. I did not take advantage of the pools or play areas, but many of the guests did and they looked to be enjoying themselves.
The Mature MouseTM will be posting more detailed reports from my experiences during this trip.
Please use this link to visit The Mature Mouse™ store for logo merchandise. Many of the items would make great gifts for the Disney fan in your life.
Make sure you consult Jennie Nowers about your next Disney vacation. She will assist you in all your vacation planning. Tell her that The Mature Mouse™ sent you and receive a special gift from Jennie with your next booking.
Over the past several years, Walt Disney World has invested in a next-generation technology, which brought us MyMagic+, MagicBands, and My Disney Experience. Disney had always planned on guests using this technology for more than just a room key and admission to the parks. There had been discussions and rumors of how Imagineers would add various aspects to existing attractions to enhance, to plus, the guest experience. However, after spending close to 2 billon dollars on the creation and implementation of this new technology, it did not seem likely that Disney would move forward from here.
Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room: You either love the attraction, or see it as a waste of valuable park time. Regardless of which category you fit in with, as a guest of all Disney Parks, you should respect this attraction for the contribution it made to all the other attractions featuring audio-animatronics.
The restaurant is themed as a functioning studio workshop. There is an organized chaos in the storage of props and equipment, with background music featuring theme songs from old TV shows. The restaurant is very clean, but the Imagineers have included faux dirt, dust, and wear on exposed piping. This restaurant experience is well themed for the current, and previous, iteration of Disney’s Hollywood Studio. Whether it will last the next restructuring of this park is yet to be seen.
arks. Yes, you do need to wait with others for the bus, boat, or monorail to pick you up. However, for me, that is a 
The Mature Mouse™ 