Disney Journal, Day 5

Sept. 27

We had another ticket to spend at a theme park of our choice, so we decided to head back to the Magic Kingdom for another go-round on the Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Space Mountain. (Josh managed to keep his eyes open on the latter this time.) We got to enter the park an hour early, because it was an "Extra Magic Hours" day for people staying on Disney property. The down side? Most of the stuff we wanted to ride was closed – save Space Mountain – until the park officially opened.

Josh goes Mad
While wandering Fantasyland, Josh spotted a photo op with Wonderland’s Alice and the Mad Hatter. He LOVES the Mad Hatter, so he had to get a picture taken with him. During the brief encounter, the Mad Hatter asked Josh where he was from. Josh replied "Washington, D.C." and noted there were quite a few people there who reminded him of the Mad Hatter. Having apparently outwitted the Mad Hatter, the actor could only laugh in response.

Cinderella's Carousel
Two words: Pretty horsies! We had fun taking goofy pictures of each other on this simple but enjoyable ride.

Splash Mountain
Josh was eager to ride Splash Mountain, so as to complete the Magic Kingdom's Mountain Triumvirate. Annie was surprised by the ride's high number of "fake-out" drops in the ride. On several occasions, the raft would go over a hill, seemingly positioning riders for the big drop, when, in fact, it was a minor splash.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
We also checked out the new Buzz Lightyear ride, which is basically a ride that’s been turned into a shooting gallery. Riders are placed in small cars that move past pictures of villains marked by bullseye targets. Guns outfitted with laser-pointers are attached to the cars and used to shoot as many targets as possible during the ride. It’s actually pretty fun, even if it’s geared more toward the 10-and-younger crowd.

Annie goes to Chip & Dale's
Annie got her picture taken with Chip and Dale, of classic cartoon and "Rescue Rangers" fame. After the picture she kissed Chip on the nose, and he swooned. It was cute.

After spending a few final hours in the Magic Kingdom, we decided to revisit Downtown Disney.

Disney Trivia
To pass the time while waiting for and riding shuttle busses and water taxis over the course of the trip, Annie and Josh quizzed each other on Disney trivia. Some of the tougher questions included, "Name five Disney characters who smoke" and "Name five Disney villain sidekicks." We were able to meet the challenges. Can you?

Earl of Sandwich
We had lunch at the fabulous Earl of Sandwich, where Annie had one of the best grilled cheeses of her life – and managed to spill a fruit salad on a stranger's shoes. Oops. Sorry about that.

We then headed to Disney Quest, an indoor "virtual theme park" of both classic arcade games and virtual reality games. On the way, we were pelted with many surprisingly bold love bugs, who flew right at us. Yuck! We were told they usually disappear by early October, making us momentarily wish we had visited a few weeks later.

Disney Quest
Disney Quest offers several virtual thrills, including a place where visitors can build and ride their own rollercoaster. Annie built two and rode them both in a simulator – the first was too tame, but the second made her queasy – and Josh even built one and rode it with Annie. It was very cool!

We also tried a river rafting ride, in which we boarded a raft that's on a large, inflatable pad. We grabbed oars and "rowed" as the screen before us depicted our travels. We actually got splashed and were surprised how much it felt like we were riding the waves. It was fun to try, but a bit nauseating after the virtual rollercoaster experience.

Annie also enjoyed playing Ms. Pac-Man. Either the game was broken or the Force was strong with Annie, as she made it much further in the game than she ever had before (past the "Junior" cutscene). We also got to play Burgertime, Arkanoid, Frogger, Tron and Empire Strikes Back.

Todd English's BlueZoo
The culinary highlight of our trip was Todd English's BlueZoo. This swanky seafood restaurant at the Disney Dolphin Resort was a splurge, but offered gourmet goodness in the form of swordfish and a lovely trio of key lime desserts. The best part of the meal was a bottle of Lingenfelder 2003 Bird Label Riesling (http://www.lingenfelder.com/creatures/bird-label.htm). It's a dry Riesling with hints of apricot and citrus. Very nice to sip and very easy on the palette.

(By the way, here's a fun tip for any budding wine enthusiasts that Annie learned from the John Cleese wine DVD and employed at this restaurant: If you're asking for a recommendation of a wine, and the waiter suggests something out of your price range, simply say "I think we’re looking for something a bit more like this," and point to a price on the menu that’s in your range. It worked: we got a wine we loved in a reasonable price range.)

We wandered around the resort’s grounds after our meal, and caught part of the Epcot firework show.

Pleasure Island
After dinner, we returned to Downtown Disney for one last show at Comedy Warehouse. The comedians were again in fine form, and we had a great laugh before we headed back to the resort for bed.

All in all, it was a great conclusion to our final day at Walt Disney World.