We had a busy day today! We started out bright and early and left the hotel at 6:30am. When you stay in a resort hotel, you get an "Magic Hour" pass where you get to go into the park an hour before it officially opens. It's still crowded, just not as amazingly crowded as later. We had breakfast at Starbucks (the only place open that wasn't the super expensive hotel breakfast) and made it to the gate a little after 7.
We made our way to the Space Mountain, which Sandra and Jasen remembered fondly from when they came when Jasen was young. We had almost no wait to get on, but it does take about 10 minutes to walk from the entry to where you board the cars (or space ships). Space Mountain is like a rollercoaster, only it's completely inside and there are light effects like you are in space. The light effects weren't that amazing, but that was okay with me because I spent most of the ride with my head tucked down so my neck wouldn't be whipped around. It was a frightening ride. The car raced and dipped and pulled hard turns. I was screaming and having to tell myself over and over again, "I'm not going to die!" When I got off, my heart was pounding and I was sweating and my body hurt from hanging on. I don't know that I'll ever do that again. Sandra and Jasen loved it; Rebecca and Kayden were more reserved. Sidney was with me on the not wanting to do that again. We have a digital photo coming when I can download it at home. I'll post that later.
After Space Mountain, we went to finding Nemo. The lines were getting longer and we had to wait about 20 minutes to get in. For this ride, you go down a spiral staircase into a submarine where you sit looking out portholes on the side.
Sandra boarding the sub.
Kayden, Rebecca, and Sidney watch the show out the porthole. The top of the sub never goes under, but you are below the water line. You go into a cave and there's animations and special effects in the water from Finding Nemo. Very cute, but I'm still not sure how we got out of the whale that swallowed us!
We left Tomorrowland and were headed over to Critterland to see Winnie the Pooh. On the way, we did Pirates of the Caribbean in New Orleans Square. You sit in boat and go through the ride. We went down a short drop where those of us in the front of the boat got splashed. At one point you pass between two ships who are firing cannons over you. The water splashes when the "cannonballs" hit. You pass a bunch of pirate skeletons guarding bootie and such. You pass through a "waterfall": a watery-looking mist from a fog machine. Then you get to the pirate's lair and the pirates are all drinking, singing, or selling or chasing "wenches." It was a fun ride and interesting to go through.
Then we stopped at the Jungle Cruise: a big boat that goes past hippos, both Indian and African elephants, giraffes, tigers, and so on. The boat pilot is of course all dressed up in a safari outfit (all the people running all the rides and working consessions are dressed in costumes) and constantly making bad puns the whole way.
Next, Sandra and I rested while the rest did the Tarzan Treehouse. It was a climb up a bunch of stairs and then walking around on walkways through the trees. After that we went through the haunted house. You go into a beautiful old mansion and the first room you stand in seems to get taller. Then you get into the cars that take you around. There were some interesting effects, including my favorite: the ghosts who were dancing below. I can't figure out how they did it: there weren't any animatronics there, just images on air, maybe something projected on some kind of fog? Very cool.
Finally we got to the Winnie the Pooh ride. You got to see all the characters and Winnie the Pooh has this dream where there is hunny everywhere. Walking back from Critterland, we saw Princess Tiana as we walked through New Orleans Square and stopped to get our photos taken with her.
We had lunch at the French Market. It was a cafeteria, where they had pretty basic food, but I did get some good jambalaya. We shared a Diamond Chocolate cake, which had a big candy diamond on the top. This year is Disney's 60th year, so there are diamond Disney things everywhere.
Then we went for a paddleboat ride on the Mark Twain Riverboat. It was a replica paddleboat and we "toured" the Mississippi from New Orleans, to Texas, to the Plains. Here's the gang on the upper deck. The sun was too hot, though, so we went to the second deck for the trip.
Next, we went to Fantasyland and posed in front of the famous Sleeping Beauty castle.
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