On our second day at Disney World – we had planned to do what we do best – spend the whole day and night running around The Magic Kingdom like kids. We are fortunate enough to go to Disney World enough, that we don’t always follow a strict plan, or follow our own itineraries while in the parks. We just go, see, and enjoy the atmosphere and ambiance of the parks – and to us, nowhere has ambiance like The Magic Kingdom.
We got to The Magic Kingdom for park opening, and temporarily split up. I got in line to see Pluto on Main Street, and David went and got coffee for the two of us. We met up again a few minutes later, and headed to Fantasyland for a few rides. We rode The Mad Tea Party and Dumbo (we have a huge weakness for Dumbo. It might be one of the only rides we do on almost every trip). The weather had been forecasting rain for the day, and the skies were starting to look ominous. We grabbed an umbrella from a souvenir shop and forged on. Most people will say that a rainy day is a bad day to be at Disney World, but we just go about our business as usual. We don’t like the advice of heading to Disney Springs on a rainy day – rain normally doesn’t last all day in Florida, so why give up a whole day of your vacation? We headed towards Frontierland after grabbing protection from the rain, and hunted down western Chip and Dale. Chip and Dale are some of our favorite characters to interact with at Walt Disney World. They have so much personality, and make each and every interaction different. So when you can find them in costumes, I’m even happier.
We had lunch plans at the new Skipper Canteen in Adventureland. I’ve been looking forward to eating at this incredibly themed, new Disney restaurant. I cover my thoughts on the Skipper Canteen more extensively in a full review, but unfortunately we were a little let down by the food.
When we left lunch, it had gone from sprinkling, to pouring rain. Everyone seemed to be running to shelter of gift shops and restaurants, but our umbrella was big enough for both of us, so we decided to head out into the rain, and take a walk around the Magic Kingdom instead. It might be counter-intuitive, but we had a blast, and were dying laughing most of the time.
We left The Magic Kingdom in the afternoon, for some resort hopping. We spent some time at The Polynesian, one of our favorite resorts to just hang out at, and then went over to The Grand Floridian. We were hoping to get a last minute reservation for the high tea they hold. The hostess told us they were booked, but since it was pouring rain, if we waited an hour, they might have some cancellations. We lounged some in the beautiful lobby of The Grand, waiting until our hour was up, and then inquired again. They were able to squeeze us in for tea, which we were really excited about.
If you’ve never had high tea at The Grand Floridian, we HIGHLY recommend it. We will have a full review of it later on, but it was an incredible experience, from start to finish, with amazing service. It was especially nice on such a rainy day, to have such a cozy experience.
We headed back to our hotel to take a nap, which is a staple of our Walt Disney World trips. We believe in Disney naps, more than we believe in almost any other trip principle.
That night, we went back to The Magic Kingdom, and met up with some Disney friends we’d met on Instagram. (If you’re not following @danielsdodisney, you should!) We spent a classic Magic Kingdom night riding rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and People Mover. We watched Wishes, and then ate corn dog nuggets – a Magic Kingdom staple.
After saying our goodbyes, David and I closed down The Magic Kingdom, taking photos until they made us leave. Any night that we’re the last (or almost the last) people out of The Magic Kingdom, we consider it a successful evening! The Magic Kingdom is always a special place, but without the crowds, it becomes even more magical.
