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A surprise trip to Orlando this summer turned into quite the adventure, packing in multiple theme parks in just a few short days. During this span, we checked out Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom then ventured over to Universal Studios Orlando and Universal Islands of Adventure and experienced the new Diagon Alley as well as Hogsmead.
For today, enjoy some shots from Magic Kingdom, with photos from the other parks to follow.
Click on the images to zoom into a higher-resolution photo, great for desktop wallpapers, if you’d like.
Magic Kingdom was a very quick trip. We literally debarked the plane, got in a cab while trusting in our MyMagic+ bookings to safely deliver our luggage to the hotel, and B-lined it straight to the park for a flurry of rides in a short 3-hour span before closing. Thanks to some cleverly reserved FastPasses, we managed two rides on the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, conquered Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Splash Mountain.
Alas, we didn’t spend nearly enough time in this park, so I managed just a small handful of nighttime shots that don’t quite capture just how epic Magic Kingdom really is. It has been a good few years since I have been to Orlando, but it has easily been I’d say 15 years since I had ventured into Magic Kingdom. With Disneyland just a few minutes drive from where I live, I never felt the need to soak up valuable theme park time by going to Magic Kingdom.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was the perfect excuse to head back after all those years, and I’m so glad I did. I had forgotten just how massive this park feels in comparison to its much smaller counterpart in Anaheim. I’ve always been much more fond of Disneyland, not only because I grew up with it, but because every inch of coveted space is covered in attractions. There is a lot more to do in Anaheim, and the rides feel a tad more thrilling. The Indiana Jones Adventure and Matterhorn come to mind, as well as Pirates of the Caribbean with drops.
But Magic Kingdom is a gorgeous park. It is absolutely massive and there is room to breathe. Towards the end of the night, we were literally the only ones walking through Adventureland. A humid evening in the off-season might have something to do with it, but the scale and scope of Magic Kingdom are undeniable.
Tomorrowland was every bit as impressive as I had remembered it. Noticeably missing since my last visit was a personal favorite of mine, the terrifying Alien Encounter, replaced years ago by the much more tame, more child-friendly Stich Encounter.
There’s something about this Tomorrowland in particular that just works. The neon colors, the energy, the mix of attractions, the flow of it all. Their Astro Orbiter still towers in the sky above, versus Anaheim’s which was absurdly relocated to ground level. They still have a PeopleMover.
Space Mountain is such a different experience between the two parks. Magic Kingdom’s spaceships resemble the Matterhorn bobsleds, and yet are way more padded and way more comfortable!
The Anaheim version feels faster, more dangerous, while Orlando’s seems freer, darker, less predictable.
I love the subtle differences between similar attractions across all of Disney’s parks throughout the world. Having also been to Disneyland Paris, it is amazing to me how Pirates of the Caribbean is a completely different experience there than it is in Anaheim, also vastly different from Orlando’s version.
Splash Mountain also feels the same, and yet, different. I am much more fond of the Anaheim incarnation, with a much more traditional single-file log flume experience.
At Magic Kingdom, riders sit side by side. No logs in real life would ever be as wide as these, so a bit of the purpose of the experience has gone away. And yet, Magic Kingdom’s Splash Mountain has a few more show scenes, longer animatronic sequences, and the overall ride has been maintained much better.
Nighttime shots of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train were impossible, and we made a pact not to take on-ride photos so as to enjoy the adventure in the moment, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this highlight, this gem of a new attraction, at this park.
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This ride is something special and represents the best that is Disney.
It introduces a unique ride system in “swinging ore carts” that bring an added dimension to what would otherwise be a tame coaster experience.
It brings the concept of the Disney dark ride into the next generation by introducing the latest in character animatronics. The technology that brings the dwarfs to life is nothing short of awe-inspiring. If rumors are true, classic Fantasyland attractions will soon see the traditional robotic figures replaced by these new animatronics, which are both incredibly life-life, and yet still maintain a needed fantastical cartoony feel.
Image (c) Copyright www.palmbeachpost.com
It’s only flaw is that it is extremely short. Presumably, space constraints prevented the ride from becoming truly epic and E-Ticket in scale, and its unfortunate, because they are really onto something here. Noticeably missing is the “journey” in this ride. A ride through Alice in Wonderland takes us through the happy moments as well as the more intense encounters with the evil queen. The Little Mermaid gives us a cheerful sing-a-long with Ariel’s friends, yet Ursula is right around the corner. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train lets us sing a familiar Snow White tune in the diamond mind with the dwarfs, then we’re racing across the terrain and done in the blink of an eye. A few more show scenes, a bit more story, a slightly larger scale, and this would go down as one of the most impressive Disney attractions in the modern era. As it stands now, it is thoroughly enjoyable, but could have been so much more.
The Magic Kingdom has vastly improved since my last visit, and has become an absolute must on future trips, even with a familiar Disneyland right around the corner.
Keep checking back in. I’ll be posting our adventures throughout the other Walt Disney World parks as well as the Harry Potter lands at Universal!
Click on the following link to check out Part 2 of our trip: