MAGIC KINGDOM FALL AND CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS

I really can’t decide which of these holidays I love the most at the parks.  Fall is my favorite time of the year and who doesn’t love the Christmas holiday season?

When we arrived in October the Fall/Halloween decorations were out in full force.  Then on November first  it was magically Christmas! The Christmas decorations grew and grew more every night, right up until we left.

The Magic Kingdom is the theme park most associated with Walt Disney World. Our touring of this main theme park was at our pace.  Which is the pace of a seasoned annual pass holder who has been to the park enough times they have lost track of how many times it has actually been.

Over the years we have experienced “rope drop”, the opening of the park each day.  Even doing the early morning and late evening “Extra Magic Hours” that are reserved for on-site guests and enjoyed them, but not enough these days to make it worth it to us to get up early, eat a hurried breakfast and fight the crowds to get on the transportation system. We do still on occasion stay during the late hours.

Instead we now prefer a leisurely breakfast at the camper, thus avoiding paying for a high dollar one in the park.  Then strolling to the appropriate transportation hub and riding near empty conveyances to the park of choice. 

We also prefer to leave the park before the main crowds do in the evenings.  While we love the fireworks show we generally only remain around for them one night, if that, each visit.  We have found great viewing areas outside the Magic Kingdom to see the actual fireworks, just not what is projected on the castle and of course you can’t hear the background music and story. 

Our planned trip for fall 2017 will include a night to see the new Happily Ever After fireworks show that is replacing Wishes in the spring of 2017. 

Once at the park the main bottleneck of people rushing to get into the park is gone.  By combining our policy of carrying no bags and entering at the annual pass gate it is almost a straight walk in for us rather than the long lines to get in had we gone earlier in the day. I recently read they have instituted an annual pass bag check as well, which will speed up things for folks who do take in bags of all sorts.

On the subject of bags.  When we were first visiting WDW as much younger people we all wore belt bags, carried camera bags or backpacks.  These you either rent a locker for or are constantly having to take them  off to store them in the required bins on rides then dig them out of the bins and put them back on.

Instead I carry my ticket, id and debit card in a well covered pocket with my cell phone in another one. Gary wears cargo pants into which he puts spare camera batteries, battery packs for the cell phones, keys etc.

Periodically we will be asked to empty our pockets and go through a metal detector (maybe it has something to do with Gary’s long hair and beard but it isn’t a problem because we carry so little. 

The freedom of no bags is great.  We feel it is worth paying for a meal or snack to split rather than putting up with the hassle.  It doesn’t work for everyone, but it works extremely well for us.

One request please, if you truly feel you MUST carry a backpack or a purse, watch where you swing that thing.  I cannot tell you how often I have received major hits from people paying no attention to who they conk with those things.  Same goes for scooters and strollers.  People we are in the USA, we drive on the right side of the road here.----rant over

By eating at the camper before we go we then have the luxury of eating a late lunch (which is generally cheaper than supper prices) or early supper, which allows us to once again avoid a crowded line.

More importantly, it also allows us to stop and truly see things along the way.  While we do still take photos and videos of parades such as the Festival of Fantasy Parade.

rides

We get to enjoy the ambiance and take photos of things many people often over look.  There have been volumes of books written about Hidden Mickey’s, the names on the main street windows and such, but it takes slowing down to look for these things as well as at the detail the behind the scenes artists have put into every inch of the parks.

We love this slower pace and have discovered so many “hidden treasures” as we tour the parks now it is almost like visiting the parks for the very first time.

interesting dressed non-cast members

Not to mention all the various little pop up shows that aren’t in any buildings, but are viewed from the street.

One such show is in Liberty Square near the Hall of Presidents.  There a few different versions of the show.  This is just one of the Muppets "Great Moments in History".  Click the hyperlink for the complete show.

One hidden Mickey that many people will most likely never see can only be seen from the air.  As my post “Kudos to Mickey Mouse”, which is yet another Disney World post mentions Disney does a lot toward conserving our environment.  This hidden Mickey is huge, very huge.  It is a solar panel farm that helps provide some of the energy for Walt Disney World and is located just outside the main gates leading to the Transportation Ticket Center parking.

We try to visit the Magic Kingdom on traditionally less busy days.  In the past Mondays and any day that the Magic Kingdom has “extra magic hours”  or a special party like “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party,”  Or “Mickey’s VeryMagical Christmas Party” are the busy days.  So we check the online calendar for these events and try to go on days that such events are not happening.

We plan ahead of time on what rides we do want to ride in each park and if they are a popular ride, like Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, we try to get fast passes for them before we ever leave the camper.  Sometimes even days ahead.  Although we will skip rides or add rides as the mood hits us, we are still go with the flow type travelers and have no qualms about cancelling a fast pass if we decide not to use one.

We also try to make reservations for any specialty meals like supper at “Be Our Guest” as far ahead of time as we know we will be going to that park that day. 

Both of these cut our wait time down considerably. 

The rest of the time we do stand-by lines if the line is less than 20 minutes.  We do not do long lines, there really is no need to.  If you pay attention you will find many lines in all the parks have peak times and then times where the stand by line is 10 minutes or less.

Want to ride Space Mountain without a fast pass?  Go during a parade or even better during the fireworks.  Lines virtually disappear then.  Also consider single rider lanes.  While riding with your buddy is fun, if you want on certain rides quickly go with the single rider line.

Over the years we have also learned to stay off the main thoroughfares of the parks and look for the path less traveled.  Often that path is only a few feet from the main one, but because it curves away from what the maps show as the main pathways many people do not take them.  Sometimes these paths are a little longer, but due to the lighter foot traffic you will actually get there faster, or find a bench to set down and rest, or a table to eat your meal at.

A prime example of such a path in the Magic Kingdom is the one going off Main Street toward Tomorrowland where you turn by the ice cream shop.  If you turn directly right at the ice cream shop you will be dealing with the people all trying to find a spot at the provided tables to eat their ice cream.  However if you go back one street down a dead end there are tables there as well that are often empty.

To get to Tomorrowland you can also take the main pathway across the bridge near the castle.  That is generally very congested.  However, between the ice cream shop and the bridge streets there is another path going near the gardens.  It is only a few steps away from the one at the ice cream shop and comes out at exactly the same place, near the restrooms at a restaurant that is only open during peak times.  This path is usually not busy at all.

In fact if you go up through the restaurant walkway and through the seating area you will come out at the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor and miss most of the traffic going to Tomorrowland.  

Every park has several less traveled areas that can save you a lot of time and steps.  So study your maps. 

Another time saving hint.  It is the nature of most people to go to their right when entering a park.  If you are getting there with the main crowd, go to your left.  You will find that the crowds are less and therefore the lines are shorter.

We of course have certain rides we really enjoy riding each time, although the herky jerky ones are quickly falling out of favor with us. While others we just don’t feel like our visit is complete unless we ride certain rides.

In the Magic Kingdom the must rides would be Pirates of the Caribbean, People Mover, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin(how is it I always manage to get the one with the non-operative gun?), Haunted Mansion and a few others.

The People Mover (Transit Authority) and Carousel of Progress are our favorites on hot days when we are tired.  Both provide a long cool ride and in the Carousel of Progress it is dark and you can even catch a quick cat nap if you need one.

Then of course there are certain shows we like to see if time allows, as well as the Festival of Fantasy Parade.

For a video of the Festival of Fantasy parade you can view it here.

Unless you arrive late enough in the day that you are near the train station when the 3:00pm parade comes by, at approximately 3:30pm, I recommend that you try to be at the beginning of it near Frontier Land.  The crowds are generally smaller and your wait is much shorter to see the parade.

Not much had changed since our visit in 2014, so we tended to spend more time enjoying the fall decorations.

And then in November the Christmas decorations

Not to mention taking advantage of the new annual pass perk of free photos taken by the Disney photographers.

No matter how many times we go, there is always something new to see and enjoy.  Some of the rides and areas had undergone refurbishments since our last trip. We spent a lot of time pointing out the changes to each other.

Even more had been done by the time we were there in the spring and when we go back in the fall of 2017 Pandora the World of Avatar will be open in the Animal Kingdom.  So that will be a whole new area to explore.

Because I started my review blog, Outside a Dog after I had already read the "Kingdom Keepers: Disney after Dark", book 1 of the series written by Ridley Pearson I haven't yet created a blog post review on it.  You can, however get a brief description of it in the second book review.

PIONEER WOMAN’S (REE DRUMMOND) MERCANTILE, PAWHUSKA, OK

Did I mention I have a wonderful husband?  He indulges me my whims a lot.  When I saw that they were allowing free tours of the lodge where they film the Pioneer Woman cooking program and mentioned I would like to do it he offered to take me for my birthday in the first week of January.

He only winced a small bit when I reminded him that the lines to get into the restaurant were often five hours long and wound around the block outside in the bitter cold. Told you he is a wonderful husband.

We took the two hour drive from our campground to the small town of Pawhuska, OK early on a very cold morning.  It had been below zero the night before.  Since we had been warned about the long lines we both dressed warmly.

We arrived for an early lunch and were surprised to see the line was fairly short.  Maybe 20 people crowded around the free standing heaters on the sidewalk, thoughtfully provided by the Drummonds, waiting to get into the queue inside to be seated at a table.

I am told they give out infused ice water and have fans stationed down the side walk in hot weather.  Nice.

To our amazement we were inside in less than 15 minutes and seated within an additional 15 minutes.  I guess the bitter cold kept a lot of folks away.

During our wait we chatted with the hostesses who told us that despite how cold it had been during the week before they had people actually stand in line for EIGHT hours outside. 

While I am a fan, I am not that big of fan.  In fact if the queue had been very long when we arrived I would have picked up my free tour ticket and left.  Gary and I simply don’t do lines if we can avoid it.  We have too much to see and do in this world to stand in long lines.

We were told that Ladd and Ree had tried to buy a nearby building to turn into a hotel with a second restaurant in it as well as the Mercantile one, but the owner was set on turning it into apartments. 

They have been checking out other buildings as well.  They have done a lot for the town economy, that is for certain.

Standing in the indoor queue we couldn’t resist snapping photos of the deli and the restaurant tables beyond.

Once we were seated our service was quick, friendly and attentive without being overly so.  The food, delicious just as you would think, with generous portions.  Judge for yourself on the portion size by the photos below.

While eating our meal I was surprised to see Ladd Drummond walking around and personally handing out the free tickets to the tour.  A server brought us our ticket, shucks.

Ladies, he is more handsome in life than he is on the show.  He was laughing and teasing several of the restaurant guests as he walked through.  Unfortunately we did not see Ree that day.  Oh well I got to see her at a book signing in Tulsa a couple of years ago. 

After we finished our meal the server bagged up the half of sandwich and chips I hadn’t even touched because I filled up quickly on the “Marlboro Man Sandwich” and we went into the actual Mercantile part of the building.

Fun, fun, fun things to look at and buy if you are so inclined.  Everything from old time candy and toys to her exclusive kitchenware.  Most of which you will never see at Wal-Mart.

Love the blouses and jewelry she wears.  The Mercantile carries them.  Buying an item as a gift?  They’ll gift wrap it for you.  It was a fun place to look through, but not very shoestring budget.  But then I didn’t expect it to be.

Other than our meal my sole purchase was a brag rag, my term for a branded piece of clothing.  After all who wouldn’t want to brag they have been to the Mercantile?  

Btw, it was reasonably priced and is so soft and comfy I wear it often. Not to mention it was packaged in this lovely gift bag.

The ticket for the tour also included a turn by turn explanation on how to get to the lodge, complete with landmarks to warn you when to turn.  That’s the way we Okies give instructions, mileage AND landmarks.

It was further out of town than we expected, but not too far. We passed a pasture with these beautiful horses in it as we traveled the last bit.  We were later told these are wild horses that the Drummonds had “adopted”. 

It is back off the highway a bit and larger than we expected. 

We also figured out quickly that the camera crew is very good at their job.  Because Cowboy Josh’s place is just below the lodge at the base of their driveway and there are other worker homes in the area, none of which you see when they are showing shots outside of the lodge.

The roping dummy is right off the porch instead of out in a large open area like the show leads you to believe.  As is Ladd’s grill.  There isn’t really a lot of parking either.

Another thing we learned from Ree’s assistant was at the lodge when we were there is the “house” is actually a decent distance away and not fancy at all.  It is Ladd’s boyhood home.

As you enter the front door one of the first things you see is the pantry they often show Ree gathering food in.  We should all have a pantry like that! It is long and narrow and fully stocked just as they show on tv.

The large kitchen area is to the right.

 A seating area is to the left of the door.  We were greeted by Cowboy Josh’s Dog as we entered.  He had free run of the house along with a few of the family dogs.  Sadly no Charlie who died shortly after we were there.

There is a large family area with a double face fireplace just past the kitchen.  It is all pretty much and open floor plan.

We learned a lot about the show and the behind the scenes action that was going on during a filming.  Here are a few tidbits we learned.

While Ree does create and use the recipes regularly during the show there are actually several people creating the exact same dish in, at that time five mobile kitchens in semi trailers (more on this in a bit).  They use the best looking dish for filming.  Then afterwards they have a crew that cleans up, after everyone eats.

They film several episodes at a time because bringing the mobile kitchens in is a little tough.

The lodge is used mainly as a guest house and did not originally belong to the Drummond family. 

There are at least three cook stations in the HUGE kitchen, but you can tell that yourself by our photos.

Now about the mobile kitchens.  Like I mentioned bringing semis in on the dirt roads to the Drummond lodge is a bit difficult, so the lodge was under construction while we were there. 

Guest rooms, another large pantry, a huge commercial kitchen and bathrooms were being added for the film crew to use when they were filming. You access this area by going down a hallway just off the family area. 

The photos pretty much tell it all. 

It was definitely worth the drive out to get a better idea how the show is put together.  Very interesting, and educational.

Oh, for you fans.  This was not a one time only chance to visit the lodge for free.  They apparently do it periodically between filming.  I know they had free lodge visits available in early June of 2017 as well.  The information appears on the website for the Mercantile when the tours are available.