Honeymoon Trip Report: Magic Kingdom

EDIT: If you click on an individual picture if will give you the full size image (or at least a larger image). The quality of some of the in-text pictures is…bad.

Magic Kingdom is THE park to visit when you go to Disney World. There are so many classic attractions that we ended up spending the majority of our time there. Let’s get right to it.

Starting in Fantasyland (non-logical here) Snow White’s (Not so) Scary Adventure was gone. In its place will eventually be a Princess meet and greet but for now a large scrim covers it.

Dumbo has moved and doubled in size. It’s over in “Storybook Circus” by other yet-to-open attractions and Goofy’s Barnstormer. There is a big play area for the kids in the middle of the line. We decided to skip it but it could be very fun for kids. The only problem I see is getting them to leave when your buzzer goes off and it’s time for you to board the ride. Although I have heard if you go up to the desk they will swap your pager for a new one with more time on it.

Goofy’s Barnstormer had been re-themed and the queues were swapped. The lengthy entrance has been turned into the exit and the entrance queue is shorter now. The ride, however, is still the same length and very kid-friendly.

Is Google Street View available?

There were a lot of scrims and walls up around the back side of Fantasyland making way for the NEW Fantasyland.

The crane is a nice addition

Above the walls you can see Beast’s Castle and Eric’s Castle (?).

SpectroMagic

“Welcome to the Splendor, the spectacle, the sparkling sensation, where the romance, the comedy and thrill of Disney Fantasies come to electric life…. And now the Magic Kingdom proudly presents in a million points of musical light, the Magical World of Disney in SPECTROMAGIC!”

I can’t read those words, let alone listen to Jiminy Cricket speak them, without chills running throughout my entire body. SpectroMagic was the first parade I saw at Disney World. It absolutely blew my mind.

On this magic night

The thousands of sparkling lights coupled with the music was the most sensational thing I had ever seen. Everything about it was perfect for a six-year-old. I didn’t care that I had been sitting on the cement curb on Main Street for over an hour waiting for it: it was unequivocally worth it.

Since I haven’t seen it for several years now I don’t remember a whole lot about the parade but one of the things I remember most was the music.

However strange it may be, the SpectroMagic score is one of the most easily distinguishable Disney songs for me: I could hear it anywhere and instantly know what it is.

It is one of the most emotionally charged songs I can think of.

A million stars will play beside us

Sure, “Its a small world” and other classic Disney songs stir up some emotions in me but while driving down to Disney on our latest trip (March 2011) I turned on the SpectroMagic song about an hour before rolling into the hotel and it almost brought me to tears I was so ecstatic.

I don’t know what it is but that single song IS Walt Disney World to me.

Sadly, the last few times we have gone, The Main Street Electrical Parade has been the night-time parade.

I have no qualms about this parade, it is spectacular in its own sense and I quite enjoy its music as well. It comes nowhere close to matching SpectroMagic though.

Cast a spell of light, Glimmering, shimmering, carouselling

The end of the song where the children’s chorus sings really starts to put me over the edge:

Music surrounds us
Laughter that found us
Twirling around this
Carousel of light and laughter!

Then the adult chorus joins them and finishes the song and I’m a complete mess:

Though we say goodbye
We cast a spell that won’t be broken
Let this night forever
Live in our dreams!

‘Round the world tonight, A symphony in SpectroMagic. Pure enchantment lights our way!

And of course our good friend Jiminy Cricket sends us off and I’m about the lift off the ground. Oh boy. I got all worked up just writing about it. Watching the video before posting this may be bad.