Day 7: She’s Back! / Four Resorts, Two Festivals 2019
Home » Everything Disney » Walt Disney World Trip Reports »Day 7 of Four Resorts, Two Festivals 2019, the latest of my Disney Trip Reports, is here! Today we move to our second Disney Resort and visit Magic Kingdom!
The Four Resorts, Two Festivals 2019 Trip Report Index tells you a bit about the planning of this trip, as well as some info about us – me, Michelle; and my husband, Steve. It also, of course, has the full list of days for the trip.
Day 7: Magic Kingdom
Lunch at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe; Check-in: Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa; Dinner from The Artist’s Palette
March 1, 2019
Today we moved from the first of the four Disney Resorts we were staying at on this trip – Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, to the the second – Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa.
At Disney Resorts, check-out is usually 11am, and check-in time is between 3pm and 4pm, depending on the type of accommodation. You can sometimes get into your room earlier, and if you’ve given your mobile number, will get a text to let you know.
Now, that is a long time to wait before check-out and check in, but the great thing about moving to a different Disney Resort is that they will transfer your luggage for you! This means you can check-out, leave your stuff with Bell Services and go about your day at the Disney Parks!
So that’s exactly what we did. After dropping off our luggage, we drove over to Magic Kingdom for the day and would head over to Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa (SSR) later that afternoon.
On our short drive from Wilderness Lodge to Magic Kingdom we saw a gaggle of wild turkeys which we thought was both weird and fascinating! Wildlife spotting in Orlando is always fun!
Seeing the Magic Kingdom Welcome sign is always exciting – and with the new road changes, we hadn’t yet driven under it. Until very recently you would go on this road through to some of the Resorts – namely Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian Village Resort, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary – but a new overpass has been created – boo!
Parking is free in the parks if you are staying at a Disney Resort. We stopped to have our Magic Bands scanned to confirm we were staying at a Disney Resort and we were on our way to the parking lot.
Magic Kingdom is located on the other side of Seven Seas Lagoon, a man-made lake between the parking lot and the park. So once you’ve parked up you then have to take a tram (or walk) to the Transportation & Ticket Center, where you go through security, before catching either the Monorail or the Ferryboat to Magic Kingdom.
We hadn’t been on the Ferryboat for a long time so that was our mode of transportation for today. The ride across the water takes about 10 minutes, plus you need to allow time to dock and unload, so if you’re in a rush for a dining reservation, take the Monorail instead.
It is a lovely journey and I recommend that you take it at least once on your visit to Magic Kingdom!
There are three ferryboats named the Richard F. Irvine, the Admiral Joe Fowler, and the General Joe Potter. All three men were involved in the design and construction of Walt Disney World (and Disneyland).
Our journey just to get into Magic Kingdom was nearly at its end! We just had to wait for the boat to dock and then made our way over to the turnstiles (which aren’t actually turnstiles any more, just the Magic Band scanner) and we were in!
From driving through the Welcome gate, parking, and getting across the lagoon, took nearly 40 minutes. So yet another thing to bear in mind if you have reservations or a FastPass+ you need to get to at a certain time.
It amazes me, that even after seven trips to Walt Disney World there is still something new to spot. I have never noticed the (above) plaque on the ground before! So when people ask if we get bored visiting so many times, the answer is always NO! There is so much left to explore!
We spotted a sign which we’ve not seen before – it said:
“Today’s parade will be simulcast live to remote viewing locations, and guests in the area between Plaza Ice cream Parlor, Casey’s Corner, and Cinderella Castle may be captured by the camera. If you do not wish to appear in the simulcast, please, avoid these areas. Your presence constitutes your permission to appear on camera.”
I think this may be for live streams online? I’m really not sure!
As we entered the park the Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party was going on, so we caught the tail end of it.
This is the third incarnation of this parade, which happens a few times a day at Magic Kingdom.
It was initially called Move It! Shake It! Celebrate It! Street Party, then it became Move It! Shake It! Dance and Play It! Street Party, and then finally the MousekeDance It! version which started in January 2019.
They introduced the MousekeDance It! for Mickey’s 90th birthday and I think it’s the best of the three. The main song is really catchy and upbeat, and the costumes are bright and colorful
It’s fab to see some different and lesser-known characters like Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, Clarice the Chipmunk, José Carioca, Panchito Pistoles, and Max,
The usual suspects are also part of the parade – Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Chip ‘n’ Dale, and of course Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse!
I LOVE Minnie’s dress, it is so cute!
Not much more to tell you, so here are photos of the parade…