When Rob suggested we do a blog on this subject I wasn’t sure if he meant “if we were in the parks right now” with them being closed and empty, or just if the parks were all open in Orlando and we were there right now. I could just ask him of course, he’s right beside me, but I thought I’d let my mind run with this a little bit and think about both scenarios.
So let’s assume firstly that he means the parks being closed. Obviously first priority would be to get to Magic Kingdom and get that coveted photo up Main Street with Cinderella Castle in the background and no other people around you! How amazing would that be. The Disney photopass photographers do a pretty good job when they take these photos for you, so the crowds tend to merge into the background but imagine getting a photo like that with no other person in the shot! Of course you’d also have to do the same in various other points and parks in Orlando – the Tower of Terror at the bottom of an empty Sunset Boulevard, Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, the Epcot ball (Spaceship Earth), all of the sights and buildings in Epcot World Showcase, Simpsons world at Universal, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley at Universal and Islands of Adventure etc etc – the list goes on and on and on.
How about if the parades and shows were still running even though no one was there – photos of the parade without random strangers in them, show photos without the usual row of heads in the foreground, imagine sitting in front of the stage at Cinderella Castle with the castle show happening just for you, right there at the front on your own, you could pick anywhere to sit on the floor and watch the show. Fun – I’d like that. The Blues Brothers at Universal performing just to me – fabulous.
I’d like also like to get a photo with the Walt and Mickey and Roy and Minnie statues at the top and bottom of Main Street without a load of other people in the background. Very cool.
So now I’ll get to get back to the original idea that Rob had, because I’m pretty sure he meant what would we do right now if we were in the parks and they were open! So here’s my list of the things I’d do, not necessarily in this order, but they’d all be on my list.
Imagine not having to queue for anything and just wandering in and out of shops, rides, meet and greets with characters. It’s obviously a complete fantasy and to be honest as exciting as that would be part of the joy of the Orlando theme parks is seeing other people’s first time reactions to things, the collective sense of love and happiness and joy when we all watch the parades or shows, or you see a little kiddie running with open arms towards Tigger, or indeed a grown woman such as myself (cos I also did that!!). It’s heartwarming and adds to the happiness of these places because there’ so much joy around – Harry Potter fans wandering around Diagon Alley with capes on and magic wands in their hands – it’s like a fantasy coming true. So as delightful as a private day in an empty park would be I think that it would be lacking something without the background hubbub and excitement of everyone else being there too.
First ride of the day Tower of Terror obviously, followed by Rock n’ Roller Coaster. Then a quick scoot over to Toy Story land for Slinky Dog Dash. Then I would head off to Magic Kingdom for a giant cinnamon bun from Gastons Tavern (mid-morning snack and sugar rush), covered with sticky icing – I’d share this Rob of course cos they are giant!! Then would follow a quick whizz round the mountains, Splash, Big Thunder and Space. I’d go and see Ariel and also the big cheese M Mouse himself and then stake a claim for my spot for the parade. I loooooooove the parade, makes me feel like I’m about 5 years old again. Quick vegan slaw dog at Casey’s Corner and then I’d head off to Animal Kingdom for Expedition Everest and Flights of Passage. I’d end up at Epcot – Mission Space, Test Track and Soarin’. Finally I’d end up around World Showcase – snacking in various countries, having my usual glass of Champagne in France, and then maybe our evening meal over in Mexico watching the Epcot fireworks. That’s a full on fantasy day if ever there was one! Would never happen in reality obviously – it would be a long tiring day and there wouldn’t be enough fastpass options to fit everything in. But a girl can dream eh.
If it was a Universal Parks fantasy day here’s how it would go. Universal Studios first – Rip Ride Rocket and The Mummy, and off to Diagon Alley. Gringotts Bank ride first and a hang around to see if I can get a photo of the dragon on top of the bank breathing fire. Then into Kings Cross Station to get the Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure. I’d need a snack at this point, and then I’d be ready for the Harry Potter ride – always fun unless the snack you just had was a large snack – then you might get a wee bit queasy! I’d be excited to go on the new ride the Hagrids Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure so that would be next. After that I’d head over to Superhero Island and go on the Hulk and Spider-Man, definitely before I had lunch. I quite like lunch at the Captain America diner at Superhero Island. Always a good slice of pizza there. Then I’d probably head off to Jurassic Park for the River Adventure – a nice cool down because you get a bit wet! I’m thinking out onto City Walk for a nice evening meal at one of the many many restaurant options there.
They sound like absolutely perfect days to me – complete fantasy of course, there’s no need to do everything in one day on a real vacation. You can while away time sitting with a nice cocktail on a veranda somewhere, or have a long leisurely lunch, or go back to your accommodation and jump in a pool for a few hours to relax and cool down and then head back into a theme park later. But hey, Rob did not ask me to plan a proper holiday day out, he asked what I’d do in the parks if I was in there now – so I have. Over to him now for his take on things!
Right, Rob here, first off when on holiday I always get up very early, so early in fact the birds are still coughing and drinking tea… I normally get up about 06.30ish (much to the annoyance of Tracey) and wander to the poolside with a huge mug of coffee and my kindle for a read for an hour. This is “my” hour, I loved the calm and quiet, all you see sometimes is hot air balloons floating across the skyline. After coffee and a read its full steam ahead and a quick shower before jumping into the car and heading off to breakfast. Now, this is where the arguments start! Is it Cracker Barrel or Dennys or IHOP? These are real “first world problems”.
Breakfast done on a Universal day we’d head down City Walk for my large flat white at Starbucks. (Anyone who knows me knows I’m a Costa coffee guy to the core in the UK). This large hit of caffeine gets the motor running ready for the Hulk! I absolutely love this ride, it has everything you need in a thrill ride, the super fast start, lots of loops and twists and some stomach turning drops. Job done. All after a gallon of coffee and scrambled eggs….
After the Hulk its time to hunt for heroes…Spider-Man is always about in the vicinity and he is possibly one of the funniest heroes you’ll meet! I’ve mentioned it before its a joy to watch him and others interact with kids of all ages, he’s really funny and back when I had spiked hair he asked me if I was using his webs as hair product! We could have spent hours talking to him, but you have let someone else have a chat. If you are lucky enough to hear the “hero alert siren” you’ll see all the guys and gals rock up on their funky trikes before doing meet and greets. This is great to see, one time Captain America got off his bike right next to me and shook my hand saying “good to meet you son!” I was like a giddy kid for hours.
Back when the Duelling Dragons coaster was open this was a must do. A not to be missed ride. The Dragons ‘Fire and Ice’ used to launch together and at one point when both sets of ride vehicles got to the apex of the loop you felt you could almost touch the other cars. You couldn’t….but it sure looked like you could! One of our fave memories of this is back in 2015, and Rich was running off down the tunnels in the ride queue to try and scare his wife Lisa, he hid for a while and we heard him jump out and roar at an unsuspecting couple as they walked past! We had let these go past us as we were talking at the time. These poor folks had no idea what had hit them! To say we were in tears is an understatement Rich was there frantically apologising for all he was worth! Happy days.
Now we scoot over to WDW, I actually can’t pick what I’d like to do first. Well, I can it would be a flat white first. Every time. (You’ll see a pattern here..) When first getting into the parks I love to browse the shops. They actually seem to change the merchandise overnight, you will be quite surprised what you will find. My favourite park has got to be Hollywood Studios, I adore the look and feel of this place, and my fave way of spending an hour is just wandering about watching the ‘skits’ and the March of the First Order. (Sadly no longer going on. ) I actually enjoy the parks just being there and not actually doing anything at all. I think the whole ambiance sort of chills you out and makes you sigh and slow down and let the experience roll over you.
Without a shadow of a doubt the Aerosmith Rock n Roller coaster is one of the funniest things to queue for, we chuckle at how the various “tour guides” ad lib and throw some funny one liners into the normal ‘script’ – don’t get us wrong it’s really good! But after riding it 30 times its funny to have a ‘throw away’ line to brighten the experience. After being thrown around like a fool its a little scoot over to the Tower of Terror. I’m a firm believer in change. BUT..if they EVER change this ride I’ll be furious! The look on peoples faces as they sit down on this for the first time is worth the queue time, we love way they think its gonna be a fun little ‘up and down’… when they are off the seat by 6 inches and their bags are flapping about during the drop has me laughing like a drain. When the ride stops they cannot get off the car fast enough, but 9 times out of 10 they re-join the queue like the rest of us!
To finish the day there is nothing better than Slinky Dog, a ‘kid friendly’ coaster that’s a lot faster than you think. How can you not resist this?? From his steel spring wagging tail to his happy face! The view from Slinky is possibly one of the best in any park, you can see Black Spire Outpost and the rest of Andy’s backyard. The ride get progressively quicker and quicker with the second “launch’’ to really speed things up – the last little section over the bumps is one of the funniest we’ve ridden on. It’s not a scary ride by any means but its one of the funniest. One little word of caution, there is very little shade when queuing until you get near the entrance so make sure you’ve got a hat or something to cover up with.
Toy Story Land is best seen at night. It’s lit up with Christmas tree lights strewn everywhere, lots of bright primary colours and loads of ‘Easter eggs’ from the films to be found. And if you are lucky the Green Army men will let you help in a little drumming challenge.
So that’s our day out, I was going to call it best day ever, but that was reserved for our wedding day. Nothing is gonna top that. Getting married, a steak lunch and Epcot on the same day??? Job done. We hope you’ve enjoyed taking a stroll with us. Choosing a fave day is like choosing your favourite child!
Stay safe, keep 2 metres apart and wash your hands.
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