{"id":5724,"date":"2018-04-18T07:41:42","date_gmt":"2018-04-18T11:41:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/?p=5724"},"modified":"2018-04-29T11:17:46","modified_gmt":"2018-04-29T15:17:46","slug":"christmas-2017-trip-part-4-wdw-magic-kingdom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/christmas-2017-trip-part-4-wdw-magic-kingdom\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas 2017 Trip – Part 4 WDW – Magic Kingdom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Magic Kingdom<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We didn’t have a lot planned for our days at the Magic Kingdom.  Our plan was to arrive fairly early each day and just enjoy the atmosphere of the park at Christmas time.  We also wanted to make sure we got to see the Magic Kingdom Christmas parade, which is one of our favorites.  As it turns out, our first day at Magic Kingdom was December 19th, which was also the day that the refurbished Hall of Presidents opened.  I ducked in to catch the first show.  Overall, I think they did a good job with the refurbishment.<\/p>\n

\"Hall<\/a>
Hall of Presidents<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On a different day, we had a chance to ride one of the Main Street vehicles.  We see them but hadn’t taken the chance to ride one.  While it did slow down our start to touring that day, it was a ton of fun!<\/p>\n

\"Main<\/a>
Main Street Vehicle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It also got us above the crowds to get some different perspectives on the park.<\/p>\n

\"Elevated<\/a>
Elevated Views<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We found a new favorite snack while on this trip, the pineapple upside down cake topped with Dole Whip!<\/p>\n

\"Pineapple<\/a>
Pineapple Upside Down Cake Topped with Dole Whip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We made sure to take in the Festival of Fantasy parade, which has a great sound track (in our opinion).  Plus, who doesn’t love a fire-breathing dragon?<\/p>\n

\"Festival<\/a>
Festival of Fantasy parade<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We noticed on this trip that Space Mountain was having lots of problems.  During a few of our many trips on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover, we noticed the lights on and the ride not operating.  In some cases, we saw people that were awaiting evacuation from the ride.<\/p>\n

\"Space<\/a>
Space Mountain with the Lights On<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The last thing we wanted to do at Magic Kingdom was to see the Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade!  We caught it on the last day before we headed off to Miami.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We incorporated visiting some of the Disney resorts into our trip.  We wanted to see the holiday decorations, including this great gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian.<\/p>\n

\"Gingerbread<\/a>
Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Christmas<\/a>
Christmas Tree at the Grand Floridian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We also stopped over at the Wilderness Lodge to see the Christmas tree there.  We even discovered a Photo Pass photographer taking pictures by the tree.  Since we were dressed up to go to dinner, we took some family photos by the tree!<\/p>\n

\"Christmas<\/a>
Christmas Tree at the Wilderness Lodge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For our family, no trip to Walt Disney World is complete without a dinner at California Grill, located on top of the Contemporary Resort.<\/p>\n

\"California<\/a>
California Grill Kitchen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We usually order the cheese platter at dinner, if only for the entertainment factor of trying the cheese and discussing what we think the cheese tastes like.  The commentary usually doesn’t contain the words like “smoky” or “aromatic.”  Some of us actually use phrases like “cured in a dirty sock” or “buried in the wood pile for years.”  It can be entertaining.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A Selection of Farmhouse and Artisanal Cheeses<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I planned to order the California Roll here, but they changed this menu item into two separate rolls: a California Roll and a Shrimp Tempura Roll.<\/p>\n

\"California<\/a>
California Combination Roll<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nancy ordered the Swordfish, my younger daughter ordered the oak fired fillet, and I ordered the bison.  All were delicious.<\/p>\n

\"Swordfish\"<\/a>
Swordfish<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Oak-fired<\/a>
Oak-fired Filet of Beef<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Colorado<\/a>
Colorado Bison Loin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My older daughter asked for and received a special vegetarian\/vegan menu.  She was allowed to choose 4 items from the menu for one price.  She choose the Vegan Pho (Top Left), Vegan Roll (Top Right), Vegetarian Black Truffle Selezione Pasta (Bottom Right) and Heirloom Tomato Flatbread (Bottom Left).  She enjoyed the pasta the most and the vegan pho the least.<\/p>\n

\"Vegetarian<\/a>
Vegetarian Selections<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

California Grill is always a family favorite.  We’ve got a couple more visits scheduled before our annual passes are done!<\/p>\n

Here are the other parts of the trip:<\/p>\n

Planning<\/a> | Travel<\/a> | Hollywood Studios<\/a> | Magic Kingdom<\/a> | Epcot<\/a> | Animal Kingdom<\/a> | WDW Part 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Magic Kingdom We didn’t have a lot planned for our days at the Magic Kingdom.  Our plan was to arrive Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13],"tags":[126,148,150,175,136,176,149],"class_list":["post-5724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-disney-parks","tag-annual-passes","tag-california-grill","tag-grand-floridian","tag-hall-of-presidents","tag-magic-kingdom","tag-mickeys-once-upon-a-christmastime-parade","tag-wilderness-lodge","no-post-thumbnail","no-read-more-tag","no-sticky","use-excerpt","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11350,"url":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/walt-disney-world-solo-trip-part-4-wilderness-lodge-and-mickeys-very-merry-christmas-party\/","url_meta":{"origin":5724,"position":0},"title":"Walt Disney World Solo Trip, Part 4: Wilderness Lodge and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!","author":"Joseph","date":"March 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"After leaving Nomad Lounge, I decided I'd begin to make my way over toward Magic Kingdom (MK).\u00a0 I had tickets for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP), so I would be able to enter the park around 4:00.\u00a0 It was only around 1:30 when I left AK, but since I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disney Parks"","block_context":{"text":"Disney Parks","link":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/category\/disney-parks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Animal Kingdom Bus Terminal","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backtothemouse.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/IMG_9946-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backtothemouse.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/IMG_9946-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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"Disney Parks"","block_context":{"text":"Disney Parks","link":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/category\/disney-parks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tree of Life","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backtothemouse.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_4308-e1520199064269-1024x874.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backtothemouse.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_4308-e1520199064269-1024x874.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backtothemouse.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/IMG_4308-e1520199064269-1024x874.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1229,"url":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/time-lapse-video-of-the-magic-kingdom\/","url_meta":{"origin":5724,"position":3},"title":"Time lapse video of the Magic Kingdom","author":"Joseph","date":"April 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Just a quick post to show you this video we shot on the night of January 1st, 2016 from California Grill.","rel":"","context":"In "Disney Parks"","block_context":{"text":"Disney Parks","link":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/category\/disney-parks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4970,"url":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/staying-on-property-part-3-wdw\/","url_meta":{"origin":5724,"position":4},"title":"Staying On Property – Part 3 WDW","author":"Joseph","date":"February 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Day 1 - Epcot We decided our first day would involve heading to Epcot to take in round 1 of the Food and Wine Festival.\u00a0 We had visited during Food and Wine a few years ago and loved it.\u00a0 We definitely were excited to enjoy it again. We got up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disney Parks"","block_context":{"text":"Disney Parks","link":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/category\/disney-parks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Bus Area at All-Star Movies","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backtothemouse.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_2688-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backtothemouse.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_2688-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backtothemouse.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_2688-768x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4729,"url":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/last-minute-trip-part-5-magic-kingdom\/","url_meta":{"origin":5724,"position":5},"title":"Last Minute Trip \u2013 Part 5 Magic Kingdom","author":"Joseph","date":"November 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Planning | Travel | Animal Kingdom | Epcot | Magic Kingdom | Hollywood Studios | Summary The third day of our trip took us to the Magic Kingdom.\u00a0 We arrived early so we could get there in time for rope drop.\u00a0 Since the opening show for the Magic Kingdom has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Disney Gift Cards"","block_context":{"text":"Disney Gift Cards","link":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/category\/disney-gift-cards\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Crowd Waiting for the Opening Show","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backtothemouse.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_1446-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backtothemouse.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_1446-768x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/backtothemouse.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/IMG_1446-768x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peu3ZL-1uk","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5724"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6555,"href":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5724\/revisions\/6555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}