Corn on the Cob and Baked Potato from Liberty Square Market, Ferry Boat Ride, Nonsense – More Pictures From Magic Kingdom October 22

As a companion to yesterday’s post on the differences in crowds between Saturday October 22nd and Sunday October 23rd, here are a few more images of varying interest that didn’t necessarily fit into the previous dissertation.

We will pick things back up on Saturday around 4pm.

Long hours at the Express Monorail and Resort Monorail, thanks to the 8am – 1am day.  The Resort Monorail continues to operate until 12:30am on Mickey’s Party nights, while the Express Monorail continues to close one hour after regular Park Close (8pm).  The Epcot Monorail continues to close one hour after regular Park close.

This is half of a camera trick as the lines for the Express Monorail weren’t consistently this long in the afternoon.  We have a tram that just arrived from the parking lot along with a full Epcot monorail that let off a ton of people.  People trying to hop from Epcot to Magic Kingdom on Saturday because Epcot was so busy aren’t going to be happy with what they find here either.

As busy as it is inside, it wasn’t bad at all outside the turnstiles.  At 4pm, most people are already inside the Magic Kingdom (or on their way out) and we also have a ton of turnstiles open.  Closer to the start of the Electrical Parade, we should see longer lines and fewer turnstiles open.

The Halloween “merch” has proven to be incredibly popular this year.  Almost everything is sold out, other than the totes, the popcorn buckets, and some of the candles.  Mickey’s of Hollywood at Hollywood Studios is really the last bastion of Halloween stuff.  If you’re wondering what it did look like, I have a lot of pictures primarily here, here, and here.

Neat! I love most any giclee.

Maybe someday.

Some of my favorite restrooms on the far left here as well as the first aid station and baby care center.  This is between Casey’s Corner (on the left) and Crystal Palace (on the right), tucked in the back.

Another good set of restrooms in between Tomorrowland Terrace and the Plaza Restaurant.  Once you get to the end of Main Street and see Plaza Ice Cream Parlour on your right, take a right and continue down that path.  You’ll see these restrooms on the right side just before you walk up the slope to Tomorrowland Terrace.

Tomorrowland Terrace remains closed, even on the busiest days. I was expecting it to open during the peak of late-summer Free Dining when Casey’s Corner and the Lunching Pad were closed for refurbishment, but it didn’t. It was last open in August during the very busy summer season.

Walking up through Tomorrowland on the way to Fantasyland, passing an uncomfortable 45+ minute wait at Tomorrowland Speedway.

The extended queue outside the attraction is filling up. At least the smell of car exhaust isn’t so bad out here in the nose bleed section.

If you ever have the unfortunate experience of interacting with me “in real life” on more than one occasion, the answer is yes, I am “bigger” than the last time you saw me. Storybook Treats (formerly Mrs. Potts’ Cupboard) is a big reason why.

The number of windows open at Friar’s Nook in Fantasyland is a good indication of the crowd level. If it’s closed, Magic Kingdom probably isn’t busy. When five windows are open, you’re in trouble.

“Snow” being applied to Beast’s three-foot-tall-castle and surrounding rockery.

Wayyyyy too long to wait for Snow White’s Scary Adventure.

In my opinion, Pinocchio’s Village Haus is the most under appreciated building in the Magic Kingdom. It really is a sight and I like most of the food there too.

There was a question about where Mickey’s PhilharMagic FASTPASSes were distributed, since FASTPASSes for Winnie the Pooh are currently distributed from PhilharMagic’s machines.  Usually, you’ll get a “SURPRISE FASTPASS” for Mickey’s PhilharMagic when you collect a FASTPASS for Winnie the Pooh.  The SURPRISE FASTPASS is usually “good” immediately.  In the lower right hand corner, you can see that I collected the FASTPASS at “16:19,” or 4:19pm and the PhilharMagic FASTPASS is ready for use now.  Mickey’s PhilharMagic is surprisingly “not popular” and has a huge theater that is rarely full.  Even today, you don’t “need” FASTPASSes to see it.  In my opinion, PhilharMagic is the best of the “4D” shows and a “must see.”  It can be a little loud and scary for young children, so be aware of that.  And if they’re scared of PhilharMagic, you don’t even want to be in the same zipcode as It’s Tough to be a Bug at Animal Kingdom.

Another camera trick of sorts.  Like most other shows, PhilharMagic lets out a ton of people when it ends.  Unlike Captain EO or It’s Tough to be a Bug, where there aren’t really any popular attractions near the exit, PhilharMagic lets out right in the narrow path of Fantasyland.  If you see a large group exit, it’s usually a bad time to get in line for it’s a small world as a lot of people will see the short posted wait time and invariably get in line.  Disney doesn’t have enough time to play “catch up” with the posted wait and the actual wait can easily be 20+ minutes.  Conversely, if you see a 30 minute posted wait, it’s most likely that it’s a reaction to a theater full of PhilharMagic guests getting in line.  The wait may very well be shorter by the time you arrive, especially because few people get in line for it’s a small world with a 30+ minute wait.

Hungover and not wanting to wait behind a cackle of people on the Disney Dining Plan that haven’t quite figured out “what they can get,” I made the executive decision to dine at the Liberty Square Market.  Menu and pictures here: https://www.easywdw.com/menus-and-seating/liberty-square-market-liberty-square-hot-dogs-fruit-beverages/.  You may have passed by a dozen or more times and either never noticed the Market or bothered to look.  There’s nothing wrong with that necessarily, as there are worse things in life than “missing out on” a $4 baggie of grapes or a $1.39 pickle.  The Market does offer hot items though, including a baked potato, corn on the cob, and hot dog.  I probably passed by a hundred times before actually ordering anything.

We’ll start with the Baked Potato, which currently costs $3.29, down from $3.49 earlier this year!  What you see is what you get – there’s no “toppings bar,” which means no cheese, bacon, and other stuff.  Just a packet of sour cream and some butter, with some “Mickey salt” sprinkled on top.  Not a whole lot to say about this.  It is what it is – I will say that it was served nice and hot and baked “very well.”  If you’re looking for a baked potato, this is your spot.  Not a compelling value at $3.29, but not necessarily terrible either.  You could do a lot worse.

The corn on the cob runs $1.99.  It’s on the small side and comes with two little tubs of butter and a bunch of salt/pepper packets.  This was prepared well just like the potato and served nice and hot.  Not a bad way to spend $2, especially as temperatures drop.

$5.63 for the two items with tax.  Not a bad snack and not entirely unhealthy, depending on your propensity to add sour cream and butter.

Another easy way to see if Magic Kingdom is crowded – check to see if Diamond Horseshoe is operating. It was open from 11am – 3pm today, which means we’re a little late.   What (not) a shame!

Mickey Pretzels are still available from the Frontierland Cart.

You may recall from a couple of days ago that Golden Oak Outpost’s menu was trimmed and it was only operating during Mickey’s Halloween Parties.  Now, there is no menu at all.

A very creepy shot of Ariel, who continues to appear on the Adventureland Patio.  I don’t trust people with red hair, so I have never gotten any closer to her than this.  You just never know what they’re going to do.

An absurd line for Rapunzel.

All of the menu boards at Cosmic Ray’s are now digital.

The Angus Pizza Burger continues to haunt my memories.

Speaking of the Angus Pizza Burger, in that review good-friend-of-the-site Tom Bricker mentioned the following in the comments:

“You know, I really want to applaud Disney for trying new things with the menus, but…I can’t. This just sucks. Between this and the Cosmic Ray’s updates, it really seems like Cheech and Chong are making these menus. What’s next, a pizza topped with Funions? I kid, but at the same time, I’m scared…”

Not a pizza, but…

I guess officially those are “onion straws” making it “deluxe.”

Purportedly, the construction in the Magic Kingdom bus stop area will bring a designated bus stop for Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.  As you may be aware, if you are riding Disney transportation from Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, the buses only stop at the Ticket and Transportation Center.  You then have to transfer to Magic Kingdom by monorail or boat.  On the plus side, if you park at Magic Kingdom, transfer to Hollywood Studios, and then return to Magic Kingdom to pick up your car, you can simply hop on a tram or walk to your car.  Should Disney cease bus transportation to the Ticket/Transportation Center from Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios and you parked your car at Magic Kingdom, you would then need to hop on the ferry or pass through security a second time to get on the Express Monorail (or suffer through the slow progression of the Resort Monorail).  We’ll see what ends up happening.