Disney World - Magic Kingdom & Disney Hollywood Studios - October 2007

Next Stop:   The Magic Kingdom - This is the park that is most like what I have at Disneyland.   It really was a copy of the original Disneyland, but with a few changes.

We were there in October, so it was decorated for their "Halloweentime" celebration.   When you first walk up to the park, you see the Mickey floral display all done up with pumpkins....

Now, I hate to be one of those people who's always comparing and saying "my park is better because...."   but in this case....   I have to say, Disneyland does Halloweentime better.   Our decorations are WAY more sophisticated and way more elaborate.    At the Magic Kingdom, there were only decorations when you first came into the park, but at Disneyland, they're all over, and they're at California Adventure too (there weren't any Halloween decorations at any of the other WDW parks that I noticed).     So, for example, here's the Mickey floral at Disneyland...

OK, I wont harp on this anymore....   But if you're listening WDW folks - you can do better!

Generally, the Magic Kingdom is the same as Disneyland, but there are some differences.   The biggest one is that the Magic Kingdom has Liberty Square, which is early America.    I liked it a lot.   But MK doesn't have New Orleans Square, so you miss out on some neat architecture.

and the Magic Kingdom's Haunted Mansion is WAY different from Disneyland's - and I have to say, I like it better!    The architecture is neat and I thought the ride (which had recently had some upgrades) is actually better than ours.     Especially at Halloween when we have that dumb Nightmare Before Christmas makeover, which I can't stand.

We used to have headstones in our Haunted Mansion graveyard like this, but they're gone now.   I can remember standing in line as a kid and reading them.   They were funny.
I took a picture of this one for a reason - I used to have a wonderful boss named Fred, and he had this picture hanging in the office.   It always made me laugh.    It was kind of nostalgic to see it again.

Now, you may have the better Haunted Mansion, but we have a better Pirates of the Caribbean.   Although you had some cool things in the queue that we don't have...

like gnomads in the queue!

The funny thing about this picture was that another tourist pushed Mel out of the way so he could take a picture of Gnugent & me here.    She's like "Um...   I put them there...."    We had a good laugh over that and were wondering where our picture might end up.....

Another difference at the Magic Kingdom is the Fantasyland area.    It's still decorated like the Fantasyland that Mel remembers from her childhood.    At Disneyland, it was upgraded in the early 80's, and the look is totally different.   It was really fun remembering what it used to be like.

And then we went to the Disney/MGM (now called Disney Hollywood) Studios Park.    We don't have anything like this in California, except Universal Studios (which naturally isn't part of Disneyland).    It was kind of funny walking into the entrance since it's themed like a Hollywood Studio, so it was a lot like being at home!

The icon of this park of course is the Sorcerer's Apprentice hat.    It's ENORMOUS!

I liked this little fruit stand - it reminded me of home.   I'm sure the name "Anaheim Produce" is a nod to Disneyland....



The Disney/MGM Studio Park has some interesting attractions - like one that shows you how special effects are done for the movies.   We almost got picked to be in the "movie" that is made during the show, but Louise had been there before and knew what was in store (that is - that you get very wet!) and told them we didn't want to do it.    I was kind of glad of that, but it was still an interesting attraction (but VERY much like the Universal Studios tour).

There's another ride that takes you through classic film scenes & has some fun interaction in it.    And some stunt shows and other things like that.    Now, I have to admit, that where I live, there's a lot of this in real life - after awhile, you see all the movie trailers and trucks and things, and instead of getting excited about what movie star you might see, you groan and think "Oh great, traffic!"     So a lot of the "behind the scenes" stuff doesn't get me all that excited - that's not to say though that it's a boring park.   There's lots of neat things to see.

AND.... This park had  what turned out to be my 2 favorite rides in all of Disney World - and they're right next to each other!

The first one I couldn't wait to try...   We have a version of it at California Adventure, but I've heard time and time again that the one at Disney World is better!    It's the Hollywood Tower of Terror.

The outside looks pretty similar to ours, but the ride itself is a lot different - and the best part is that it changes every time.     It took a lot of convincing to get Gnugent to go on this with me.   He doesn't generally like drop rides, but neither do I and I LOVE this one.    What I had heard about the Florida version was that it has different drop sequences each time you ride, and I couldn't wait to try it.    I talked Gnugent into riding and the funny thing was - our first ride was a bit of a dud!    It was like a drop sequence for pre-schoolers!    But it worked out OK because it convinced Gnugent he could handle it, so he agreed to go on it with me again.   And the second time, it was GREAT.    Soooo much fun.    It's more like a bouncy thing than a drop, and this one bounced a bunch of times.    Even Gnugent liked it.    We went on it several more times while we were in Florida and he liked it better each time  (He even goes on the one in California with me now!).      

And then....   There was the Rock 'N' Roller Coaster!    Oh my gosh is this one fun!!!    (Note to other girl Gnomads out there - take off hair clips and earrings before riding!).    
  This one is themed to a recording studio, and even has a little movie starring the band "Aerosmith"  (did I spell that right?   Gnugent is a fan - I'll ask him....).     The whole premise is that you're speeding off to a rock concert and you're in a limo going through the jungles of LA freeways to get to the club.      You board the car, get all strapped in  (take off hats & glasses folks!) and it takes you to the starting area.   You sit there with the engine revving for a minute, and then you take off - 0 to 60 in like a millisecond!   It's such a kick!    And you go right into a dark room and into a corkscrew spin!    Wooo HOOO!!!!!     It's indoors, pitch dark except for freeway signs that light up only as you pass them.    There are corkscrews, loops, it's crazy!      It was sooooo much fun, I can't even count how many times we went on it!    Oh, and there's Aerosmith music blasting in your ears the whole time.     What an adrenaline rush!

So, when you go to that park, take the first right and go on Tower of Terror and the Rock N Roller Coaster - you will love them!!!!