![]() I found myself wondering what percentage of a typical Disney vacation is spent in queues, and whether or not it exceeds the percentage of time spent sleeping. The route brought us through the middle of the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, whose selection of restaurants looked every bit as crowded as those in the park that I'd just left. The spot I found was virtually adjacent to a tram stop, but I decided to walk rather than wait with the multitudes, and my efforts were rewarded five minutes later when I was one of the first to board a monorail from the Transportation and Ticketing Center to the park. It was just after 2:30pm when I parked my rental car at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. The experience is great, and a fantastic addition to the park I'd have happily ridden it again if the wait had been a little (okay, a lot) shorter. A few final turns then bring the train back to a dedicated unload station. The acceleration that follows is gentle, leading to a turnaround and the highlight of the layout: three small bumps one after another, almost as if the designers took the top level of a Wacky Worm and stretched the track vertically by around five hundred percent. The train comes to a brief halt at the start of a second launch, where it is rolled back a few feet, akin to a wind up toy. The drop and airtime hill that follow prefix a left turning helix and two more gentle airtime bumps with synchronised sound effects that add considerably to the fun. The layout starts with a right turn and an inclined launch that gives the train just enough of a kick to crest the following apex at minimal speed. Slinky Dog Dash (#2585) is a themed family coaster from Mack Rides that was added to the park last year. A cast member was holding a sign indicating the start point, which was around the back of a retail outlet. The line for the coaster stretched around one hundred metres down the midway despite the fact that it was posted at just (!) ninety minutes for my visit, a good half hour less than the norm for a weekend day. The one thing that did jump out was the fact that the designated queuing areas for the major attractions were far too small for demand, which has been a recurring problem at Disney parks over the last few years. Trip reports from other enthusiasts have suggested that the new area looks cheap, though this wasn't all that obvious today, perhaps because there were too many guests to get a clear view. On reaching my target I decided to spend a few minutes exploring before joining a queue. Their size was such that it made the midway even more crowded than it should have been, which I'd argue to be the height of selfishness. I found myself wondering just how many of them were for actual medical need it seems likely that many were being used by those who were just too lazy and/or corpulent to stay on their feet all day, something for which I have limited sympathy. Parked strollers were an expected hazard, but there were also a disproportionately large number of electric mobility scooters. It took me a good ten minutes to cover the four hundred metre distance to Toy Story Land from the main entrance to Walt Disney World Hollywood Studios as I had to navigate my way through the hordes. There wasn't a whole lot to choose from, but I did manage to set up three back to back slots for the evening hours including a night ride on Big Thunder Mountain. A cast member replaced it for me on arrival, and suggested that I log into the system on my mobile phone to see if there might be anything left. This facility was not available to me, because my ticket (purchased some thirteen years earlier with no expiry date) lacked the required QR code. In recent years the Florida branch of The Mouse has made it possible for each guest to book FastPass access to three different attractions as much as sixty days in advance of a visit. After some contemplation I settled on a hit-and-run at Walt Disney World Hollywood Studios for the new roller coaster, followed by a relaxed afternoon and evening at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. I'd intended to call in on Walt Disney World Animal Kingdom for the two Avatar rides, but both were showing three hour queues, and with just ten hours to play with something had to give. The stop also served as a chance to check current wait times at my destination and formulate a battle plan. I reached the outskirts of Orlando a little before noon, and decided on the spur of the moment to grab some fast food before heading into the resort on the grounds that it would cost around one third of what I'd have to pay once inside. ![]() The drive was never going to be fun with a sprained toe on my right foot, but adaptive cruise control made things for the most part painless. My morning began at a hotel in Tallahassee, about four hours by road from Walt Disney World.
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