Finally to the crown jewel of Walt Disney World (especially during the 50th anniversary celebration): Magic Kingdom.
The arrival pavilion has changed a lot in the last two years -- a new security check area, lots of barriers to funnel people to and from the different transportation options (monorail, walkway to Grand Floridian, boat to resorts, ferry to TTC, buses, walkway to Contemporary), and no longer any "grand seal" with the MK logo. But there are also some pleasant additions.
Shortly after I entered passed under train station, I met a familiar face from the Tokyo Marathon 2019:
While Starr and I have been at the same marathon a couple of times since then (most recently New York 2021), we didn't actually cross paths until this. Nice catching up for a few minutes.
It being the Early Morning Hours, I decided to take advantage of some of the smaller crowds to get some photo ops with reduced background cluttering, and start looking for the Fab 50 at the same time. (OK, yeah, some of these are actually from later in the day. So sue me, I want to keep some of these like photos together.)
And despite there not being any characters in the park to take photos with like before, that doesn't mean I couldn't get a few PhotoPass photos to show off the 10k medal, both at the castle and several other choice locations.
Nice view of all the traffic outside of Haunted Mansion from my table inside Columbia Harbour House for lunch.
I got on several rides throughout the day, but the one that I really wanted to but didn't manage this day, given horrible posted wait times, was the revamp of Jungle Cruise. Part of my rationale for changing my reservation for DHS for the next to coming back to MK. Even though there were a few big ticket attractions I didn't manage my prior days at DHS, I got on M&MRR and some of my long-term faves (ToT and TSMM). I even managed to catch the pianist at Casey's. Truly impressive playing.
I left on the early side because I had a reservation at Steakhouse 71, which is in the same space that The Wave used to be. (Shame, I never got to eat at The Wave before it closed.) Very simple space, no particular theming or decoration within the main dining area. Just a few photos in the hall between the check-in desk and the main area:
The food was wonderful. Crab cakes for an appetizer and filet mignon for entree. Mmmm....
Satiated, I made my way back from the Contemporary to see what I might be able to catch before the new fireworks show, Disney Enchantment. Of course, some great views of the castle.
(Alas, videos are too large to post, and no fireworks photos.)
While not inherently late, once the fireworks were done and I made my way back to CBR, it was definitely late, given my third 2am wake-up call in a row to be well-rested (ha!) for.
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