Tuesday Dec. 6
I’m up at 8 a.m. and my joints are still stiff from the all the physical exertion yesterday. But I am bound and determined to hit my first Disney park today, and so I choose the Magic Kingdom. But first, breakfast, which is a smoothie and a bacon and cheese omelet with one piece of toast and coffee. I also attempt to find a local produce market online, and the only one I find is Clemon’s Produce, which is way north of Orlando, the opposite way I’m headed today, so I instead go to Orange World in Kissimmee, where I got citrus last year. I’m pretty sure the big markets like Publix, Super Target, and Walmart have put most of these local specialty markets out of business. It’s a shame, but that’s the reality of the economy. I will try Clemon’s later on when I headed more in that direction. So I go to Orange World and buy a bag each of red grapefruit and navel oranges. There’s 14 grapefruit at $7.50, so that comes out to about 54 cents each. The grapefruit at Publix cost $1 each, and are shipped from God knows where, so I’m pretty happy about my little foray into the world of “buy local.”
I get to the Magic Kingdom at 11 a.m., and there is a new building open right inside the park (it was still under construction last winter) with two “attractions,” one called The Magic of Mickey Mouse, and other having something to do with a princess, and the wait times are posted on the Magic attraction as just 10 minutes. So like a dummy, I stand in line thinking I’m going to see a magic show or something. And as I get closer and closer, I realize that this is simply just a big “meet and greet” where you get your photo taken with Mickey and Minnie, and then pay for the privilege. The theme is "backstage with Mickey and his 'assistant,' Minnie," and there are magic show props all over the place. I finally asked a staffer what’s going on, and whether there is a magic show after the “photo shoot” and of course the lady looks at me like I am out of my mind. So I bail from the line, and a friendly cast member escorts me to an exit and informs me that if I ever want to exit an attraction, it's best to move "forward" rather than "backward" against the people standing in line. I want to tell him to move forward and kiss my ass for just wasting 20 minutes of my life I’ll never get back (yes, they lied on the wait time, too!), but I resist the temptation.
I walk around the park and catch a couple of the rides, including the Haunted Mansion, which is very much fun, and also Space Mountain, which is an indoor rollercoaster. I know Dawn will not be able to ride Space Mountain, so I have a little fun with that. I also take a ride on the “PeopleMover,” which I know Dawn will enjoy.
It’s lunchtime, and I want something a little more than one of the “quickservice,” places, so I check out the Plaza Café on Main Street, and am told they are not accepting “walk-ins” for dining; that service is limited to those who have made reservations. It’s 1 p.m., and the place isn’t even busy. So I don’t think it’s a matter of not having the table space. I believe it has come down to Disney calculating the exact number of staff they need, and the exact amount of food they need to order, based on reservations. So I exit the park and take the monorail to the Polynesian Resort, one of the Magic Kingdom resorts. I go to the Kona Café and get a very nice waiter by the name of George, and I order a teriyaki steak luncheon, served with sticky rice and Polynesian cole slaw. The steak is so awful that I send it back and get the breaded chicken breast luncheon instead. It’s OK, but doesn’t blow my socks off. But for dessert, I order their Kilauea torte, which is basically a chocolate volcano cake sitting in a mango sauce, topped with whipped cream and four fresh raspberries. All their desserts are made individually to order, so the torte comes to your table warm. And I order a Kona coffee to go with. The dessert is divine, and I tell George that the restaurant has redeemed itself, and that I will be back just for this dessert alone. I am informed that the Kilauea torte is probably their most popular dessert (especially for chocolate lovers) and that may people have come to call it the "Killer Whale" torte. George comps me on the coffee for the bad entrée. The bill comes to $20, and I leave him a $4 tip.
I hang around the Polynesian resort a while, and decide that I need to go back to the condo and nap. The simple fact is that I’m getting older, and I need to listen to my body. Missing the fireworks this evening at Magic Kingdom will be a shame, but there’s just no sense in wearing myself out. I get back to the condo around 3:30 or so and take a giant nap. The kitties are happy to see me, and nap with me the whole time.
I skip the workout tonight; it’s a big TV night anyway, and I don’t have a DVR to record my shows. I actually must do it the old fashioned way and watch them as they air. Can you imagine? I am still full from lunch, so skip supper. I have one of my Rheingold lagers, and it is delicious. I watch “Glee,” then pop a bowl of microwave popcorn and eat it while watching “Biggest Loser.” Now in case you have missed the irony in this, let me point it out to you: I have forgone my workout tonight to watch “Biggest Loser” and am watching the show while eating a bowl of corn cooked in vegetable oil and topped with melted butter. At least I eat it with a Diet Coke. The show goes until 11 p.m., and I hit the sack shortly after that. Despite the nap, I fall quickly asleep.
Expenses: $16 citrus at Orange World, $2 coffee at the Magic Kingdom, $24 lunch at Polynesian Resort. Total: $42.
Bruce
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