Wednesday 2 January - Magic Kingdom (Disney World)

Early start - alarm had Jessica waking us all up at 6am with the plan to be on the road by 7am. Almost made the deadline except for a last minute panic when Jessica could not locate her Disney Park Pass. All well when Alison located it in one of the myriad zippered pockets of Jessica's jacket which had last been worn on the cold day at Epcot.

Traffic heavier on the I-4 route to Disney World - working day for the workers does make a difference to traffic in and out of Orlando. Still arrived at Magic Kingdom in good time and parked in the Heroes Car Park (Simba section) and then walked back up the car park to the free trolley shuttle that takes visitors to and from the car parks. The trolley drops off at a ticketing and transportation area where one then has to take either a monorail or boat to the Magic Kingdom which can be seen across a large lake. Two rides and we still had not entered the park!

We took the boat ride and were dropped off a short walk from the entry gates. Passes worked including our finger print scan and we were inside the wonderful world of dreams that is the Magic Kingdom. Philip was wearing his Jack Sparrow Hat, Alison had on her newly purchased history of Minnie cap and both Jessica and Philip were sporting their Disney lanyards and collector pins. All three members of the party were in summer attire of shorts and t-shirts. Philip and Alison wearing their 2012 Christmas T-shirts from Disneyland in Anaheim.

What ride should be tackled first - Pirates of the Caribbean of course so it was off to Adventureland. The ride did not seem to be as good as our memories of the same ride in Anaheim or Tokyo. Lighting was poor. After the Jack Sparrow treat it was on to the River Adventure cruise with continuous lame jokes from our host on the river boat.

Across the park to Tomorrowland, breakfast of popcorn and a ride on Buzz Lightyear for Jessica and Philip while Alison sat minding bags and trying to shake off a headache. It was a good decision on Alison's part as the wait in the lead up to the ride was lengthy and the noise of continued drum tapping would not have helped her headache. Jessica and Philip both thought that the ride which requires each rider to fire laser guns at targets was not as responsive as it has been at previous parks. Then a visit to the Carousel of Progress ride which Walt Disney had designed for a world fair in the sixties and used a theatre which revolved around four home settings using animatronic characters. It traced the changes that have happened in our homes and lifestyle since 1900. All thought that it was quite well done and entertaining. Of course the fact that there was a dog in every scene had nothing to do with this!

Through then to Fantasyland and by this stage the crowds were truly beginning to build. Looked at a few shops and walked past rides before heading to the steam train which circuits the park. Off the train back in Frontierland to find somewhere to buy something to eat. The food options at Disney World are nowhere near as good as Universal Studios or Epcot. We ended up with turkey sandwiches (hamburger buns again), fried potato crisps, apple wedges and a drink to share in the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon.

A short walk from there to Liberty Square and a visit to the Hall of the American Presidents. Quite an inspiring (if you were American) show in the theatre narrated by Morgan Freeman and using animatronic versions of the presidents including a finale where all the presidents are on stage together and introduced in chronological order with a final speech from Barak Obama. Out of this show and we found a nice shady sitting spot on a wide garden edge where we decided to park ourselves and wait the considerable time until the 3pm street parade. (Jessica had given up her desire to stay for the later parades). Snacked on a Funnel Cake topped with strawberries and cream and thought all was well until we were informed that this area was in fact reserved for those in wheelchairs or EMVs - electric mobility vehicles. So we scooted across the road to another narrower garden edge and sat with the blazing sun beating down on us.

Philip's Jack Sparrow hat does not provide a lot of shade. Managed to move one garden bed down to score some shade from the Liberty tree and there we waited. A little girl sitting behind Philip reached out to feel his Jack Sparrow hair but was spotted by Alison and moved away in embarrassment!

Watched the parade which was not very long and of course being daylight did not have the same impact.

Then it was time for last minute shopping along Main Street, 

We farewell our last theme park in Orlando

on to the Monorail and back to the car park trolley to find our way back to the car. Home at the Homewood Suites in time for the start of the 5pm welcome home reception of salad, bread rolls, steakettes in gravy with mashed potato and a beer. Nice to be "home" and into the necessary packing for the next stage of our trip.