The Magic Lives On 💫
Many of you know that I recently visited Walt Disney World for the 50th Anniversary (October 1, 2021). Never in a million years would I have imagined that we would be living through a pandemic when I booked this trip in Fall 2020, but I was thrilled to have the opportunity!
Planning My Trip
When I originally booked my trip, I was planning to stay at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. I booked as a solo traveller because I had an inkling that many of my Pure Magic Vacations family would want to tag along…and boy, was I right!
I had the opportunity to travel with Carolyn DeBlieck, Marie Radasso and Jennifer Sime, three senior agents whom I’ve looked up to since starting with Pure Magic Vacations in July 2019. Upon further discussion and cost analysis, we decided to “upgrade” our experience and do a split stay between Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort (some of the ladies had never stayed there, whereas I had) and Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, which would be a NEW experience for me.
As any avid Disney fan knows, waiting for a Walt Disney World vacation is one of the hardest parts of the process, but through a pandemic, online learning and a home move, surprisingly, the days flew by and the next thing I knew, it was finally time to fly “home.”
Headed to My Castle “Home”
Living in Niagara, I normally fly out of Buffalo, NY (being a border city we have the luxury), but because of the US/Canada border being closed, I flew out of Toronto this time instead.
As soon as we landed, it was great to see the Florida sun, ride the airport monorail to the terminal, and even see the carpet that the Orlando airport is famous for.
Our first stop was Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort for the first two nights. The room wasn’t ready when we arrived, so we walked around, took some pictures and went over to Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto for some drinks (non-alcoholic for me as I don’t drink). Make sure you check out this Polynesian-themed bar and its unique drinks (it even rains in there!).
After Trader Sam’s, we were able to check in to our room. We had a great view of Cinderella Castle and could hear the horns of the ferry boats headed to and from the Ticket and Transportation Center, which is conveniently just steps away from the Polynesian.
My Days Exploring the Parks
We spent the next few days park hopping between Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and EPCOT (and even got to see the premiere of HarmonioUS, EPCOT’s new nighttime show).
Finally the BIG day arrived—October 1 (Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary)! We heard the park would be opening early and busses would start running at 5:30am, and because we had park reservations, we knew we were guaranteed entry. Our main purpose for being there was just to be experience the magic of being there 50 years to the day of Walt Disney World opening.
We arrived at Magic Kingdom shortly after 7am and headed right to Jungle Cruise, since we all wanted to experience this newly refreshed and enhanced attraction.
There were long lines that day—not for many of the attractions, but for the limited edition merchandise! To be honest, I wasn’t drawn to all of the merchandise, but with the help of another friend, Caitlyn Haas, I was able to snag a 50th Anniversary pin as a keepsake.
This was one of the best days of my life! While we expected shoulder to shoulder walls of people, we were pleasantly surprised that most of the rides were practically walk on, and we even rode several attractions twice. We left the park early that night since we didn’t want to be caught in the madness of people trying to watch Magic Kingdom’s new nighttime spectacular Enchantment for the first time that evening.
We spent our last full day at EPCOT, and then jetted back to Magic Kingdom that evening to enjoy a few more attractions and take in the magic of the Enchantment fireworks and projection show at Cinderella Castle, a perfect visual treat for our final night.
The Cast Members Truly Make the “Show” 💭
One of the best parts of a Disney vacation is the cast members, and how they will go out of their way to make memories for you. One of my favourite memories from this trip happened as we were leaving the Magic Kingdom one night.
Because we were staying at the Polynesian (located directly across Seven Seas Lagoon from Magic Kingdom), we decided to take a boat back at night. As soon as we boarded, the skipper kept things light by thanking us for riding with him and not the “mono-fail.” From there, the jokes and light-hearted entertainment continued on our “voyage.”
As we neared the resort, the skipper told us about some of his favourite donuts, and then to our surprise, he did donuts in the lake and started some playful “horn wars” with other boats nearby!
And, I almost forgot to mention one other cast member anecdote! On the day of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, we had a reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern in Magic Kingdom, but because we had a late lunch at Pecos Bill, I wasn’t hungry, so I chose to walk around the park, people watch and take some pictures (one of my favourite things to do when I have a bit of solo time).
When I headed back to meet my party, they were still eating (but almost at dessert). Their server was super friendly, offered me a drink (served in a to-go cup) and then even brought an extra fork for me to enjoy the dessert with my friends. She joked that I was just in time to pay the bill, and when it came time to bring it out, she presented it to me. Somehow, my friends suckered me into paying it—here’s hoping I can “write it off!” 🤪
Comments