Spontaneous Magic: A Day of Unexpected Adventures at Disney World
Day 3
Day 3 was yet again supposed to be another early morning. Animal Kingdom had early entry starting at 7:30am, which meant we had to be at the Wilderness Lodge bus depot by 7am. The alarm went off at 6am to which I was told to shut it off and go back to bed. I didn’t argue. Instead, we spent the morning and early afternoon down by the pool. The new game plan was to spend the day at the pool, head to dinner at Disney Springs, close out Animal Kingdom, and then finish the night at the Magic Kingdom.
We made our way to Disney Springs around 3pm to give ourselves enough time to do some shopping and hit up Gideon’s Bakehouse. I was surprised to see that there wasn’t much of a line outside of Gideon’s. We waited at most ten minutes before we were inside the store. The kids got a cookies and cream and the Peanut Butter Cold brew cookie. Heidi and I split the Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip. If you have never been to Gideon’s, it’s worth trying at least once the cookies are fantastic.
After some shopping, we made our way to Homecomin’ for our dinner reservation. They are known for their fried chicken which is what Heidi and I split. One of the kids got the tenders and the other got the chicken and dumpling soup. The food at Homecomin’ doesn’t disappoint. The only problem was we ordered way too much food and now were stuffed.
To save time after dinner, I ordered a Lyft to Animal Kingdom. This way we didn’t have to go from Disney Springs to a Resort and then to Animal Kingdom. We got out of the Lyft at exactly 5:30pm which meant we had exactly 1:30 until park close at 7pm. The kids love Expedition Everest, so we make our way in that direction. Posted wait time was twenty minutes but it only took us about fifteen. Once off the ride we got back in line and did it again. We rode it twice in under thirty minutes.
Riding the high of escaping the yeti not once, but twice, we made our way to Africa to hop on the Kilimanjaro Safaris. The only wait here was the walk all the way back to the boarding station. This was the first time I’ve ridden the Safari this late in the evening as I usually do it early in the morning. I saw less animals than I normally do, as I feel like some of them were already put away for the evening. Many of the enclosures had cast members in them cleaning them out. It was still fun, but I prefer riding the Safari in the morning.
With Animal Kingdom now closed, we made our way out of the park to the bus stop. This is where our bus issues this trip began. When we got the Wilderness Lodge bus stop there were already a few people waiting meaning to me that it’s been a few minutes since a bus has been there. I thought that one should soon be arriving. I was wrong. We must have waited thirty minutes before a bus finally arrived.
We finally got back to Wilderness Lodge with about an hour to relax in our room before heading to Magic Kingdom for our Tron Lightning Lane. Up in the room the kids chilled out and Heidi and I played a game of cards out on the balcony. Soon enough it was time to head to Magic Kingdom.
Magic Kingdom was open until 12:00am for deluxe guests this evening. We arrived just as the fireworks were going off. Its always so cool to see them from the boat when approaching the Magic Kingdom. We made our way through the firework crowds and to Tron by 9:40pm. Luckily, I booked the Lightning Lane because the virtual queue line was backed up way past the umbrellas they have out. The wait for us was around twenty to twenty-five minutes, so I can’t even imagine how long it would have been if we didn’t have the Lightning Lane.
The plan after Tron was to do Space Mountain but the wait on Space Mountain was still up there, so I called an audible and we were on our way to Buzz Lightyear. I love the Buzz Lightyear ride. I wouldn’t wait for it, but I do love it. There was no wait and we hopped right on. For the second time ever, I was able to get Galactic Hero. I made my way over to the counter in the gift shop to pick up my sticker and the cast members swore me in as a Galactic Hero.
Now it was time to make our way over to Adventureland. Jungle Cruise must not be included in the extended hours as it was closed, so we made our way down to Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates was a walk on, and then it was on to Big Thunder Mountain. We tamed the wildest ride in the wilderness and moved on to the Haunted Mansion. Yet another walk on and we hustled back to Tomorrowland to try and get another ride in before midnight. The kids had never done the Astro Orbiter, so that is how we chose to end our night at the Magic Kingdom.
Day 3 may not have gone as initially planned, but it turned into an unexpectedly delightful adventure. After a relaxing morning by the pool, our exploration of Disney Springs was highlighted by a sweet visit to Gideon’s Bakehouse and a hearty meal at Homecomin’. The evening at Animal Kingdom was a thrill, with back-to-back rides on Expedition Everest and a unique nighttime Safari experience. Despite a minor hiccup with the bus, our night culminated in an enchanting visit to Magic Kingdom, where we enjoyed fireworks, conquered Tron, and celebrated a Galactic Hero victory on Buzz Lightyear. We rounded off the night with classic rides, including Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, before taking a spin on the Astro Orbiter. Sometimes, the best days are the ones that go off-script, creating magical memories that last a lifetime.
Day 1 First Class to Campfire: A Magical First Day at Disney’s Fort Wilderness
Day 2 Wilderness Lodge Welcome, Magic Kingdom Mania, and Culinary Delights at Disney Springs
