If you missed our first installment, click here!

I mentioned in part 1 just how low the crowds were for our early September Disney World trip. When initially planning out what we were going to do while at WDW, I had planned to do some itinerary research days. That basically means that I’d get to a park in time to rope drop and see how likely it was to fit in everything I recommend in our 1-day plans. After a day and a half of seeing the low crowds I knew that ‘research’ wouldn’t tell me a lot. So instead, along with a colossal amount of eating for reviews, I kind of just did whatever I wanted to at the parks.

Melissa had gone back to work in the room after lunch so I took a bus over to the Riviera. Doing what I wanted to do meant taking the Skyliner to a park! After grabbing some iced tea, I boarded the Skyliner and rode off to Hollywood Studios. I was shocked to see low wait times in the app, even with the low crowds. I don’t know the last time I’d been in that park midday and found lower wait times across the board. I walked onto Toy Story Mania before heading toward Galaxy’s Edge.

The clouds had parted and it turned into a beautiful, hot day! Walt Disney World’s version of Galaxy’s Edge has a little more color, or at least a different color, than the one at Disneyland. I enjoy seeing the more yellow tone in the daylight. What I enjoy even more is when Rise of the Resistance is a 15 minute wait at 2:30 in the afternoon!

I followed that up with a near walk-on of Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and was feeling pretty accomplished! Three of Hollywood Studios’ 7 best rides done in a little over an hour? That could make even the grumpiest of Disney Parks bloggers smile.

I strode around for a few photos before settling in at MuppetVision 3D. Knowing full well that I might not have many more viewings of MuppetVision left, I wanted to make a point of seeing it whenever I could. Not that that’s different from what I usually do. I still really enjoy the show and watch it whenever I go into the park. This was just a more concerted effort. Haters can hate, but MuppetVision still rocks.

After another loop around the park, I exited for another Skyliner ride and more iced tea at the Riviera. If you have the refillable mugs, I believe that the Riviera is the only spot with freshly brewed iced tea. Melissa and I both make a point of stopping there when it’s warm outside. I guzzled down a drink and then went back to the bus stop to catch a ride to Disney Springs.

Waiting for the bus, I asked a nice couple if they would be okay if I sat on a bench beside them. They obliged and we started talking about photography, as they had noticed the large DSLR camera I was lugging around. Our conversation turned to travel shortly after and continued on as we boarded the bus. We talked for the next 25 minutes and I was grateful for the conversation. You know those unexpected meetings that perk up the rest of your day? I was walking with a bounce in my step for the rest of the night. My only regret was not asking them if they wanted to join Melissa and I for dinner!

Melissa had finished up work and boated over to Disney Springs. We met at Pizza Ponte, one of our favorite counter-service spots in the entertainment area. The pizza was good, as usual, just a touch on the greasy side and large slices. Our plan for the evening had been to grab dinner and then spend some time by the pool. As we were eating, the rain clouds rolled in though and it started pouring.

The next 40 minutes were spent trying to dodge a downpour. We stepped into several little shops when the rain got especially bad. That included Amorette’s Patisserie to grab a dessert. I hid those cakes under my poncho as we walked back to the hotel! Once we made it back to the room, it looked as if we had taken that swim but fully clothed. Getting caught in a Florida downpour always makes for some exciting memories!

As I said in our Amorette’s Patisserie review, these iconic cakes are worthy of the hype. We ate them in between trying to see if the pool would open up. It did not. But we had a nice evening relaxing, reading and hanging out at the hotel. After some sleep and a morning of working, we were back at Amorette’s for lunch. The desserts are definitely the best thing here but we both liked the sandwiches pretty well too!

Once we finished up a little work that afternoon and walked around Saratoga Springs when it wasn’t pouring rain, we boarded a bus to Epcot. Our first stop was a ride on Spaceship Earth as it had little wait when we entered the gates. I’m very curious how much longer this iteration of Spaceship Earth will be around. I know the refurbishment plans were put on the backburner, or even just canceled, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some work is done here in the next 5 years.

We were able to ride so many attractions on that first day in Epcot that the second time through we mainly focused on shops and shows in World Showcase. Shopping for the two of us usually means that Melissa looks through the shops while I go a little quicker and then take some photos around the area. Here’s a few from that late afternoon.

It was a really fun afternoon, soaking in the details and shopping around the area. We stopped in for a showing of Reflections of China. I still love the look of that circle vision show, even if it is dated. The clouds threatened rain but mostly held off, and we were glad to have a reprieve from the sun. For the most part, that trip was hot but wasn’t overbearing.

During the Food & Wine Festival, the Morocco Pavilion hosted a lounge in the old Restaurant Marrakesh space. The lounge was free to get in if you followed a few quick steps. It also offered some drinks! I’m glad these spaces have continued to exist and it’s always nice to have a little perk to go along with a festival.

We made our way to the France Pavilion but didn’t stop in for long. Our dinner reservation at Cape May Cafe was coming up and we needed to walk over to the Beach Club. That’s a gorgeous walk, as you pass by the Skyliner and different boats. Old time Imagineers would smile about the kinetic energy matched with the sweeping views. Here’s a few photos!

Dinner at Cape May Cafe was very average, probably our worst meal of the trip. While I’ve come around on some Walt Disney World buffets, this hit all of my usual fears. The food wasn’t always hot, the seasoning was hit and miss and there wasn’t a standout main dish. We did like the desserts quite a bit though! Here’s a more thorough review of the restaurant.

Once we were stuffed full of seafood and Bon-Bons, we took a bus to Magic Kingdom. Just like the first night of our trip, the park was offering extra hours for those staying at a deluxe resort. We came into the park and immediately grabbed a spot for Happily Ever After. This was the strangest viewing of the show I’d ever experienced. The smoke lingered around the castle for a long time and definitely obstructed part of the firework views. I enjoyed the change but probably would have felt differently if it was my first time viewing the fireworks. I’m curious if any others have experienced smoke like that?

We booked it to Space Mountain after the fireworks and only waited for 10 minutes. By that time the park was near closing and our virtual queue for Tron (this no longer exists!) was available. We were able to ride the coaster several times on that trip, both in the night and day. I agree with the masses that the later the better. It was an odd feeling to basically walk straight onto to Tron. If you get the chance to attend these late hours, we highly recommend! Doubling that with a quiet time of year led us to getting a lot done.

Rain was starting to fall as we crossed the park to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We ended up with almost an entire train to ourselves as the ghosts pulled us through the mines. Luckily, the lightning had held off for the night so we were able to ride all of these coasters.

This was our first time in Magic Kingdom since Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened (it was available during those late hours) so we took some time to look around the area. You can see in the photo above just how hard it was raining though and that made it hard to last outside, even with ponchos! I seem to be in the minority in thinking that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure doesn’t look amazing at night. I do like the aesthetic more at Disneyland, but the lack of texture on top of the hill still bothers me. At some point the relation to Splash Mountain will fade away and then I’ll probably enjoy it more.

We moved along to another new (to us) attraction – Country Bear Musical Jamboree. I wrote a thorough review of the show and my complicated feelings toward it a few months ago so I won’t rehash that here. When just talking about the experience from that night, I’ll say that I didn’t have a good time. There was a bit of ‘I’m an old man, get off my lawn’ to my distaste. But I found the experience jarring, with all of these characters I love singing songs that didn’t seem to fit in. It didn’t help the experience that we saw it with very few people and I could not tell who this new show was made for. Thankfully, the following viewings helped me see Country Bear Musical Jamboree in a new light.

To cleanse the palate, and to dry off, we walked onto Haunted Mansion. Nothing lightens the mood like being threatened by an axe-wielding bride! I was pleased with that photo above, as photographing the ghosts can be hit and miss.

We exited Haunted Mansion, had 3 minutes before closing and hustled over to Peter Pan’s Flight. All in all, we fit in six marquee attractions into the late hours at Magic Kingdom. That’s pretty good for a 2 hour window, even if we were soaked to the bone! The good news is that all of the rain made for some pretty nighttime photos. Here’s a few of them!

We went to the bus stop, watched the water cascade off of the roof and then caught our bus back to the hotel. Staying out late in Magic Kingdom made for a really enjoyable night! We’ll pick up our next installment with a day in Animal Kingdom!

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