Demand for tickets to the parks is so high to begin with, that you almost have to buy admissions before you ever arrive. But given that we were still in the throes of COVID-19, the parks were lowering the number of people admitted to the parks each day, making it even more imperative that you buy tickets well in advance to guarantee you'll be admitted when you want to go there.
I did a little less picture-taking on this second visit to Magic Kingdom, but I found that I really liked a lot more of the second-visit shots that those I took during the initial visit. And ... it was on this second visit that I decided to try the Space Mountain ride, which I'd passed up on the first visit. As I mentioned in the previous post on the Magic Kingdom visit, I'm glad I tried it ... but I wouldn't do it again.
As always, to view a larger, sharper version of an image, simply click on it. To view a full gallery of images from the second visit to Magic Kingdom, click on the link in this sentence.
Above and below: We tried the Dumbo ride on this visit. It's certainly no Space Mountain, but then ... I was perfectly OK with that.
Above: Ornamentation above the Dumbo amusement ride.
Above and below: All I'll say is that I do like to photograph interesting signage. And no, we didn't dine at the Tortuga.
Br'er Rabbit (above and closeup in the first image below), shilling for Splash Mountain. This was an inanimate Br'er. In the second photo below, a real person inside a bear outfit waves to visitors from a balcony perch overlooking the pedestrian thoroughfare. I'm not up on all my Disney characters, but I believe the bear is Jamboree Bear.
Above: A tree-branch framing a butte-like rock formation.
Above and below: Water again integrated into the composition, this time on a Magic Kingdom ride that I think was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller-coster.
Above and below: A couple of unusually serene scenes in an otherwise hectic, and high-traffic theme park.
Above is the start of yet another spontaneous parade, and this time, Goofy (next two images below) stars as the featured Disney character.
Above: An egret (I think), enjoying a perch on an upper-level balcony to catch some quiet time.
Above: This "exhibit" (for lack of a better description) stands alone in the middle of the thoroughfare. It is close to an Old West restraining stocks that visitors could place themselves into for souvenir photos, but still ... with no explanation that I could find in and around whatever it was supposed to represent, I had to wonder.
Above: Just a building that caught my eye, probably because of the conal roof formations.
Above: If I may borrow the title (and lyric) of a 1970 Cat Stevens song (from the "Tea for the Tillerman" album), this guy appears to be "on the road to find out."
Above and below: Perspective and closeup shots of the lantern of Aladdin at this Magic Kingdom attraction.
Above and first two below: Sculptures I came across near the end of the day.
I provided a couple Cinderella's Castle pictures in the first post (in Part I). But I felt I'd be remise if I tried to close a post from the second visit without at least more nod to the park's centerpiece structure (above). And if you've forgotten and/or are unable to figure it out, at the left is a statue of the late franchise founder Walt Disney holding hands with his first animated creation, Mickey Mouse. Below, a statue of Minnie Mouse atop one of the concrete pillars surrounding a nearby plaza.
Above: There were staffers shilling balloons near the Main Street entrance again.
Just before leaving for the day, I was seated on the curb alongside Main Street waiting for family to return from getting beverages nearby. Yet another spontaneous parade materialized as I waited. It include characters from the Winnie the Pooh/Christopher Robin franchise (that's Piglet above), followed by a marching band. I conclude below with five photos of the instrumentalists and marchers. The enthusiasm and smile on the face of the drummer (in the penultimate image), in turn, made me smile. The photo was taken just as he caught the drumstick at the end of a quick flip.
Rather than ride the monorail again to return to the parking lot, we elected to sample the alternative ferry boat trip there (above) across Seven Seas Lagoon. Admiral Joe Fowler was at the helm. The first photo below is our view of the departing shore just as we pulled away across the lagoon. The second and third photos below are perspective and closeup views of one of the Disney resort hotel complexes along the water.
Next up: Harry Potter section at Universal Studios
Previously in the series:
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