Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

So, this post has nothing to do with food, but I thought I'd tell you about my experience of being one of the firsts to experience a new attraction while I visited the Magic Kingdom. 

Shortly before my trip to Walt Disney World, it was announced that the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction would open on May 28th. I was excited, but a little bummed that the 28th would be the day we left Orlando and probably wouldn't be able to ride it. I kept hoping that it might be open early for guests or at least passholders. In the days leading up to the trip, I was looking for information on a passholder preview like they have had for new or refurbished Disneyland attractions. I couldn't find anything, but I still kept hope alive.

We arrived for our first day in the WDW parks on the same day as the 24-hour Rock Your Disney Side event. We began our day wandering around the Magic Kingdom. We walked around New Fantasyland and saw people riding the Mine Train ride. I already had it in my head that it must be cast member previews or something of that sort and kept walking. We came around to the side where the line started and my friend asked if maybe the ride was open. I said it might be some kind of special preview, but we could ask and find out. It looked like people were just walking up and getting in line. As we walked up, we realized that it was in fact OPEN!!! We quickly hopped in line, and then we saw that a cast member was holding a sign stating that the wait time was 120 minutes. That's a long time to spend in line, but it was a new attraction so probably worth it, right?

I was just excited that we would actually get to ride it. While waiting in line, it seemed to keep moving and we overheard someone saying that they had already been on the ride and that the wait time was incorrect. They had only waited about 15 to 20 minutes. Great news!

 There was barely time to check out the interactive queue. 

This is a game that looks like a river with jewels floating down. There are trays on the side that you have to place them in by matching the right color and shape. 

When you enter the mine, there are barrels full of more jewels and gems. They project an image on the ceiling.

 

If you spin the barrels fast enough, the corresponding dwarf appears on the ceiling.

If you spin all 7 barrels at the same time, Snow White appears on the ceiling as well. It definitely made waiting in line a lot of fun. Soon we were riding on the mine train.

I thought the ride so much fun. As always, I loved all the details that the imagineers incorporate in the attraction. The ride is very smooth and the new audio-animatronics are awesome. 

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is a must when you visit the Magic Kingdom!

Croissant Donut in Epcot

Hello all! I had such a great time on my vacation to Walt Disney World in Orlando. There is so much to see, do, and eat! Our time was limited, but we managed to do quite a bit. Since today was (or still is for a little longer), National Donut Day, I'll share something that can be found in Epcot.

Epcot is one of the 4 WDW theme parks. This park has 2 main areas which are Future World and World Showcase. We spent a lot of time in World Showcase. There you can travel to 11 different countries and experience a bit of their cultures and cuisine. It is FOODIE HEAVEN! 

Before embarking on my WDW trip, I did a little reading on some of the different foods offered there. One of the things I really wanted to try was the croissant donut. I've heard so much about the Cronut craze, but never got the chance to try one. I couldn't pass it up while I was there. 

As you enter World Showcase there is an area called Showcase Plaza. This is where you find Refreshment Port which sells croissant donuts as well as chicken nuggets with fries, soft-serve ice cream, and a variety of beverages. 

 The croissant donut looks just like a big donut that is covered in cinnamon and sugar.

After biting in to it, you can see all the layers of dough like a croissant, but it is fried and coated like a donut. It's the best of both worlds. It was a very enjoyable snack for $4.49. Not bad. If only I didn't have to travel so far to get another one.