[USA Trip] Best Day 03 in Magic Kingdom, Orlando + Returning back to NYC

Both Baby and I are a huge fans of Disney Parks, and visiting, and visiting Walt Disney World (WDW) was a dream come true for us! 

Due to the limited time we had in Orlando, we could only focus on 2 of the 4 WDW parks - Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. The cost of a standard 2-day park ticket for the 2 of the parks was almost a 4-digit amount after conversion to SGD. Compared to Tokyo, Hong Kong and Paris, this was the most expensive Disney Park ticket that we’ve ever bought! 

WDW is different from other Disney parks, hence I'd strongly recommend doing research before going! We downloaded the Disney World app to plan our day.

Good morning, Orlando! Baby went down to the cafeteria at Pop Century Resort to pick up an American breakfast for us before heading to the Magic Kingdom! 

We waited for about 10-15 minutes before boarding the complimentary shuttle bus. The park officially opened at 9am, and we arrived at around 930am, the entrance crowd was decent and acceptable.

The security control was done very efficiently. We scanned our QR code ticket via our e-wallet to enter the park! 

Magic Kingdom is definitely the most iconic Disney World Park! It was a scorching day, with the temperature well over 29°C! It was the sunny and bright weather, perfect for photos with Cinderella's Castle, the central attraction of Magic Kingdom! It was the biggest castle I ever seen as compared to the other Disneyland Parks! 

On a priority basis, we headed straight to the Tron Lightcycle Run once we entered the park! We were lucky, as we only waited for less than 40mins to get on the ride! I LOVED IT! 

We decided to skip ‘It's a Small World’ because we've both tried it before in Hong Kong, Paris, California & Tokyo! We did the same for Peter Pan's Flight, as we had also tried it before at the Paris and California parks. It was a very popular ride and the line was always long. I enjoyed this dark ride, and I certainly would have rode it again, if the wait was short.

We decided to try the Winnie the Pooh ride, even though we had done it numerous times before, as we just wanted to escape the hot weather! Most importantly, the wait was relatively short 20 minutes. Same for Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger.

We were delighted that the wait time for Under the Sea, Journey of the Little Mermaid was only 15 minutes, hence we headed straight there! We enjoyed the dark boat ride! 

We also went to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride too, as the wait time was just merely 20mins. I was kinda disappointed that it was not the updated version which I experienced before at Disneyland Park, Anaheim. Nevertheless, it was still a classic!

I also enjoyed the Tomorrowland Speedway which was very similar to the Autopia ride we took in California. This ride is generally meant for kids who wanted to experience driving on a freeway. The wait time was only 20mins, so we decided to ride it. The course was long and winding and super fun! Hahaha, it's a pretty cheap thrill but who cares! 

We also watched the parade, but it was really short though, hence it was a great opportunity to get close to my favourite characters!

We also had a longer sit-down lunch at The Plaza Restaurant. It is considered one of the most affordable table service restaurants at the Magic Kingdom, and it's located at the end of Main Street USA.

We wanted to start off with Today’s Soup (Soup of the Day) and the Onion Rings. We loved the crispy and delicious onion rings very much! 

I loved my main entree - Chipotle Barbeque Pork Sandwich. 

The meal was simple and delicious, and the service was efficient, so we didn’t have to wait too long between courses which I appreciated! 

If you are looking for a sit-down meal at a surprisingly reasonable price, Disney’s The Plaza Restaurant just might be the choice for you. Reservations are highly recommended, although it is also possible to score a spot on the walk-in list.

The longest line we waited for was the newest attraction at the Magic Kingdom - Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. We waited almost an hour under the unforgiving sun! The ride is about 9 minutes long, so there’s a solid payoff for the time we have spent in line. 

It was a dark ride with… a 50-foot rapid big drop. If you’re used to drops on roller coasters, be prepared for a surprise as I felt that it was even more intense, as there was no friction from the track, hence it made it faster. It was definitely steep enough to make your stomach drop, but the bright side is that it happens so fast, it'll probably be over before you notice it. If you are afraid of rides, you might want to think twice, as the famous 50-foot drop that you can view from outside is not the only drop on the ride! 

My take for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is that it is not a 10/10 ride, but it’s still very good! 

We decided to queue for the Haunted Mansion ride as well, and while the wait time was staggered at 35minutes, we felt that we waited more than that! It was a fun and classic dark ride! 

We took the shuttle bus back to our hotel before the fireworks ended just to beat the crowds! Our time was well-spent at the Magic Kingdom Park. Baby ordered our dinner via UberEats, and he picked it from the hotel lobby. We had our dinner in our room to conclude my last night in Orlando! 

This trip was worth every penny, and I’m so thankful we were able to go on it. Bucket-list fulfilled! Now that we’ve back in Singapore, I’ve been feeling the post-Disney blues, and I really want to go back and do it again and stay longer in Orlando if I ever come back! 

The next day, after breakfast, we walked around the resort area to take more photos before heading back to our room to prepare for our check out. We waited at the lobby for our transfer back to the airport via MEARSconnect.

At the airport, we had a quick lunch before boarding. We took the afternoon flight with Delta back to New York La Guardia Airport. 

Orlando International Airport is filled with many Disney retail stores. We found many Disney related posters all over the airport premises as well as a great art exhibition. I am happy and thrilled we meet up with the famous ‘The Traveller’ a.k.a ‘The Sleeping Man’ by artist Duane Hanson. This sculpture has been part of MCO airport's public art collection since 1985, and it's located at level 3 at Terminal A.

Nice to meet you, ‘The traveller’ who fell asleep for decades at the Orlando International Airport. He gave me some goosebumps, as the closer I looked at him, the more realistic the sculpture started to feel….it felt like he was going to wake up at any moment! 

To me, I was amazed by the hyper-realistic artwork, but at the same time, it was also the creepiest feeling and weirdest experience I had ever had! 

The flying time was almost 3 hours. Upon reaching La Guardia Airport, we took the complimentary shuttle bus from the airport to Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave Station which is located at Queens. From there, we took the Metro (F Line) to 42 St-Byrant Park then walked for about 3 mins to our hotel. This whole journey was under 40mins. We rechecked-in back to the Luma Hotel Times Square. 

For the night, we walked about 15-20mins from our hotel to the Beast & Butterflies Restaurant & Rooftop Bar at the M Social Hotel for dinner. 

The server was not the greatest, but the ambiance was incredible, and the views were amazing! The food and vibes created a memorable experience for us! 

The restaurant only accepts reservations for indoor dining only. The rooftop bar area is for walk-ins and hotel guests. Like us, we had a reservation, but we could step outside to have the great view of Times Square!

If you’re looking for a fun and delicious dining experience, it was definitely the place to go and enjoy a romantic dinner or unwind after a day of sightseeing. It has a great view of Times Square.

I ended my night at Times Square! Stay tuned to my food recommendations in NYC on my next post!