Taking a Late Night at Magic Kingdom

June 3, 2024 Kungaloosh Radio

One of the best parts of being a local is that you can pop in at any time at the parks. Since this Saturday might that Magic Kingdom was open until 11, we decided to stop by and check things out.

We were on a few missions. One look at the new Tiana area. We heard word that Cast Previews were happening.

The second was to try out the Desert Pear Frozen Lemonade at Tortuga Tavern. There’s been rumblings that it is the same as the Violet Lemonade from the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot.

So first things first…snacks. We kicked things off with the eggs rolls from the Adventureland Egg Roll cart. You can get two cheeseburger rolls, two pepperonis, or one of each. We went with the combo.

The egg rolls were good as always, but that price ($9.25) is a little steep. Next, getting the Desert Pear Frozen Slush was a process. I first go up to order one, and the machine is down. As we were snacking on the egg rolls, I’m seeing people with the drinks, so I go back to window. A big group of seven people in front of me all ordered the drinks, but the cashier assumed me that I could still get one.

From here on, I waited over 20 minutes for the Cast Members to put in the flavored water and turn on the machine to freeze the slush.

The party of seven asked for a refund, but I was staying there to try out this drink. After finally get my drink, I tried it. Nope, it didn’t taste like the Violet Lemonade at all. It was good, but no way that was a copycat drink.

After that ordeal, we moved from Tortuga Tavern to the new Tiana area. The walls had been up for almost a year. It was nice to see the ride in operation too.

There was a new sign for the “Critter Co-Op” replacing the former Briar Patch.

And if you peaked into the windows, you could see all the little vignettes. I’m so glad they kept these.

I also wanted to check out the Smellephants on Parade. Basically, you have a scavenger hunt to find the different elephants with various scents (hence, why they’re called Smellephants) around Storybook Circus. You don’t get a “prize” at the end. If you want to know more, check out this post.

And when near Big Top Souvenirs, you have to check out the sweet treats.

Somehow, a cupcake was purchased.

And since, you cannot live on sweets alone. We split the Triple B Burger at Cosmic Ray’s.

Now it’s time to check out Tiana’s at night. I really like all the lightning package.

So during this time, I decided to hit all the attractions while everyone else watched Happily Ever After. I went on Peter Pan’s Flight, The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean. So, I needed something to cool down.

One of my favorites is the I Lava You float. It has Orange Dole Whip, Fanta Strawberry soda, and pop rocks. A definite must-have on a hot night.

I barely finished this when I saw that Jungle Cruise was 5 minutes! You bet I ran over there. It was a walk-on. The only waiting was for the boat to pull up. I had a great time, the boat was filled with a few off-duty CMs, so everyone was laughing and having a good time.

So, with 5 minutes until close, I booked it to the PeopleMover. Maybe not the best while loaded up on Dole Whip, but I made it.