It’s a typical August day in Florida, hot and humid again with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Last night we were able to watch the floating light show, one of our favorites. The firework shows are happening again, as are the parades at the Magic Kingdom where we spent the morning. This year in October, Disney World will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of its opening.

Since a year ago, some of the pandemic precautions have been removed – no more plexiglass dividing rows in the theaters, no spots on the floor to note where you should wait to be socially distanced, no plexiglass in the lines where you weave back and forth, and no masks required outdoors. Where did all this pandemic stuff go?

To go into the parks still requires a reservation, however, you can now park hop after 2:00 PM. Previously you could not park hop at all. Slowly things are moving towards some sort of normal.

Mostly we just walk around the park and jump on a ride if the waits aren’t too long. After walking on the new walkway from the Grand Floridian to the Magic Kingdom, we arrive just after 9 AM, which is when the park opens. First stop, Pirates of the Caribbean – a wait of only 10 minutes.

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Next Thunder Mountain – where I take a couple of pictures of things that remind me of the real Silver Mine Tour in Wallace, Idaho last week. This is what makes Disney parks so fun, they take the real world and build it so artfully and “realistically” into their make-believe world.

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After two hours at Disney in the heat, we leave and drive over to Disney Springs for a little shopping and lunch. Steve’s birthday is tomorrow so he gets to do the shopping at the Columbia store. Lunch at Rick Bayless’s Frontera Concina restaurant is always good.

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We meet up with a friend who we learn is staying at the Bay Lake DVC property just across that lake from the Grand Floridian. He graciously agrees to meet for a drink at our hotel’s Enchanted Bar. Our dinner is at Narcoossee’s restaurant, Steve’s pick. After all, this is his Disney birthday trip!

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