So… did anyone go? What was it like? Here’s an interesting report from the Florida park via the Orlando Sentinal.
A DJ pumping out Ricky Martin and ABBA, among other dance tunes, kept a crowd on their feet in front of Cinderella Castle for the final few hours of Disney’s 24-hour Magic Kingdom event.
“One More Disney Day,” as the Walt Disney Co.dubbed the event, marked the first time the Magic Kingdom, as well as Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., remained open to guests for 24 consecutive hours — 6 a.m. Feb. 29 to 6 a.m. today.
Early this morning, visitors to the Magic Kingdom seemed either super-perky in that loud, bleary-eyed lack-of-sleep way — or zombielike. Some guests were seated along the curb on Main Street USA, staring silently into space as if they were waiting for a phantom parade to arrive.
Others gave out altogether: Guests were snoring in the big rocking chairs near the Country Bear Jamboree in Frontierland, and two were huddled, sound asleep, in a nook outside City Hall in Town Square.
(I also saw guests arriving for the 5 a.m. Hall of Presidents show but can’t say if they wanted to hear President Barack Obama speak — or just some comfy chairs for a catnap.)
One change in demographics: Far fewer children. Though there were plenty of strollers sighted at 6 a.m. Wednesday, when One More Disney Day began, children were few and far between in the crowd that exited the park at 6 a.m. today. I did notice three or four strollers being wheeled down Main Street USA at about 4 a.m. — all of the occupants fast asleep.
For those who had the energy, and there were plenty of them, the vibe was a friendly open house party. Many guests still sported the complimentary “One More Disney Day” Mouse ears that had been given to early arriving guests on Feb. 29. There was a good showing of folks wearing Disney’s commemorative t-shirt, sold in certain gift stores.
A trio of young women were in sleepwear and bathrobes (hey, it was good enough for Mickey and Minnie). In fact, many folk seemed to be roaming the park in pajama bottoms.
At 4:30 a.m. I was doing the hokey pokey and the electric slide with a bunch of guests, cast members and Br’er Rabbit from “Song of the South” in Frontierland. Most of the folks putting their left foot in (and taking their left foot out) with me, said they had been there since the 6 a.m. start time.
In front of the castle, stilt-walkers and dancers from the daily “Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It” parade — along with a sassy Daisy Duck, Donald and Goofy — were leading revelers in dance-floor staples such as “You Make Me Want to Shout” and the “Cupid Shuffle.”
Disney characters, who appeared throughout the night, proved their tried-and-true appeal. Although characters from “Tangled” were scheduled to greet guests until 5:30 a.m., guests had to be turned away, and at 5:45, Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder were still trying to wrap things up with the guests who made it into line.
The crowd gathered for the final showing of “The Magic, The Memories and You” — at 5:30 a.m. today — was good-sized although nowhere close to the mob that packs the hub in front of the castle for the projection show during summer’s busy season.
By the wee hours, a lot of off-duty Disney cast members had mixed in with the guests — some told me they had joined the fun after their work shifts; a few hardy souls were stopping by before today’s shift began.
The dwindling numbers in the final stretch meant wait times for most rides were short (or nonexistent). The longest wait I encountered after 4 a.m.: 15 minutes for the notoriously slow-loading Astro Orbiter.
A longer wait would have been required in Main Street’s bakery — but seeing the dozens queued up, I passed.
And isn’t it human nature that no matter how long a park is open or how long your visit is, you just have to cram in one last ride in the final minutes? My friend and I did a quick jog across Fantasyland to board Peter Pan’s Flight at 5:58 a.m.
The ferry boat ride back to the parking lot gave the rare view of seeing the sky lighten to the east, behind the Contemporary Resort Hotel, as the rising sun tried to break through the morning fog.
And as Disney cast members substituted a cheery “Good morning” for their usual “Have a good night,” I heard two comments from guests that summed up the disparate moods of the bedraggled masses.
“Oh, thank God we can go home now,” sighed one mother. Meanwhile, a twentysomething-looking woman called out to a waving cast member, “Thank you for the best day of my life.”
