Magical Express

The video shown on the bus now is awesome. It follows a gang of favorite Disney characters as they go through the things we’ll be going through upon arrival at our resort – luggage handling, check-in, Key to the World card, even cruise passenger check-in at the resort. Captain Hook and Smee are taking the cruise, apparently, in his continued quest to find Peter Pan. Chip and Dale have packed suitcases full of acorns – and are delighted to find that the turn-down service in their resort has left them gold-foil wrapped chocolate acorns.

My favorite moment, predictably, involves Stitch. In the segment where the narrator is talking about checking in, he mentions presenting proper identification – preferably not a Wanted poster like some people he could name. Sure enough, Stitch is at the resort front desk proudly handing the CM his own Wanted poster!

Overall it’s a fun video, and the 35-minute drive passes quickly. I’m used to the buses using the north exit from the airport and taking 528 east to I-4, but with the south departure, we’ve been on 417, so the drive is less familiar to me. As we get closer and closer to the World, the excitement builds in all of us.

And then I catch my first glimpse of a real, actual part of the resort – there’s Tower of Terror up ahead in the distance!

A minute or two later, we are rolling toward and under that glorious archway welcoming us to Walt Disney World. And I finally get a picture of it as we do.

Let’s see… On a Disney bus? Check. Past the welcome archway? Check. Just one more item… Ah, there it is. Purple road sign? Check!

We’re home.