A pretty good time to visit Disney

August and September have been pretty fun at Disney. The crowds are lower now so we are going twice a week, to enjoy everything before the crowds come back!

At the Magic Kingdom we could go anywhere we wanted: Big Thunder Mountain Coaster, Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise, Buzz Lightyear Ranger Spin, Under the Sea, Carousel of Progress, People Mover, and It's a Small World. We even went on the Tomorrowland Speedway; I've always wanted to go  but didn't want the long wait (glad I didn't wait a long time - it was not that good). 

The newly painted Cinderella Castle looks great to me, although Randy preferred it as it used to be. 

There are no meet-and-greets with Characters now. Characters stand behind a rail or go by in a carriage or boat, but children cannot hug them any more. So sad. There are no parades anymore, either; occasionally one float goes by with a few people clearing the way before it. 

Over at Animal Kingdom, Avatar is an amazing ride that usually has a line of almost 2 hours, so we don't go. This time the line was so short, one day we went on it twice!

The Lion King show is finally back, but with some changes. There are a lot less cast members because everyone has to be at least 6 feet apart. And the great acrobats who played the parts of monkeys are gone - too bad, they were the best part.

There are a lot of new babies this year.  In June a baby boy giraffe was born. He's already striding around the Savanah like he owns the place.

A new baby hippo was born  in July. She enjoys basking in the water but it's hard to get a photo of her, surrounded by her big family members. 

Just one day later a Western Lowland Gorilla had a baby girl! Now she can sometimes be seen playing in the straw next to her napping mother. 

Her dad was napping nearby, too.

And in January a baby White Rhino boy was born. He keeps close to his mama for now. 

Kilimanjaro Safari has benefited from the lower crowds - we are seeing more animals.

Even lionesses have shown up. They sleep between 16 and 20 hours a day so it's rare so see them, especially during the hot part of the day. 

Ar Epcot we got on Test Track, Soarin, Mission Space, and Frozen Ever After. The nightly fireworks change in October so we went in September to see the interim show before it is replaced. They are beautiful and long, but just fireworks - can't wait to see what's in store next. 

Over at Hollywood Studios the Beauty and the Beast show is back but, like the Lion King show, everyone has to stay 6 feet apart. That makes the scenes a lot thinner. 

Fortunately they haven't changed the Tower of Terror - it's still the best ride in any of the parks! 

And we finally got on the Rise of the Resistance! When it was a virtual queue, the queue always filled up too fast. Now you wait in line, and in the evening this month that was doable. It's a great combination of amazing graphics and visually stunning sets, starting with a phalanx of silent Storm Troopers. 

These guys are the First Order's version of Buckingham Palace guards - they just stand there. My very own rebel used them like a backdrop!

Next we got an inspirational greeting from a hologram of Rey, before boarding a passenger vehicle captained by a marvelous animatronic Lieutenant Bek. 

Our ship got shanghaied by the First Order but some fearless Resistance fighters freed us and sent us on a chase through First Order headquarters, including under some mighty AT-ATs. 

There are a lot of explosions but fortunately they take place outside, to be viewed from the safety of our safe. 

Good ride! Not worth standing in line for 2 hours, but since we didn't have to wait that long, we went on it twice!