From The Tropics To The Wilderness

We. Live in Key West,Florida. Three years ago,we decided we had been away from WDW too long( since 1999). So we started to make an annual visit, staying at WL CL.
Over the last three years we taken the following tours/events- Keys To The Kingdom; Wild Afrika Trek; Pirates and Pals Fireworks Voyage( yes,we were the only adults without children there); The Magic Behind The Steam Trains; Behind The Seeds;this week- At Epcot- Future World and Candlelight Processional.
We have taken an evening carriage ride and an archery lesson at Fort Wilderness, taken a time out in rocking chairs on Tom Sawyer Island,been a Flag Family at WL, and our youngest,who will be 25 next month,was the last visitor to leave Discovery Island when he took the last week of Day Camp there ( River Country was still around also,when we could still swim in the lake).
Because we don't come with any of our 4 children/10 grandchildren due to their schedules,we can experience Disney a little differently than people with young children.
For this week,we decided to wing it more and not get too caught up in reservations.
We arrive a day early and stay at the Radisson so we can check in early,leave our bags with bell services and get a full day out of check in day.
The night before check in,we had dinner at Raglan Road and walked around DTD,oops,Disney Springs. It's fascinating to watch the changes taking place. We got to see the " launching" of an Amphibicar. I loved them when I was growing up,but they never really caught on. I still want one........
The food trucks now have their own little area,there is outdoor music everywhere and new stores popping up. Jock Linsey's Hanger Bar restaurant is open and we hope to eat there the end of the week. The Boathouse and Morimotos Asia looked crowded. The parking lots are gone and replaced with a parking garage for now.
Check in was 9am on Friday. We had breakfast at the WL Club Area and took the boat to MK. We were here last November,when the decorations were just going up. So it's nice to see it all completed. We showed up just as the horse drawn trolley show with singers/ dancers was starting. Soon after that,a show at the castle started also. In between those shows,we stopped by the Firehouse to pick up some Sorcerer Cards,then we walked through the Main St shops. We had been in the glass shop before,but somehow never noticed there's an entire glassblowing area in the back where you can see some of those artistic vases being created. No matter how often a person goes to Disney,there's always something new to discover!!
We hopped on the Riverboat and took a turn around the water,then headed over to the monorail to check out the redesigned Poly lobby. We stayed there in '99, which is another story for another day,filled with Pixie Dust. We were disappointed in the new lobby. We understood the possible need for more seating,but the big waterfall,with all those tropical plants,really helped transport you to another place. Now it looked like just another nice hotel lobby. This was the first time I downloaded the App, so I thought I would try it out. It was 12:30, so I was going to give making a reservation for lunch at Kona Cafe a try. The earliest I could get was 1:55. We looked through the shops until 1:00, and just thought we'd try our luck at checking in early. Only 20 minutes later we were called. Hey,the App works- not bad.
We headed back to MK and took the boat to WL,about 3pm. We never got the promised text concerning our room being ready,but we figured it was anyway, and yep,it was. One of the few rooms with a full view of the lake. Our dinner at Artist Point was terrific. Sean is a wonderful server.
My last thought at the end of our first day- I Can't Believe I Spent Hours At The MK and Forgot To Have
A Mickey Bar!!!!!!!!

Day Two- Taking Mosey To A New Level
Only three ressies today- a 10:00 FP for my most favorite ride- Toy Story. Can't wait until they expand it and make it longer. This was the first time DH beat me. My gun didn't seem to shoot every time. It was off a little. DH thought I was just fishing for an excuse.......
12:30 at 50's Prime Time Cafe- we usually ask for Elaine,but it was her day off- she always remembers to ask for the color of the soap when you return from the bathroom......We had a very nice young man from London who stayed in character,but wasn't in your face or over the top. It was also the first time in 3 tries that we were seated at a TV table. I used to think I know I've lived a long time when the clothes I used to wear to school are now considered Halloween costumes...but it's really a wake up call when I watch the loop of old shows on that little TV and can remember watching the originals, AND recalling all the actors names. When the Spin and Marty piece came up, I didn't realize how loud I said " I Have A Triple D Ranch T Shirt" until I felt the stares at the back of my head. I followed that up with a Hey Hon,Didn't You Have A Crush On Annette?" Spin and Marty weren't the only ones who noticed she was maturing a tad early.......50's Prime Time- a fun new experience for some,nostalgia for the rest of us. Oh,DH had the mystery meat( meat loaf) and I had the pot roast. I usually get the sampler,but I was wearing jean capris- you can't loosen a button and zipper in public. The peanut butter and jelly shake was as great as I remembered, sort of a meal in itself.
After lunch, we decided to mosey over to the Star Wars area that had taken over the animation area. There seemed to be a bunch of people walking to the spot where we had seen a presentation on animation last year. I asked a CM holding a light saber what was going on. He said if we went left,we would see a 10 minute movie about the making of Star Wars. If we went right,it was an interactive area. So we decided to see the movie first. There was no line. On the way in,you pass presentations on walls of original concept art for the new film. I took pics with my phone instead of my camera, so I could send them to a few grand kiddos right away. The film did show some clips of the new movie,but was mostly about how some of the people involved in it's creation felt about the Star Wars films. It was an enjoyable 10 minutes. Some people even clapped at the end. We filtered out into an area where you could go straight or down a few steps. There was a CM there directing people,so I asked her what was actually there,where should we go? She said, if we went straight,there was a room where there were a lot of stations to play actual Star Wars computer games, beyond that,items from the movies,behind glass and also characters walking around. If we went down the steps,on the left, we could get a picture with Chewbaca and if we went straight, a picture with Darth Vader. Since we're seeing the movie on the 17th,the day before it officially comes out( a perk because Disney owns Star Wars and has it in the theatre here),I thought getting a pic might get us in the mood. So it showed a 30 minute wait for Darth,so why not,let's do it. While on line,you get to see a showcase with various storm trooper helmets and a case with different characters light sabers. You don't notice so much how different they are until you see them up close. But this isn't just any character photo shoot. This is DARTH VADER,so the approach had an imagineers touch. You end up in front of these huge metal bay doors. When it's your turn,they open a little and a person asks how many. The CM on your side says the number and the doors open a little more,just enough to get through. You walk a short hallway that makes you feel as if you're walking in the actual ship. There's a photographer and two CM's,neither smiling or saying a word. The photographer says very flatly, to put my " cargo" against the wall. So I take off my cross body style purse and put it against the wall. I turn around and guess who is up against me! Yep, Darth. Thanks,DH for giving me no heads up,no warning. They picked someone purposely tall and imposing and it's effective,because I never breathed in that much air before AND held it. There was no where for me to go,so I had to wait for him to make the first move. He stepped back, turned his back and started to walk to the other side of the room,so DH and I positioned ourselves next to each other, thinking he would walk back and stand next to us. Well,nope. He walks back,but stops in front of us,with his back to us and silently,but strongly points to his left. So I move to his left and he points again,which confuses me( DH was hanging behind me,thinking whatever happens, I'll take the hit first). So,I turn to him and say, Careful,Darth,I AM YOUR MOTHER! Did you eat breakfast? Getting enough sleep? Who was that droid I saw you with last night? I hear DH say, Uh- Oh, and Darth turns sharply towards me. I hear one of the CM's quietly giggle and he turns sharply towards her and she stops. Then THE VOICE kicks in. I can't tell you what he said. It was pre- recorded,but definitely Darths voice. He stepped away, paced back and forth while speaking,then came back next to me and pointed at the photographer who started snapping away like you wouldn't believe. She caught a few shots of me looking at Darth like he told me I had a minute to live. In all the shots,DH is standing behind me smiling like it's a family holiday group shot,smiling away. I forgot to hand my camera to the photographer when I first came in,so I actually threw it to her and said,quick,just a couple please! Darth thought he was done with us,so this caused him to walk back and stare me down. DH is trying to get out a door that isn't a door,ignoring the actual,in bright red,exit sign over the real door. She threw it back to me, I grabbed my " cargo" off the floor pushed the door open and ran out. All in all, quite fun and intense at the same time. So we wandered into the area where they had various items behind glass- costumes,vehicle mock ups,weapons,etc. I took pics of it all. As I'm walking through this area,I get the sense I'm being followed. I turn around and it's one of those,I guess, maybe, sand creatures,wearing a brown hooded robe and all you can see are glowing eyes. Yikes! Another creature coming up on me???????? I back up into,yep,a Stormtrooper! With a weapon at the ready!! By now,I'm all jumpy and flinching at the slightest movement and I walk quickly into what turns out to be the shop area,but,of course,even this isn't a normal shop. By the way,on my way out,I turned around to make sure there wasn't anything following me,again,and I saw one of those small sand creatures hugging a little boy. Well,something not scary,finally. Anyway, I didn't understand at first why there were a couple of CM's standing around with IPads. Well, in the middle of the store, there is a display with about four or five very accurate costumes. They were actually for sale and the CM's were taking special orders just for those. I'm guessing they are on the expensive side. There were small scale models of characters you could buy,which were very beautiful and well made. Other Star Wars items too. I just wanted to leave at that point and un jittery myself. So who's following me out because it's a shift change? TWO Stormtroopers with their handlers. Enough!! Seriously!?hopped on the Great Movie Ride just to relax,got a few pics with DH and a Green Army Man Toy Story character,who was very funny, got a few Magic pics on the main drag- and then a few more pics with the photographer by the tree outside. Now, that was yesterday and I didn't look at any official photo pass pics until today and wouldn't you know- there was a surprise- a video!! Now the tree photographer never mentioned anything,not a word. I didn't bother to ask if he did any magic pics because I thought he was just doing tree pictures. But what a surprise I got this evening. There's a,about 5 second video, of the reindeer from Frozen,jumping into the picture with us,with lights wrapped around his antlers. He does a spin next to us and burps. So incredibly cute!! Then out of three pics,there's one with, is it Sven, standing next to us. What a terrific surprise!
We still had half a day left until our 7:30 ressies at Bluezoo,at the Dolphin. We have never eaten there and figured that would be our big expense for the week. So we hopped on the DHS boat and decided to go see the decorations at the Beach and Yacht club. The Yacht Club had a cute train set up,with a little cable car and snowman water tower. Then we walked over to the Beach club to see the gingerbread carousel. Very impressive! Very pretty! Can't imagine the amount of work that went into it! DH bought a bottle of wine in their gift shop that was going to be a surprise Christmas present for me. I say WAS for a reason. We decided to take the boat to Epcot and then the monorail to MK,then the boat back to WL to change for dinner. Well, I walk through the Gateway and hear my name being called behind me. Seems DH isn't allowed to bring wine into Epcot and has to be escorted to guest relations where he has to leave it and pick it up on our way to dinner. There wasn't time to wait for the next boat,have it make it's stops,walk over to the buses,wait there,then the long ride back. It really was quicker to take the monorail,so DH had to leave the wine there. In order to clue me in on what was happening,he had to tell me why,so the wine was no longer a surprise. I think that bothered him more than anything else. Well, last night was the most mass of humanity I had ever seen. The bus to DHS was beyond packed. Then,we got caught up in a MAJOR DHS traffic jam. We were stopped in the same place for so long,we were growing roots. Then, the line for the boat to the Swan was all the way to the tree! It was 8:15 by the time I got to the Swan. We left WL at 6. DH had to go on to Epcot to retrieve the wine. When I told the hostesses at Bluezoo the wine story, they were hysterical and said no problem waiting on him. DH decided to walk back rather than wait for a boat. I believe the amount of people at DHS that evening was solely because of the Osborne Lights leaving. On the upside,while waiting for DH, I was able to snap a few pics of the Swan/ Dolphin Santa and his two adorable helpers. For whatever reason,the resorts' Santa is tropical. Flowered shirt and shorts,sits in an Adorandack chair, in a box. Yes,a box. He leaves in a Santa decorated golf cart,complete with clubs in a sack that looks like a Santa hat. Then the box closes up and looks like a crate. He sits in a box.......you have to sit on the steps at his feet for a picture. The walkway is lit with colored lights that change along with the beat of the Christmas music being piped out all over. Very nice effect. I had never been here before and I was glad my first time was during holiday season. By the way, Bluezoo was expensive,but so worth it. A very memorable meal. More tomorrow! Hope I'm not boring you!

Okay,I've been a tad tired and I haven't been keeping up. It's Tuesday,so let me back track to Sunday and bring it all up to date- I'll be including Afternoon Tea,a lunch at the new Skippers Canteen,An Epcot Backstage tour and The Candlelight Processional. You see,we really were busy.
Sunday- we didn't have anything planned until our 2:00 Afternoon Tea at The Grand Floridian, so after having breakfast at the Old Faithful Club at WL,we decided to take the boat over to the MK and look around the stores. We also took advantage of the Photopass package that came with the AP and have our picture taken at every opportunity we could find. You should always ask each photographer if they do " Magic " shots. Some do,some don't and they change throughout the year. Besides the usual holding of Tinker Bell,this time of year,they've added a video in MK of three young men dressed in animal costumes, running through the picture. They don't look like any particular characters to me,but actually look,well, bizarre, but at least it's something different. We eventually hopped the boat from MK to the GF and checked in for the tea. While waiting to be called,we people watched, as the lobby was packed with people who wanted to see the life size gingerbread house in the lobby and the enormous tree, also in the lobby.
Our name was called after only a few minutes and we ended up sitting right at the entrance,which wasn't that bad because at least there was no one on one side of us. Unless you're sitting at a table for 6 or more,the tables are pretty close together. This was our 3rd time at the Tea,so,we thought we were pretty sure of what to expect, but they went and changed the menu again. It wasn't totally different,but just enough to be noticeable. There are about 4 packages to choose from and the price and selection is per person. You pick you food package,your tea flavor and one of three dessert selections. DH and I picked the same package which started off with a selection of cheeses and fruits. There were about 4 different cheeses and three different sliced fruits. Then came a plate with about 5 different little wedges of sandwiches,about the length of your thumb and an inch or two wide. While still munching on those,your final tray comes out. Oh, your personal pot of tea arrives with whatever your first selection is. So, a three tiered silver tray is placed on the table while you're still eating the little tea sandwiches. The bottom tray had a small jam tart, a round scone and a little tray that has the best butter,apricot jam, and a type of Devonshire cream that you've ever tasted. The middle tray had,I think,a few more tea sandwiches and the top tray had dessert. We opted for a selection of three pastries instead of the strawberry trifle. There was a marvelous dipped strawberry,one of the best I ever had, a chocolate covered chocolate mousse on top of a little crust and a chocolate mousse filled light flaky pastry shaped like a swan. Oh,after you finished that plate of little sandwiches, another small plate comes out with two cheeses and two flat crackers. Now each piece of food is small, so, at first,you don't think that this meal will be very filling. But oh my goodness. You're getting so much,that those small pieces add up pretty quickly and you are going to leave Afternoon Tea so filled,you're eyes will be popping out. Don't wear tight pants to Tea. Wear elastic,something that gives a little. Don't say I didn't warn you. They've also started a separate tea called the Princess Tea,for little girls. I don't know much about it,but it appears to be very popular. We had a wonderful server who was attentive without being hovering. Last year,while having tea,the wedding coach came past the window of the tea room. A horse,footmen dressed in gold with their white wigs and the Cinderella Coach added some pretty exciting magic to the tea that day.
After the Tea,we bought some gingerbread that was being sold out of the gingerbread house. We then moseyed through the shops before taking a monorail back to MK and then a Boat back to WL. We grabbed some dinner at the Club Lounge and decided to relax back in our room. We watched the Electrical Water Parade from our balcony,as it faces the bay. Not a bad way to end the day.

Monday was MK day.
We had 8:05 ressies for Crystal Palace breakfast,which is DH's favorite breakfast place. It has some items that are different,but it's always been consistently fresh and good. The waiter even agreed that breKfast here was the best meal of the day. As the day wears on,it gets very crowded and noisy. But breakfast has a very calm relaxed feel to it and the kiddos get to spend quality time with characters. I think CP is on the same level as Cape May breakfast - some items on the buffet are different,but the food is good and the characters in cape May are the Fab Five,which is special and the beachy costumes they wear are fun. I love Goofys life Vest!
Anyway,Pooh,Tigger,Eeyore and Piglet make the rounds from table to table while you eat. They do get to each table and take their time with people. Character meals can be pricey,but if there are certain characters that are important to you to take pics with, it's a much better experience to do a meal, than stand on a long line in the heat. These particular characters do kissy noises, which I find very sweet. Piglet happened upon our table just when I was munching on a piece of bacon. I apologized,hoping it wasn't a relative of his.......
It took about an hour for breakfast and instead of a mad dash to the Mine Ride,which we did last year,we moseyed over to the Jingle Jungle Cruise and walked right on. Our Captain was absolutely phenomenal. So very funny. From there, we wandered over to the POTC,where we walked on there. Last year,I got soaked from head to toe,so I was a little leary of riding again,but oh well.the seat had a big puddle on it,so I took out a tissue and wiped the seat, which got the ride operator all pissy,using a stern voice to tell me to sit down. She was right above me,so she saw the puddle and knew what I was doing. Since she chose to be not so nice,I chose not to sit down until I wiped my area dry. Sheesh.
I didn't get soaked this time,but the people in front of me did....
Even though we had a FP for the Haunted Mansion later that afternoon, we thought we'd try our luck now and see what happens. Well it was a walk on,no wait.
So, by 10:30, we had. 1) eaten a relaxed breakfast
And rode on jungle Cruise,POTC and HM. Not a bad start to the day, and we never hurried anywhere,just moseyed from place to place. My one disappointment for the morning- I didn't check park hours before making plans. Today, MK opened an hour early,at 8am. I was so looking forward to getting pics of Main St with the decorations and no people,which happens with the early breakfast. But because the park was opening early,there was no way there would be empty streets. I do have pics from meals past,where Main St is empty- the castle with no one in front of it- so I do have those. I'll just have to let it go that I don't have pics with decorations.
The day before, while wandering MK, we saw that Skippers Canteen was open,it's first day. So I canceled my BOG ressies for Monday so we could try the new place out. We wanted to wait until about 12:30, so we walked into the PhilarMagic Show and then wandered over to Peter Pan. No FP was available, so we just walked on through standby and ended up in the bedroom area- not bad. It was about a 20 minute wait. About half way through the ride, it stopped. Since we were dangling from the ceiling,there was no way anyone was climbing out. All we could do was sit and wait for whatever happened to undo itself. We were Captain Hooks hostages for a few minutes. Eventually,we got off the ride and moseyed over to Skippers Canteen around 12:30.
Since it was only the second day they were open,it's considered a soft opening,so no ADR's for awhile,just walk ins. We were told there would be a 50 minute wait and we were going to be sent a text when the table is ready. There are about 8 chairs with cushions around the circle waiting area. In this same spot last year, I was sitting at a little table eating a Dole Whip. The Whips have moved on down and Skippers has taken over that area. After only about 15 minutes,we were texted our table was ready. Here's the only glitch- when a customer is told their table is ready,they expect to be led to that table immediately. We walked into the small room off the main dining area called The Mess Hall and were told we had to sit down again. We waited another 10 minutes for our table. A family with small children was complaining because they were brought into this room over 20 minutes ago,after they too were told their table was ready. Their young one was getting antsy. Once they were ready to take us in,I saw there were at least 8 tables standing empty. Why were we all kept waiting if the tables were open? There were two managers,one with an IPad, who never left the dining room. It seems to be a flow problem that I'm sure they will work out eventually. Once seated,our waiter was extremely nice and attentive without being overbearing. They have been trained to use the witty banter that the Captains use- stale old jokes, but still funny. The menu could be considered exotic for some people,but it's not strange,with weird combinations. I had the felafel and DH had soup and Shu Mai. We ordered appetizers. The menu is the same for lunch and dinner and it was too early for us to have a dinner entree. I did order a drink with the souvenir cup,which I'm happy about. It's a metal cup,not plastic. Copper outside. It looks like a Moscow Mule cup. If you're into mixed drinks,you'll know what that means. It was a fun lunch. I would recommend dining in one of the two smaller rooms,rather than the larger Mess Hall. It's just quieter and a more intimate, relaxed atmosphere. The food is really good too!
We decided to stick around for the 3:00 parade. Two years ago,when we did the Keys To The Kingdom Tour,while down in the Utilidor Tunnel area,besides seeing Cinderella in sweats,jogging with her Ipod, we saw the concept drawings on a bulletin board,for the new floats. Today would be the first time we would see the floats in person. DH and I split up,as we had an hour before the parade and I wanted to get something For DH that I saw someone carry the day before. It was a plastic jug that said Country Bears Jamboree on it. The straw goes in the top of the lid. It's supposed to look like the jug one of the Bears plays in the band. DH loves the Country Bears and I know he doesn't know this exits. After asking 4 different CM's where I could find it,one finally directed me to the right place- Pecos Bills, is it? I asked if I could buy the jug without the drink and they said sure. I was so excited, I didn't pay attention to the price. I just swiped my magic band and left. But I don't think it was expensive at all, because I would probably remember that. We met up by the Christmas Tree and basically,saw a large area along the road that is at the end of the parade and asked if we could stand there. A CM said sure. So, all around are people giving up at least an hour of their time to find a good spot and all we did was walk over to a place and stand there a few minutes before it started. I felt a little guilty about that. It was kinda exciting to see those drawings come to life. Loved the swinging heroes and the fire spitting dragon.
Oh,forgot to pop in the report that DH rode Splash Mtn and Thunder RR also that morning.
After the parade, we took the boat back to WL. We had an early dinner at the Old Faithful Club because we wanted to see the Osborne lights one last time. We did see them last year,but,well, the 20 year contract is up and this is the last year,so why not. But DHS is only open till 8 and this would be the only night we could go. We knew it would be incredibly crowded,but hoped for the best that it would be a fun experience. It didn't disappoint. It was as impressive as we remembered. I tried to be thoughtful, by keeping walking and not standing in one spot,which can hold up traffic in such a congested area. So I took pictures and video while constantly moving. Towards the end of the block,it opened up a lot,so I moved to the side of the street, to keep out of the way and tried to take a video of the length of the street we just walked down. I wasn't in anyone's way. So I still can't figure out why this woman in a wheel chair decided to grab the bottom of my shirt and pull me past her. She didn't even have to swerve to get around me. But she felt compelled to go through the exact spot where I was standing and didn't ask me to move,but drag me out of her way. She had someone pushing her who appeared quite fine with this behavior. Once she was in the spot I had been standing in,she smiled at me, raised her camera and started taking pictures. Now, I'm getting a new right knee next month,mostly titanium. So I'm hobbling my way around WDW,getting all Zi can out of my original knee before it leaves me. It also means I'm not that steady and my balance can be off because that knee occasionally gives out on me,leaving me with an awkward walk for a few seconds. I'm not someone one can safely throw around. DH wants to tell her she's rude and should apologize,but I convince him to ignore it. People like that know what they're doing. It's a choice. On my end, I chose not to spend any of my time dealing with a person like that. On the way out of the Osborne Road,it conveniently leads to the Writers Stop Cafe. Not only do they have some books there that you can't find anywhere else,they have the famous Carrot Cake Cookies. A new tray was being brought out just as we walked in,so I immediately got on line,because I didn't want to take the chance of these being the last ones and I didn't get one. Fortunately,the line was short and I bought two. It's both funny and intimidating that the little bag that held only two cookies could be do heavy. Really, they were heavy. Like I bought a book instead of cookies. They really are more cake than cookie. But they're the size of hubcaps! And they have a filling!!! They are soft and wonderful and one equals a meal. I should just slap it on my thighs,as it'll just end up there anyway,but you only live once and I believe in moderation,not deprivation. Life's just too short to not eat one. DH never had one and thought it was just a cookie. No thanks,he kept saying. Back in our room,I finally talked him into taking a bite. He got quiet. He asked for more. Then he said that might be one of the best food items that he's ever had at Disney. I think he went to bed dreaming about it.
Tomorrow,I'll write about today's fun- The FutureWorld Backstage Tour and The Candlelight Processional. It's 2am, time for bed( and a sneak piece of carrot cake cookie).

Thanks for posting such a detailed report. I'm learning a lot from your experiences.

fauntleroy1953 said:

So I move to his left and he points again,which confuses me( DH was hanging behind me,thinking whatever happens, I'll take the hit first). So,I turn to him and say, Careful,Darth,I AM YOUR MOTHER! Did you eat breakfast? Getting enough sleep? Who was that droid I saw you with last night? I hear DH say, Uh- Oh, and Darth turns sharply towards me. I hear one of the CM's quietly giggle and he turns sharply towards her and she stops. Then THE VOICE kicks in. I can't tell you what he said. It was pre- recorded,but definitely Darths voice.

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This is hilarious. I love that you told Darth Vader that you are his mother.

fauntleroy1953 said:

n the upside,while waiting for DH, I was able to snap a few pics of the Swan/ Dolphin Santa and his two adorable helpers. For whatever reason,the resorts' Santa is tropical. Flowered shirt and shorts,sits in an Adorandack chair, in a box. Yes,a box. He leaves in a Santa decorated golf cart,complete with clubs in a sack that looks like a Santa hat. Then the box closes up and looks like a crate. He sits in a box.......you have to sit on the steps at his feet for a picture. The walkway is lit with colored lights that change along with the beat of the Christmas music being piped out all over. Very nice effect. I had never been here before and I was glad my first time was during holiday season. By the way,

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I love the BC carousel but haven't seen the YC or Swan and Dolphin Christmas decorations yet. I think that is a very cool Santa they have at the Dolphin.

fauntleroy1953 said:

Sunday- we didn't have anything planned until our 2:00 Afternoon Tea at The Grand Floridian

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fauntleroy1953 said:

Now each piece of food is small, so, at first,you don't think that this meal will be very filling. But oh my goodness. You're getting so much,that those small pieces add up pretty quickly and you are going to leave Afternoon Tea so filled,you're eyes will be popping out.

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We have been tempted to try this high tea. We had it once at the Drake Hotel in Chicago. The GF tea is similar, but the food sounds better.

fauntleroy1953 said:

The day before, while wandering MK, we saw that Skippers Canteen was open,it's first day. So I canceled my BOG ressies for Monday so we could try the new place out.

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You were really lucky to get to experience this restaurant before the crowds found out about it.

fauntleroy1953 said:

I would recommend dining in one of the two smaller rooms,rather than the larger Mess Hall. It's just quieter and a more intimate, relaxed atmosphere. The food is really good too!

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Thanks for the tip.

I see that you had a lot of your evening meals at the Old Faithful Club. We will be staying WL CL next month, first time ever at club level, and we are hoping to do the same thing.

Hi again! Ready for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday? I'll cover an Epcot Tour, Candlelight Processional,La Nouba,Jock Lindseys Hangar Bar/ Restaurant, Morimotos Asia Restaurant, Yak & Yetis Reataurant.
Had to cancel Boma breakfast- it was a return trip because we enjoyed it last year- seemed my credit card number was stolen and people in Florida and Alabama were trying to have an early Christmas at my expense at Walmart. Between speaking with the bank,both Walmarts( who do things differently in different states) and various police departments,we spent half of today in our room making phone calls, instead of doing Disney.
But anyway,back to Tuesday.
We showed up just in time for our 9am Epcot Futureworld tour. There were 12 of us,which was a nice number for a group. We had Emilie as a guide with Sarah coming along also. None of us in the group had ever had this tour before,so we didn't know what to expect. It started with a lecture about the Epcot Sphere,history of it,etc. we worked our way over to The Seas area,where Emilie took us to an area that was in The Nemo building,once called,as I remember, The Living Seas. We ended up in a beautiful room that is sometimes used as a reception area for weddings,corporate functions,etc. there are two levels in the very large room,with about 4 or 5 huge windows looking out at the aquarium. I think we all could have stayed there for hours,not only watching the fish,but the 4 human divers going about their jobs in there. The glass in the entire aquarium is real glass. The Imagineers did not want the size of the fish distorted,so only real glass. The glass is also NOT glued to stay on. The Aquarium glass is held in place by pressure alone. There is even a real piano in the lounge made out of the same glass,same thickness. We then made our way to the Land Building, where the interior, from the rugs to the ceiling,had meanings,which were explained to us. Then we were surprised with a ride on Soarin! We had 3:00 FP's for it too and it was only 10:00, so we were going to ride Soarin twice that day! I actually have height and motion issues,but I deal with the ride by slowly opening my eyes after it's started, and there are certain moments when I have to close my eyes too. We walked around behind the building to come into the area where you line up. We were broken into two groups,so both groups could get in the front row,which does make a difference,not seeing feet dangling. Before the ride, Emilie told us there were a few Hidden Mickeys to look for and told us after the ride where they all were. Then she gave us some info on various scenes,which were interesting. We did learn that Soarin will be shut down soon,not only to expand so it can handle more people,but they are going to get rid of the Californiia show and it will be more global..After a 20 minute break,it was onto the Space area. No, no more rides.....but we did get the history of why certain attractions are in the park and some that never made it. We then walked under and then,behind, Test Track,which,when you're behind the buildings,you see how close things can be. From behind TT,you see the buildings of Norway,etc. two years ago,when we took Keys To The Kingdom, you could see how close the buildings really were. You don't have those long walks to get from one part of the park to the other. Fascinatingl so we learned about that ride. From there,we walked through the CM's building. They have their own store,cafeteria,can mail letters,rows upon rows of lockers,and the system by way of how they are rewarded was explained. We walked through their building and into the costume/ uniform area. In Keys To The Kingdom,we saw Cinderella jogging in between sets. This time,we saw Belle in a robe, getting her hair fixed. Every costume worn by both CM's and characters in Epcot originate here. Yes,it was fun to see it. The CM uniform area was mind boggling- each Epcot building has seasonal uniforms and the racks go on and on. Coming out of that building,we're in the holding area for the barges for Illuminations. The World doesn't look so impressive during the day. The process of the Illuminations show was explained and that was very interesting also. We ended up coming out from behind the buildings , next to Norway,where we received some more Epcot info. Emilie than gave each of us a great looking pin- Epcot on the right, with Figment standing next to it on the left. Epcot is sorta 3D, which gave the pin some heft and weight. She then admitted that she was a brand new tour guide and Sarah was tagging along to observe( I figured that out hours before,watching Sarah write things down every now and then). We were then told two things- first,that since it was 1:00 and no one had lunch,if we wanted to Sarah would walk us over to Nine Dragons,where we would be seated immediately and given a discount. Second, that our names would be on a list to view Illuminations from a special area across from the Italy building. Us and one other couple took her up on her lunch offer. That other couple also showed up for the fireworks as did DH and I. We had never eaten at that restaurant before. We enjoyed it. Food was very good and service was great too. After lunch,we hopped on the boat ride in Mexico, then onto Soarin for our 3:00 FP. It was quite a hike. Epcot is pretty big when you go from one world to the other. We bought a dining package for the Candle Light Processional. So we had 4:10 ressies at Tokyo Dining with a 6:45 show. I knew about the show, but had never seen it. DH had no idea what was going on,as I wanted it to be a surprise- he loves holiday shows like this and had no knowledge that this show existed at Disney.
Tokyo Dining was wonderful. It was only our second time here,but it's proving to be consistently terrific,as is the service. We had some time to kill,so we walked around the store below the restaurant. We were somewhat familiar with the store,having wandered through it last year. It's one big long store. We stopped to watch a couple of pearl openings- you purchase a pearl ahead of time and are given a number. When it's your turn,you pick out an oyster from the water on the display and a young woman puts on a little show while opening the oyster. She then cleans the pearl,and measures it,writing the size of the pearl on the bag it's in. On the other side of the counter,there are various designs for necklaces that hold the pearl,if you so choose to have a necklace right there. But you don't have to. You can just take your pearl and go. I couldn't believe the luck of two little sisters. They were only about 3 and maybe 5. The younger one picked an oyster first- she got TWO pearls out of one oyster!! Then her sister picked and she ended up with the rarest color pearl,kinda silver looking and it was huge on top of that!! Those were some happy parents! They were more excited than the kiddos! I would have been too.
Eventually,we moseyed over to the American building to look through the exhibit there. The Voices of Liberty,who usually perform in the center lobby, were in the Candlelight Processional,so no show that night. We made our way to the end of the line at 6:00 for the 6:45 show. It seemed like a long line and that they'd run out of seats by the time we got there,but nope. Plenty of seating,not specifically reserved. It was every man for himself,but still rather orderly. It's long benches,so they fit a lot of people. The first few rows filled up,but the middle center was wide open. We were able to sit relatively close and in the middle. I would recommend NOT sitting on the very end along the sides of the rows. Men stand there with those long horns throughout the show and you can get a bit blasted with those high notes. DH was looking kinda,okay,another Disney show,where's the duck,dog and mouse,let's get this over with....... when it started with the orchestra playing holiday music. Then the center choir came in holding candles ( LED's),and formed a tree. Then the visiting choir,looks like HS students came in with their candles and took their place on the rafters. At that point,they didn't need to sing- all they could have done was stand there and the beauty alone took your breath away. The six or so Voices of Liberty came in and their voices were amazing. Then America Ferrara walked up to the podium to read a narrative about Christmas. She did a great job,didn't flub one word. The show ends with the orchestration of The Messiah. With everyone standing,as is tradition and that music,and the lighting,well, you're made of stone if you don't have tears in your eyes by the end. DH couldn't stop thanking me. Disney Magic strikes again!! As for the dining package, the cost depends on which Epcot restaurant you choose. You can also choose not to do a package and just get in the stand by line early and hope there's extra seating. I also think that you may not have to do either and you can stand there in the street and watch,if there aren't people in front of you blocking your view. I figured we'd be looking for dinner somewhere anyway,so why not just eat and know you have a seat for the show.There are three times. The first,maybe around 5, ours at 6:45 and one at, I think,8. You do have to be vigilant and go into commando mode to get reservations as they sell out quickly. You need to go between the info you get here on the boards and constantly checking the dining area at MDE site for when the reservations open up. We moseyed around for 90 minutes,grabbing a wine here,a Prosecco there and made our way to the area roped off in front of Italy. There is a CM there with a list of names. That other couple from the morning was there, on one of two benches. They have been visiting WDW since the late 70's, so they've seen a lot of changes.but we're glad just to be able to grab a seat, with an hour to go before the fireworks. For 9:30 fireworks, a good spot to grab at least an hour before is right where we were. Next to our area is a small bridge. Just sit on the steps facing the water and wait it out. It had been a year since we saw this show and with the info we learned about it that morning,we felt both prepared and excited to see it and it didn't disappoint. The fireworks at the very very end,the last to go off,we had never seen before and we thought we've seen it all,especially growing up near Gruccis place and seeing theirs for decades. The very end fireworks were like a 3 second gotcha,at the very end. Like a thousand firecrackers going off at once,although that really isn't a good description. It's just one of those things you have to personally experience. Quite a long day- a 4 hour tour,holiday show and fireworks- kind of a typical Disney Day........

Wednesday- we thought we would try to fit in first Animal Kingdom, then hop back over to Epcot,because even with this being our third visit in a row,we still haven't seen most of the worlds.
We have an 11:00 FP for DH to do Everest ( I do Mickey Bars while he does thrill rides- I have my own kind of thrill...). Then a 1:00 ADR for Yak & Yeti and a 2:00 FP for the safari. The afternoon is the worst time to see active animals( we've done this twice before plus Wild Afrika Trek tour), but it was the only available FP.
We grabbed breakfast at the Club and hopped a bus for AK,getting there around 10. We thought,since we had an hour before the Everest FP,why don't we check out the Safari stand by line. If we take the safari now,we can go to Epcot sooner. The standby line was only 10 minutes. Great let's do it! The white rhino was out and about,which was unusual,the giraffes were statues,beautiful but totally immobile. They do like to occasionally come right up to the truck,but not today. Statues. Straight as a pole,not moving an inch. Zebras like to come up to the truck sometimes too. Nope,not today. Statues. I was saving tons of battery life in my camera,not using the video......flamingos,gorgeous - yep,you guessed it- frozen in time. They're birds for goodness sake,birds are always moving........except for today......lion,lionesses- invisible,sleeping the day away. But I won't complain about that. When we took the Afrika Trek tour,the lion actually stood up on top of the highest rock when our truck came around in front of him. He then roared. Then roared again. The sound is hard to describe. Nothing like you see on TV. It goes right through your chest. You can really physically feel the roar. The three guides with us were more excited than we were. They said they had been doing this for 3 and 4 years and had never heard the lion before. Now that's a thrill!
Anyway,our driver was trying very hard to engage the people in the truck- bad jokes,funny facts,but not a peep out of anyone. It's like any show- the better the audience,the better the show. I felt bad for the driver. He had no idea if these people were enjoying the ride or not. Finally,the elephants were very animated,blowing water on each other,rolling around. Very cute and well worth the ride.
When we got off,I canceled our 2:00 FP and headed towards Everest,stopping for every photographer on the way. We have that Photopass package as part of our AP, so I'm hitting up every camera opportunity I see. I think we have about 8 pictures of us holding Tinkerbell in the MK!
All I ask, is if they have any Magic shots. I don't ask what kind,as I'd rather wait until I download them and be surprised. Well, at least two photographers have Magic videos. What the creatures have to do with AK,I don't know,because they aren't animals,but no matter,still cute. DH does Everest while I wander the shop next to it. I bought a purse there last year that I get constant comments about,so I wanted to check for any new items. Nope,good news for DH,at least. He won't see me holding a bag when he gets off the ride. We head over to that trail with the animals, Panganni or something with a P. The Meerkats were poking up and down,looking adorable. A monkey was lying on a high branch,on his stomach,with his arms and legs hanging down. Very funny. But oh my goodness,the gorillas. Last year,the big guy kept mooning us and that was it. But this time- Mom was asleep on her back with her arms and legs straight up in the air,totally passed out,but funny how she kept her limbs up. Dad was lying on his left side,with his back facing us,sleeping. But there were two babies,about a year old. They would poke at each other,each one seemed to know what to do to set the other one off. Then they would get into a pushing contest that grew into a head slapping contest that resulted in full body grabs with them rolling around on the ground. It was marvelous to watch. Absolutely hysterical, reminding me of two of my grandkiddos,going at it just like that. What a show. We then meandered our way to lunch at Yak and Yeti. We ate here last year and was impressed by the food. I ended up springing for a Landrys Club card back then, for $25. It's a rewards card. For every dollar you spend at a Landrys restaurant,you get a point. 250 points gets you $25 reward. Well, when you sign up, you get the $25 back at your next visit. For us,this was our next visit and I forgot about the reward,but I did remember to take the card with me. The server asked if I had A card,took it to scan it so I would get credit. The manager brought it to us and said we hadn't used our reward yet for signing up,so we were getting the $25 now. Nice surprise! Had Mandi as a server and she was so peppy and really fun to talk to. The fried green beans appetizer was pretty good,not a bit of oil on them. Potstickers,very good. DH said it was the best Miso soup he's had in a long time. He also had the Kobe burger- medium. Every bite leaked juice on the plate- not dry at all. I had seafood with coconut curry,very mild,very good. We then thought we would take a bus from AK to the Beavh Club/Yacht club resorts and hop a boat from there to Epcot. Waiting,waiting,then a bus to the Swan/ Dolphin ( Swalphin as I call it) pulled up next to us,so we got on that bus,because it's on the same boat loop ( DHS to Swalphin to Beach Yacht Resort to Boardwalk Resort to Epcot). You get of the bus at the Swan,walk straight thru the lobby, back outside and there on the right is the boat ramp. The boat was pulling up as we were walking on the ramp. Great timing. Got off at Epcot - no wine bottle this time,clear sailing for DH ( refer to previous trip report- hint- don't buy wine at the Beach Club and expect to get into Epcot). We walked to the left so DH could check out the Scotland store. He bought a scotch glass there last year and wanted another. First,a picture stop. There is usually a photographer before going over the bridge to France,etc. you are positioned so the Eiffel Tower is in the background and ask for a Magic shot in addition to a normal pic.
Well, we walked through England,Ireland and Scotland stores( you can go through without heading back on the main drag). No more scotch glasses. But you can have just about any other kind of glass as long as you don't mind the word Guinness on it. We bypassed the O Canada movie because we've seen it so much,but if you haven't seen it you should. It's like the China movie,in the round.we cut through to Future a World where for the second day in a row,the A Capella group was putting on a show. They are excellent. Great show! Then we popped into the Cola Club. DH,because he was thirsty. Me, because there were two colas on the Skippers Canteen menu I wasn't familiar with,so I wanted to taste them. One was from, I think, Brazil, which I liked, and the other was a melon flavor from I forgot where, but melon taste better solid than liquid with bubbles. Just my opinion. After un gluing my shoes from the cola floor( just a tad sticky), we decided to take a ride on Spaceship Earth on the way out. It's a nice mellow ride,with some of the best animatronics in all of the parks( Emilie told us the make/ model number,but,yup, I forgot). The overhead voice tells you a picture moment is coming up- no,it's not for a Photopass pic,something better,more fun.so, as you near the end of the ride, the screen comes on and asks you a few questions. It's to choose what graphic to use for you. Set your camera on record when the screen says it's preparing your answers. What comes up next you'll want to record. It's primitive graphics,but oh so cute and you're the star! When you get off the ride and go down the ramp,run like a bunny to the left and look at the world. You might make it in time to see yourself up there on the globe. If you miss it,no worries,you have a better alternative. To the right are a bunch of small flat screen tv's.
Find the picture of yourself on the ride and you can put yourself on an e card to send off to people. You can do two at a time. Just keep going back to the beginning to do more. Then have your camera ready again,because your e card will be projected overhead for about 30 seconds. Now that I think about it,I might have sent the one I sent to ourselves to the trash bin,if I didn't recognize the address,because I'm only remembering it now,a day later.
Okay,that done,we had to decide how to get back to WL. Let's see,we could take the monorail to TTC and then a ferry to MK,then a boat to WL. Let's do an energy check - we have none. No energy. All gone. We're fried. Heading to the bus for a straight run back. Got back right at 5, so we used the Club for dinner. Now I know there are people who cannot use the Club at night for a meal like dinner. But if you bulk up on the salads and go a little light on whatever is fried or skewered, it's not so bad. Especially if you wait on dessert at 8- the cobbler is very good and put enough on your plate,it turns into joint compound/spackling paste in your stomach and bye bye hunger pains. There was one night when DH followed up with a sandwich from RF and I got a hot chocolate,but we were grateful for being able to come back to our resort, relax and not worry about doing anymore traveling for dinner. Well, yes, then there is that ability to pour a little Kahlua in my hot chocolate or cold chocolate milk.......just enough for flavoring....

Your Epcot tour sounds really interesting. We did the Keys to the Kingdom tour and enjoyed it very much. How does the Epcot tour compare to KTTK? You gave a wonderful description of the Candlelight Processional. We've only seen it from the outside but you make it sound like a whole different experience inside the theater.

We usually go on the safari in the morning, too. But one time we went over to AK for dinner and caught the safari around 5:30pm. I was surprised at how animated the animals were at that hour. I guess a lot of them got fed then and they were waiting for their food.

The Epcot tour was fine, but there's no comparison between that one and KTTK. I think Epcot has the potential to be more interesting,more backstage,as it were,but the powers that be just aren't putting in the time to renovate the tour. If they are allowing us,even in a small area,the utilidor behind the scenes experience,there's no reason to be a little more giving in Epcot. I don't think they would be giving up secrets taking us behind the scenes for a few rides, like Test Track or Mission Space. There would have been a nice opportunity to just bring us into the hydroponic area and throw us a lettuce leaf for the Land area of the tour. We've done the Behind the Seeds tour, so that exists to get into it more. I imagine you might even have more people signing up for it,if they got a little taste of what is there. I saw it as an opportunity lost. They are doing wonderful work in horticulture and very few people know about it. Didn't make sense to me to ignore that. Emilie was a wonderful guide. She deserves a better tour. It was okay. I'm glad we did it so we would know what it's about. But unless they change it up,we won't be doing it again.

Thursday,12/17- Jock Lindseys Hanger Bar/ Restaurant,La Nouba and Morimotos Asia
Our new AP's,Gold, start their block out for December today. So Thursday and Friday will be days spent at Disney Springs,which I will still refer to as DTD out of habit for who knows how long.
We didn't have ADR's until 6:00- the La Nouba show and 8pm at Morimotos Asia.
So we decided to have a relaxing breakfast at the OFC and mosey over to DTD,holy cannoli,Disney Springs. We waited about 45 minutes for the bus. When we were here last November,CM's were suddenly appearing with IPads, recording bus times. When it seemed forever for a bus to come,the CM would get on the walkie talkie and try to get one asap. When we arrived 8 days ago,we saw a screen mounted in the bus area showing arrival times,which meant the buses must now be equipped with a GPS. The CM is still occasionally outside,but not that much. It still took 45 minutes for a bus to arrive for Disney Springs- so much for the GPS and screen.
Okay,now that I've purged that from my system, we arrived in Disney Springs around 1:30. We had to be at La Cirque at 5:30,so that gave us plenty of time for lunch. We took the boat from the marketplace to the Westside,decided we didn't feel like walking,so we stayed on until the next stop- The Landing. The dock is right next to the new restaurant Jock Lindseys Hanger Bar. It's the name of the character in the first Indiana Jines movie,who is a pilot and friend of Indiana Jones. It would take an hour to look at everything that has been placed in the room for effect. It was obvious that great care was given to give this place the feel of an adventurers personal space. Attached to the outside right of the building is an open boat. There are about 8 tiny tables with cushioned bench seats running the perimeter of the boat, with a big furnace looking structure in the middle of the boat. It's a nice space to sit and relax as long as you don't order more than one item at a time. The tables are cocktail table size, with some of the tables actually positioned vertical instead of horizontal, which is totally baffling to me. I was hoping to get some sort of prize at the end of the meal because we managed to get two drinks and 3 plates on that tiny table without ending up wearing the food ourselves. Quite the balancing act. You can sit in and outside at normal tables also. It really isn't an official restaurant yet,preferring to refer to itself as a bar with bar food and not a real menu. I would go along with that. But the portions are not skimpy. If you order the bratwurst ( which come with about 6 skinny links), and two other items,that's plenty for lunch. There's only about 6 or 7 items of food to order from,but the drink menu is several pages and very inventive. The narratives that run with each drink are funny and makes it more than just a drink menu. Careful though. It's one of those places where the bill creeps up on you very unexpectedly. You think you're ordering just a few small things and before you know it,the bill looks like a car payment. DH had two dark and stormy drinks. I had one glass of Prosecco wine. We ordered the calamari,bratwurst and a plate with an assortment of three types of salads,about a scoop of each with pita bread and another type of spongey brown bread to make little wraps or just to scoop. The bill came to $76. For lunch. That's Code Blue Get The Paddles I Think My Heart Stopped kinda bill. It was good,but perhaps should have been dipped in gold for that amount. In a way,typical Disney. Walt wasn't adverse to making money,but I often wonder what he would of thought of how outrageous his vision has become. Everywhere I go in WDW, I see worlds collide. There's the faction that is trying to keep Walts vision going and the group that is nickel and dimeing us into oblivion. The latter is winning- the Dark Side is growing stronger.
The restaurant is right next to where the Amphibicars launch from,so it was fun to sit there and watch one after another tool around the lake. I've loved those cars since the 60's....still want one....
We had some time before La Nouba,so we hopped on a boat that went to Old Key West resort. We had an hour to fool around with,so this seemed like a pleasant way to relax. You can also take a boat to Saratoga Springs from there. I think the boat ride to Port Orleans French Quarter is a nice ride. The one to Riverside not so much only because you're there in 5 minutes- not much of a ride. The Saratoga Springs and I think Old Key West go past the Tree House Villas, which are very cool to see and photo worthy. We got back in time to wander leisurely over to the show. We had row E,6&7 and was only 5 rows from the stage. A tad too close for shows like this,but it turned out okay. There are two times in the show that involve an audience member to participate. The two audience members the clowns picked turned out to be great choices, but I'm glad they were picking from directly in front of them and not from the side......
The show is 90 minutes. It is not cheap,but they do give Florida resident discounts. It is so worth it to do once. Children absolutely love them. They are going to rework the show and make it even more physically intense for the performers. The performers defy gravity and your imagination. It does take liberties with performance acting,but I guess it has to. Sometimes it's just weird in between the actual performances,but it was always like that.You' re not just viewing a series of people doing stuff. This is an entire performance. We saw the same show here in 1999 and it holds up through time. By the way,the creator of Cirque du Soleil got the idea while in our town,Key West,watching the sunset celebration,which was nothing like it is today. Back then, friends performed for each other while waiting for the sunset,celebrating having made it through another day. He got the idea of a traveling performing show with out animals. They did travel before their shows became so technical.
After the show, we went over to Morimotos Asia,directly across from Raglan Road.
The service and food are phenomenal. No complaints at all,but be warned- it's another restaurant whose bill will look like a mortgage payment. We just wanted to try it and it really was a great meal. It's beautiful inside and worth just going upstairs to the lounge for a few drinks if you don't want to do a meal. The only negative about being downstairs is the noise level. The upstairs is quieter.
Oh,almost forgot - while on the way to La Nouba, we had to fight our way through the crowd lined up to see Star Wars at AMC. Disney was premiering it a day early for those willing to pay the bigger bucks for seeing it 24 hours before everyone else, and yes,people were dressing up like they do for Rocky Horror,but more capes here. Lots of light sabers and robes. Made for an interesting moment in time.

Friday, 12/18- Our Last Day- Star Wars Movie, Trails End Dinner, Ferry Merry Dessert Cruise Party
If it's all right with all of you, I'm going to write this when we get home tomorrow night. It's 12:45am and after our first 3 hours on the road,we have to stop and check on my Dad in rehab. Then another 3 hours or so before getting home.
Will finish tomorrow!

I hope everything goes smoothly for your Dad.

fauntleroy1953 said:

We had row E,6&7 and was only 5 rows from the stage. A tad too close for shows like this,but it turned out okay.

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My sister had purchased front row seats for this show and it was much to close. The bicycle acts would roll their bike wheels right to the very edge of the stage, almost in our faces.

fauntleroy1953 said:

By the way,the creator of Cirque du Soleil got the idea while in our town,Key West,watching the sunset celebration,which was nothing like it is today. Back then, friends performed for each other while waiting for the sunset,celebrating having made it through another day. He got the idea of a traveling performing show with out animals. They did travel before their shows became so technical.

Click to expand...

That is really interesting. I thought this was a European concept since the name is French. I love the fact that it was based on the sunset celebrations on the beach.

I promise to finish this within the next week or so. We took the fireworks cruise,had a print signed by an artist,saw Star Wars the morning it came out in the Fork and Fine theatre..... all specifics I will get to very soon. Thanks for your patience! I promise to finish this up after my surgery next week- it'll help pass the time.....

This is two months overdue,but I did promise to finish.it's 3 weeks after getting my new right knee and I can finally think a little clearer,so here we go.

Star Wars movie at the Fork & Dine theatre.
We saw the movie at 11am,the morning it officially came out to the general public. The movie was actually shown the night before,to people who bought special tickets. There was a red carpet and lots of people dressed in costume.
We had never seen a movie in the Fork and Dine theatre,so we thought seeing Star Wars was a special enough occasion to check it out. We showed up at the only theatre we knew,the main one,only to be told that we had to go somewhere else. The young woman behind the glass seemed impatient that we didn't know where to go and we didn't understand her directions,so we went through security and once inside the main lobby asked where the dining area was. We were told to go back outside and head towards the Harley Davidson store. Another person impatient with us,as if we were supposed to know this beforehand. So back out we went,in the pouring rain and walked to the Harley store. Once inside the store we asked where the theatre was. The young girls behind the register were wonderful. They walked us to the door and showed us how we still had to go around a corner to find the theatre AND THEY apologized to us that the theatre was so hard to find!
Past another security checkpoint and we had arrived, with 15 minutes to spare. Everyone in this theatre was very nice. I picked the seats when I bought the tickets and a nice young woman explained where our seats would be and that a waiter was assigned to our seats,who would explain the menu to us. The rows have,I think,6 seats across. They are high back, slightly bigger seats than a regular theatre. Very comfortable. There is a long table going across the length of the row of seats,so you have to be careful not to have your stuff move into the area of the person next to you. The waiter came right over and explained how to call him using a red light in front of you as a signal. The menu has a little bit of everything. It was still a tad early, so DH ordered coffee and an order of doughnuts. A big coffee cup arrived with a platter of about 16 doughnut holes sprinkled with sugar. It's large enough to share,which we did and they were warm and very good. I ordered a mocha shake that came with a rolled chocolate stick as a garnish. It was great. If it was later in the day,we would have ordered real food and I believe it would probably have been good,but I obviously don't know for sure. Nachos and burgers seemed to be popular. As for the menu,my only negative,believe it or not,would be the popcorn. It came in only one size,which was the biggest size I had ever seen. I think it was under $8. I was in the mood for some,but DH can't eat it and there was no way I could even make a dent in it and I didn't want to carry the leftovers around all day. It really was a nice experience and lots of families were there,which I think is a good idea. We look forward to going back in the future. It was just an overall,relaxing nice experience.........once we got there.
Since this was our last day,we used the next few hours checking out the stores and picking up items we wanted to send to the grand kiddos for Christmas gifts. Rather than impulse buying over the course of the week,we knew better about what we wanted by the last day. We even felt better about our purchases,so waiting worked out well for us.

We had two more reservations this last day- 5:30 dinner ressies at Trails End and 7:15 Ferry Merry Fireworks cruise meeting at TTC.
So we took our packages back to our room( during the week,we had some packages sent directly to our room- they arrived the next day). Changed into warmer clothes because the weather was becoming colder and the rain was drizzling on and off for the rest of the evening.
We took the boat from WL to Fort Wilderness. Trails End is about a 3 minute walk from the dock and we checked in about 5:15 and were seated right away. We love this restaurant. Breakfast and dinner are buffets, with lunch being a la carte/ menu. The food is always fresh, abundant and varied enough to please everyone. The atmosphere is relaxed. There is a playground nearby. The carriage rides leave from there also,so the kiddos get to see horses. There are hula hoops and checkers to play with. Just a great family and yes,couples,place.
About 6:30, we took the boat from there to MK,where we picked up the ferry to the TTC. We got to our meeting spot for the cruise about 7:30,thinking we might be early,as the ferry doesn't leave until 8. But it appeared we were close to the last ones to arrive as there was quite a crowd there already. This was one of the first cruises for this event,as it was brand new, so no one knew what to expect. It was drizzling lightly,so we gathered under a covered area. We checked in at a podium,where 3 people described the embarkation process. There seemed to be a lot of administrative type of people there, appearing a bit anxious about the evening going well. At least that was my impression. When we checked in,we each were given a special Ferry Merry Cruise pin,which was a surprise. It was a very nice pin too. Then we were escorted to the area under the overhang, which was only a feet away,so it seemed a little awkward being escorted just a few feet,but it did give us that special Mickey WDW feeling. Then we were each given a light up circle necklace. Then a CM was walking around with a tray. On it were plastic champagne style flutes with apple cider. The base of the flutes lit up,changing color. Then another CM gave out purple plastic bags to put whatever items in we collected during the evening- very thoughtful. Then, another CM walked around giving out little flashlights and papers describing a scavenger hunt once on the boat. Some of the things you could only find by shining a light on the area. Quite a few people of all ages really got into this. We declined,as we were getting tired and it seemed like too much like work at that point. It was a regular ferry boat,so both floors were open for walking around. There were a few high top tables on the first floor,but not nearly enough. The dessert buffet was set up on the second floor. As we boarded the boat,each person was given a plastic plate that had a hole to hold a cup, so you could eat with one hand while holding the plate and cup with the other hand. We had a high top table,so we took turns going upstairs for food,so we would have a table to place our plates on instead of holding them the whole time. The plates were meant to be part of the souvenirs to take home. The desserts were very good. On one platter,there were white princess slippers made out of sugar. They were quite solid,so it looked like plastic until you got close. There were little sweet muffins stuffed into the toe area. No one knew what to do- do we just take the muffin out of the shoe or take the whole shoe? They were stuck to the platter with icing,but was that so we couldn't take them or so they just wouldn't fall over? DH said that since we have 4 granddaughters, wouldn't they be thrilled if we sent each one this little slipper? So,he popped one off the platter and just stood there wondering if it was okay. A CM shows up to re- supply another dessert,sees DH holding the slipper and he smiles,going about his business. So we made the assumption it was okay to take them. When DH and I turned around towards the platter,it was apparent no one else was wondering about taking the slippers,as they were almost all gone! We were apparently in the minority being worried about breaking any rules......so we hung around the table for a few minutes and another platter of slippers came out. Even though we were right there,as soon as that platter came out,people came out of everywhere, grabbing the slippers. We waited for another platter to come out and eventually,we each had two. The ferry was cruising around slowly,in circles,passing the Poly and the GF. As it got closer to the time for fireworks,it came to a stop across from the castle. But there was an island between us and the castle,with towering trees,blocking out the castle. So everyone who was on the lower deck, had to move to the upper deck in order to see anything. It made no sense. The ferry had an entire lake to find a viewing spot,why did it stop behind all these trees? So, instead of being able to spread out among two decks,we were squishing ourselves along one side of the boat on the upper deck. It was raining harder,so unless you didn't mind being wet,the weather kept us from getting close to the edge of the deck,forcing more people squishing together in the middle of the deck, which also kept us from seeing some of the fireworks,but you can't control the weather.
One thing does stick out in my mind. There was a CM, a man who looked like he was in his 70's, which he was,we later found out,whose job it was to walk around with a broom and dustpan. There were garbage cans placed about on the decks,but whenever someone noticed this man, they would throw their napkins and plastic glasses and leftover desserts on the floor for him to clean up. I felt embarrassed seeing that. DH and I felt like we're in alien territory. This was so opposite the behavior we were used to seeing from people at WDW. We were dumbfounded. Totally uncomfortable being around people acting like that. We're not Angels ourselves,but this was so un- Disney. Go figure.
All in all, DH and I made it a nice evening for us and we were glad we did it. But we also knew it would have been more enjoyable if the weather was nicer( of course), and the passengers a tad more " Disneyfied". The kiddos and Tweens got into the flashlight scavenger hunt,which helped pass the hour before the fireworks. Nice planning!

We're going back the end of August. Because of the weather,I'm expecting our August trip to be quite different from this December trip. I'm hoping the new Soarin will be up and running,Toy Story will be finished with the expansion and the new nighttime area will be open in AK. I'll try not to be so " wordy" with that trip report!

For August,just booked another Epcot tour,but for the countries this time. Also booked the Jiko wine tasting,BOG breakfast and another afternoon tea at the GF. Waiting to see if the rumors are true to be able to book a dining package for Rivers of Light in two days. Looks like August could be interesting!