Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friends - A Coast to Coast Adventure

[dolphingirl47]

Day 13

This time round I had set a wakeup call and the morning was altogether more relaxed. I did not have too early a start as my first Fastpass was not until 10:30 and this was to meet Mickey at the Town Square Theater. So I figured the most sensible course of action would be to come to the park around that time so that I could head straight there. When I got to the bus stop at All Star Music, there was a bus to Magic Kingdom sitting there, but it was full to the rafters. Fortunately as soon as this bus left, another one pulled in right behind it and this was virtually empty even though it had come from All Star Sports. So this ended up being quite a pleasant trip. I had a short wait to get into the park, but actually got to the first Fastpass checkpoint a couple of minutes before my window opened. I did not know at that time that you can now check in up to 5 minutes earlier. This was not possible during the testing in 2013. So I had a quick look at the retail Magic Bands at the shop in this building and then headed back to the Fastpass entrance once my window has opened.

The Fastpass line was pretty busy and in the end I waited about 10 minutes until I got to see Mickey. Still that is significantly less than the standby line. The theming of the waiting area is great and I was only too happy to have a look at this and take some photos. Then it was my turn to see Mickey. I was absolutely wowed again by the fact that Mickey talks. He spent a fair while with me having me participate in a card trick and sharing his worries about the creepy house on Liberty Square. He asked me if it ever happened to me that a ghost had followed me home. I told him that it had not and as I live in the UK, the ghost would need a visa.



















Once I had said goodbye to Mickey, I decided to stop at the Photopass shop, which again is in the same building. I never saw the ride photo for Test Track on the screen and had been told not to worry and that it would automatically appear on my Magic Band. It was still not showing up on the app so I decided to check this out as I had a fair amount of trouble with ride photos in 2013 which took weeks to resolve. They scanned my Magic Band and it had not been linked to this. So the cast member went through all the photos during the period of time when I did this ride. She even extended this further, but no joy. For some reason the photo was never taken or if it was, did not make it onto the system. What did slightly surprise me is just how many lime green t-shirts there were. I figured that my lime green t-shirt would really stick out, but there were loads of them.

I had a quick look at some of the shops while cutting through them on my way up Main Street and then headed to the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom recruitment station at Liberty Square. There I had my final bit of frustration with Disney technology. The progress that I had made on the game during previous visits had somehow been wiped off the portal key. I was not happy as I was nearly done with the easy level. Fortunately I remembered most of the villains I had previously defeated and they were able to add them on manually.

By then it was nearly time for my Fastpass window to open for Big Thunder Mountain. I slowly made my way over there. Again, my Fastpass worked just fine and I had a minimal wait. Big Thunder Mountain has always been my least favourite of the three I have experienced, but this gap has grown even bigger since the extensive refurbishment that Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland got in 2014. I have heard that the one at Magic Kingdom will get the same makeover and I am rather excited about this. For this time, it felt rather lackluster though.

After I came off Big Thunder Mountain, I wandered over to Be Our Guest for my lunch reservation. I got there a little early, but was able to check in straightaway. This was quite an involved process. They now have a check in desk outside the restaurant. As I approached bridge that marks the entrance, the cast member there asked if I had a reservation and I confirmed I had. She then directed me to the check in desk. There I was then asked if I had selected my food in advance, which I also had and was then directed to a different cast member. There was no line so I was able to check in straightaway. The cast member there scanned my Magic Band and confirmed my order with me.



I was then handed a yellow rose and sent inside. There I was intercepted by another cast member, who scanned my Magic Band again, double-checked my order and took my payment. Then I was free to find somewhere to sit. I pondered for a minute to either try the West Wing or the Grand Ballroom, but then decided to stick to the Castle Gallery where I had sat on my previous visits. I placed my rose on my table and then got my orange soda from the soda machine at the back of the room. I did not have to wait long for my lunch. I had gone for my usual for my main course: braised pork with vegetables and bacon served with mashed potatoes and green beans jardinière. For dessert I went with His Master’s Cupcake, which is chocolate sponge cake topped with Lumiere's special grey stuff. I can confirm that the grey stuff is delicious and I did not even have to ask the dishes.





Shortly after my cupcake arrived, I got a text from Pam that they had arrived in the park and would be waiting for me by the bridge. I joined them shortly afterwards. There was a Photopass photographer in this area so I decided to get some photos. I love the photos with the Beast’s castle in the background. I was also asked to hold out my hand for one photo. I had expected that probably Tinkerbell would appear, but when I looked at the photo on the My Disney Experience app later, it was actually Lumiere that was sitting in my hand.





Once I had my photo, we decided what we would do next. We decided to check out Under The Sea: Adventures of the Little Mermaid. If I remember correctly the posted waiting time was 40 minutes. However, there was no visible line. So we decided to check this out. In the end we walked through most of the line and I think the first time we stopped was in the last cave before we got to the room where the loading dock is. The actual waiting time was less than half what was advertised. We did enjoy the ride. I remembered from reading the second edition of The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World that in this part of Fantasyland, there is a visual reference to Disney Cruise Line. As Pam also likes cruising, I would have loved to show her this, but unfortunately I could not remember the precise details and with all the stress I had when I packed for this trip, I forgot to pack the book.

By then my window for my last Fastpass had opened. This was for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and I was rather excited about this as this had not even been built the last time I was at Walt Disney World. Pam and Christine went to get a sundae at Storybook Treats, which is right opposite the ride entrance; while I went to do the ride. Unfortunately my bad luck as far as rides is concerned struck again. I had no issues with the Fastpass and as soon as I got to the second check point, I was directed to a loading position. Everything went smoothly at first and this is a fun ride and the special effects in the mine are stunning. We got near the top of the lift hill that comes after the mine and the ride stopped. This was a rather uncomfortable experience. I was glad when we were moving again. The ride stopped again when we got to the cottage, but that was actually welcome. People always complain that you pass the cottage too quickly and don’t get a proper look. Well, I got plenty of time to have a look at it. Once the ride started moving again, it just took seconds until we were back at the loading dock.





I joined the others again. They were still enjoying their sundaes and once we finished, we headed over to Haunted Mansion. This was quite busy, but we decided to go for it anyway. I think we waited for about 30 minutes and we all enjoyed this. There was a Photopass photographer by the hearse again so I stopped for some photos. Pam suggested that we should go and see the Country Bear Jamboree. In all the times I have been at Walt Disney World I have never seen this. So I was up for this. We still had a bit of time so I got a cup of ice water from Peco’s Bill Tall Tale Inn and Café. Once I had finished this, we went inside. Well, I have to say, this is all rather strange. I am glad to have done it once because it is a significant part of the history of the parks, but I feel no need to repeat this.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Christine and Pam were going to stake out a spot for the Festival of Fantasy Parade. As I needed to get back to the hotel for 16:00 as Graham was due to arrive in Orlando shortly, I decided to say goodbye to them and start to make my way towards the exit. I would see them again the next day anyway. I cut through Adventureland and played one of the missions for The Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom on the way. Unfortunately they had roped off all the crossings as the parade was due to come through shortly. I was right across the way from the train station by the rope and actually had the perfect view. I have to say I was not overly impressed with the parade. I am sure this was partly as I was irritated that I could not get where I needed to go. Another element was that I am not really into parades at the best of times and of course I had just seen Paint the Night at Disneyland which is truly stunning. So this left me decidedly underwhelmed.

Eventually the parade had passed and it was smooth sailing from that point forward. I did not have to wait long for a bus and just as we entered the drive for the All Star Resorts, I could see Disney Magical Express pull into All Star Sports. Once I got off the bus, I walked over to the bus stop for Disney Magical Express, which pulled up shortly afterwards. However, there was no sign of Graham. I went inside to use the bathroom and there he was sitting. Apparently everything had gone very smoothly. The plane arrived in time, the luggage arrived very quickly and there was a Disney Magical Express leaving as soon as he got there. So he had been there a little while. We went over to the room and caught up with each other about our respective adventures.

A while later, we decided what we would do for dinner. We both actually had the same idea. We figured that we should visit our home resort Old Key West and have dinner at Olivia’s Café. I managed to get a reservation at short notice. We set off shortly afterwards. We wanted to take the bus to Disney Springs and take the boat over to Old Key West. I had planned to have a look around Disney Springs at some stage anyway and the day before I had seen on one of my Facebook groups that they had just released a Haunted Mansion Holiday pattern for Dooney and Bourke. There was a tote and a wristlet and they had already been spotted at Disneyland. Cherry Tree Lane at the Market Place Coop was also supposed to have them so that was another incentive. Graham found himself a shady seat and I wandered down there. Unfortunately not only did they not have this pattern yet, but they had not even heard about this. I did love the setup at the Market Place Coop though and was glad that I had checked this out. I then went back to Graham after checking with Guest Services where the boats for Old Key West leave from. At some stage I had read that the Pleasure Island boat dock had been closed, but it appears that this was only temporary and it is now business as usual again. I have to say that I can definitely see the potential of Disney Springs. Some of the theming looks superb. However, until it is finished, I will give this a wide berth.

We got lucky. The boat for Old Key West was pulling in just as we got to the boat dock. There were a lot of people waiting and I wondered if we would get on. Fortunately the same boat dock is also used for Saratoga Springs and Port Orleans and hardly anybody wanted to go to Old Key West when the cast member called people waiting for this resort. We got nice seats and were on our way. We both love the boat ride between Disney Springs and Old Key West. When we got there, we had a look around the resort and then made ourselves comfortable in Papa’s Den until it was nearly time for our reservation. About 5 minutes or so ahead of time, we went to check in. It looks like Disney’s best kept secret is no longer so secret. There used to be a time when you could turn up at Olivia’s Café at pretty much any time you wanted and would have no issue getting a table. This time it was packed. It is nice that people have discovered this as it is a lovely little restaurant. We were equipped with a pager and were told that there would be a 10 to 15 minute wait, which was not a problem.













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To kill some time, we had a look at the shop, which is right next to Olivia’s Café. It made me smile that they now have a limited selection on Disney Dooney and Bourke bags as well. There was nothing that grabbed my eye and some of the patterns they had I already own anyway. I did get an idea for an additional birthday present for Graham. They had an Aloha shirt with the logos of all the DVC resorts on them. I thought this would be something that Graham would like especially as it was nice quality as well. I also had a look at the DVC pins, but before I could make up my mind which one I wanted, our pager went off. I was going to go back after dinner, but I totally forgot.

When we came back to the check in desk, we were seated straightaway and handed the menus. We both ordered some mango ice tea, which to my surprise was unsweetened. I soon enough put this right. I really love a couple of soups they do and I was pleased that one of them, the beer and cheese soup, was the soup of the day that day. Graham was not sure if he wanted some as well so our server brought us a little cup to try. We both ended up having this. For his main course, Graham chose the Southernmost Buttermilk Chicken with mashed potatoes, southern gravy, and seasonal vegetables. I really wanted the Plantation Key Pork Chop, which is a pork chop topped with smoked gouda fondue served with multigrain rice and broccolini, but I did not fancy the rice and I hate broccolini. Fortunately I was able to substitute the sides for green beans, carrots and Olivia’s Potatoes. This worked very well together and the whole meal was delicious. As much as we both wanted their Key Lime Tart, we were both stuffed. We pondered getting some to go and have it for breakfast the next morning, but decided to come back for a coffee and a Key Lime Tart.

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We decided to go back by bus. We wanted to avoid Disney Springs and decided to take the first bus to one of the parks and change there. The first bus that fit the bill was the one to Hollywood Studios. The driver told us that the park was about to close and initially did not want to let us board. However, when we told him that we were just changing there for a bus back to our resort, he told us to get on. It was terribly busy when we got there and we were stuck in traffic at the entrance to the bus area at Hollywood Studios. We moved barely at all. When we finally got to a bus stop, he recommended that we would get off and walk across to our stop. He pointed us in the correct direction. We thanked him and headed off. When we got to the bus stop, the bus just pulled in and we even got a seat. The trip back to the hotel did not take long and as soon as we got there, we got ready for bed.[/url][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/AfReAH][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/AfReAH][/url][/url][/url]

 

[jedijill]

Another fun day with friends! Too bad the ride photos weren't working well. Glad things went smoothly for Graham. Olivia's is wonderful! I had that pork chop last trip and it is yummy!

Jill in CO

 

[franandaj]

Sounds like another fun day. We had the fried chicken at Olivia's and really enjoyed it. I want to play the Sorcerer's of the MK game next trip. We're going to get a bonus day (we'll actually two of them) on our next trip and I'm trying to figure out where to visit on the first one.

I need to do the Country Bears again it has been probably 20 years since I've seen that show. Your meet with Mickey sounded like fun and lunch looked delicious. I am determined to have this when I go next in May.

 

[Pinkocto]

Another great day of fun!

Too bad about your Test Track photo though. Sounds like the CM really tried to find it.

I still have not met talking Mickey. I really need to do this.

They did the same thing with my Sorcerer game, lost everything from the card. I was so frustrated!

Fabulous to get a last minute reservation for Olivias. I'm glad Graham's travel went smoothly.

 

[franandaj]

I wonder if someone in your car made an inappropriate gesture during the photo. That gets them automatically deleted.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Too bad the ride photos weren't working well.

Fortunately most of them made it.

Glad things went smoothly for Graham.

I was so glad to see him again.

Olivia's is wonderful! I had that pork chop last trip and it is yummy!

We love Olivia's and this was one of the favourite things I ever had there.

Sounds like another fun day.

It was.

We had the fried chicken at Olivia's and really enjoyed it.

Graham loves this. I am not keen on meat on the bone so I never had it.

I want to play the Sorcerer's of the MK game next trip.

I really enjoy playing this.

I am determined to have this when I go next in May.

I can recommend it.

Too bad about your Test Track photo though.

On the positive side, it gave me an excuse to ride it again.

Sounds like the CM really tried to find it.

She definitely did.

I still have not met talking Mickey. I really need to do this.

This is so much fun.

They did the same thing with my Sorcerer game, lost everything from the card. I was so frustrated!

That is so annoying.

Fabulous to get a last minute reservation for Olivias.

I was very happy with this, especially considering how busy it was.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

I wonder if someone in your car made an inappropriate gesture during the photo. That gets them automatically deleted.

That may well have been the reason. I was in the front row and somebody in the back could have easily misbehaved.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

Day 14

This morning we were in no particular rush. I had nothing planned as such until the evening and as we both had pretty busy trips up to this point, we decided to have a slow day. We had a lie in and then packed our laundry in one of the suitcases. As the laundry room was right by the pool, we figured we could get it started, have a swim, put it in the dryer and have another swim. So far, so good. They have the same laundry system at Walt Disney World now that they have at Disneyland. There were plenty of machines available and we put our washing on. We headed over to the pool and hit a snag. We could not find any towels anywhere. We asked a passing cast member and she advised that we either could bring towels from the room or get some from the front desk. I think this is the first hotel I ever stayed at were no towels were available at the pool. She asked how many we needed and kindly got a couple out of a storage cupboard for us. I thanked her and we were ready to go.

We left our clothes, shoes and towels on a lounger and headed over to the pool. I love this pool. It is a good size and at that time of the morning, it was almost empty. There were some people relaxing on the loungers near the pool and apart from us, I think there were two other families in the water. We swam for a while and then went to put our clothes in the dryer. When we came back, it had started to rain. I am normally not at all concerned about rain when I am swimming as I am wet anyway, but there was quite a big drop in temperature as well and I started to shiver. We decided to head back to the room and get dried off and changed into dry clothes. The towels were pretty wet, but we still wrapped them around our shoulders. We had showers when we got back to the room to warm up and then got changed into dry clothes. By the time we were ready to head out again, it had fortunately stopped raining. We checked on the dryers and they still had a while to go. So we decided to go to the food court to have something to drink. Graham had a coffee and I had some orange soda. Once we had finished our drinks, our laundry was dry and we took it back to the room.

We discussed what we wanted to do for food and decided we would go to Sweet Tomatoes at Crossroads. We took the bus to Magic Kingdom and then the monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Centre. By the time we got there, it had started to rain again, but fortunately the rain was not heavy. We sat underneath one of the bus shelters where we could see the buses come in and only walked over to the bus stop when we saw our bus pull in. By then if fortunately had stopped raining again. We walked over the short distance from the bus stop to Crossroads and as we cut through the car park of one of the restaurants, there were a ton of big black birds. There were some big bins in this area and the birds were swarming around there. We decided to go and have a closer look and they were actually turkey vultures. This was quite a treat. They must be the most spoiled turkey vultures in the world as the restaurant that the bins belong to is a steakhouse.







It was all very well watching the vultures having a nice meal, but by then we were ready for some food as well. We went off to find Sweet Tomatoes, which is quite hidden at this location. We eventually found it again. We each got a plate of salad. I went with Caesar Salad, baby plum tomatoes, pasta salad, beans, chickpeas, various crunchy things and some ranch dressing. Graham went for a more traditional mixed salad. We paid and found a table. I had some orange soda and I got some strawberry lemonade for Graham. Once we had finished our salad, we went to check out the soups. Graham had the black bean chili and I tried the corn chowder, the cheese soup and also had some of the deep kettle chili, which is my favourite. They had a macaroni cheese month and Graham tried all the different types of macaroni cheese that they had on offer. They had a classic macaroni cheese, a macaroni cheese with ham and peas and Greek macaroni cheese. Graham said that the classic version was the best so I tried a by of this, but I was not too impressed with this. We both had some frozen yoghurt and then we headed out.











After lunch we paid a visit to Gooding’s supermarket. For some reason I had thought that they had all closed so I was pleased to find one. We had used all of our change on the bus on our way there so needed to get some more change. We got a bottle of wine to enjoy back at the hotel. Unfortunately we changed our mind about what wine we wanted at the last minute and did not spot that our final choice did not have a screw top. I also got some hand cream as I had some really dry skin on my hands. We then headed back towards the bus stop. While we were walking over there, it started to rain again, but it was not too bad. We had a little wait for the bus, but eventually we were on our way again. We got tangled up in a bit of traffic around Disney Springs, but we were not in any rush to get anywhere.

When we got back to the Transportation and Ticket Centre, we decided to take the monorail to Epcot and take the bus back from the hotel from there. I was teasing Graham that he had been to a park after all as there is the short loop where the monorail goes over Future World. When we got to the bus stop, we again had a bit of a wait and this bus was shared between all three of the All Star Resorts so it was pretty busy. We could see one of the buildings from All Star Sports from the walkway in front of our room and Graham figured that their bus stop was probably not a lot further from us than the one for All Star Music. So we got off there and walked back to our room. I had a quick look at the gift shop and then we were on our way. I did see a hoodie that I really liked which had the icons of all four parks on it. I decided to sleep on this.

Before the trip, I had been a little worried that I would absolutely hate All Star Music. This was my first experience of a value hotel. However, I actually found that I really liked it even though some of the outside decor was not entirely to my taste, I liked our room and most of the theming outside was actually OK. All Star Sports is another proposition entirely. I am sure that sports fans get a real kick out of this, but I have no interest in sports and found the resort drab and the theming totally in your face. I had booked this for one night in 2013 and then ended up cancelling this when a DVC room at Animal Kingdom Lodge became available and I was glad about this. Realistically it would have been OK as pretty much the only time I would have spent there would have been asleep, but I still preferred to be elsewhere.

When we got back to our room, I got changed into my Cinderella dress and got ready to head out. It had started to rain again and it looked pretty dark so I decided to give it a short while before I went to the bus stop. We just relaxed for a bit and once it got brighter, Graham walked to the bus stop with me. There were a few people waiting, but it was not too bad and I did get a seat. Fortunately I had seen the last of the rain. It was still overcast and a bit cooler, but this was actually quite pleasant.

This time round the handling of etickets seemed to go a bit smoother and there seemed to be less people around so it did not take as long to get in. I had a Fastpass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train so I headed there first. This time round I had no issues with the ride breaking down and I enjoyed this a great deal.





I decided to check out the waiting times for Princess Fairytale Hall and managed to see Cinderella and Rapunzel with a 10 minute wait. I then headed towards Storybook Circus and when I walked past Ariel’s Grotto, the waiting time was also 10 minutes. So I got in line for some photos with her as well. I had only entered the park shortly after 18:00 and by the time I walked out of Ariel’s Grotto, it still was not 19:00 so I was really pleased with this.













I walked over to Storybook Circus and got in line for the characters in their Halloween costumes that I had missed during the first party. There was already a quite long line when I got there and the characters were a little late coming out, but in the end I waited about 20 minutes to see Donald and Daisy and then I was able to move on straightaway to see Minnie with only as much of a wait as the group in front of me took to meet her.

 

[dolphingirl47]

Once I had met the characters, I was ready for something to eat. I decided to try Friar’s Nook. Their menu had recently changed and offered a range of gourmet macaroni cheese. This was right up my street. I went with the pot roast macaroni cheese, which was very nice. While I was finishing my meal, I got a text from Pam that they had arrived at the park. I let her know where I was and she said that they would head in my direction.



I was done before they arrived and decided to walk towards the entrance to meet them on the way. We met up shortly afterwards and decided to do Peter Pan's Flight first. The waiting time for this was about 20 minutes and it was nice to see the new queuing area. The ride was a lot of fun, too. When we came out, we took a quick bathroom stop at the Tangled bathroom and then we wandered over to Haunted Mansion. The wait there was pretty much as long as it took us to walk from the entrance of the line to the entrance of the mansion itself. We very much enjoyed this again.






Pam and Christine wanted to ride Big Thunder Mountain so we headed there next. On the way we stopped at the treat station on the dock to Tom Sawyer Island as they were giving out special Peeps. Once we had them, we carried on towards Big Thunder Mountain. Again, our waiting time was pretty much as long as it took us to walk through. I do enjoy this ride in the dark.

Our next stop was the Photopass spot near the exit to Splash Mountain. This was the second thing I really wanted to do during the first party, but did not get around to. They did a magic shot with the hitchhiking ghosts in this location. The choice of location did seem a bit strange as this is so far from the Haunted Mansion. Still, I did not mind as long as I got my photo. There was a treat station in this area as well so we stopped there on the way out.





I wanted to get a pin for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and they were on sale at Frontier Trading Post. I was good and really only got one pin. The only one that really caught my eye was one with the hitchhiking ghosts. So this is the one I ended up getting. We stopped at the treat station on the landing for the Liberty Belle and then made our way towards the hub for Celebrate the Magic and Happy HalloWishes. I had read that there would be a special Halloween edition of Celebrate the Magic, but Pam and Christine, who had seen this the day before, said that it was exactly the same as it was then. Still, I had not seen this for a long time and I really enjoyed it.

 

[dolphingirl47]

We had a pretty good spot for Celebrate the Magic, but we were able move forward a bit more before Happy HalloWishes started. I was left a little underwhelmed by the fire works. Although Happy HalloWishes did borrow certain elements from Halloween Screams at Disneyland, it was not in the same league and seemed like a pale imitation to me.









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When the fire works were over, we headed to Adventureland. We wanted to do Pirates of the Caribbean. I had not realised that the ride had only just reopened after a refurbishment on this coast as well and here it was a bigger deal. They got some new animatronics at Magic Kingdom and the auctioneer is supposed to be the most lifelike animatronic to be created. We really enjoyed the ride. Well, we did until my curse struck again and the ride broke down when we were in the scene where the town burns. We were stuck there for what felt like forever. At some stage, the lights even came on and I wondered if they would evacuate us. We were right next to some stairs leading to an exit so this would have been relatively straightforward. The people in the boat with us were actually all cast members and did comment that the ride breaks down all the time. Let's just say, by the time we moved again, I wanted drunk pirate on a spit. The same phrase being repeated over and over again is infinitely more irritating that listening to One Little Spark on an endless loop. Eventually the lights went off and we moved again, but only got as far as the prison scene and then stopped again. Fortunately we were not stuck for quite so long this time. When we were finally back at the dock, a cast member handed us each a use any time Fastpass that was valid for a number of attractions. Pam and Christine gave me their Fastpasses as this was their last visit to Walt Disney World that trip and I was planning to go back to Magic Kingdom on the Thursday, but in the end, I never made it back either.

By the time we finally escaped from the pirates, it was time to head back to Main Street for the second showing of the Boo to You Parade. On the way, we stopped at the treat station outside Jungle Cruise. We timed our arrival on Main Street perfectly. We just found ourselves a nice spot when the headless horseman came riding down Main Street. The parade followed shortly afterwards and I did enjoy this. The highlight for me were the gravediggers. I was absolutely spellbound by them making sparks with their shovels.







After the parade we had time for one more ride. I had hoped that we would get to do both Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin that evening, but with us being stuck on Pirates of the Caribbean for so long, we ran out of time. I chose Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and this was a walk on. We enjoyed this and then headed back to the hub for the midnight showing of the Hocus Pocus Villains Spectacular.





We got great spots very close to the front. I had heard great things about this show, but I have to say, this pretty much went straight over my head. I wonder if you have to have seen the movie to really appreciate it. Even though I did not really get it, I still enjoyed seeing all the villains and especially some rarer ones. By the time the show was over, the party was as well. We walked back to the bus area together and then it was time for goodbye as this was the last time we would meet this trip. I did not have to wait long for a bus and even though it was very full, I did manage to get a seat. I was very glad for this, too, as by then, I definitely had run out of steam. Graham was already asleep when I got in so I quickly got ready and went to bed.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Catching up.

Shame about the rides on Day 13 but it looks like you made up for it on day 14.
Your M&G pictures are always fantastic.
Awesome food porn and I hope you had a great time at MNSSHP?

 

[tiggrbaby]

Another two successful days! I like your sparkly slides.

 

[jedijill]

Too bad about the rain. Looks like a fun MNSSHP! You really need to have watched the movie to "get" the show...You should watch it. Hocus Pocus is one of my favorites!

Jill in CO

 

[Pinkocto]

Nice to have a relaxing morning with Graham, you had been going pretty much nonstop this trip! I've heard good things about Sweet Tomatoes. Fun to see those turkey vultures, they are big!

I was so mad at Christine for making us so late to the party I tried not to show it but we had plenty of time and she just couldn't get going that night. Precious party time wasted. Next time I will be getting there early. I'm so glad you suggested us joining you at the party, I loved that! It was my first party ever and it was so much fun. I'm sad I missed the characters in their cute outfits, you got fabulous photos with them. Oh well, I still had a fabulous time. You were much better than me with the pins, I ended up with three of them. We were stuck in Pirates for 50 minutes I'm sorry we missed Space Mountain. I thought the fireworks were magnificent, but it sounds like the DL ones were even more? I can't imagine! I would have gone to another party just to see the Hocus Pocus part again, I liked it that much. You definitely need to have seen the movie to appreciate it more. That picture of me in Buzz cracks me up!

Thank you so much for sharing part of your vacation with us, I enjoyed every minute of it, and Christine did as well

 

[dolphingirl47]

Shame about the rides on Day 13 but it looks like you made up for it on day 14.

I definitely got my money's worth in rides that day.

Your M&G pictures are always fantastic.

Thanks. I am heading back to Disneyland Paris in a little under a week and I have an annual Photopass for this. Add to this that the weekend we are going is the beginning of their spring festival and hopefully I should get plenty of great photos.

I hope you had a great time at MNSSHP?

I most certainly did.

I like your sparkly slides.

I love them, too. They are Birkenstocks and therefore extremely comfortable. I have them in rose gold and silver.

Too bad about the rain.

I could have done without this, but I still got everything done that I wanted to do.

Looks like a fun MNSSHP!

It was. I love the parties and they are even better if you get to share them with friends.

You really need to have watched the movie to "get" the show...You should watch it. Hocus Pocus is one of my favorites!

That can go on the list for this Halloween season along with Nightmare before Christmas, which I still have not seen.

Nice to have a relaxing morning with Graham, you had been going pretty much nonstop this trip!

We both very much needed this.

I've heard good things about Sweet Tomatoes.

We love this place.

Fun to see those turkey vultures, they are big!

For us seeing turkey vultures was a real treat.

I was so mad at Christine for making us so late to the party

I am sorry that she threw a spanner in the works.

I'm so glad you suggested us joining you at the party, I loved that!

And I am so glad that you two could join me.

I thought the fireworks were magnificent, but it sounds like the DL ones were even more?

When I first saw Happy HalloWishes, I was absolutely blown away by this, but Halloween Screams I out of this world amazing.

You definitely need to have seen the movie to appreciate it more.

I will have a go at this.

Thank you so much for sharing part of your vacation with us, I enjoyed every minute of it, and Christine did as well

Thanks for you sharing it with me.

Corinna

 

[dolphingirl47]

Day 15

I had not set my alarm again that morning. I did wake up briefly in time to make rope drop, but did not fancy the prospect of getting up much and went back to sleep. When I woke up just before 10:00, I did feel refreshed and ready for the day. I got up and ready and Graham and I made arrangements when and where we would meet in the evening. Then I headed to the bus stop. I had a bit of a wait for a bus and I finally arrived at Epcot around 10:45. I realised that I would not make my first Fastpass of the day, which was Soarin. I was fine with this as I was in two minds about doing this ride in Epcot anyway after having seen the updated version at Disneyland. I was able to change my Fastpass to Test Track later in the afternoon, which suited me fine.

When I got to the park, I had a little over an hour until the window for my first Fastpass opened. I stopped for some photos near the entrance and then went to meet Pluto. Once I had said goodbye to Pluto, I still had some time until my Fastpass window for Character Spot opened. I used this time to go to the bathroom and to get some samples from Club Cool.











The Fastpass line looked pretty long, but moved steadily and in the end it only took 15 minutes until it was my turn to see Mickey. In the past, things got backed up between the characters, but they managed to sort this out and my wait to see the next character was just as long as it took the family in front of me to finish off.













By the time I was finished with meeting the characters, I was ready to get something to eat. My first stop was Chew Lab, where I got another Liquid Nitro Chocolate and Almond Truffle. Then I crossed over into World Showcase. On the way over, I checked out the Cranberry Bog, which was utterly fascinating.





This time round I went round the World Showcase the other way round. I stopped at one of the recruitment stations for Agent P World Showcase Adventure to pick up a F.O.N.E. I was able to pick a mission and chose Mexico. On the way, I stopped at the Patagonia marketplace and had a beef empanada, which was delicious. Once I had finished this, I did my bit to save the world. I like the new smart phone style game devices a lot better than the old clamshell versions and the mission was quite a bit different from how I remembered it as well. I had fun, but decided one mission was enough for now.

When I returned my F.O.N.E, I decided that I fancied a drink. Defeating an evil genius is thirsty work. So I went to the Mexico marketplace and ordered a guava margarita. I nearly did not get it. I was asked for ID and handed over my provisional driving license that I keep for just this purpose. I have used this as photo ID abroad for years without any issues. This time I was asked for my passport. When I told the cast member that my passport was in the hotel, he asked if I had a photocopy. I was utterly bewildered that he was willing to accept something that could have been manipulated over proper government issued ID. This was academical anyway as I did not have a photocopy of my passport. In the end, he accepted my driving license. This was the only time all trip I was asked for my passport as ID.






Once I had my margarita, I found myself a shady spot and sat down. This was quite potent. When I had finished my margarita, I carried on my wander around the World Showcase. I stopped by the China marketplace for some black pepper shrimp with Sichuan noodles. This was a good sized portion and delicious. I also tried the roast bratwurst in a pretzel roll at the German marketplace, which was tasty, but at $5 a little expensive for the portion size and the sauerkraut pierogi with pork goulash. I loved the goulash, but the pierogi was not to my taste.

By that time, I had my fill as far as savoury food is concerned and it was time for some dessert. For this I went with something that is available year round. I had the ice cream martini at L'Artisan de Glaces at the French pavilion. I had wanted to try this ever since I first heard about this. This consists of two scoops of ice cream or sorbet served in a martini glass with a shot of alcohol. I chose honey nougat and white chocolate coconut ice cream with a shot of Grand Marnier, which worked very well together and was utterly delicious.



As I walked past the International Gateway recruitment station for Agent P World Showcase Adventure, I decided to do another mission. I was given the choice between France and UK and went for the UK. This has always been my favourite mission as it is the most interactive, but again this had changed. It was still a lot of fun. Once I had dropped off my F.O.N.E, I completed my circle of the World Showcase. I ended up talking to the DVC cast members at the Canadian pavilion for a bit. One of them was from the UK. Then I crossed back over to Future World.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I still had time until my Fastpass window for Test Track opened. So I walked over to The Land to do Living with the Land. I had a minimal wait and I enjoyed this very much. I was a little disappointed though that the Mickey pumpkins are no longer there. On the way over to the other side of Future World I spotted a Photopass photographer and stopped for some photos. I also stopped for some more photos on my way to Mouse Gear.









As the still had a bit of time until I could get on Test Track, I decided to take care of something. I collect Disney Dooney and Bourke bags and they brought out a really nice design for the Food and Wine Festival. They had three options: a tote, a zip satchel or a letter carrier. Normally my two favourite styles are the totes and the cross body pouchettes. However, I found that I really love my Disneyland 60th anniversary zip satchel. So I was torn between the satchel and the tote. At that stage, I had made up my mind that it was the satchel that I wanted. So I went to Mouse Gear to get the bag only to find that the satchel was out of stock. I left it for now as I was heading over to the Festival Welcome Centre later and I knew that they sold the bags there, too.

Then it was time for me to ride Test Track. This time I walked straight through the line until I got to the doors to the room where you design your car. I did not have to wait very long until we were let in and I got to work. I went for quirky and environmental friendly. Once the car was designed it too only a couple of minutes until I was in the sim car. My little car did OK overall and I enjoyed the ride. This time I even got the photo.



After riding Test Track, I headed over to the Festival Welcome Centre. On Mondays they did a free cocktail for DVC members at the Intermission Cafe. This was essentially a Cosmopolitan and came in a nice Membership Magic plastic cup. Then I went in search of the Food and Wine Dooney and Bourke Satchel. They had the totes and the letter carriers on the shelves in the gift shop, but there was no sign of the satchel. There was however one in a glass display case across from the shop. So I decided to ask a cast member if they had any in stock. He told me that he thought they still had one at the bookshop and walked me over there. Sure enough, they did. However for some reason it was in a cupboard behind the till. I did not question this at the time and was just happy that I was able to get it. However, this turned out to be the most troublesome bag I ever owned. I used this 4 or 5 times and then the design started to rub off in three places. It looked like somebody had spilled bleach on the bag. I know that this could not have happened as I never left it out of sight when I used it. I noticed this about a week after we returned from Florida. I contacted Merchandise Guest Services straightaway and they were very good. They arranged for a return label to be generated and asked me to return it to them via UPS. This did not cost me a Penny and UPS even picked up the package from my office. I was asked if I wanted a replacement or a refund and I chose a replacement. In the end, by the time my bag had arrived in Florida, the satchels were sold out. We agreed that they would send me the tote at no extra cost even though this was $20 more expensive. I was happy with this. Unfortunately the saga was not over. Disney Merchandise Guest Services had put Food and Wine on the customs declaration and UPS got rather upset about this. Somehow my contact number got transmitted incorrectly as well and they could not contact me. By the time I was aware that the package had arrived in the UK and managed to speak to somebody in the right department, the package had gone back to Florida. Fortunately my contact at Disney was truly amazing. She knew that I would be out of the country for a bit in December and held the package for me until just before I was due to be back at work. The replacement bag finally arrived with me just after Christmas. It is now sitting in our hallway and I somehow cannot bring myself to use it. I am sure I will in time though. I do wonder though that it was sitting in a cupboard because somebody realised that all was not well with that bag. Maybe they spilled some cleaning product or other solvent on it. I am however sure that the cast member who sold it to me did not know it if there was an issue with this bag.

Anyway, I am getting ahead of myself. For now I was overjoyed that I had my bag. The cast member who helped me offered to have it sent to the entrance of the park and I asked if they could send it to the hotel. That was no problem. I filled out the paperwork and then handed my treasure back over to the cast member. Then I went to have a look around the rest of the Festival Welcome Centre. I found an area for Ghirardelli and decided to check this out. I did get a free sample, which is always nice. However, the best thing was that they had scenes from various Disney movies that were all made from chocolate. They looked absolutely amazing.













Soon it was time for my last Fastpass of the day, which was for Mission: Space. This was the first time I ever had a Fastpass for this. I went to the Fastpass entrance and was asked if I wanted to do the orange or green version. I chose the green version, was given the boarding pass and directed down a line. There was absolutely nobody around. As I got near the end of the line, a cast member signalled me to hurry up. When I got inside the ready room, there was a family of three stood in one line. I headed for the same line and was moved to a line of my own. A couple more families arrived and they were directed to lines at the opposite side of the room. When the door opened, there was still just me in my line. I ended up having a whole simulator to myself. I have to say, this felt a bit weird and I definitely prefer my space travel when I am part of a crew. Still, it was an experience.

When I was back on planet earth, I spotted a Photopass photographer just outside. I stopped for some photos and then headed for the exit. I did not have to wait long for a monorail and the interchange at the Transportation and Ticket Centre was smooth as well. As the Polynesian Resort now has DVC units, I decided to check the gift shop to see if they had the DVC Aloha shirt. They did and I decided to get this for Graham. When I came to pay for it, my card was declined. I found out when I got home that my bank had blocked the card after with what they considered to be a potentially fraudulent transaction. I had informed them of my travels ahead of time, but a larger transaction that was not verified by PIN made them suspicious. I had pretty much only used my pre-paid card for credit card transactions and just used my debit card for getting cash and for that of course I needed my PIN. I asked were the closest cash machine was located and was pointed upstairs. They held my shirt for me and I had no issues getting cash out of the cashpoint. I went back down and paid for the shirt and then went to find Graham.







We had agreed to meet at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto. Graham was already there and had tried some food. I joined him and we ordered some more food. I ordered the corn-bantered Portuguese sausages with curry ketchup and pan-fried dumplings with soy-sesame sauce. Graham helped me a little with the dumplings and also ordered the chicken lettuce cups. The food was nice, but the Portuguese sausages did not taste anything like the ones we had at Aulani. I had some water to start off with and Graham had some Sprite, but I ended up getting a Rosita's Margarita and Graham had the Kona beer flight, which consisted of 5 oz. pours of Longed Island Lager, Fire Bock Pale Ale and Castaway IPA. He liked all of them.





I have since found out that there is an inside to Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, but I still cannot figure out where this may be. We sat out on the patio and I was under the impression that this is all there is to it. There was hardly anybody around and the location is quite idyllic. There are waterfalls around the area and the patio is overlooking the landscaping for the pool. We both rather liked it.

Our plan had been to walk over to the boat dock and take the boat to the Magic Kingdom. However, by then it was dark, there is very little by the way of lighting and there is next to no signposting. So after a while we gave up and headed back to the monorail. We got off at Magic Kingdom and took the bus back to the resort. This worked pretty well with minimal waits. When we got back to the resort, I went inside the shop to get my pin. I always get a pin for each Disney resort I stay in. Unfortunately they only had a generic All Star Resorts pin, but that was better than nothing. We then headed back to the room to get an early night as we had a long day ahead of us.

 

[Pinkocto]

What a fun day I'm super jealous you had another one of those fabulous nitro chocolates, those were so good!!!

I still have not done a mission at EPCOT, I guess I misunderstood how they worked. Each mission is in one country? or they go through several countries?

Ridiculous about the CM wanting your passport to get a drink...

Sounds like you tried some delicious items from the booths, and you can't go wrong with the ice cream shop in France.

How sad about your D & B satchel, but the customer service sounds fabulous.

The chocolate scenes are amazing.

I'm glad they didn't block your bankcard completely and you were still able to get cash.

We walked over to the Poly and I completely forgot to look for Trader Sams.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Just catching up! Been absent for a while. Too much to comment on but looks like a great trip. Glad Graham arrived. Talking Mickey how cool! We tried Olivia's and thought the food was good too. Lovely photos of you. I like the magic shot with Lumiere!