So we finished Dinner at Kona and we were on the boat to... What's that? I forgot to tell you about our dinner at Kona? OK. I'll slow down a little and tell you about our dinner!
So we ate at Kona. I had one of those Pineapple Drinks, I think it's called the Lapu Lapu and after that I quite frankly had a hard time remembering what I had for dinner.
The consensus is that I had a steak, husband had a crab cake appetizer and then a salad and there were 2 coconut almond chickens and Chicken and pan seared noodle dish in the mix. There was much mixing and matching of entrees so it was like a Polynesian food truck was having an all you can eat buffet at our table. There was also a Kilauea Torte or two making the rounds after dinner and then we were off to the boat dock at the Poly to catch a ride to the MK.
This proved to be unnerving for me because, in the dark, I couldn't really see the mini boat they use to ferry passengers between the MK and the Poly and the dock was deserted. I kept thinking that we should probably hitch a ride on the monorail but I kept getting vetoed by my contingent, so wait we did. Even I am loathe to take the monorail after reading about the MANY random and inopportune break downs it experiences just as you are desperately behind on your touring schedule. Having visions of being trapped and having to listen to an endless loop of "Por favor, mantenganse allejado de las puertas". I made up my mind that we would only dare try the monorail when we didn't have to be anywhere important, like say on the way back to the resort to catch the magical depress home.
Finally another family showed up and swore they saw Gilligan and the Skipper motoring our way in the SS Minnow.... and sure enough they were right. We schlumped it over to MK in high style and jumped off the boat just in time to catch the one to Fort Wilderness campground. We had a date with a carriage ride to see the Christmas lights that all the guests put up on their RV and Camp sites!
I'm talking wall to wall Christmas lights, inflatables, Blow molds and other electronic Bacchanalia that can only be exceeded by Jennings Osborne and the masterpiece that is the Osborne Lights. To think that plain folks come to WDW and are so inspired to share the Christmas spirit with their friends and neighbors at Fort Wilderness is enough to bring a tear to any eye. It was a truly marvelous display and I would highly recommend that you stop by at night if you are in that neighborhood at Christmas time.
Among the highlights we got to see was a lady that had a Disney oriented train table set up and she was handing out candy canes to all comers. Another highlight was a fellow by the name of Dave The Castle Guy . My words would not do a description of his delight justice so be sure to check out this link that explains it all.
http://land.allears.net/blogs/guestblog/2012/11/ft_wilderness_christmas_dave_t.html
Even better after reading the above site is this link to a video which brings his artistic effort to life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eU2Is8aPOk&feature=player_embedded
Watching this will give you an idea of the artistry and devotion these folks
exhibit in an effort to spread the Christmas spirit while staying at Ft. Wilderness. I like to think that you can see a little of Walt Disney and all that he hoped to achieve with his parks and entertainment empire in the inspiration that these folks strive for.
After walking around the decorations post carriage ride we made our way down to the beach to catch the MK fireworks. This was followed shortly after by the electrical water parade. It was quite the magical end to a magical evening. The best part of all was that we got to get back on the boat and make the trip back to MK for the bus back to BC. There is something so peaceful and beautiful about cruising on the water at night in the MK resort area. You get to see the resorts beautifully lit up and then the MK comes into view and takes your breath away. Sometimes you are in such a rush to get to your destination that you sort of miss enjoying the trip along the way. One of the things that we really wanted to do was get off the beaten path and experience some of the things that WDW offers that are not the prime, "A-List" attractions, but yet still hold a ton of enjoyment when you experience them. Spending a December Christmas Night at Fort Wilderness really helped us achieve this goal.
We made our way back to the resort filled with wonder, excitement and anticipation about our stay. Tomorrow would be a busy day. We'd be up early for rope drop at EPCOT. At least that was the plan. With 5 of us all trying to get ready and be on the same schedule, Would We Make It???
Tune in next time as we find out who was naughty and who was nice about keeping the schedule!
~NM
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