The One Where...It's Still Raining, and We Break the Rules
I was able to sneak in a 45 minute nap - which was great, because I definitely needed it. When I woke up - it still looked like this...
And Lisa sent me a text that she was minutes away. I told her to just check in at the gate house with my name and room number and drive to Casitas 3. Well...that would have been a great plan at literally any other resort but CSR - which, unknown to me, had TWO gates and you need either a magic band or a room key in order to enter the 2nd set of gates. CSR is HUGE and the buildings can definitely feel like a labyrinth if you don't know where you're going.
I told Lisa to stay where she was and I would try to find her. I quickly threw the things I needed for the night in a bag - including my tripod, poncho'd up, and set off in search.
What followed was a hysterical series of texts, phone calls and google pin drops. I wish I could accurately describe the combination of frustration, four-letter words, laughing so hard our sides hurt, and helplessness, we both felt, but it was definitely a 'you had to be there' situation. After about 25 minutes - I finally found Lisa - on the far outskirts of the Convention Center parking lot.
I hopped in the car and we headed for the Polynesian.
The plan was for Lisa to get dinner at Trader Sams, Tambu Lounge or Kona Café and I was going to go to Magic Kingdom to watch Happily Ever After.
We got to the gate house at the Poly and were told we absolutely could not park there unless we had confirmed dining reservations - which I found silly. I also know this rule isn't strictly enforced, because in march when I had dinner reservations at 'Ohana, I was forced to valet park because all the self-parking was full. The cast member told me it was because DVC members were parking at the Poly so they could go to the Magic Kingdom for a special event that night.
In any event, we didn't want to mess with the TTC at this point - I would have missed the fireworks for sure - and Lisa didn't know where she was going on her own. And its still raining. I asked the guard if we could just pay for valet - which he said was fine. Um...OK. Got it. I'm not really sure what the difference was? Either way we were going to eat dinner at the Poly.
We were finally allowed past the gate house, and there is a bit of a fork in the rode. The sign here,
very clearly says "Disney Buses Only" to the right, and Self-Parking and valet to the right. I knew from my trip in march, you just follow the self-parking route down and the valet is off to the right past the bus stop.
Well...the guard literally came
chasing after us saying we couldn't go that way and had to go to the right. I know, in his mind he thought for sure we were just going to self-park - but we honestly were going to valet! I've never gotten in so much trouble when I was actually trying to follow the rules haha!
We dealt with the valet and then made our way upstairs. I pointed out Tambu Lounge and Kona to Lisa - and she thought she was going to try Kona.
I made my way to the monorail - and a train had just pulled up. Unfortunately, I got delayed on that train about 10 minutes. I was certain I was going to have a horrible spot for the fireworks, but I managed to find a decent one in the center of main street, a few rows back from where they have the walking path cleared before you get to the hub. Ideally, this section would have been perfect if I was in the front, as you have a good amount of separation between you and the people in front of you. I wasn't successful getting good fireworks pictures on my last night - so I took out my notes cheat sheet (again) and got everything set up including my tripod. The tripod was definitely the best investment I made since my last trip. I got a great deal on one from Best Buy and it was AWESOME! Very light weight and I could break it down myself in a matter of seconds. I could even do it while I was walking in a crowd back to the best stop.
Anyway...I had about 20 minutes to wait, in which time I witnessed my first ever Disney fight. A young girl, I say "young" because based on maturity level, I would assume her to be about 19, which is actually an insult to 19 year olds everywhere - and an older woman, I would guess about 50-60, got into quite an altercation. From what I could gather - there was some disagreement between the two further back in the crowd. They both apparently continued to inch their way forward, ending up directly beside me.
The current disagreement was because young girl (YG) felt the lady (L) was crowding her space (she wasn't in my opinion and was following cast member instructions to move all the way forward). YG was actually yelling at L at this point about how if she wanted a good space, she needed to get there sooner. L responded saying she was just following instructions. YG continues berating L about how she's supposed to be an adult (over, and over, and over again "You're an adult, you're an adult, you're an adult). I was kerfuffled about what YG was supposed to be - because she definitely was not acting like an adult. YG goes on to yell at L that she needed to back up because she was saving a space for her boyfriend. Oh, the irony.
L responds (calmly) that if her boyfriend wanted a good spot, he should have gotten there earlier (point for L). At this point, I was working up the courage to say something, because YG was way out of line in speaking to this woman that way, and also way out of line in berating this woman for exactly what she herself was doing. At this point, YG, manages to bring me into the argument by saying "if you wanted to get a good spot, you should have gotten here earlier, like this lady (pointing at me)."
I think YG thought I would back her up - but I was squarely not on her side. The yelling, her pointing her finger in L's face - not cool. Whether L was right or wrong, girl needed to show some more respect. So, I said the only thing I could think of - "You're actually the one acting ridiculous, and if you don't knock it off, I'm going to film you and put it on YouTube."
I internally winced. Not cool to sink down to someone else's level - but it worked. A hair flip, a scoff and a massive eye roll followed, but she turned around and didn't say another word.
Argument over - it was time for fireworks.
I was actually furious initially when the news broke Wishes was ending. Like red in the face mad. I cried on both of my last times watching Wishes. Not like sobbing or anything, but definitely teary eyed.
No fireworks show could
ever. possibly. take the place of wishes. Except for - these fireworks.
Breathtaking. Jaw-dropping. Inspiring. All the feelings. And yes, even tear-jerking. I was overwhelmed with Happily Ever After.
Everything was perfect. I was happy I shot long exposure shots and used a tripod because all I had to do was push the button each time the shutter closed. I had quite a few shots that were
way over exposed, but these were great for a first attempt I thought!
I love the quote at the end of Happily Ever After:
And so our journey comes to an end
But yours continues on
Grab hold of your dreams
And make them come true
For you are the key to
unlocking your own magic
Now go, let your dreams guide you
Reach out and find your
Happily Ever After
I literally had chills! I wanted to just stand there in amazement, but I did not want me, or my camera to get trampled. I booked it back to the monorail (disassembling tripod as I went) - and managed to catch the first resort monorail back to the Poly.
It was time for drinks at Trader Sam's - which normally I would put in a separate post, but if you're feeling rushed, its because I
am rushing to try and get to Pandora!
We had some confusion about being added to a wait list or if there even was a wait list at Trader Sam's, so that resulted in going outside on the patio where you can get the same drinks and food! It was hot, but frankly, I was starving and I know Lisa wanted a cocktail.
I started with...
HippopotoMai-Tai - Coruba Dark Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, Bols Orange Curacao, Orgeat (almond), organic agave nectar, and fresh lime juice. Served in a souvenir Tiki Glass for $21; without glass for $11
The cost of the glass is less than what it is in the gift shop, and it says Trader Sam's Grog Grotto on the back of it. I was happy I finally got my glass after foregoing one on my last trip. And, in keeping with tradition, the drink was knock you right on your kiester strong.
Lisa decided to go with something a bit more mundane:
Mosquito Mojito - Bacardi Dragon Berry Rum, organic agave nectar, Falernum, mint and fresh lime juice topped with soda water $10.75
This was also delicious!
For snacks, we decided to share:
Hawaiian Poke - with Sriracha aioli $12.99
This was yummy, super fresh and a very large portion (we felt) for the price given the quality of the tuna.
Roasted Chicken Pork Pate Banh Mi Sliders $9.99
These were SUPER tasty. The bread was fresh - crusty on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The Pork Pate was more of a pork sausage in terms of flavor, and the pickled slaw on tip was crisp and added a nice amount of acid. This was also a generous portion for the price!
I loved our "meal" here and this has, after two visits here, become a first day tradition! There are still lots of things I'd like to try on the menu here!
It was close to 11 by the time we finished, so we went straight back to the hotel. We had to be up at 5:00 AM the following morning!