30 magical years..our anniversary trip!-updated: the End and notes for next time

[DonnaW]

We did have a pretty good anniversary day; haven't even posted the "crazy" part of the day yet! We really enjoyed the restaurant in Italy. We even peaked in the door of the newer one, the pizza one, Via Napoli, I think it's called, and I am so glad we kept our original plans as it just seemed that where we were so was so much more elegant and festive.

Sounds like a wonderful anniversary day. Haven't been to the restaurant in Italy since they changed, how was it.

That is a really nice pic!!

 

[DonnaW]

September 6, crazy afternoon: she sang a song about US!!!

After lunch, Epcot began to get kind of HOT...but we carried on! The World Showcase players came by Italy, and did their version of Romeo & Juliet, picking on unspecting tourists to play the lead roles! It was great fun to watch. Then, of course, we had to head over to France, another place in the Worlds I just love, and of course, we had to head to the bakery/pastry shop, yet another place I just love, and of course, had to get one of those Napolean bakery treats: you guessed it, another treat I just LOVE!!! Is that the best thing ever or what????

Just couldn't get enough of Italy !!!! so we headed back over there and watched yet another performance show (Sergio, I think his name was?)

Finally, we started walking a little further around World Showcase, and ended up over in jolly ol' England! The sky was beginning to threaten rain, but we didn't care, it was our anniversary, we were in Disney World and we were having a great time!!!!

We ended up in the Rose and Crown Pub, and then the sky *did* let loose, so we just kind of hung out there for awhile and there was this performer there...she called herself the Hat Lady! She was at the piano and had tons of hats all around her.

She was singing and kind of callin' on people who were there celebrating special events...like...well, we were! She asked me stuff like where Mark and I had met (in a bar called the Peppermint stick, lol!), how long we dated and other silly details, and then she made up a whole song just about us!!! That was CRAZY and we just laughed and laughed (it also helped that by this time we were drinkin' and talkin' to the people all around us, too!) It was a singin' in the rain moment at Disney World!!!

Up Next: Goodbye, Epcot and headin' over to the Grand Floridian!!!

 

[DonnaW]

Time out for a few POP Century pics!

Still gotta say, "Where Else but Disney World you gonna stay in a place like this???"

 

[DonnaW]

Taken at sunset at POP (yep, this is the POP Century lake!!!)

 

[micandminforever]

I have enjoyed reading your trip report. Pop Century is one of my favorite resorts. I love all of the Pop pictures. My dh and I spent our 25th anniversary at Disney back in June.

 

[DonnaW]

Thank you for reading! Hope you continue to enjoy the report. Happy Anniversary!

I have enjoyed reading your trip report. Pop Century is one of my favorite resorts. I love all of the Pop pictures. My dh and I spent our 25th anniversary at Disney back in June.

 

[DonnaW]

September 6th...an evening of luxury at the Grand Floridian...

So, after enjoying "our" song, we decided to brave the rain and leave Epcot, but on the way out, we saw the character place where you can have a picture taken with the top 5 Disney stars (you know, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy!). Lines didn't seem too bad, so we went ahead and waited and had some fun photos done with our Disney friends. Then, we were gonna leave Epcot, but Wait!- there is *no* line for Spaceship Earth! I mean, really, no line, zero, zilch...what's up with that??? So, of course, we had to do that before we left! They changed this ride somewhat (I think for the better) and I love the little interactive stuff at the end, and how they insert your photo into the pictures!!!

Finally...we were headed back to the parking lot and the little blue car. I had originally planned to go to the Grand Floridian character dinner on our anniversary, but had since decided against it (don't worry, Dis police, I cancelled the reservation!!) But, I still wanted to go over to the Grand Floridian, anyway, so we just drove the little blue car over there. My husband being the great guy he is (do you sense a theme here, it's no wonder I have kept him for 30 years!), dropped me off at the front door and then had to go and park the little blue car 5,000 miles away! In the rain! UGH.

However, I, being the spoiled one that I am, entered the lobby of the GF, and my feet promptly sank into acres of soft, soft carpeting. And, I was greeted by an orchestra. No, not just a band...but an orchestra!!

This place is all cream colors and amazing. This is what I call luxury, baby!

Eventually, the orchestra decided to take a break, but did that mean that the music stopped? Oh, no, *not* at the Grand Floridian! Now, gentleman in a tux sat down and began to play tunes on the piano!

Can you tell I was a bit impressed with the Grand Floridian???!!!

Mark finally joined me (I thought maybe he had gone back to Italy it took so long!), we kind of wandered around inside the lobby, and gift shops and stuff. We weren't overly hungry, but decided to see if we could get something light at the Grand Floridian Cafe. This place is pretty. We asked our server if there was a good place to see fireworks after we were done eating, and got a recommendation and headed out there. The rain had stopped by then. So, we were on the shores of the Grand Floridian, and there was music, and fireworks going off over Cinderella's Castle across the lagoon. Perfect!

Here is an outside shot of the Grand Floridian at night:

We were not anxious to leave the lap of all of this luxury, but alas, our bed was at POP Century, so Mark went to get the car for me...again...and we headed back to our own place.

There was still one more anniversary surprise...when we got back to the room, there were roses in a Minnie Mouse vase waiting for me.

Another special gift from my extra special husband (I think I'll keep him awhile longer!)
A perfect ending to a practically perfect day!!!

Up next: a visit with our animal friends....

 

[DonnaW]

A few more POP pics

I loved the new pattern on the bedspreads:

A window full of towel creatures:

 

[DonnaW]

September 7th: visiting our animal friends at the park and the Lodge

Today was Animal Kingdom. I always think that there is not really much I like at Animal Kingdom, but actually we spent quite a few hours over there! We again drove the trusty little blue car, and again, it was really very fast to get there from POP Century (are you seeing a pattern here? I really think POP is very centrally located in Disney!)

The first thing we did is to go over by Expedition Everest. I am NOT a roller coaster kinda person, but Mark wanted to give this one a try. I did stay in the line with him all the way until the "chicken exit"..chickens of the world, unite!!!

He rode the ride, and well, ummm....let's just say he isn't going to do that again! (kind of had the same pale look he had after his one and only time riding on Mission Space on one our previous Disney trips). So, we had to kind of do a rest/relax after that. Not a very good start to the AK day. But, it did get better! We did the Safari ride, and saw quite a few animals. We watched the Lion King show, and I *still* think that one show is totally worth the price of admission to the Animal Kingdom park. I just really, really like that show! We had lunch at the Pizzafari (I think it's called?) place, and the cast member (sweet lady!) noticed our anniversary buttons, and brought us a cupcake!! Where else but Disney???

I was on a quest to find Eeyore, a my all-time favorite Disney character. He was not in the parade at the MK, and they told me he doesn't visit Epcot, either, so I was kind of sad because I hadn't seen him yet. But...we found him on the character trails!!! Hurrah, Eeyore!!!

We found out how tough it is to be a bug before we decided to head back to POP. We sat out by the pool and enjoyed an adult beverage.

After our rest break, we decided to take a ride over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to continue our visits with the animals. The lobby of the AK Lodge is just a bit too dark for my taste, I think I would always be on the verge of falling asleep there!! But, we did head out to the Savanah area to view the animals for a bit, and talked to the guide there who shared some interesting information with us. It is a very unusual hotel over there

We took a peak into the restaurant there, Boma, and also the other fancier one. I don't think I am quite as adventurous as I would need to be to enjoy eating there!

Soon, it was time to head on over to the Polynesian, as we had reservations for Ohana!!!!

Up next...celebrating with our cousins!

 

[irish dancer]

I LOVE the FotLK show too!

AKV is our home resort and we love it there. Never tried Jiko but really like Boma although my family is not as much a fan so we don't visit often.

Looking forward to hearing about Ohana, definitely want to do that one on our next trip.

 

[DonnaW]

Are the rooms at the AK Lodge as dark as the lobby area? Wasn't it designed by the same person who did the Wilderness Lodge? I really, really think the idea of a savanah area to view the animals is so unique! It must be very relaxing to sit out and have your morning coffee and a view of the animals, too. Where else but Disney??!

I LOVE the FotLK show too!

AKV is our home resort and we love it there. Never tried Jiko but really like Boma although my family is not as much a fan so we don't visit often.

Looking forward to hearing about Ohana, definitely want to do that one on our next trip.

 

[irish dancer]

Are the rooms at the AK Lodge as dark as the lobby area? Wasn't it designed by the same person who did the Wilderness Lodge? I really, really think the idea of a savanah area to view the animals is so unique! It must be very relaxing to sit out and have your morning coffee and a view of the animals, too. Where else but Disney??!

I don't find the rooms too dark but I've read a lot of reports that think so. Having the savanah view is amazing, our kids would run out there every time we came back to the room to check out all the animals. We had an Eland that 'lived' right outside our room one trip, the kids nicknamed him Eddie.

 

[DonnaW]

Wow! That had to be amazing!!! Like I have siad so many times, where else but Disney???!!

I don't find the rooms too dark but I've read a lot of reports that think so. Having the savanah view is amazing, our kids would run out there every time we came back to the room to check out all the animals. We had an Eland that 'lived' right outside our room one trip, the kids nicknamed him Eddie.

 

[DonnaW]

September 7th: Celebrating with the cousins: 'Ohana!!!

This was the one restaurant that we both really, really wanted to try and visit during our trip. I checked for availability online *daily* (and sometimes hourly and sometimes every minute..well, no not really, but it felt that way!) and did a few phone calls, too, and nothing was EVER available. Finally, finally, finally, one day something DID pop up...I was like, WAIT, did I read that right??? It did say 'Ohana, right??? Well, it was a little later than I really wanted, but as they say, beggars can't be choosers, so I grabbed it. And, during my phone call quest, I had been informed by a cast member that a late reservation is actually good, as you might actually be able to see the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom!

So, we headed off once again in the trusty little blue car over to the Polynesian. Now, if I were going to pick any place to stay at Disney besides POP, it might actually be this resort. (yes, I loved the GF, but let's face it, I am more of a wear my hat and flip flops person and not a dress up to feel comfortable walking into the lobby one!). They have waterfalls, and gorgeous flowers, and tiki torches, and the lake and oh, yeah, the view of the castle! Yep, sign me up for this one!

We walked around the resort a bit and just kind of breathed in all the wonder of the Poly, and then headed up to the podium to check in. We asked if it were at all possible to please, please, please work some Disney magic and get us a window seat, and we wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer for one! We were handed our little pager and headed over to the bar.

Now being the good little Dis researcher that I am, I saw pictures online of this wonderful looking little 'ol drink at the Poly. It comes in like a pineapple with an umbrella thingie (love those umbrella thingies!), and has rum and good stuff to drink! I told the friendly neighborhood bartender there that I wanted one of those, and he said, are you sure, that's a pretty strong drink! I told him I was going to share it with Mark and then the bartender said okay then. (I guess I don't look like I can handle a strong drink!) Anyway, he fixed me up and WOW, was that a good (strong!) drink!! What a great start to our evening at 'Ohana!

It was a bit of a wait for our table, but when we did get seated, yippeeee!!!, we got our window seat!!! And, they turned down the lights shortly after we got seated, and piped in the music from the MK, and we saw the fireworks out the window. It was an incredible, incredible view from there!!! It was just beyond amazing.

Then, the food started coming. And, it just never stopped! Oh. My. Goodness. It is just one thing after another, and just when you think they are *done*, they come around with yet another skewer, saying do you want any more chicken? or do you wany any more steak? or do you want any more shrimp? or do you want any more pork? If you EVER plan to go to 'Ohana, make sure you go HUNGRY!!! Mark really, really, really enjoyed this meal. (I liked some of the stuff more, which is no issue, because you can get as much as you want of whatever you want!)

Beyond all this, they also had entertainment. They had a woman who was doing little races with the kids, and hula type stuff and giving out those perfumed flower leis. I mean, this place was just exciting!

Then, there was dessert, too! It was awesome! And, oh, yeah, because of our anniversary buttons, they came by and announced to all our "cousins" that we were celebrating our anniversary and brought us out two cupcakes (and yes, we took them in a to-go box!!).

I would highly, highly recommend 'Ohana to anyone. I think it honestly was a highlight of our trip, and well, well worth the trouble getting the reservation. And, oh, yeah, I woud also highly, highly recommend that drink (even though it's kind of expensive!)

see the pineapple drink!!!

everything is cooked on skewers on this fire pit, very cool!!!!

Mark loving the food!

We really enjoyed celebrating with our "cousins" there!!!

up next: a vist to Hollywood

 

[heaven2dc]

First of all - Happy Anniversary!! I loved that you got the anniversary kiss at midnight in front of the Castle - how romantic

We would like to try Boma and/or O'hana on our next visit in a couple of months - but my DS28 is a vegetarian and didn't think he would enjoy O'hana with the meat skewers. Do you think he will enjoy Boma?

btw you are an adorable couple - 30 years together is fantastic!

 

[irish dancer]

I SO, SO, SO want to try Ohana for dinner. We've done breakfast there a few times with Lilo & Stitch but not dinner. Have tried to get ADRs but have never been successful. Hoping CL IPO will be able to score them for me in June.

Poly is one of our favorites too, wish they'd build a DVC there.

 

[DonnaW]

Thank you!!! It was cool to be able to start our celebration like that! And, thank you for the sweet compliment...

If your DS is a vegetarian, I am not sure he whether or not he would enjoy 'Ohana. They do have shrimp if he eats shrimp. They also serve salad and a rice sort of dish, but I do believe the maiin foods are meat skewers. As far as Boma, I honestly don't know what exactly all they serve there. I think they post menus on a few other Disney sites online, though, so you could probably check it out before you go.

Have a wonderful trip!!!

First of all - Happy Anniversary!! I loved that you got the anniversary kiss at midnight in front of the Castle - how romantic

We would like to try Boma and/or O'hana on our next visit in a couple of months - but my DS28 is a vegetarian and didn't think he would enjoy O'hana with the meat skewers. Do you think he will enjoy Boma?

btw you are an adorable couple - 30 years together is fantastic!

 

[DonnaW]

I really, really hope you guys get a chane to try it out! For us, it was, as I mentioned, a true highlight of our trip.

I wonder if they ever will consider a DVC at the Poly???!!! They did one at the Contemporary; can the Poly be far behind???!~

I SO, SO, SO want to try Ohana for dinner. We've done breakfast there a few times with Lilo & Stitch but not dinner. Have tried to get ADRs but have never been successful. Hoping CL IPO will be able to score them for me in June.

Poly is one of our favorites too, wish they'd build a DVC there.

 

[DonnaW]

September 8th: our not so magical visit to Hollywood

Our trip so far had been really wonderful; we had shared some amazing experiences, good meals and great times. One issue I was experiencing was a really sore left foot, but being that I was at Disney, I was determined not to let it stop me from having fun!!!

Wednesday was the day all along that we had talked about taking a Disney break and visiting a nearby beach for the day. We had researched a bit, and kind of thought we might try to go to Clearwater for the day. However, when this day started, I was just so not ready to leave the "magic" yet, especially as there was still a Disney park that we had not even been to on this trip.

We decided to stay at Disney and go to what I will always and forever think of as MGM, but apparently, it's now Hollywood Studios.

We love the music that plays on the loudspeakers at you enter this park. I had read that Fast Passes for Toy Story Mania go, well, fast, so the first thing we did was go over there and grab some Fast Passes. We were not sure where or what we wanted to see at this park; no real plan (no need to rush to Tower of Terror or Rock N Roller Coaster as we don't do those rides! Well, Mark *used* to when the kids went with us, but me *never*, *no way*, *no-how*!). We thought we might be able to see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid...ummm...nope, just missed the start. So, we headed over to the Great Movie Ride, and got right on. I like this ride a lot, but have they ever updated the movie sequence at the end of it? I would think especially with the Pixar connection they might add some Pixar movies to the end. After that, we thought we would see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid...ummm..no, just missed the start. (Are you sensing a frustrating theme here yet?!) We then decided to try the American Idol experience. We both enjoy American Idol, and I apologize in advance for anyone who really likes this attraction, but honestly, I thought we were in a karoake bar! This is done in the huge Theater of the Stars, where they used to do the Millionare show, and way back even before that Superstar TV. I loved Superstar Tv and even got picked once to be the "star" in a soap opera production! This whole American Idol thingie...yeah, no...

Afterwards, we decided to go to see Indiana Jones. I haven't seen that one in a long time, either...I thought they would show us "how" the stunts were done, but Mark told me that no, they don't do that at this show. Again, isn't it time to update this? I mean, how old are the Indiana Jones movies, anyway??

By then, it was time for lunch at 50's Prime Time Cafe. We have been here before and always enjoyed it.

This time, we had a very, very friendly family sitting on one side of us, that we enjoyed chatting with, but they left shortly after we got started. On the other side of us was a rather grumpy Gus kind of group, nothing seemed to make these people happy. This kind of put a downer on the whole experience there, as the server did none of the usual "family" type antics that we kind of enjoy at this restaurant, as I think she was trying to deal politely with this family. (The manager even came over to talk to them, and that did not even seem to please them at all). But, on the positive side, the food was good!

After this, we tried once again to see that *darn* Mermaid...yep, you guessed it, we missed it again! We even had a chat with the cast member there, as it appeared that they were running the shows on a on-the-half-hour type schedule, and we had even timed it so that we thought we would make the show based on that...however, according to the cast member, no, it is not *always* on the half hour; sometimes it is different. And, no, they do not put the times in the "times guide"...why not?...she said it would make her job a whole lot easier if they would!


Now it was about time for the parade to start...so we grabbed some curb and sat down to watch. I was just not impressed with this one at all, and actually got up and began to wander around during the parade.

I went inside the Hollywood Brown Derby Restaurant (very elegant!) and took a few pictures there.

Then it was time for our Toy Story Mania Fast Passes. The decor in the waiting area was cool! The ride was okay, but honestly, I felt like I had no clue what I was supposed to be doing. I am glad we didn't wait for over an hour (the posted wait time) to get on this. I would have liked to go on it again to see if I could understand it better, though, because I really feel like i missed something there. This Toy Soldier dude out in front of the Barrel of Monkeys was cool, people thought he was a statue until he would surpise them by moving!

Our next event was the Beauty and Beast show...always fun to watch, and what a concept, it runs on a schedule so you know when you should be there!!!!

One of my favorite things about this park has always been the Muppet show, however, the "tip board" said that the Muppet show was "temporarily closed". Ugh!

After this, we decided to head back to POP for a break, because we wanted to go to Epcot for the Illuminations show, and honestly, we were both a bit disappointed in this park. Not one of the most magical Disney Days! Darest I say it: maybe we *should* have gone to the beach!

 

[DonnaW]

September 8th, evening: there are a lot of worlds in the world showcase!

Well, was the night any better than the day? Did our anniversary celebrants have any redeeming qualities for this day/night of Disney(non) magic?

Well, yeah...ummm...no.

I will report this quickly, kind of like ripping off a bandage fast so it doesn't hurt too much, okay?

We decided we wanted to go to Epcot to see Illuminations after our kind of dismal studios experience. I kind of wanted to see the Beach Club at night again, too, so we headed over there, parked the car and walked around a bit looking at the night decor. I was thinking we might find the restaurant Beaches N Cream, I think it's called, but I never found it. So we then just walked over to Epcot and began to make a circle of the countries, looking for some food. Remember the sore left foot? Well, it was still sore, and walking thru every country in Epcot didn't really help matters too much. And, there was really no counter food type stuff that appealed to me, as by this time, I had kind of a taste for Italian food and found out that Via whatever in Italy did not do "to-go" orders. I didn't really want pastry, and didn't really want Mexican. So, after walking from one end of the worlds to the other, we had fish n chips from England (really didn't want that, but I was hungry and tired), so we sat down and ate that before the show started.

I'm sure it was just my nasty mood, but I really did not like Illuminations too much this time. Does anyone know, have they changed it recently??

After the show, we just kind of sat awhile and waited for crowds to clear and then walked to where they have the boat launch, as we kind of wanted to try a boat ride. This was probably the best part of the day/night! We took the boat around back to the Yacht Club area and then got off and actually explored that resort a bit. Wayy too convention looking for my taste! Then, we headed back to the Beach Club, and still bieng hungry, I was looking to get maybe a hamburger someplace there, however, we checked and the outdoor restaurant had just closed for the night.

Okay, so it was back to POP

and send the poor hubby off to the food court, and he brought back some chicken snackie thing...

ate the food and thank goodness, this Disney Day is Done!!!! (I know, I know, that sounds terrible, but I really did feel that way at the time!)

up next: that's a lot of chicken: a better day ahead!!!