A WDW & DCL First Trip - Food & Wine - Club Villain - MNSSHP - Sep 16

[Sinders99]

Day 9 Part 1: A Disembarkation Nightmare and a First Visit to Disney Springs

Well people strap yourself in for a long text heavy update! Once you read the following you'll understand why there aren't many photos up until lunch time today.

Let me start by saying that our disembarkation was a disaster!! It was our own fault really (or so we were told) but an innocent mistake and coupled with my fully raging cold it was terrible.

So on our last night we returned to our cabin and found a rather long and detailed letter regarding disembarkation. After reading it thoroughly (or so we thought we had) we decided to do the walk off prior to 9am. This meant that we kept our bags inside our cabin on the last night and walked off with our bags, forgoing breakfast onboard.

When we woke the next morning around 7am we were already docked. We quickly jumped up and showered and left the cabin. We walked off the gangway around 7:45am. Getting through customs and security was super quick and by 7:50am we were making our way to the transfer busses.

Now this all sounds wonderful right? Well don't be fooled into that lull of Disney complacency. My cold was absolutely raging this morning. My throat felt like razor blades, I was running fevers, my head was completely blocked up, it was just a nightmare.

After boarding our transfer bus to Port Orleans Riverside we waited ............ and waited ................. and waited ................................................ and waited. As you can imagine I was like a bear with a sore head and after 40 minutes of sitting on the buss with no action I jumped off the bus to ask one of the ground staff what was going on and how long it would be before we left. To my absolute horror she replied that NONE of the buses would be leaving until 9:45am!!!! I'm ashamed to admit that at this point I exploded and unloaded on this poor lady. When we had read the letter the previous evening we had failed to understand that for those guests getting a Disney transfer the buses wouldn't leave until after the guests still onboard having breakfast had left the ship!!! We were furious. This point seriously wasn't made clear enough in the letter left in our room as we would never have walked off early to sit on a bus for 2 hours with empty tummies and a raging cold. We tried to book an uber but the data coverage at the port was terrible and the app wouldn't connect. We considered a taxi but it would have cost us a fortune and we'd already paid $70 to pre book the bus transfer LOSE LOSE SITUATION.

So there was nothing to do but wait it out. Luckily I had kept my cold and flu medication with me so I walked around to a vending machine, grabbed a coke and knocked back some medication. I drifted in and out of sleep for the next 1.5 hours until we finally pulled away from the port at 9:45am.

The bus trip was pretty uneventful and we arrived at Port Orleans Riverside around 11am. Our first impressions of the resort were really positive!! We loved the entry but gee it was busy. There always seemed to be people everywhere at all times of the day. Our checkin was smooth and easy and in no time we were off to our Royal Room!! Or so we though

On arrival at our room we had issues. It just didn't seem to be our day today. Within minutes of arriving at our room we were overcome by a very strong, very offensive silicon smell. As it turns out the maintenance crew had recently been in the room and re-siliconed the seals in the bathroom which had left an overwhelming smell in the closed up room that honestly brought tears to our eyes and induced headaches. When we booked we also paid for a garden view room but our Royal Room directly looked out onnnnnnn ............. a carpark. We were not impressed. This combined with a cold and the issues at the port was all a bit much for me at this stage and I admit to sitting on the bed and crying like a small child. After 5 minutes of bawling like a small child I recalled a comment made by a fellow disboarder - don't sweat the small stuff, usually a polite phone call to the front desk will resolve any issues you may have.

So after wiping away my tears and calming myself down I called reception and told them of our room issues. The lovely lady at the front desk put me on hold or about 5 minutes and came back to tell me that we could move rooms and that the new room was much more in line with our Touring Plans request. She apologised for the mix up but it seems we had been placed in the wrong room and our Touring Plans request overlooked. So we wheeled our suitcases to the new room and were very very happy!! A beautiful corner room overlooking the central mansion area. The room was really stunning!!

16.09.16-21 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-22 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-23 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-24 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-27 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

The headboards had this really sweet fireworks led effect built in. I think we only turned it on once or twice but it was really lovely. All the details were just beautiful. Requesting a corner room was definitely the right thing to do as it gave us 2 windows instead of 1. We had double bathroom sinks as well which were super handy when both of us were getting ready.

After spending about 20 minutes in our room the tummies were rumbling and we just had to get something to eat!! Part of the reason we chose Port Orleans Riverside was because of it's boats to Disney Springs. I fully admit to being a fan of food (WHO ISN'T) and shopping (ok ladies, you know what I'm talking about)!!

So on our walk to the boat dock I took some pics of the beautiful grounds.

16.09.16-14 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

The central mansion area - this is what our room overlooked! STUNNING!!

16.09.16-18 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-15 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-16 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-17 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

OMG!! The grounds here were truely stunning. In my plans I had anticipated taking a horse drawn carriage ride but unfortunately we never got time Something for our next trip.

16.09.16-12 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

By this time it was just a little past midday and we were off to Disney Springs!!

16.09.16-4 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

You'd never know from this photo how badly my cold was knocking me around. I think it was all the medications I was taking that was keeping me human and I refused to spend the day in bed. WE WERE BACK AT DISNEYWORLD and only had 4 days of our trip left!!

16.09.16-5 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

We loved these little boats. There were so relaxing. They certainly weren't the fastest way of getting around but we weren't in a rush so it suited us to a tee. Most of the drivers were lovely too. They always had a joke for you and pointed out different things along the way like ........

Our sister resort Port Orleans French Quarter

16.09.16-6 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

And before we knew it we were at Disney Springs!!

16.09.16-7 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

This place was an absolute overload for the senses!! We spent some time wandering through the Christmas Shop - OMG!! I wanted to bring one of everything home but alas was terrified of all the beautiful glass shattering in our suitcases coming back to Australia, so we settled on a beautiful Disney tree skirt which we treasure and absolutely LOVE!!

Eventually we settled on BLAZE PIZZA for our lunch!!

16.09.16-8 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-9 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

This place was really fantastic! We split a meat lover pizza (my cold was really effecting my appetite) and grabbed a refillable soda each. It was really hot today too so we really enjoyed just sitting in the air conditioning and enjoying a cold soda for an hour. The only plans we had for today was our 6pm Club Villain booking so we didn't linger too long at Disney Springs. By this time it was about 3pm and we left Blaze with a fresh soda refill and headed back out into the heat to find a boat back to our resort.

One stop we had to make though was at Once Upon A Toy!!

16.09.16-10 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

This place was INSANE!!! Full of screaming sugar induced kids and sooooooo busy but we loved it. We'd done a lot of research prior to our trip about unique Disney souvenirs and one of the things we kept coming across were the unique Disney Mr/Mrs Potato Head parts that you could get at Once Upon A Toy. So we purchased 2 boxes of unique parts to bring home with us.

By the time we boarded our boat back to the resort it was around 4pm and as tired as I was I knew it was going to be a quick shower at the room and then back onto a bus to Hollywood studios to our 6pm Club Villain show.

But that's another story for another update



​

 

[missangelalexis]

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear disembarkation was such a nightmare. Though you didn't get off to a good start at Port Orleans, I'm glad it was quickly turned around! The Royal Room looks so beautiful. I really want to stay at one of the Port Orleans hotels one day!

Sounds like a good time at Disney Springs. The boat ride must be so nice!

Ohh I can't wait to hear about Club Villain!!

 

[Sinders99]

Oh my goodness!! What a busy busy couple of days!!

I've mentioned a few times in my report so far that I'd been planning my hubby's Star Wars themed 40th birthday. Well, the party was last night and some of you wanted to see all the craziness!!

So here are some pics for you all We hired a function space at a local tavern and kept the meals fairly simple and a la carte. Unfortunately the venue massively stuffed up which was a real shame but we made the most of it. We were surrounded by wonderful family and friends and had a good night regardless of the complete failure of the venue.

I hope you love the pics and they inspire some ideas for your own star wars themed parties.

P5130094 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
P5130100 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

These are the lightsaber napkins I made for the tables. They took FOREVER!! but were lots of fun

P5130101 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

P5130103 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Poison of choice for the night

P5130105 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
P5130108 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
P5130110 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Our nephew just loves the hulk right now

P5130115 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

One of our other nephews found our singing balloon hidden at the front of the room! When you tap (or in his case hit/wallop) the ballon it plays the Star Wars theme. The kids loved it and the adults all breathed a sigh of relief when we took this one home with us at the end of the night.

P5130131 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Our Photo Booth and props were a big hit too

P5130136 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
P5130146 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
P5130149 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
P5130153 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
P5130158 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
P5130160 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
P5130163 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

P5130166 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
P5130168 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
P5130169 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
P5130177 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

It was a great night all round and a great theme which everyone had a blast with.

Am hoping to post my Club Villain report soon!!

 

[missangelalexis]

So many fun details that went into the party, what a great job you did! Looks like fun

 

[Reflections of Earth]

So sorry to hear about the disembarkation issues and your initial experience at Port Orleans! I'm glad the issue at the resort was handled smoothly and quickly. Your room is absolutely gorgeous!

Also, your husband's party looks like it was a blast! You did an awesome job putting everything together!

 

[Beccybooboo]

Happy 40th Adam that is awesome to celebrate it with star wars!!
Great job on the photo booth Jennie.

What a nightmare disembarking was for you and sucks avout your cold but I am sure that there will be fun filled days ahead for you...

Your dining options on board looked superb.
Blaze pizza oh my goodness, how delicious is it...it was the one thing I wanted from disney springs and it did not disappoint I understand why the lines to this place can get so long.

 

[kkayluvsdis]

Just read your entire trip report so far! We were just on the Dream in February-our first cruise. We loved it but I found myself missing the parks. Your trip has the best of both!! Thanks for sharing


-Kelly

 

[Sinders99]

Happy 40th Adam that is awesome to celebrate it with star wars!!
Great job on the photo booth Jennie.

Your dining options on board looked superb.
Blaze pizza oh my goodness, how delicious is it...it was the one thing I wanted from disney springs and it did not disappoint I understand why the lines to this place can get so long.

Thanks Adam had a great night. The only blemish was a venue which was completely incompetent. They really made a huge mess of the meals and stressed us out most of the night trying to keep our guests calm. But oh well, you can't get that disney service everywhere you go

Blaze was fantastic!! I can't wait to try Homecoming though on our next trip. It didn't open in time for our visit and I've always wanted to try some good old southern cuisine. I can't believe how fantastic Disney Springs was!! We went back there again later in our trip and it's really become a destination in itself!

 

[Sinders99]

Just read your entire trip report so far! We were just on the Dream in February-our first cruise. We loved it but I found myself missing the parks. Your trip has the best of both!! Thanks for sharing


-Kelly

Hi Kelly! Welcome about the Aussie trip bus!

We figured when planning this trip that we weren't really going to get this close to a Disney cruise again. We've never had a Disney cruise ship visit Australian shores and putting it in the middle like we did allowed us some down time before returning to the parks for another 4 days before we flew back to Australia.

 

[Sinders99]

Day 9 Part 2: Chillin With the Villains

WOW!! Sorry for such a big break between updates!! It's been a huge first week back at work after our birthday week off. It feels like forever since I even looked at the boards. Hello to my new followers and thanks for all the great comments!!

So in typical first timer disney style, we underestimated how much time we'd need to get to Hollywood Studios for our 6pm Club Villain booking. We arrived at the checkin point behind Rockin Roller Coaster about 10 minutes after 6pm and rushed right in. I wish we'd planned a little better and arrived sooner to enjoy pre show drinks but it couldn't be helped. I'm not sure what we were expecting, and we purposely didn't do too much research online for this event so it wouldn't spoil the surprise, but WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!

We pushed through the black curtain and were met with this awesomeness!!

16.09.16-107 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-29 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-30 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-31 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

The room was absolutely AMAZING!!! It was huge and the sparkly poison apple hanging from the ceiling was fantastic!! There was a fantastic DJ at the front of the room playing awesome dance music and our immediate impressions were that it was almost like being in an awesome themed nightclub!!

As we checking in outside we were handed our printed invitation/menu/program.

16.09.16-51 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-57 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-54 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Each of the evil villains (Queen of Hearts, Maleficent, Cruella De Vil & The Evil Queen) had signed their signature inside which was a really nice touch and on the back side of the booklet was our meet and greet times for each villain which kept things super organised and NO LINES!!!


Each of the villains had their own specially themed meet & greet areas

Maleficent

16.09.16-58 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Cruella De Vil

16.09.16-91 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Queen of Hearts

16.09.16-82 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

The Evil Queen

16.09.16-64 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Of all the meet and greet areas my favourite was by far the Evil Queen's. I absolutely love peacocks and her throne had the most amazing peacock detail. The area felt moodier and more intimate than the others. There were also disney photo pass photographers on hand at each meet and greet area which was fantastic and made for some fun shots!!!

16.09.16-34 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-36 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-39 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-42 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-99 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-103 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-106 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Each evil queen took a break at some stage throughout the night and we seized the opportunity to get some fun shots!!

16.09.16-70 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-85 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-63 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-68 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

SO MUCH FUN!!!

So of course it wasn't long before we hit the complimentary bar
DH & I aren't big drinkers but we did want to try some of the cool themed drinks. This was by far my favourite cocktail - the poison apple!!

16.09.16-48 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Oh yeah, and in case you forgot there was food!! For some reason I only took pictures of desert though LOL

I do remember eating the dirty rice, the roast beef, the gumbo and the voodoo sticky pig wings (awesome name!!) and they were all amazing!! The food was delicious. So onto deserts! Each evil queen had her own signature desert. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to tell which belongs to which evil queen.

16.09.16-59 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-60 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-71 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-72 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Funny story, we actually thought the main meal options were better than those delicious looking deserts!! The macaroon was my favourite followed by the cupcake.

Oh and did I mention the entertainment?? SO AMAZING!! Our host for the evening was the absolute stand out. He wore the most amazing coat and had the most fantastic singing voice. He was belting out 2 shows a night and you'd never know it.

So throughout the night we were treated to dance and musical performances which were outstanding. During the finale we were also treated to New Orleans mardi gras style beads and a group dance on the dance floor!!

16.09.16-49 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-73 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-76 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-110 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-111 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

I cannot over emphasise how amazing this special event was!! I'd go back again in a heartbeat. It was absolutely worth every cent and even with a horrible cold we still had the best time!! If you get a chance to go DO IT!! It was such a fantastic atmosphere.

After the festivities ended we made our way back out into the park and joined the crowds. I'd love to tell you that I fought the good fight and soldiered on for another ride on Tower of Terror or watched the Star Wars fireworks again but I was exhausted and our royal bedroom was calling!!

16.09.16-112 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-115 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
16.09.16-116 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

I really do love the parks at night, they take on a whole new look and feel.

So in our next update we're heading to ANIMAL KINGDOM!!!

Stay tuned everyone and stay cool!! ​

 

[missangelalexis]

Club Villain looks amazing!! The backdrops are so cool and I loved all your photos with the characters as well as with the props!

 

[TXMNie]

Club Villain does look completely worth it! I am always skeptical of add on events, but the food and experience looks outstanding! Also beautiful night pictures of the studios!

 

[Sinders99]

Day 10: Running Wild At the Kingdom

Oh my goodness! How time has gotten away from me. I'm heavily into pre half marathon training right now and very very focused on running my first half marathon in our local running festival in August. It's a fairly big accomplishment for someone who has 3 deflated discs in their spine and a fair degree of compression but it hasn't killed me yet and I'm getting faster and stronger every day!! No spinal fusion for this little monkey if I can help it and staying fit and healthy is the key.

Anyways, back to the trip report.

When we last left off we'd had the most amazing night at Club Villain. We hit our beds for a solid nights sleep because next day we were off to ANIMAL KINGDOM!!

17.09.16-7 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

As an avid wildlife photographer I had a particular interest in this park and was not disappointed. I know a lot of people in the disney community pan animal kingdom as a half day park or a park to skip but for us it was a hit. This was pre Rivers of Light, pre Pandora but the Tree of Life illumination had started just prior to our visit.

Arriving at the park shortly after opening we were stunned to have a very clean view from the bus loading/unloading area of the floating mountains of Pandora over the construction fence. Both DH and I enjoyed Avatar so we made an immediate pact to return once Pandora and Star Wars land had both opened. Jokes on us though, we though that wouldn't happen until at least 2020, however, shortly after our return Disney announced that they intend to open Star Wars land in 2019. YAY!!! Return trip sooner than expected

Crowds at the park today seemed fairly low to us. I mean we were travelling in off peak season but we were quickly through the turnstiles and on our way.

17.09.16-8 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

As we made our way into the entrance we took a turn to the right and found this lovely beauty!

17.09.16-9 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Miss Devine!! I had hopped we'd catch her performing on our journeys through the park and we were lucky enough to come upon her right away so we stopped for about 5 minutes and watched her slow graceful movements. There was something mesmerising about her performance.

As we made our way through the main hub area we stopped for the requisite tree of life photo

17.09.16-11 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Neither DH or I are breakfast people and we'd heard nothing but great things about Flame Tree BBQ so we made a bee line for some of that BBQ goodness!!

17.09.16-15 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

We split the tasting plate complete with BBQ Chicken, Ribs and pulled pork with beans, cornbread, fries (chips to us Aussies) and coleslaw. It was a huge meal and we were glad we decided to split it. I know this is going to be a somewhat unpopular opinion but we weren't wowed by the food. The beans and the pulled pork were my absolute favourites and DELICIOUS!! But we could have left the BBQ Chicken, ribs, fries and coleslaw. Again we tried the cornbread and again we found it a little unusual to be eating cake with a main meal. The seating area at Flame Tree BBQ was beautiful. We were blessed with the most amazing weather today and I was able to take this stunning shot across the water looking at Expedition Everest.

17.09.16-20 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-17 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

After having our fill of BBQ we decided to take an unhurried stroll around the park in order to get our bearings. On the far side of the tree of life we stopped for some really nice photo pass pics.

17.09.16-24 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-138 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Not far from where these photo pass pics were taken I discovered my sole reason for living - DOLE WHIP!!! I don't remember being born, I don't remember my first birthday or my first swim but I shall forever remember my first lovely taste of dole whip!! As a pineapple lover it wasn't a huge surprise that I loved this treat so much but the fact that it was dairy free made it even better.

17.09.16-27 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

After a lovely moment with my new treat we made our way to see the Lion King.

17.09.16-31 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Such a beautiful theatre!! We were lucky enough to have fast passes booked, so we joined the queue and after about 5 minutes we were ushered into the warthog seating area. So many people had raved about this show and we certainly enjoyed it (the monkeys were our favourite) but we didn't feel it lived up to the legendary status that seems to have built up around it. The costumes and performers were fantastic and we left energised and looking forward to our Finding Nemo fast pass later in the day.

17.09.16-39 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

As we exited the lion king theatre we came across one of the jungle trails - I think it was the Maharaja jungle trail.

17.09.16-49 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-51 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-53 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

After some time in the aviary and watching these cheeky fellas we made our way to the marketplace area. Can I just say how fantastic the theming is at Animal Kingdom! We spent a lot of our day here just wandering and enjoying the laid back, relaxed theme of the park.

17.09.16-57 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-58 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-60 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-61 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

On our travels we found this cheeky fellow.....and just couldn't pass up an opportunity for a fun photo

17.09.16-67 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

And before we knew it it was time for our second fast pass of the day ............. Finding Nemo

17.09.16-70 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-75 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-78 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

We really loved this show. It was not what we were expecting but was so unique. The puppetry was fantastic and although the human element was distracting at first it didn't take long to stop seeing the puppet masters and just enjoy the beautiful colours and story.

After exiting the Nemo theatre we didn't have far to walk to our next fastpass at Expedition Everest!! Up until this point Tower of Terror had been my absolute favourite Disneyworld/Disneyland ride but all that was about to change!

17.09.16-81 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-82 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

We were fairly quickly through the fast pass line which was a bit of a shame really. The little of it was saw as we whizzed past was brilliantly themed and deserved more than a parting glance - not that I'm complaining about a walk on

Memory Maker-12 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

So so so so much fun!! Can you tell what a great time we had on this ride?? Now we all know that every ride at Diney ends with a gift shop but this was the first ride all trip where I genuinely felt the need to stop and buy a T-shirt in the gift shop to remember the ride by. DH had his post ride gift shop moment at Star Tours but I had mine here

Time for another photo with the beautiful animal kingdom backdrop

17.09.16-84 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

We loved the unique street entertainers placed around animal kingdom as well. Around every corner was a new adventure which is I think what we liked most about this park

17.09.16-89 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

We stood and watched these performers for a few minutes before heading to Kilimanjaro Safaris. There was no way we could visit and miss this attraction.

17.09.16-103 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-107 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-114 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-116 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-124 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
17.09.16-126 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Our safari didn't disappoint and was fantastic. Such a great, ever changing attraction.

After a very full and amazing day it was nearing 6pm and we decided to head back to Port Orleans Riverside for a quick service dinner before a well deserved nights sleep.

17.09.16-127 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

On our way out of the park we caught a glimpse of the tree of life lighting. We would have stayed later but we were exhausted from all of the walking we'd done.

Our Rivermill quick service dinner was great. We were really impressed with the meals here. The dining area with the big paddle wheel was fantastic. We especially loved the homely chicken noodle soup on the menu. Nothing like some uncomplicated comfort food to put you at ease and make you feel at home - even if your home is on the other side of the world. On the way back to our room we stopped by and enjoyed a set by Yee Ha Bob. He was a lot of fun and clearly he has quite a cult following. After a quick tour around the gift shop we headed to bed and dreamt of all our lovely Disney adventures which would be quickly coming to an end

​

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a lovely day at AK! You guys got some great PP pictures!

 

[Beccybooboo]

Sad that your trip is coming to an end.
We know the feeling....
Star wars land, Star wars land, Star wars land!!!

 

[Sinders99]

Day 11 Part 1: Adventure on the Lake!

Oh my goodness!! It's been so long since my last update. Live has gotten so busy lately.

So when we left off we'd had a jam packed day at Animal Kingdom but today ww had plenty of big adventures planned.

As I've mentioned previously this trip was part 10th Wedding Anniversary celebration and I wanted to surprise DH with a fun activity so I sneakily booked a 1 hour guided jetski tour on the lake!! So at about 8am we set off for the Contemporary, DH completely unaware of what was in store or where we were going.

We arrived at the Contemporary a little early so we headed up to the main concourse level for a look around and a stroll through the gift shops.

18.09.16-12 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-13 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Getting a chance to see this stunning mural was worth the uber trip alone!!

18.09.16-14 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Around 8:45am I led a fairly confused DH down to the Sammy Duval checkin desk. It didn't take long for DH to realise what was happening and the smile on his face was completely worth it!! I've never been jet skiing before, however, DH had once quite a while ago.

It was an absolutely stunning day out and the perfect weather for outdoor adventure!

18.09.16-15 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-16 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-17 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

We had one other couple on our jet ski tour and the instructor was fantastic. We were given a basic intro to the jet ski and then we were off!!

18.09.16-19 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

I would highly highly recommend this tour to anyone with an adventurous spirit. Although I was a scared little mouse on the back of the jet ski I can't remember the last time I smiled, squealed and laughed so much in my life. DH did the driving, I was just along for the ride but it was absolutely one of the highlights of our trip and something we'll both remember for many many years.

I'm lucky enough to own an all weather Olympus camera so I was able to get these amazing pics from the water!!

18.09.16-22 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-24 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-25 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

A perspective of of Magic Kingdom most never get to see. Our tour guide was nice enough to insist on taking some pics for us as well. I'm so glad now that he did this as they're really fun and unique.

After soaking in the stunning view we headed over to the Grand Floridian & Polynesian resort areas.

18.09.16-27 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-29 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-30 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

Such stunning resorts!! On our next trip we hope to stay at the Contemporary so that we have better access via the Monorail to these amazing deluxe resorts.

To finish off our tour the guide took us to a special roped off area where we were allowed to freely speed around on our jet ski's. If you're considering doing a jet ski tour I would highly recommend the guided tour rather than the 1 hour jet ski hire. If you simply hire a jet ski for an hour our guide told us that you're only allowed in the marked area (about the size of 2 football fields) and you are NOT allowed beyond that area. It's only on the guided tour that you are allowed to visit close to the resort areas and take in the view of Magic Kingdom. You also get to go over one of only a couple of water bridges in the world!! As we rode our jet ski's over the water bridge cars were zooming underneath us!! Just the most amazing experience and something I'd absolutely do again.

After safely returning to the doc we spent some time just sitting around the pool at the Contemporary taking in the resort and enjoying a cool drink. We found this great little photo opportunity as well!

18.09.16-32 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

After contemplating what to do next we decided on heading to Disney Springs for some lunch and a spot of shopping. Of course we headed to the famed Amourettes to drool over the most amazing cakes and pastries.

18.09.16-33 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-34 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-35 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

On this particular visit we ended up eating at Paradiso 37. We really enjoyed our meal here. We didn't have a reservation but they accommodated us no worries and found a nice seat in the cool air conditioning for us. A very welcome relief from the heat which had really started getting to us by this stage. After our lunch we simply took in the sights and even stopped in quickly for a look at Joc Lindsay's Hangar Bar!

18.09.16-36 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-37 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-40 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-39 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr
18.09.16-38 by Jennie Gardiner, on Flickr

If I have one regret from this trip it's that we didn't have a cocktail or drink at Joc Lindsay's. I also wish we'd spent more time at Disney Springs. It really is a destination all of it's own and we only got to explore a fraction of it.

By 2pm it was HOT and we needed to head back to Port Orleans Riverside for a rest before our Halloween party that evening so we walked to the boat launch and took a leisurely boat trip down the Sassagoula. Such a fantastic morning but our day was about to get even more memorable ...........................​

 

[missangelalexis]

What a nice surprise for DH! The Jet ski tour sounds so fun and what great views you got! Glad it was worth it!

 

[TXMNie]

The jet ski tour looks like a lot of fun! Jock Lindsey's looks great too! We never got there on our last trip and I am kicking myself over it. There is just so much to do at Disney Springs!

 

[Stacey1980]

It looks like you had an amazing trip! I love your photos! I am also a picture taking geek, but I still have not mastered taking photos at night.

We are headed to Disney World the first week of September, so I hope we experience the low crowd levels you did. We are also taking a cruise on the Fantasy (our first ever cruise) in April, so I really enjoyed your report on your cruise.

 

[Sinders99]

The jet ski tour looks like a lot of fun! Jock Lindsey's looks great too! We never got there on our last trip and I am kicking myself over it. There is just so much to do at Disney Springs!

Disney Springs is totally a destination all of its own now. On our next trip I'm definitely going to allow at least 2 days to explore it properly at a relaxed pace and we're even considering staying at Saratoga Springs or Old Key West so we're closer to it!!