Group: me, DH, DS(7), DD(11), and DS(15)
Blizzard Beach
Today there were no schedules to keep except a dinner ressie at Chef Mickeys at 830pm. I figured we all would need a day to catch up on sleep a little and play things by ear. We decided to visit one of the water parks and maybe go back to MK or Epcot later.
We caught breakfast at the Polys Kona Café and really liked the food . I forgot what they called it, but they had a dish that was like french toast stuffed with bananas- Delicious!!! The kids had Goofy Toast, which was an over-meduim egg cooked in the middle of a piece of Texas Toast with potatoes or fruit. The prices were reasonable and the portions plenty. The coffee was good also (I think a special Kona blend).
We waited for a good 45 minutes for the bus to Blizzard Beach. It opened at 10, but we didnt get there until 11. It was not as warm as we had liked (mid 70 and cloudy), but we were troopers! I got a free life vest for the 7 y .o. to borrow (as he is a beginning swimmer) and rented towels ($1 ea). There was lots to do for all ages and swim levels. Beware of the slides that drop straight down- Major wedgies! The lines went fairly fast (some had no lines at all) and the water was warmed to about 80 degrees. When we got tired, the family went to the moat and floated around on inner tubes (also a fun way to get to other areas of the park). The Family Ride was a large, round raft that your family can raft down rapids and they take a picture at the bottom. Just be careful getting out as the bottom flooring of the water is rough like stucco and we got some very ugly scrapes when we tripped. There are height requirements for some of the slides, but the little one got on every slide (except the longest drop slide, which my daughter and I didnt dare to try anyway). At about 3pm, we grabbed some hot dogs and pretzels, bought the picture ($13.50) and headed back to the Poly to shower. The kids brought home souvenir cups that came with the drinks.
We decided to skip the parks today and go to Downtown Disney to do our souvenir shopping before dinner. We walked to the TTC and caught a bus (seemed like a 20 min ride). That left us only an hour to shop (not enough!) before we had to head to the Contemporary. The Marketplace (first stop) is where you want to be for shopping. Funny, the kids chose to buy monkeys and snakes from the Rainforest Café shop (which we have here in CA) instead of Disney shops. Just what we need- More Stuffed Animals (Yeah, right). We walked around and checked the closing times of the shops (most said 10pm) then caught a bus back to Contemporary.
Chef Mickeys (we had a ps) was our favorite Character meal. We waited about 15 minutes to be seated. Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale, and Donald were there and circulated the restaurant. Every half hour they did a dance and had the whole restaurant clapping and swinging their napkins, Very Fun! The food here was so much better than the Villans buffet. A wide selection of food; salads, fruits, shrimp, halibut, roast, chicken, pasta dishes, pizza (not frozen type), potatoes, and more I cant remember. The desserts were the type youd see in a fine cuisine-chocolates and pastries (fancy), frozen yogurt with choice of toppings, and make your own cupcakes (dip in frosting and add toppings) for the kids. If you only do one Character meal, I highly recommend this one! I cant tell you why, but the bill was less here than at the Villans and much better! (Maybe they charged my 15 y.o.as a child here?)
We had enough time to catch a bus back to Downtown Disney with intentions of going to Disney Quest (included if you have the land/sea package). However, we got caught up in the big Disney store and couldnt help but shop some more! My older DS was hooked on classic Mickey stuff, so we had to search more. Even though the store closed at 10, we actually were there until 11 before we cashed out. Since DQ closes at 12, we decided to skip it and go back to the room. We were supposed to meet at the Volcano pool this night with another DIS member (Judy3507), but shopping took too long and the kids fell asleep on the bus ride back. So much for a relaxing day!!!
Note: for those deciding to visit Downtown Disney, here's what to expect: The East side is the Marketplace with shops and the Rainforst Cafe. The Middle is the Pleasure Island section with adult entertainment clubs (although I heard kids could come in this section also, but we did not)and I think some restraunts. The West side had Disney Quest (Indoor arcade type with 5 floors of interactive , arcade games, and virtual reality stuff. Some things had height requirements). The Cirque De Soleil was also in this area and a large cinemaplex. For a late snack, there is a shop that sold candied and caremel apples that were a treat different from the typical churros and ice-cream.Yum!
Next is MGM...
Blizzard Beach
Today there were no schedules to keep except a dinner ressie at Chef Mickeys at 830pm. I figured we all would need a day to catch up on sleep a little and play things by ear. We decided to visit one of the water parks and maybe go back to MK or Epcot later.
We caught breakfast at the Polys Kona Café and really liked the food . I forgot what they called it, but they had a dish that was like french toast stuffed with bananas- Delicious!!! The kids had Goofy Toast, which was an over-meduim egg cooked in the middle of a piece of Texas Toast with potatoes or fruit. The prices were reasonable and the portions plenty. The coffee was good also (I think a special Kona blend).
We waited for a good 45 minutes for the bus to Blizzard Beach. It opened at 10, but we didnt get there until 11. It was not as warm as we had liked (mid 70 and cloudy), but we were troopers! I got a free life vest for the 7 y .o. to borrow (as he is a beginning swimmer) and rented towels ($1 ea). There was lots to do for all ages and swim levels. Beware of the slides that drop straight down- Major wedgies! The lines went fairly fast (some had no lines at all) and the water was warmed to about 80 degrees. When we got tired, the family went to the moat and floated around on inner tubes (also a fun way to get to other areas of the park). The Family Ride was a large, round raft that your family can raft down rapids and they take a picture at the bottom. Just be careful getting out as the bottom flooring of the water is rough like stucco and we got some very ugly scrapes when we tripped. There are height requirements for some of the slides, but the little one got on every slide (except the longest drop slide, which my daughter and I didnt dare to try anyway). At about 3pm, we grabbed some hot dogs and pretzels, bought the picture ($13.50) and headed back to the Poly to shower. The kids brought home souvenir cups that came with the drinks.
We decided to skip the parks today and go to Downtown Disney to do our souvenir shopping before dinner. We walked to the TTC and caught a bus (seemed like a 20 min ride). That left us only an hour to shop (not enough!) before we had to head to the Contemporary. The Marketplace (first stop) is where you want to be for shopping. Funny, the kids chose to buy monkeys and snakes from the Rainforest Café shop (which we have here in CA) instead of Disney shops. Just what we need- More Stuffed Animals (Yeah, right). We walked around and checked the closing times of the shops (most said 10pm) then caught a bus back to Contemporary.
Chef Mickeys (we had a ps) was our favorite Character meal. We waited about 15 minutes to be seated. Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale, and Donald were there and circulated the restaurant. Every half hour they did a dance and had the whole restaurant clapping and swinging their napkins, Very Fun! The food here was so much better than the Villans buffet. A wide selection of food; salads, fruits, shrimp, halibut, roast, chicken, pasta dishes, pizza (not frozen type), potatoes, and more I cant remember. The desserts were the type youd see in a fine cuisine-chocolates and pastries (fancy), frozen yogurt with choice of toppings, and make your own cupcakes (dip in frosting and add toppings) for the kids. If you only do one Character meal, I highly recommend this one! I cant tell you why, but the bill was less here than at the Villans and much better! (Maybe they charged my 15 y.o.as a child here?)
We had enough time to catch a bus back to Downtown Disney with intentions of going to Disney Quest (included if you have the land/sea package). However, we got caught up in the big Disney store and couldnt help but shop some more! My older DS was hooked on classic Mickey stuff, so we had to search more. Even though the store closed at 10, we actually were there until 11 before we cashed out. Since DQ closes at 12, we decided to skip it and go back to the room. We were supposed to meet at the Volcano pool this night with another DIS member (Judy3507), but shopping took too long and the kids fell asleep on the bus ride back. So much for a relaxing day!!!
Note: for those deciding to visit Downtown Disney, here's what to expect: The East side is the Marketplace with shops and the Rainforst Cafe. The Middle is the Pleasure Island section with adult entertainment clubs (although I heard kids could come in this section also, but we did not)and I think some restraunts. The West side had Disney Quest (Indoor arcade type with 5 floors of interactive , arcade games, and virtual reality stuff. Some things had height requirements). The Cirque De Soleil was also in this area and a large cinemaplex. For a late snack, there is a shop that sold candied and caremel apples that were a treat different from the typical churros and ice-cream.Yum!
Next is MGM...
