We woke a little later this morning and only just managed to grab our customary coffee from concierge lounge before the door was closed and the breakfast buffet cleared away. Once the caffeine fix started to flow, we quickly got ready and decided to make our first visit to Downtown Disney. We sat outside in the sun and waited for the bus which didn't take too long and soon we were chugging along on the familiar roads.
We disembarked at the Marketplace end of DTD and headed straight for the Disney's Days of Christmas emporium. Now Sophie and I lurve this shop! We're both a couple of Christmas crackpots, festive freaks and advent addicts!!! Snow there! Mmm, anyway, we spent our usual hour or two browsing the baubles and adding trimmings to our trolley before realising that we were unbelievably hungry. In fact, we were in imminent danger of passing out! We hurried to the checkout where a couple of trainee cast members took so long to pack up our purchases, I nearly barged them out of the way and took over myself. Which isn't very Disney. So I contented myself with the odd grimace at the enormous queue which had built up behind us and began to mentally go through our dining options at this time...
Eventually, our goods were wrapped and, giddy with relief, I proffered my KTTK. The CM looked confused and glanced desperately at her partner in ineptitude. Two people behind us abandoned all hope and left the queue in despair at this point! I really couldn't stand anymore so dug deep, pulled out my wad of dollars and slapped the requisite amount on the counter! Fortunately that part of the transaction went slightly quicker and we were free to leave!
Once outside, we gulped fresh air deep into our lungs and raised our faces to the sun - it sure felt good to be released! Reminding ourselves that we hadn't actually just escaped from Alcatraz, I quickly listed our dining options and we opted to try the Wolfgang Puck Express! I still felt exhausted after our trials in the Christmas shop and was relieved to sit down and wait for our food choices to be brought to our table... My rotisserie chicken was delicious and it wasn't too long before we felt rejuvenated enough to want to continue our expedition!
We checked out Art of Disney, the Wonderful World of Memories and the Pin Traders stall in rapid succession before discovering an 'Everything $10 Dollars and Under' store which distracted us for the best part of half an hour... But these had just been a bunch of minor features leading up to the main event, known to you and I as (cue drum roll) the World of Disney!!! Time to flex our credit cards and limber up for some serious shopping. I started with some stretches in the Pirate section before moving onto a full-blown raid on the store...
...Some time later, we paused to rest and leant panting up the wristwatch counter! We both tried on a couple of watches - I loved a metallic aubergine-coloured Skagen one but, for now, we were all shopped out and decided to head back to the Yacht Club for a brief respite...
It was now later than we thought and, as we lay back on our beds in the room, we realised that we didn't have a hope of making our Liberty Tree Tavern reservation! No rest for the wicked though, so we pulled ourselves together and got ready for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party! We weren't dressing up but had a few spooky items to add to our outfits so were soon good to go! As we'd missed our dinner reservation, we decided to head for one of the Magic Kingdom resorts and eat there. Strolling through EPCOT to the Monorail, we were struck by the intensity of the crowds! Today was Columbus Day and the I'm not sure if this had an impact on the crowd level but it was definitely as busy as I'd ever seen it... A monorail soon arrived so we boarded and glided towards the Magic Kingdom. After disembarking at the Ticket and Transportation Centre, Sophie and I walked over to the Polynesian - one of our favourite resorts. The vague plan had been to eat at Kona Cafe but unfortunately the wait time was over an hour! So, spotting a resort Monorail arrive at the station, we beetled off to the Grand Floridian Resort instead. It felt good to re-visit this fabulous resort - the smell was so familiar! We opted to try for a table at the Grand Floridian Cafe and had a short wait which we spent in the nearby gift shop...
Before long, our pager went off and we were shown to our table.
Without further ado, I ordered a glass of the delicious Banfi Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui that I'd previously tried in Italy. Cheers!
Meanwhile, Sophie ordered a Glowtini!
The Glowtini is a cocktail inspired by the Year of a Million Dreams celebration at Walt Disney World. Served at restaurants all over Disney World, it consists of Skyy Citrus Vodka, Blue Curacao, peach schnapps, Sweet-N-Sour, and pineapple juice garnished with a souvenir glow cube. It tasted very nice and looked sensational!
Our meal was fabulous - this was one of our fave dining experiences this visit! And excellent value with the
Disney Dining Plan...
But no time to linger! We had an appointment with the Mouse so decided to catch the Friendship over to the Magic Kingdom. We arrived just in time to see the special HalloWishes firework display - which was amazing!!!
Once inside, we collected our Trick or Treat bags and set about filling them! In between getting some serious ride action of course! Space Mountain, Monsters Inc Laughter Floor, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin...
I hooked up with quite a guy!
And pursued another...
Before heading over to the centre of all spookiness - the Haunted Mansion!!!
We had a fantastic time and, had our schedule allowed it, would have bought another couple of tickets for later in the week! As it was, we decided we definitely had to return in the future with the rest of the family. Now it was time to totter on our tired legs back to the resort bus stop and head bedwards... Good night!