We wrap up very warm as when we leave it is positively cold! We have a PS booked for the Liberty Tree Tavern for 5.15 as I had thought the Thanksgiving fare there would be a lovely way to start the evening.
We were on the bus and on our way by 4.30. The girls had wanted to dress up for tonight but there was absolutely no way they would have been warm enough. We arrive at MK in record time, exchange our party tickets for wristbands, pick up a leaflet so we can plan the nights events and are soon making our way up Main Street towards Liberty Square.
When we got to LTT it seemed very busy but we were ushered inside quickly. There seemed to be hundreds of people in the lobby and I wondered how long it would be before we got a table. Well, Im never quite sure how Disney PSs work but we only stood there for about 30 seconds when our name was called. Needless to say I felt very guilty about all the other people who had obviously been waiting for some time, but not guilty enough to offer them our table
The LTT has very pleasant surroundings; all dark wood and what I imagine as colonial décor. It is quite big but with lots of different areas so it feels vaguely intimate. It was extremely busy but we had a very nice server who welcomed us and explained how things worked. There was some lovely bread with delicious honey (?) butter and salad. Soon the main course arrived, Patriots Platter - A generous serving of roasted turkey breast, carved beef, and smoked pork loin chops, accompanied with Tavern-made mashed potatoes, market vegetables, herb bread stuffing, and Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese. Well, had we been a table of four it would have been a generous serving but we seemed to have the same sized plate of food (for six) that tables of two or three did. Consequently we ran out of mashed potato immediately (as in there was only enough for Julie & Derek and the girls) and unfortunately our server didnt appear for quite some time after this. We ran out of meat too and he did replenish both the mash and the meat when we spotted him but it was a bit annoying having to wait so long for any mash. Did we look like we were on the Atkins Diet, perhaps?
I popped to the restroom (why are there only two cubicles for the ladies in this huge restaurant? There was a queue of about twelve people, and when there are only two toilets, twelve people take a long time to shift!) and when I came back I was disappointed that I had missed some of the characters. Ill let Jon tell you about this but let me just say that Erin made her pleasure at seeing Minnie for the first time this holiday well known to the entire restaurant. The character interaction here was a lot of fun and the costumes really good.
I took Erin to the restroom (fortunately the line had gone down by now) and saw Allie waiting in the lobby so we had a brief conversation over the balcony (think Romeo and Juliet here
) and double checked the time for our Wishes cruise tomorrow.
As time was getting on and we wanted to get to the party we ate our pudding which was very nice! Apple Crisp and ice cream. Very flavoursome. This was also served family style and it was a bit sloppy (think hot Apple Crisp and icecream); I personally would have preferred six individual bowls but I appreciate this would have taken away from the whole theme of family style dining!
Derek was kindly paying for this meal as Julie had done a Car Boot Sale with her stuff and some of ours and the money she made was for this meal. There was a bit of a song and dance about the tip which went along these lines: Derek asked me how much tip he should leave, so I told him what I felt was appropriate. I then went out of the room to get something and he asked Jon the same question, and Jon gave him the same answer. He then turned to the people on the table next to us and asked them! This probably seems like a little thing but this sort of scenario was constant throughout the holiday and by this stage it was really starting to get on our nerves. Every little thing had to be deliberated for a lengthy time before a decision could be made, with advice sought from all quarters. Having decided what tip to leave we then had a ten minute debate about how to pay. All on credit card? Credit card for the food and tip in dollars? Travellers Cheques and Dollars? If Travellers Cheque, which value? Or should they just use dollars? We were all sat there in our coats by this time and Im afraid I had to bite my tongue from saying Just pay the bill! Or Ill pay it! But lets GO!
We headed towards Tomorrowland, catching the Castle Forecourt Stage enroute which was excellent. It didnt seem that busy tonight and there was a really nice atmosphere in the park. We headed to the Mickeys Twice Upon A Christmas show and that was great! Festive Minnie & Mickey and best of all, Santa Goofy. My favourite part was when the bears performed the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
We then went to get our free photo taken and although the queue looked quite hefty, it moved pretty quickly. We were all getting really cold by now so picked up Hot Chocolate & cookies (the warmth of the cup was wonderful on my numb hands) and went to watch the parade from Main Street.
The parade was fantastic but unfortunately my photos did not come out very well, so I will spare you these
We shot back to Tomorrowland to collect a limited edition pin for MVMCP for us and a couple of others they are really cool with Stitch on. The CM told us that they had run out of pins at the Emporium and she was not far from running out herself. This seemed a bit strange to me as it was still quite early in the night. They marked our wristbands to show we had bought the pins.
It was almost time for Wishes and we got a great spot in front of the Plaza, with seats! It was absolutely perishing by this time, but even that did not take away from the amazing spectacle that is Wishes. The soundtrack and narration are perfectly timed to compliment the fireworks, with all the best loved Disney songs involved. I could not believe this display; the pictures they created in the sky were incredible. The way the castle is used as a backdrop and as part of the show is fantastic. For me, this is just a totally Disney experience and personally I preferred this to Illuminations (though you are welcome to disagree). Absolutely unmissable.
We popped back to Tomorrowland for a few rides on Buzz (no wait at all) and then to Fantasyland for the usual suspects. Nobody was enjoying themselves any more as it was just far too cold so although the night was young (ten to eleven) we took the decision to go back to ASMo and thaw out! We were very lucky that a bus came almost immediately and we were soon tucked up in bed in the warm, trying to re-establish some feeling in our extremities. We laughed about how ironic it was that one of the coldest nights of the year we had experienced should be in Florida, and how we had never been that cold before. Well, we would come to realise what
really cold was very shortly
.
- they would get to see Fantasmic and the Osborne Spectacle of Lights! 
