Within half an hour, we had traveled by bus from the Yacht Club to Downtown Disney Marketplace.
The first priority of this visit was to see some of the Christmas decorations around the Marketplace and get some pictures of them before it got dark, so we started with the Christmas Tree outside Once Upon A Toy.
Next we headed on towards the snowpeople inflatables that we had seen the night before by the pin shop. While we were there, they turned on the snow machine for the evening.
We headed over to see the decorations around where Santa Claus was appearing, but as nice as the decorations were, we all got a little distracted by some of the shops. Mom and Dad ended up doing a little Christmas shopping at Basin while I did some exploring in World of Disney.
I dont normally get a ton of photos in the Pirates room, so heres something different for the trip report.
Of course, one place in the World of Disney that I always have to get pictures in is the Bird Room. Here are a few more entries in whats becoming a continuing series in my trip reports- Obscure Characters in World of Disney Ceiling Murals. Remember the vultures from
The Jungle Book and the Owl from
Sleeping Beauty?
Panchito, one-third of the Three Caballeros.
Once we were all back together, we headed on towards the West Side. Along the way, we checked out a few of the
Lego sculptures outside the Lego Store.
Woody, in Lego form.
As we walked through Pleasure Island, I tried to get a few pictures of some of the buildings that were rumored to be getting torn down. Since this photo was taken, the Rock n Roll Beach Club has been demolished.
I thought that we might have lost the Adventurers Club by now as well, but last I heard it was still up.
Im not too sure how much longer well be seeing this sign. Back in December, Disney was hyping that the area would be revitalized and renamed Hyperion Warf, but I saw recently on the Disney Parks Blog that Disney is reevaluating their plans that will delay construction. I guess well just have to wait and see what finally happens.
Over at the West Side, we did a little bit more browsing through some of the shops. Even though Im not into Vinylmation, I think my new favorite store over there is D-Street. The theming and decorations are just so fun, that I spend more time looking up at them than down at the merchandise. Buzz, Mom and I also checked out the Pop Gallery art store which we had never seen before since its kind of in a corner between the AMC Theater and old Virgin Megastore than we dont seem to go in very much. It was interesting, but nor exactly my cup of tea. Dad, our familys amateur magician, made his usual trip to the Magic Masters store and ended up buying a new trick. We ended our time in the stores of the West Side with a look around the stores at Bongos and House of Blues.
At this time, some of the entertainment at West Side and Pleasure Island was about to start, so we found a place to sit at Pleasure Island across from the old BET Club and waited for it. We were really hoping to see Nova Era, a band that our family always enjoyed back when they used to play at the Italy pavilion in EPCOT years ago. Buzz and I had seen them at Downtown Disney on our last few visits, but Mom and Dad hadnt seen then in years. When we saw online that they were scheduled to be performing somewhere at Downtown Disney that evening, we knew that we wanted to try and find them.
While hanging out at Pleasure Island, we watched one of the Living Statues they had outside entertaining guests. Anyone else remember when they used to have these sorts of entertainers over in World Showcase years ago as well? After a while, a Flamenco guitarist came out and we enjoyed a bit of his performance before continuing our search for Nova Era.
Over at West Side, we spotted a stage and thought that this might be where Nova Era would be performing, but it turned out to be a quartet of Dickens Carolers singing Christmas songs. It wasnt what we were looking for, but it was still perfect for the evening. They did a lot of our favorite songs and were even taking requests. After a while, we decided to move on in hopes that we still might see Nova Era.
On our way back to Pleasure Island, we heard a familiar sound. On the stage where the Flamenco guitarist was earlier was Nova Era, at last! If youve never seen this group before, they play classical music (Vivaldi, Mozart, etc.) but with a bit of a modern twist along with some original material. Normally they are dressed in more old fashion costumes (like they were
when Buzz and I saw them back in November), so it was a little disappointing since I knew Mom and Dad loved their costumes. Still, being able to hear them live for the first time in at least a decade was still a real treat for them and a highlight of the evening. Eventually, we headed back to the Marketplace to get some dinner.
We decided to get something to eat at Pollo Campero, the new counter service Latin chicken restaurant that had just opened in the former McDonalds location near the Lego store. Buzz and I got the Create Your Own Meal with 3 Chicken Strips, tortillas and a side of sweet plantains. It was pretty tasty, and for $7, not a bad deal as far as Disney goes. To drink, we went horchatas. If youre not familiar with it, its sort of a sweet and creamy rice drink served cold. Its a great drink by itself, but it also nicely accompanies some of the more spicy and salsa-topped foods here. I cant really remember what Mom and Dad got here since it has been seven months since the trip and didnt think to make any notes (I really thought that this report would be long finished by now). At any rate, we really enjoyed Pollo Campero, and I can definitely see us coming here again.
After dinner, we checked out a few more of the stores in the Marketplace to round out the evening. TrenD is becoming another must-visit for us.
I love how Edna Mode is included in a little corner of the shop. She seems perfect for a more fashionable Disney boutique. Plus, she isnt used nearly as much as she could be in the parks, so its nice to see her at all!
Another Villains-themed window had been added to the store since we saw the Cruella one the month before. Looks like even Ursula cant resist those bags that Im always seeing in so many of the female DISers trip reports.
Once Upon A Toy. Buzz tried his hand at the newly-released Epic Mickey (did I ever mention that he was a Mickey and an Oswald fan long before the game ever came out?) while the rest of us checked out some of the many Disney Parks exclusive toys including more Duffy Bears and his many outfits.
It was nice to see Tiana included with the other Princesses in the displays in Once Upon A Toy. I enjoyed The Princess and the Frog, and its nice to see it continue to have presence in the parks. And speaking of Princesses, this was where I finally found a Rapunzel pin on a small rack with what little Tangled merchandise that was still left. It was the last pin they has left too.
Since it was Christmastime, the Disney Days of Christmas shop was a must. Since it was Christmastime, it was also almost uncomfortably crowded.
After visiting a few more shops we had missed earlier (Art of Disney, Pooh Corner, etc.), our last for the evening was Mickeys Pantry since Mom and Dad wanted to see the new Spice and Tea exchange area ot it. I never noticed the window displays outside the store before, so it was cool to check them out.
By now, we were ready to head back to Riverside. It was a bit too cold to take the boat back (glad we got to do that the night before when it was warmer), so we hopped on the bus. Once we got back to the resort, we relaxed and got some rest for the next day.
Next chapter: A morning in Future World and the first character encounters of the trip!
I'm glad you enjoyed Big River Grill. I never seem to hear positive reviews so it was nice to hear something good about it
You have been busy, haven't you. I'm going to miss Flynn, but I think I'd miss Naveen even more if they pulled him. I'm hearing now that Naveen is starting his appearences with Tiana after the parade, so hopefully he won't be joining Flynn as a "Special Events Only" character anytime soon.
