Day 15 ~ The One Where We Visit The Circus
We woke up at 8.15am and went back to sleep for about 15 minutes before getting up and dressed. We were out the door and on our way to Blizzard Beach just before 8.45am, it only took us a few minutes to get there and when we did there were only a few cars in the car park.
Unfortunately though this was because there were no extra magic hours today, they must have changed them since we had left the UK as we hadnt checked them since we got here. Therefore we had to wait a while to get in and it didnt help that it was so hot out already. Eventually about 9.45am they let us through the ticket booths and as far as the lockers, then we had to wait again.
Some photo's we got whilst we were waiting:
Eventually at 9am we were let through into the park so we went and grabbed some sun loungers just above the main pool half in the sun, half in the shade. We left our things with the loungers and then caught the ski-lift up to Mount Gushmore. It was a great view over the park as we went up the hill, and it brought back a funny memory from the first time we went so Nick and I spent most of the time wetting ourselves with laughter. At the top we had to wait for a few minutes for another few people and then we rode Teamboat Springs which was so much fun. The tube you sit in can go right up the sides of the slide at times but the water was freezing when it splashed us. Then at the bottom I got stuck in the boat which was so funny.
We then went over to the purple slides on the other side of the park and rode them for a while as it was still pretty quiet in the park. We rode the Downhill Double Dipper first, the slide is two tube slides that are both the same and you race down them. They are really fast and great fun, especially when you come flying off the slide before the final drop. The first time we went down we drew so we rode again and the second time Nick won by a millisecond. We then rode the Snow Stormers which were two side-by-side slides you go down front first. Nick beat me on this one and again they were great fun. Then we rode the Toboggan racers which is a row of bumpy slides you race down. There was five of us going down and I won by quite a lot, maybe because two of the racers were little kids and Nick got stuck at the top. Nick and I then went over to the red slide, Run-off rapids, which is a tube slide you can go down in twos or separately on tires. We went down together and it was great fun trying to get the tube to go higher up the sides, then at the bottom I jumped out straight away but Nick couldnt get out, payback time for laughing at me earlier me thinks.
We had had enough of walking up the killer steps now, they can get really tiring after a while, bring on more chairlifts I say. We decided to catch the lazy river back to our chairs which was really nice and relaxing, especially with the lovely hot sun beating down on us.
We just went round to the exit nearest our sun beds and then got out and grabbed a drink. We then got the camera and jumped back on the lazy river doing a circle of the park, it was again really relaxing, apart from going through the water squirter's which were really cold . We then went into the main pool and spent a bit of time relaxing with a tube on the waves, it was really nice but after a while it begins to make me feel sick.
We decided to head out of the park now but then spotted the funnel cake stand and since we hadnt had any breakfast our tummys led us there. We brought one funnel cake with ice-cream and chocolate sauce and it was delicious but so sweet and filling.
We then got showered and changed and headed out the park and over to Winter Summerland Mini golf.
We chose to play the Summer course and it was great fun. This was our first time playing on any of the Disney courses and they are so well themed and actually quite pretty. There was lots of beach themed holes and decoration and at the end you go through a Christmas bit with a Christmas tree and lots of decorations it was great. And I actually played quite well which was a bonus. When we finished our game which didnt take that long as the course was really quiet we were given a limited edition golf ball, a pen and a lollipop which were nice bonuses. Amazingly when we added the scores up Nick the golfer scored the same as me, so not only did I manage to beat him at Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin I drew him at mini golf, not bad.
Some mini golf pictures:
Our free goodies:
On the way back to our resort we got a McDonalds for lunch and took it back to our room to eat. Nick got a double bacon cheeseburger and I got a chicken burger. It was ok but no better than in England, and no cheaper either.
Couldn't forget the exciting pictures of our McDonalds:
We had some laundry to do so we went down to the laundry room. Whilst we waited we went in the pool and did a bit of sunbathing, it was really nice to relax for half an hour. Once the washing was done we went back to the room, which still hadnt been cleaned, and chilled out for a while. The cleaning service was quite irregular at the resort, if we had a bit later start to the morning they would be knocking on our door to clean our room at 8am. But if we had an early start we could come back at 3pm and it still hadnt been done, it seemed to always work against us and we were forever having to just get clean towels and leave the beds. Anyway we then got ready to go out and left about 4.45pm.
We drove to Downtown Disney and parked at West Side. We had half an hour or so to kill so went and had a look in Virgin Megastores which had some quite cool stuff. We then walked over to La Nouba, unfortunately the queue for the womans toilet was huge,
note to self: use another set of toilets next time. We got some popcorn and a drink in the souvenir cups and went and got our seats. The seats were pretty good, they were central and about 5 rows back in the second section, just above the lighting box. About 5.50pm the clowns came in and started their routine, of course they picked on some poor unsuspecting people, namely a family who got their tickets put in the middle of the stage and were just too embarrassed to get them back. The show itself was amazing again, everytime I see it, it doesnt fail to amaze me. The acts are all quite typical circus acts but have been contemporized, there just so incredible and perfect and so intriguing to watch. The acts are interspersed with some incredible dancing and contemporary circus style music which all just enhance the overall atmosphere. We both loved it and every time we watch it we spot something new and interesting. We think some of the set and costumes have changed but it was as good as ever.
After the show we had 45 minutes till our ADR so we had a look in a few shops. We then headed to the House of Blues for our ADR. We were taken to a nice table out the back and our server was very friendly and helpful. We got some drinks, Nick got a sprite and I got a frozen margarita which was very good. We got the rosemary cornbread with honey maple butter to start. It was so tasty, it had a really interesting taste and the butter was really sweet and nice. For mains we both had the ribs with Jim Beam sauce, sweet potato mash and green beans, Nick had the full rack and I had the half rack. The food was very good, the Jim Beam sauce was really good and the sweet potato mash is so delicious. Even with the half rack I struggled but Nick managed to get through all his without any trouble. We both enjoyed our meals, the service was good and it wasnt too busy and over run like we thought it may be from the queues outside, another good meal.
Some HOB pictures:
. I think they were $75 each for 30 minutes although you can do a double rider. Hope this helps 
How sweet. I feel so special! Thanks 
WOW!! When you write, you REALLY write! I loved it! 
We must have run into a few of their relatives because we had a similar experience! 
But overall everyone was just so wonderful and happy to be at Disney so the obnoxious ones were easy to forget. 
. Fantasmic is brilliant and I am so glad they have seating as not only is it a good rest for your feet, especially when you have to wait for an hour or so for the show, but it also means that you get a good view from almost anywhere. You should definitely watch it next time your there, its one of my favorites 
. 
. 
.
