Kay7979
FANTASY NOVEL AUTHOR
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2004
- Messages
- 2,196
Day 3 was our non-Disney, non-Orlando day. We have a tradition of going to the Webster flea market whenever we go to the Orlando area. The place is positively HUGE. You can and will walk for hours! They have all the usual T-shirts and jewelry, but they also have rows and rows of antiques and collectibles, fresh-picked fruits and vegetables, various stands with junk food like funnel cakes, sausages and fries, and all in all you will find just about anything you can think of.
Sometimes on the way back to Orlando we stop off and explore some of the housing developments cropping up everywhere and go through the model homes. We didn't do that this time, but went straight back to International Drive to spend the afternoon brousing through the myriad tacky souvenir stores. It's hard to believe how many T-shirts, refrigerator magnets, coffee mugs, and assorted other Disneyfied do-dads are available to the eager swarms of tourists. We resist without difficulty. In advance of our vacations, I always make a few trips to our local Salvation Army thrift shop and manage to accumulate half a suitcase full of unworn, or at least barely worn, Disney T-shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts etc. etc. For about $25.00 DH and I were set with a weeks worth of Disney wardrobe.
All that shopping made us work up an appetite. It was time to explore another of the Disney resorts I had never seen before, so we drove over to the Caribbean Beach Resort. The CM at the guard shack was enthusiastic when we told him we had heard that the new Shutters restaurant had opened and we planned to have dinner there. He said "You MUST try the smoked prime rib, and for desert, the French toast bread pudding." It was still slightly early fordinner so we enjoyed a walk along the paths to see the architecture of the various Caribbean "islands." I really love Disney themeing, and enjoy seeing the resorts because the attention to detail on the buildings, and the color schemes and landscaping is really well done. I get ideas of things to try at home, both indoors and out. Unlike home, everything at Disney is picture perfect! We took the bridge onto the central island where there are romantic nooks where you can sit on benches among the trees and tropical plants and look out over the water. There are several spots with great views and we walked on all the paths and sat briefly to rest on many of the benches, just enjoying the sights from various vantage points. The resort was so peaceful, and seemed to be populated by more birds and flowers than guests at that hour. By the time we walked back to Shutters, we were ready for that smoked prime rib. It was very good, as was the French toast bread pudding. The restaurant was casual but classy. Service was good. I would happily go there again since the prices were reasonable and the menu included items that were a bit out of the ordinary without being so strange you're afraid to try them.
After dinner we went back to Old Key West and took the boat down the river to Downtown Disney. It was great to make the trip at night. The boat ran without lights but there was enough light to see. It was relaxing and romantic. Approaching DTD by boat at night, and seeing all the lights and the neon was very pretty. We spent an hour or two shopping and getting what would become our daily free sample of Ghiradelli chocolate. I am not sure how many ounces, or perhaps it was pounds, of free chocolate we ate during the course of the week. They don't have the same person handing out samples all evening, so if we saw a different person working we always ducked back in nonchalantly to receive another "chocolate fix." We discussed wearing disguises and changing clothing, but the addiction stopped somewhat short of our stooping to that level!
After walking off the prime rib and bread pudding it was time to catch the boat back to the quiet shores and pastel buildings of Old Key West.
Sometimes on the way back to Orlando we stop off and explore some of the housing developments cropping up everywhere and go through the model homes. We didn't do that this time, but went straight back to International Drive to spend the afternoon brousing through the myriad tacky souvenir stores. It's hard to believe how many T-shirts, refrigerator magnets, coffee mugs, and assorted other Disneyfied do-dads are available to the eager swarms of tourists. We resist without difficulty. In advance of our vacations, I always make a few trips to our local Salvation Army thrift shop and manage to accumulate half a suitcase full of unworn, or at least barely worn, Disney T-shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts etc. etc. For about $25.00 DH and I were set with a weeks worth of Disney wardrobe.
All that shopping made us work up an appetite. It was time to explore another of the Disney resorts I had never seen before, so we drove over to the Caribbean Beach Resort. The CM at the guard shack was enthusiastic when we told him we had heard that the new Shutters restaurant had opened and we planned to have dinner there. He said "You MUST try the smoked prime rib, and for desert, the French toast bread pudding." It was still slightly early fordinner so we enjoyed a walk along the paths to see the architecture of the various Caribbean "islands." I really love Disney themeing, and enjoy seeing the resorts because the attention to detail on the buildings, and the color schemes and landscaping is really well done. I get ideas of things to try at home, both indoors and out. Unlike home, everything at Disney is picture perfect! We took the bridge onto the central island where there are romantic nooks where you can sit on benches among the trees and tropical plants and look out over the water. There are several spots with great views and we walked on all the paths and sat briefly to rest on many of the benches, just enjoying the sights from various vantage points. The resort was so peaceful, and seemed to be populated by more birds and flowers than guests at that hour. By the time we walked back to Shutters, we were ready for that smoked prime rib. It was very good, as was the French toast bread pudding. The restaurant was casual but classy. Service was good. I would happily go there again since the prices were reasonable and the menu included items that were a bit out of the ordinary without being so strange you're afraid to try them.
After dinner we went back to Old Key West and took the boat down the river to Downtown Disney. It was great to make the trip at night. The boat ran without lights but there was enough light to see. It was relaxing and romantic. Approaching DTD by boat at night, and seeing all the lights and the neon was very pretty. We spent an hour or two shopping and getting what would become our daily free sample of Ghiradelli chocolate. I am not sure how many ounces, or perhaps it was pounds, of free chocolate we ate during the course of the week. They don't have the same person handing out samples all evening, so if we saw a different person working we always ducked back in nonchalantly to receive another "chocolate fix." We discussed wearing disguises and changing clothing, but the addiction stopped somewhat short of our stooping to that level!
After walking off the prime rib and bread pudding it was time to catch the boat back to the quiet shores and pastel buildings of Old Key West.
