We were both pretty wiped out from the long day so we decided instead of staying for Illuminations we would just continue on through the World Showcase, taking in the beauty that is Epcot at night!
Of course we had to make one last stop at the pin station for B!
We took the monorail back to the Poly and while we were waiting we got to see the Illuminations fireworks from the platform. Pictures are not the greatest but it was a neat experience seeing them from up there.
When we got to the TTC we decided to take full advantage of staying at the Poly and walk instead of waiting for the resort monorail and the path the Poly was easy to find.
Couldnt resist a stop at the lounge to check out the dessert offerings (and to feed my Pog Juice addiction).
After having so many early mornings in a row, B and I were both being looking forward to sleeping in the next morning it was Blizzard Beach day!!
Wednesday, September 4th was Blizzard Beach day. Not having an early morning was such a nice change of pace and we took our time getting ready. I realized as we were getting ready that I had forgotten to pack a cover up to use at the pools/water parks. Luckily, not the worst thing in the world to forget and the dress I had worn to Epcot the night before ended up being the perfect alternative. I dont have notes or pictures if we stopped in the lounge for breakfast, so I dont think we did. Such a pretty walk out to the buses!
Blizzard Beach is a first for B and I. We did Typhoon Lagoon for the first time in 2011 and really enjoyed having a water park day, so much so that we were doing BB and TL this trip. We were both blown away by the theming at the park - Disney did not disappoint.
We made the decision to get the reserved umbrella and chairs and it was nice not having to worry about making a mad dash to grab a piece of real estate once the park opened. The location we got ended up being beyond perfect for us. It was on this little outcrop at the wave pool and under a huge shady tree.
Since we were so close to the ski lifts we decided to head up to do Teamboat Springs. B also wanted to check out Summit Plummet (he pinky promised he would do it before the trip )
Unlike the raft ride at TL, we had to wait for another couple to come up. Teamboat Springs was so much fun I cant imagine what it would have been like if we had more people!
We were happy to see a PP at the end of slide such a cute photo op!
From there, B made the decision to take on Summit Plummet. The line for the ski lift had gotten long so he walked all the way up there. Needless to say I was waiting at the bottom for him for quite some time but there was no shortage of entertainment from the people coming down. Like Teamboat, there were two PP there to catch you both going down and right at the bottom.
Very proud to say that he did it! Not something he would do again but he can officially check it off his Disney list!
Since I dont do body slides (they scare the heck out of me), we made our way over to the Down Hill Double Dipper next.
B ended up beating me but I took the prize for least graceful splash down. I swear it had to have looked like a cartoon. When I hit the bottom my tube shot out from under me and I just dropped in to the water. I was laughing so hard when I came up. It must have happened to the girl who came down behind me too because she was laughing hysterically trying to swim to get her tube!
With a few slides out of the way, we were both ready to float along in the lazy river and were able to hop in close to where we had come down from the last ride.
As we made our way around, we both realized were hungry so at the next exit we hopped out and made our way over to the Lottawata Lodge.
I got the chicken Caesar salad and B got a grilled chicken sandwich. Both were very good and we give the Lodge 5 out of 5 stars.
Day 6 - Part 3: There's No Falling on Main Street!
B was ready to hit the lazy river again but I was ready to just relax under our umbrella back the wave pool so we split up. I am not normally one to sit still and get bored very easy but hearing the waves lapping next to my chair was just so relaxing such a needed break from the craziness that had been life leading up to our vacation.
B eventually made his way back over and declared that lazy rivers are no fun all by yourself. I was good for the day though and so was B, plus the park had started to get more crowded (would hate to see what it looked like in the summer time) so we made our way to the front of the park. The giant donuts at the coffee stand made me giggle wish we had gotten one, just to try!
The little snowman family is cute and sad all at the same time poor little melting snowmen!
One last PP picture!
For as relaxed as I had been inside the park, reality came crashing back as soon as I checked my phone when we were waiting for the bus and there was quite the fire that had popped at work to be put out. Working while on vacation was an unending theme for me this trip and not one I was happy about. Once work was under control and we were both changed we still had the whole afternoon to kill of course, we cant be a boat ride away from MK and not head there!
We made our way over to the boat docks where we got to watch a turtle rescue. Apparently a turtle had gotten in to Seven Seas Lagoon and it wasnt a water type of turtle. They were able to get the little guy on to one of the water monitor boats to take back to dry land it was awesome to see the concern by the CMs for the wayward turtle.
Like the day before, Main Street was quite dead and we realized there was no wait to meet Mickey, so thats what we did! I liked his new meet and greet area, we both thought it was really cute.
As we came out of the building and started to make our way back towards Main Street, things went downhill, quite literally. I still am not really sure what happened, besides I know it was my fault for not paying attention. The Celebrate parade was coming through the area and I was reaching in my purse to get my camera out as we were coming down the stairs. I am not sure if I missed a step or my foot slipped but I went straight down on my knees on the pavement in front of the steps. How I didnt smash my camera, I dont know but it made it out unscathed, me not so much.
Luckily most people had their backs to me watching the parade but there was a young couple who did stop to make sure I was okay as I hopped up. I blew it off and thanked them for their concern and it wasnt until I put my hands to my knees and realized I was bleeding that I started crying, I couldn't help it - the shock and embarrassment had kicked in.
B quickly walked me in to the closest store which turned out to be the Confectionary so we could grab some napkins and I must have been quite the sight, leaned up against a corner holding my knees and crying. I knew there was no way it was going to fix itself so B found out from the CM where first aid was and I hobbled my way down to the end of Main Street. The CM who helped me at first aid was an older gentleman and just so, so nice. He was cracking jokes to get me to smile and brought over a box of tissues for the tears and then quickly cleaned up both of my knees and put big old band-aids on them and gave me a couple extra plus first aid cream. I still cant believe I did it, I am not a clumsy person but I am grateful all I got were a couple of scraped up knees.
My knees now bandaged, B thought a funnel cake would help take my mind of off things so we made our way over to Sleepy Hollow. I quickly grabbed a seat while be got the funnel cake. Such an attractive accessory to be sporting so early in the trip.
I failed to get a picture of the funnel cake but I can say it was subpar at best. It was overdone and lots of crumbly little pieces. Super sad panda. I wanted to still give MK a try, so we made our way from Sleepy Hollow in to Liberty Square with Haunted Mansion to be our destination.
We made it as far as the Hall of Presidents before I threw in the towel. At that point my knees were throbbing and stinging and walking just plain hurt, so we made a slow exit back over to the Poly.
Once back at the room, I took some Advil for the throbbing and we took it easy for the next couple hours. We had a late dinner reservation tonight and decided to check out the lounge for pre-dinner snacks. Again, the view from the lounge is just beyond incredible. As we sat munching we got to watch a fantastic thunderstorm move in. I didnt notice the rainbow in time to get a picture when it was brighter.
It was cute, as soon as the hard rain moved in, the ducks came out to play.
The storm lasted for close to an hour from when we first noticed it to when it finally died down. B wanted to be out in it, me, not so much! Since our dinner reservation was at Ohana, we didnt have far to go and with my knees feeling a little better, we decided to take the scenic route to the GCH.
So glad we got to see all this before construction took it over a couple weeks after we were there.
It blew us away how if you looked left it was dark and stormy but looking right toward the MK the storm had already passed.
We had given ourselves extra time so we could hit up the Tambu Lounge for the one and only Lapu Lapu. Seriously, anything that comes in a pineapple and has a tiny umbrella is perfection in my book. Plus, with the amount of alcohol in that pineapple, I was cool with the thought of not feeling my legs for a while haha!
Even though our reservation was at 8pm, we waited FOREVER to finally be sat. We were both glad we had stopped at the lounge for snacks earlier in the evening.
I was hoping for a table close to the windows since we would still be there for Wishes but unfortunately we got sat at the very back of the restaurant.
Our server was prompt in getting our drinks and bread and before we knew it the mounds of food started coming.
I didnt get pictures of the meat but we got shrimp, chicken, steak and pork. We both liked everything but the shrimp I am not a peel and eat kind of girl, so having the legs still on them grossed me out and B doesnt really do seafood.
All of the sides were very good, B especially liked the sticky wings and I enjoyed the pot stickers.
Wishes started as we were finishing with dinner and just to give an idea of what it looks like from the back of the restaurant.
Once the lights came back up, our server brought us not only the bread pudding but cute little anniversary cupcakes. Oh my goodness, we were so stuffed at this point. We nibbled on the cupcakes (very good) and I tried to make a dent in the bread pudding but failed miserably. It was also very good though.
Overall, I give Ohanas 4.5 out of 5 stars. I dont think we will go back, just because it was WAY too much food for just the two of us but the food and service were both excellent. I am happy I switched our reservation to be on our last night at the Poly so that all we had to do was waddle our way back to the room.
It was late by the time we made it back to our room and we both crashed pretty quickly - we had an early wake up call!
Thursday, September 5th meant it was time to check out of the Poly. Which, for as much as I love WL, I was sad to be checking out of the Poly. I absolutely loved it there and as long as there was no construction going on, would stay there again in a heartbeat.
We had bell services come up and get our luggage to transfer to Wilderness Lodge and made our way out towards the Monorail, today was also our first full day for Epcot. Goodbye awesome Poly room!
I swear this little guy posed for the camera. As soon as I stopped to take his picture, he stopped what he was doing and hopped on the rock and just sat there, hehe!
Since the park was not yet open, they were only letting hotel guests through to the monorail, which meant hardly any wait to get on the monorail. The ride in the park is just stunningly gorgeous, especially prior to park opening.
Bag check was swamped but that wasnt surprising considering it was after 9am when we were getting through. We grabbed a quick PP pic and then went straight to one of my favorite rides!!
There was no one in line so grabbed a FP for later and hopped in the normal line, we wanted to experience the full build your own vehicle.
We were put at one machine so B built our first car and then it was only a couple more minutes until we were on the ride.
I know there have been a ton of negative reviews but we both personally like it a lot better than the previous version. Only thing I wish is that the picture was still right inside the building. For we long haired girls having the picture out on the speed track is killer for trying to get a picture without hair covering your face.
So how did Bs car do? Well, here was the top car so far that morning.
There was still no line when we got off so we did what any ride enthusiast would do, we hopped right back in line. This time I got to design the car and B used his car from the previous ride.
Pink sparkly car for the win, haha!
By the time we finished up our 2nd right the standby line had started to grow and we only had about 20 minutes to kill until our FP was good so we made our way over to Mission Space.
Neither one of our us brave enough to try the spinning side, the last thing either of us wanted was to potentially feel sick that morning so we wimped out and chose the non-spinning side.
Its a fun concept for a ride but definitely not something we feel the need to ride every trip.
Safely making it to Mars and back, it was time for trip number 3 on Test Track. This time, we each got to make our own cars. It was on like Donkey Kong!
Back row knew what to do for the picture haha!
Pink Sparkles once again for the win!!!
Three ended up being the magic number for B and he was ready to move on. Cant complain too much though, 3 rides on TT and Mission Space in less than an hour and half is pretty dang good. We decided to make our way over to the Land to grab FP for Soarin before the return time got too late in to the day.
Living with the Land was unfortunately down so we did the next best thing, grabbed lunch at what is now one of our favorite CS places!
We tried Sunshine Seasons for the first time in January (I know, I know, what were we thinking taking that long to try it) and now were hooked!
B chose the pork chop with cheesy mashed potatoes and the bbq sauce on the side. I put the bbq in quotation marks because it isnt like any bbq sauce either of us have ever had.
I got the ½ rotisserie chicken with cheesy potatoes and of course a strawberry shortcake for dessert! So, so good!
Both meals get a huge 5 out of 5 stars. Seriously, if you havent tried Sunshine Seasons, DO IT! It is a fantastic value for a counter service meal and the strawberry shortcake is to die for!
Living with the Land was still down after we finished lunch so we continued on over to the Seas to visit with Nemo.
I could sit and watch the manatees all day. They are the cutest most gentlest creatures ever! We got to do an interaction with them in Cozumel a couple years ago and it was seriously the HIGHLIGHT of the trip for me! Love manatees!
We were both enjoying being in the air conditioning and spent quite a bit of time checking out the various tanks throughout the pavilion.
Day 7 Part 4: Soarin to Tower, You Are Clear for Take Off
We still had time to kill before our Soarin FP was up and luckily, Living with the Land was back up and running (with no line) so we hopped right on. I had a goal to ride it this morning since only a short time after our Soarin FP time we were scheduled to do the Behind the Seeds Tour (another Disney first for us!). For someone who has the killer thumb of death when it comes to all things green and growing, I find the ride so fascinating.
Finally time for Soarin!!
We got lucky and got the last 2 spots in the front middle row! Front row is the best, no feet!!
So love Patrick!
I just recently read that they are updating the DCA version of Soarin to digital projection screens early next year and I CANT wait! Florida like DCAs projectors are so dirty. I cant wait to see how fresh and crisp the ride becomes. They are also filiming Soarin Over the World for one of the Asia Disney parks and there is rumor that they will be bringing it to DCA as well within the next couple years. Seriously hope that happens, it would be amazing to soar over different locations!
We checked in for our Behind the Seeds tour after exiting Soarin and had about 20 minutes to sit and relax before our group was called back. The first stop of the tour was in to the Biological Control area where they explained about using insects instead of pesticides on crops and plants. Disney only uses pesticides if absolutely necessary and even then, they are natural pesticides instead of chemical based.
From there it was a short walk to the Biotechnology Lab (also known as the greenhouse area of Living with the Land).
Getting to see the crops up close was so cool.
It was at this point that the one child that was on the tour with us was given Lady Bugs to release.
I wish I could remember the name of the plant she released them on to but its leaves closed up when anything touched it as a defense mechanism. We had way too much fun poking the plant to see it curls its leaves. This was the one and only plant on the tour we were allowed to touch.
Day 7 - Part 5: All Produce Should be Mickey Shaped
Our tour guide then brought us over to a hydroponic display to explain how many of the plants are growing. Basically just floating on top of the nutrient water instead of being in soil.
We were also given cucumbers to sample that had been picked earlier that morning. I am not a huge cucumber fan myself so the treat was lost on me but had they been pickled, I would have been all over it hehe! B thought the cucumbers had great flavor though.
We continued through the green house and our guide explained that while we couldnt really see it yet, the lettuce above the Mickey head would spell Epcot in honor of the Food and Wine Festival that was starting later that month.
Did you know there are white eggplants? Yeah, neither did we!
We were kind of hoping there would be a lemonade sample from the 9lb lemon, but no such luck!
We were also a little too early for the pumpkins earning their ears.
I hadnt remembered seeing cotton grown one previous ride through of Living with the Land.
Like with the ride we got to go in to the building housing the alligators, shrimp and fish. This was our guides area of expertise and she was a wealth of knowledge.
We were able to check out one final area of the greenhouses before it was time to head back, finishing up the tour.
In all, both B and I really enjoyed this tour. It was quite interesting and unlike most tours, inexpensive. I dont know if I would recommend it for kids, even though kids are welcome. The one young girl that we had on our tour was completely bored the entire time. We are going to try to get my in laws to take the tour when we are there in April because they both have green thumbs and grow their own veggies, have an orchard, etc. For us, we give it 5 out of 5 stars!!
B and I were both starting to poop out at this point, we had been on our feet almost all morning and early afternoon and we were ready to go get checked in at WL. The escalators in the Land building were being worked on while we were there, so they had an exit open that typically isnt there. Of course we went out that way, another chance to go backstage hehe!
For as tired as our feet were, it only got worse when we go to the area for the buses. Saratoga Springs and Wilderness Lodge had been moved ALL the way to the opposite of the parking lot. When your feet are sore, it makes the walk feel that much longer! We were lucky though that shortly after we got to the stop, a bus pulled up and we were on our way to the Wilderness Lodge!
No matter how many times we walk through the lobby that first time of the trip is always just breathtaking.
Check in was quick and easy and even though it wasnt 3pm yet, our room was ready! B and I have a quirkly little tradition of getting goldfish crackers, gummy bears, lemonade (for B) and apple juice (for me) in the afternoons whenever we stay club level at WL and this afternoon was no exception.
Snacks in hand, we made our way to our room. Coming from the big room at the Poly it took a night or so to get used to the smaller size at WL, but like always, the beds were super comfortable and we both really liked the update the resort had received!
Even though I hadnt put in any requests, we got the view I had been hoping for!! I know this is a love it or hate view because to get the views of MK you have to be on the service side of WL and if you look down there is the smokehouse for Whispering Canyon (neither one of us minded the tasty BBQ smells when we were out on our balcony) and the service bay where delivery trucks came in, etc. I dont think I would want to be on a lower floor on this side of the Lodge but getting to see MK fireworks from our room was worth the less than stellar downward view.
We called bell services to have our luggage brought up and while B relaxed, I got unpacked and settled in to our new home for the next 5 nights. The couple hours we had to kill went by quickly and we soon heading back out to Epcot. Of course, one cannot pass the lounge without making a stop in it to check out the evening goodies!
From our stop in the lounge, we made our way down to the bus stop, grabbing a few more lodge pictures first.
It was a short wait until an Epcot bus pulled and we both realized that the closer we got to the park, the darker the skies were becoming. Neither of us brought anything for rain and we were hopeful we wouldnt be walking in to a deluge! Bag check was a breeze and we grabbed our first photopass picture of the evening shortly inside the gates.
I had made a joke about getting a good picture before we got soaked and the photographer quickly replied Oh, you have nothing to worry about, its not going to rain here tonight. While I appreciated his confidence, I dont think we were looking at the same sky, haha!
We had just made it to Canada when we heard the first large clap of thunder and the winds hard started to pick up.
Looking across the World Showcase Lagoon, the storm was steadily approaching.
With dinner being in France tonight, we quickly continued out way through England and grabbed one more photopass picture on the bridge leading in to France before the drops started to come down and the frequency of the thunder and lightning began to increase.
We had barely made it under the cover of Chefs de France when the clouds opened up and it started POURING! Oh my goodness did people start scrambling. We had one good flash/bang while we were waiting and I know the thunder cant hurt you but boy did it make me jump. We only had to wait a few minutes before being called in while we were staying dry, we were both happy to be in the restaurant.
We were seated towards the back of the restaurant next to the window and while you cant really tell how hard it is raining from the picture, it gave us a good view of the crazy weather!
Our server came over shortly after we were seated and boy oh boy was he nice on the eyes and the accent didnt hurt either!! He took our order and promptly brought out the oh so tasty baguette!
We both decided to do the 3 course pre-fixe meal and for my appetizer I got for the very first time ever, the French Onion Soup. I am not a big onion person but very much enjoyed this soup and am looking forward to having it again when we are back there in February!
B got the salad and enjoyed it as well.
For our entrees, I knew there was no way I was passing up the Macaroni and Cheese and it did not disappoint. It was so, so rich though that I barely was able to finish more than half of it.
B got the roasted chicken entrée and also very much enjoyed it.
For dessert, we both got the Profiteroles and for feeling quite full up until they arrived, we were both able to finish off the dessert. It was so good!
All in all, we both gave Chefs de France 5 out of 5 stars and are both looking forward to eating there again in February. I wish we could have worked it out so that we had an earlier reservation to be able to see Remy, but am glad we gave it a chance regardless of missing the cute little rat!
The stormed had moved out by the time we finished up and gave way to a beautiful sunset.
Well, I should say it was only beautiful if you were looking one direction the direction the stormed move in to was still very dark and ominous.
Again, we made the decision to head out instead of staying for Illuminations, we were both a little over full and tired from the long day.
We made the long walk back to the bus and waited quite a long while for ours to show up. We were both lucky and were able to sit on the ride back from Epcot and as we made our way back in to the lodge, realized there was no one over at the fireplace. A rocking chair and fire was too tempting to pass up and were sat and rocked for a few minutes, discussing the highlights of our day before making it back up to the room and crashing!! We had another early wake up call the next day.
Friday, September 6th was originally scheduled to be another sleep in day because we were heading to Typhoon Lagoon. Well, all of that changed when we were in AK earlier in the week and B stopped at a DVC stand to trade pins with a CM. He talked at length with us about DVC, how many vacations we had already been on and ultimately, talked us in to doing the presentation on this morning.
So instead of sleeping in, at 8am, we made our way out of the lobby and hopped in the big red van.
Our driver was very nice and the ride over to Bay Lake Tower was a short one. We only waited a couple of minutes in the lobby before being whisked back to one of the rooms to discuss at length DVC ownership. We had not gone in the meeting with any real intention of becoming DVC owners but the more we talked, the more we realized it was something we really could truly afford, and well, after 2+ hours and touring the spec rooms at BLT, we were proud owners in Animal Kingdom Lodge.
It just made sense and boy have we already put to good use our points and we are kicking ourselves for not doing it sooner. The whole appointment took much, much longer than planned and because it was after 10am by the time we were done, they gave us a gift card in addition to the special fast passes - which was a super nice surprise! They drove us straight over to Typhoon Lagoon and once again, our driver was very nice and so very enthusiastic about Disney. It was a wonderfully informative ride!
We made it to TL around 10:30am and I totally forget to get pictures coming in to the park so I am borrowing a couple from the Disney photopass CD.
Like Blizzard Beach, we chose to do the umbrella and chairs rental and after getting our location, grabbed a locker for the day. We got another great spot right above the wave pool!
We quickly dropped off our stuff and went straight to Crush and Gusher! It is our absolute favorite water park ride!
Like BB, they had photopass photographers at the bottom of the slides. We learned the hard way on the first ride down that B should be sitting in the back and we flipped as soon as we hit the water! Whoops hehe!
I let B decide about going again and he chose the slower pace of the lazy river instead. Signing all of the DVC paperwork had really been a workout and he was ready to relax!
After a full loop, we hopped out to ride more slides we got out in an area we hadnt been before and ended up taking the long and really scenic route up to raft ride.
We were surprised to find quite a line and we waited about 20 minutes to get on. It was worth the wait, we were both laughing the whole way down. Neither of us wanted to wait in the long line to ride again so it was right back over to crush and gusher! Surprisingly, there was very little wait and our first time down was a smooth landing in to the splash pool.
Our 3rd ride down we werent so lucky on the splash down. I am not sure quite what happened but the tube kind of buckled on itself and I ended up conking B in the back of the head with my fore head. Can we say instantaneous headaches! Luckily, this time there was no photopass at the bottom to catch our our so "graceful" splash down.
Feeling a little sorry for ourselves, there was only one thing to do to cheer up! Mickey Premium Ice Cream bar of course!!
We made our way back over to our umbrella to relax, let our heads stop ringing and re-sunscreen.
Neither of us were up to doing actual slides so we hopped right back in to the lazy river.
Again, we were happy to find a photopass photographer in the river grabbing pictures of guests!
B wanted to take on the wave pool before we headed out and I was more than happy to hang back in the shallows and watch. Unfortunately, the waves never came while we were in there. I am not sure if they do a special time of small little waves for families but that was the only thing we could figure.
B was officially good and so was I, so we grabbed our stuff and made our way over to the lockers to get changed. Murphys Law we heard the wave pool go off right as we got to the lockers!
Luckily, unlike our bus ride from BB, there were no work fires to put out. We grabbed snacks from the lounge on the way back to the room and came back to find a new little towel animal and travel Lucky and Snowflake chilling on the bed.
We nibbled on the snacks and started getting freshened up. Between the time I hopped in to the shower and got out the sky had gotten considerably darker and the distant thunder we had been hearing was getting considerably louder.
We were happy we left TL when we had because the storm turned in to a monster of a storm. We got to watch it move in and over the area of the Poly and Grand Floridian.
We were bummed because it seemed like it was going to pass in front of us we could not have been more wrong.
I was grabbing video of the storm from our balcony when a bolt of lightening hit the Contemporary. While I didnt get the hit on video, I got the thunder that followed and me jumping 10 feet in the area from how loud the crack was. After that bolt, they were hitting right in front of us and I was able to capture not one, not two but three bolts of lightening! They were happening so frequent you almost only just had to snap to grab one.
Shortly after the lightening show the rain hit us and HARD! I have never seen such a downpour before in my life.
It wasnt until we turned the TV on did we find out we were in the middle of a severe thunderstorm that was wreaking havoc in the area and had caused a couple house fires from lightning strike roofs. It was the craziest weather we had ever been a part of and we still had dinner reservations in Epcot to try to get to that evening!
Once work was under control and we were both changed we still had the whole afternoon to kill of course, we cant be a boat ride away from MK and not head there!
I have never seen such a downpour before in my life.
