Trip Report We tried New Things/Invasion of the Mother-In-Law- September 2016

catmandoo · Nov 30, 2016

Day 4 continued...

After my delicious snack, I forced frank to go on my favorite Magic Kingdom Ride... The Jungle Cruise! Those cheesy jokes just get me every time. The wait wasn't long... maybe 20 minutes, and we boarded the boat, seated near the back. We had a Lady Skipper... Skipperess? Her name was Emma, and she was one of the best Skippers I've ever had the pleasure of cruising with.

I didn't really take many pictures of our cruise, cause I was enjoying the jokes... and marveled at the Back Side of Water. But I did get this one decent shot...

When our cruise was ended, we headed across the hub and into the future... I like the new pain job on the rocks... it really does look better in real life than it does it the pictures.

Since I wanted to catch the 3:00 parade, I moved our Space Mountain fast pass up a bit, and that's where we were headed. I had wanted to make a quick stop at Stitch's Great Chili Dog Encounter, but Frank wasn't so keen on it, so I figured we'd have another chance (We did not...) So, into the Mountain we went.

So, we rode... and it kind of messed us both us a little. We were a little wobbly and sore afterwards... and I said to Frank "I think I'm done with that one..." and he said "I only ride it cause you want to." So... that may have been the last time we rode Space Mountain.
But at least we got this gem to commemorate the ride.

Since we were in Tomorrowland, we decided to take a spin on the Carousel of Progress, which is always a must-do for me. And I do sing along. I am really digging the new paint job.

So, all the said was no flash photography.... but later when we went on it again, they said no photography or recording... so I'm not sure which... But I took a few pictures the first time around. Here's one.

After that, we headed over to find a spot for the parade, and managed to get a great spot in front of the Castle, very near where we were for the Halloween party parade. Did I mention it was hot? It was... and the sun was beating down, so Frank got us a couple drinks, then abandoned me to go wait in a shady spot. But I was staking out my place. Soon enough, the Marching Band come down the street. It gave me flashbacks to 1997 when I marched with my high school marching band in the same place during my senior year.

It was getting a bit crowded, so I made Frank come back to join me before the parade started... I'm sure you can tell from the picture how excited he was.

Coming up- Lots of pictures from the Festival of Fantasy parade... probably 2 posts worth. And then we try something new!

Bama14 · Dec 1, 2016

After the ride was over, we made a figment, and e-mailed it to me... but it never arrived. So there is a lost figment out there floating around in cyber space, lost... or perchance causing mischief somewhere.
So we headed next door since the show was starting right away for the Disney Pixar Short Film nonsense that was lazily installed after Captain EO went away. Again. (Bring back Honey I Shrunk the Audience at least)... Get a Horse... Somethign with the moon and stars... and some bird thing? Maybe.

When the movies were over, we stopped to watch people stand in front of the dancing water fountain... and had a few laughs when they got hit with the water. Sadly, I did not get any pictures of the impacts.

Then there was a bird sitting along the little walkway, and I wanted to get a picture of it... evidently the bird had other ideas and started to fly away ad I clicked the camera... what resulted... a blurry black blob that looks like it's falling off the ledge.

There is a better picture of the bird that Frank took, but I am saving most of his pictures for a "Day one through Frank's Eyes" post... he takes such... interesting pictures.

Coming up... We go around the world... a couple of ways. And still... my most embarrassing Disney Moment ever.[/QUOTE]

catmandoo said:
So, after our journey through time and space, I was a little parched. Which means on our way to our next attraction, we made a little pit-stop at the world famous.... Club Cool! *insert fanfare here*

Now, if you'll recall, I have to limit caffiene, so I only took tiny sips of each of the drinks... including, for the FIRST time EVER... Beverly!
Sorry, there are no pictures of my face since Frank does not like to try new things, and he was at the counter buying a bottle of orange soda. So, I'll paint a word picture... at first I was like, "This isn't so bad"... then I swallowed and it hit the back of my throat and I probably made a retching noise, since there was a teenage girl laughing at me. The Melon Fanta drink was quite tasty though...

(I wish they'd switch things out every so often... I feel like they've had the same things the last few trips I took)
Thirst satiated, we headed to our next attraction, which we did not have a fastpass for, but it was okay since we walked right on, after one of my favorite queue lines...

Full disclosure, I don't remember The Living Seas. And I quite enjoy the Nemo ride. After the ride, we hung out a bit and looked around at the aquariums and various fishy displays. It wasn't terribly crowded, and we stopped to look at the Manatees for a bit. I used to have an adopted Manatee back in the day (Do they still do things like that?) His name was Tithonus and he was a hefty looking fellow. He had a chunk out of his back from a boat propeller, so he'd been through a lot. I was quite sad when I got the letter informing my that he'd passed on. Anyway, there was a manatee chowing down on some lettuce... AND HE WAS HOLDING IT IN HIS LITTLE FLIPPER LIKE HE WAS A PEOPLE! It was super cute.

After that, it was time for our next Fastpass+ selection... Everyone's FAVORITE ride....

Full disclosure #2... I DO remember the original Imagination and miss it terribly. I also remember the second version and hated it... And was trying to tell my friends (It was during our high school band trip) that it wasn't the ride I remembered, but they didn't believe me. In it's current version... it's okay. I enjoy singing along like a fool to embarass Frank... and if you think of coffee at the skunk spray, inhale deeply, it almost smells like really strong, burnt coffee.
After getting into the car, I snapped one of my traditional pictures... "HOLD HANDS! NO DANCING!"

After the ride was over, we made a figment, and e-mailed it to me... but it never arrived. So there is a lost figment out there floating around in cyber space, lost... or perchance causing mischief somewhere.
So we headed next door since the show was starting right away for the Disney Pixar Short Film nonsense that was lazily installed after Captain EO went away. Again. (Bring back Honey I Shrunk the Audience at least)... Get a Horse... Somethign with the moon and stars... and some bird thing? Maybe.

When the movies were over, we stopped to watch people stand in front of the dancing water fountain... and had a few laughs when they got hit with the water. Sadly, I did not get any pictures of the impacts.

Then there was a bird sitting along the little walkway, and I wanted to get a picture of it... evidently the bird had other ideas and started to fly away ad I clicked the camera... what resulted... a blurry black blob that looks like it's falling off the ledge.

There is a better picture of the bird that Frank took, but I am saving most of his pictures for a "Day one through Frank's Eyes" post... he takes such... interesting pictures.

Coming up... We go around the world... a couple of ways. And still... my most embarrassing Disney Moment ever.

Alas, I never get my Figment emails either! Maybe our Figments are mischiefing together!

catmandoo · Dec 1, 2016

Day four continued- Festival of Fantasy Parade.

I'm just gonna go ahead and do minimal commentary on these... it's a parade... that's about all the explanation you need.

We begin...

Belle and The Beast (Who is NOT named Adam and I don't care how many people say it. I'll fight you.)

Cinderella and Charming

Anna and Elsa being sassy

Tiana and Naveen

Rapunzel

Flynn Ryder aka Eugene Fitzherbert featuring The Smoulder

A joyful Ariel

Peter and Wendy

Tinkerbell

Coming up in the next post... Possibly my favorite picture of the trip.

catmandoo · Dec 1, 2016

Day four- Festival of Fantasy Parade continued...

A gentleman in a purple kilt

Merida- This is my favorite picture of the trip probably.

Flora... or Fauna? It's not Merryweather.

These guys that I think are supposed to be thorns? Or the Briar patch?

The Dragon

The Dragon now featuring FIRE

Grumpy doing a weird hand gesture

Pinocchio

Donald and Daisy

And finally, Mickey and Minnie

Coming up- Our New Thing of day 4...

catmandoo · Dec 2, 2016

Day Four concluded...

After the parade was over, we browsed through the Emporium for awhile. I was looking for an Eeyore mug for a co-worker, but there was nothing that really struck my fancy, so we moved on. I had mentioned wanting to try to see Animal Kingdom at night, so we went back to the hotel for a little while, then headed back out to Animal Kingdom.

On the bus, I was taking pictures of Frank, so he decided to return the favor.

Soon enough, we were at Animal Kingdom and Frank was once again ready to have a wild time.

We got to the security checkpoint and... Once again, I was randomly selected... for those keeping track, that's two in a row.
We eventually got in, and headed down the path towards the Tree of Life. There was some sort of show going on, so we stopped and watched for a bit

Then we moved on to get a bit of dinner... we had 2 quick service meals today since we used two Dinner meals at the Hoop-De-Doo. I begrudgingly agreed to try the new menu at Pizzafari... it was okay, I guess. I had some kind of shrimp flatbread thing, and Frank had a pasta dish... with chocolate cake and tiramisu for dessert. The tomato cucumber salad was quite tasty actually.

We took a leisurely stroll back to look at the walls where the entrance to Avatarland (is anyone actually going to call it Pandora- the World of Avatar?) will be. Couldn't really see much besides a floating mountain or two. Then we headed back towards africa... walking slowly as we waited for sunset so we could Safari by night. There was another little performance going on, so we stopped to watch that for a bit.

It was getting darker out, so we got in the line for the Sarafi. By the time we reached our vehicle, it was nice and dark, and this time we were seated in the very last row of the truck next to a couple who thought they should have the whole row to themselves. I feel like the night safari was a waste of time... I think we maybe saw 1 animal and pictures were kind of pointless.

It was one of those things... done once, and I'm good.

We decided to walk around toward Asia with the intent of riding Everest.

I actually think Chester and Hester's looks better at night.

Everest was pretty much a walk on. For the picture we decided to go for the Silly...

I LOVED Everest at night... it was scarier... and you could actually see the Yeti since your eyes weren't shocked going from the bright sun into darkness. This is one thing I'm glad they did.
After that, we were pretty much done for the night and headed back toward the front of the park. I did want to see the projection show on the Tree of Life, so we headed that way.

Along the way, we saw this guy playing this thing.

And then made our way to the tree, and this is the best picture I got. I thought the show was slightly disappointing... nothing great, but interesting.

When I had my fill, we went into the gift shop and I found a good Eeyore mug for my co-worker (Did not take a picture, but she loved it) and picked up a couple BB-8 and Frozen rice krispie treats for my nephews and nieces (the local ones anyway).

We headed back to the resort, got some drinks, and got back to the room just as it started to rain... and not just a light rain, a downpour. I stood on the balcony at watched for awhile... I love a good storm as long as I'm not right out in it. It was a nice end to the day.

Coming up next- Day 4 by Frank.

And on Day 5- we spend our anniversary at Hollywood Studios, try a new restaurant, and I surprise Frank with something special.

catmandoo · Dec 2, 2016

Day 4 by Frank

Me, waiting for the parade.

a piece of popcorn

a "hidden mickey"

Dumbo on one of the parade floats

the Don't Do these things on the bus sign

A lamp post.

The picture Frank took of me taking his picture

This statue of a cat

This light

This Dinoland USA dino

See you soon for Day 5!

LadyBelle · Dec 3, 2016

Flora is the one in red, in the foreground of your pic. Fauna is in green behind her. Now I wish I had gotten to see the parade more up close. I missed so much!

catmandoo · Dec 4, 2016

Day 5 Monday September 19th

We began our anniversary a little late, which was okay since we didn't have any fastpasses til a little later in the day. We got ready and headed to the bus stop. It wasn't too long before we boarded and were on our way. We arrived at Hollywood Studios a while later. We headed through security, and guess what happened... Yep, I was randomly selected. 3 in a row.

After the hassle, we headed into the park. It didn't seem to be terribly crowded as we headed down Hollywood Boulevard. I'm so glad they got rid of the Hat... but I could do without the Star Wars stage.

Since we still had a little time until our first fastpass, we headed into the Great Movie Ride... Which supposedly had a 40 minute wait. It was actually about 15. I noticed that they were loading both vehicles, but we were put in the back one, so... no Cowboy scene for us.

But we went on our way. I got a few decent pictures.

After our ride through the movies, we headed back to our first fastpass

We went through the fastpass line and were sent down the hall onto the new track. My favorite color is Green, so I like to sit in the green seat if it's one of my choices... but Frank also like to annoy me, so he got into the green seat, and left me with yellow. But I showed him in the end.

After we were done with our games, Frank was hungry, so we headed to his favorite, for some reason, quick service restaurant...

I was feeling a little headachy and just kind of off, but thought maybe I was just hungry. So we ordered and Frank went to find a table while I waited for the food. Once I got our tray, I headed in search of him and found him a few seconds later. I had this... I think it was chicken.

And he had a Bacon Cheeseburger

And for Dessert, we had some cupcakes.

It was... an okay meal.

The food didn't help... I still felt a bit blah. Blah enough to cancel our fastpass for Tower of Terror, which is generally my favorite ride at Hollywood Studios. We decided to just walk around a little to see if I felt any better. After twenty minutes or so, I did... but still not enough for Tower of Terror... so we headed for our next fastpass...

Coming up- we go to a Galaxy Far, Far away and sing along to one of my favorite songs.

catmandoo · Dec 4, 2016

Day 5 continued...

We had a fastpass for Star Tours, a ride that doesn't usually bother me... I was a little leery with how I was feeling, but decided to risk it. We went into the fastpass line, and were in.

If you notice on the left over there, Jedi Training is going on... I feel like it's going on every time we walk past that stage.
Anyway... we went in and made our way through the maze of the line.

If I recall... we saw Darth Vader.... Finn... BB8... and were on Jakku... I feel like the time line was a little strange... with Darth Vader and Finn existing at the same time... and the time of the ride does go back to the prequels at times. But I digress. It is still a fun ride. I was not the Rebel Spy, and it didn't kill my head or anything. So... win.

When we were out, I made Frank take the obligatory shot on the Speeder Bike.

We went through the way and caught a showing of Muppetvision 3-D... Now, I do enjoy the Muppets, but I feel like this show is a bit dated. It's still fun though. When it was over, we went out and I saw a remnant from the past...

It was the only bit still standing.

I had switched our Tower of Terror fastpass to something which is probably the polar opposite....

I know I've mentioned my love of Frozen. It's my favorite of the modern/CG Disney movies, and the one I compare the rest to (Moana was pretty good, but not at the level of Frozen). So, we got into the waiting area and waited to go in. When we did, we were in the fourth or so row,maybe about a quarter of the way in.
The show began, and Anna came out, then the storytellers.

We sang along with some favorites... including, of course....

(that's the best part... when she lets her hair down)

And you can bet I sang along as loud as the kids.

Soon enough, the Queen herself made an appearance.

And then everyone was together!

And then it "Snowed"! And Frank gave me the look... because he doesn't like the fake snow. (I think it's only second to getting wet on rides...) But I loved every second of it.

As we were leaving the theater, I noticed a sign saying that we could meet Olaf... I'll let you guess where we headed to next.

Comping up- A meeting, A concert, and a trip Under the Sea

catmandoo · Dec 5, 2016

Day 5 continued

After the Sing Along was over, we headed next door to meet Olaf. There were maybe 2 families in front of us. We didn't wait too long before we were ushered inside. And like Olaf, I like warm hugs.

I'm not sure that Frank does, but he got one anyway.

But, if you look at Frank's face here... he actually looks like he's enjoying himself.

After our warm hugs, we headed across the park so Frank could ride his favorite ride. I was still feeling a little blah, so I was considering sitting it out...

I went through the line with him because I didn't want to sit around by myself for any length of time, and the wait was 30 minutes. I figured I could skip out at the end. But as we got through the line, I thought I was feeling a little better, so I decided to ride when we got to the loading area.
So, we sat down and moved to the launch... and then we were off.

As you can see, I am clutching the safety harness for dear life.... I have an irrational fear that it'll come loose and I'll fall out...
So we're going through the coaster, and all of a sudden, I feel this stabbing pain in my chest... "Oh, [explicative] ... I'm having a heart attack." is my thought... And then I was mad cause the doctor told me everything was cool... and then I was thinking "Well, at least I'm at Disney World... " And then the ride was over and I realized that somehow my anniversary button had unhinged and that's what was stabbing me in the chest. Yes... I am crazy.
After I wasn't dying, I made Frank take a picture outside. As you can see, he was thrilled to have ridden his favorite ride.

Because I'm always afraid it'll go away at any moment, I wanted to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid... I know I've already spoke of my love for that particular movie, so... yeah. We headed over that way and saw that the Star Wars show as going on... since we were far away, I popped on my zoom lens and took a few shots...

I <3 Kylo Ren... I know, weird.

Fun fact- My nickname is BB (I'm not sure why, there are conflicting stories), so I was tickled when the new droid in Episode VII was named BB-8.

And the finale where all the models came out to show off their outfits... I mean... all the Characters came out together.

After the fashion show... I mean, Parade of Characters... I mean, Star Wars show was over, we headed through the arch.

Coming up- Under the sea... and into the Bay.

catmandoo · Dec 5, 2016

Day 5 continued-

So through the arch we went to...

Frank was excited.

(that's actually a good picture)
The big camera wasn't really working at taking pictures... so for some reason, it popped into my head to use my call phone... I don't normally use it to take pictures when I'm away unless I'm putting something on Instagram or the Facebook.
But it takes decent pictures.

The big camera did take a couple good pics...

The gal playing Ariel was okay... It's such a strange little show... but I love it.
When the show was over, we headed for something new...

I think I've said I enjoy Star Wars... I'm not a fanatic (That would be my brother) but I like it. (And yes, he's already bought our tickets for the Thursday night showing of Rogue One) So it's neat to see the props and costumes and such.

I have a few decent pictures, but... I mean it's Star Wars stuff, you all know what it looks like...
But once we were into the shop, (aside- I miss the animation shop... ) I saw this little R2D2 that was rolling around.

After that, we needed to head out for our Anniversary Dinner... so we headed back up Hollywood Boulevard, but I made Frank stop for one last Photopass... and this was probably my favorite one... The Photographer was so bubbly and warm and excited for our anniversary. I wish I had caught her name to give her a compliment...

And then she ruined Frank's day when she told us to kiss. If you don't want to see this... just skip on over it.

So, then we headed up toward the front of the park and past the Crossroads of the World

We headed out of the park and to the bus stop for our next destination...

Coming up- An anniversary dinner... and a surprise for Frank. And RAIN.

DisneyJeff · Dec 6, 2016

catmandoo said:
Day 5 continued

After the Sing Along was over, we headed next door to meet Olaf. There were maybe 2 families in front of us. We didn't wait too long before we were ushered inside. And like Olaf, I like warm hugs.

I'm not sure that Frank does, but he got one anyway.

But, if you look at Frank's face here... he actually looks like he's enjoying himself.

After our warm hugs, we headed across the park so Frank could ride his favorite ride. I was still feeling a little blah, so I was considering sitting it out...

I went through the line with him because I didn't want to sit around by myself for any length of time, and the wait was 30 minutes. I figured I could skip out at the end. But as we got through the line, I thought I was feeling a little better, so I decided to ride when we got to the loading area.
So, we sat down and moved to the launch... and then we were off.

As you can see, I am clutching the safety harness for dear life.... I have an irrational fear that it'll come loose and I'll fall out...
So we're going through the coaster, and all of a sudden, I feel this stabbing pain in my chest... "Oh, [explicative] ... I'm having a heart attack." is my thought... And then I was mad cause the doctor told me everything was cool... and then I was thinking "Well, at least I'm at Disney World... " And then the ride was over and I realized that somehow my anniversary button had unhinged and that's what was stabbing me in the chest. Yes... I am crazy.
After I wasn't dying, I made Frank take a picture outside. As you can see, he was thrilled to have ridden his favorite ride.

Because I'm always afraid it'll go away at any moment, I wanted to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid... I know I've already spoke of my love for that particular movie, so... yeah. We headed over that way and saw that the Star Wars show as going on... since we were far away, I popped on my zoom lens and took a few shots...

I <3 Kylo Ren... I know, weird.

Fun fact- My nickname is BB (I'm not sure why, there are conflicting stories), so I was tickled when the new droid in Episode VII was named BB-8.

And the finale where all the models came out to show off their outfits... I mean... all the Characters came out together.

After the fashion show... I mean, Parade of Characters... I mean, Star Wars show was over, we headed through the arch.

Coming up- Under the sea... and into the Bay.

I literally COL'd (chuckled out loud) at your "Heart Attack" story on RnR!!! :joyfull:

catmandoo · Dec 6, 2016

Day 5 continued...

We headed over to Port Orleans: Riverside (Fun fact, the first time I ever stayed on Property when I was maybe 12 or so was at this Resort when it was called Dixie Landings. and one night when we got back to our room there was a little tiny frog sitting on the door handle and I almost grabbed, but then I noticed it and screamed like a little girl. There is video evidence of this somewhere... I think my brother has it.) for our Anniversary Dinner at a NEW restaurant- Boatwright's Dining Hall.
We were standing a little away from it, and I was going "I don't know where it is," to Frank... but then I turned and it was right there. I think that would've been funnier if you had been there...

We checked in, and were greeted by our server, an adorable little older gentleman named Fern. He would be on par with Mei, our waitress from the first night. He led us to our table, which was by the fireplace "To make it romantic for you special day", then insisted I give him my camera so he could take a picture of us sitting by the fireplace.

We were seated and given menus, and Fern said he would be back to take our order. There were too many things I wanted to try on the menu and was having a tough time deciding... (I am on a mission to try every table service restaurant at Disney World.... so I figured it would be a while before we were back and wanted to make the right choice).
Fern came back and presented us with these... on the house.

I thought that was a lovely gesture. We were still deciding what we wanted to eat, but a drink on the menu had caught my eye, so I ordered the Sazerac... rye whiskey, bitters, agave and Pernaud... and it was delicious. (I've been really into Bourbon/Whiskey lately since my trip to Kentucky to do the bourban trail) Frank had ordered a beer flight, but something was broken and they couldn't serve beer? I don't know... and he never got around to ordering another drink. But here is mine.

Fern came to take our order and I decided on The Big Easy- a steak with peppercorn cream sauce and Lobster Mac & Cheese which was amazing.

And Frank got the Voodoo Chicken... which was "tasty". I thought his maple bacon syrup was pretty good.

I was a little sad when my entree was gone because it was so good, but... I knew it was time for dessert, so... Fern came back with the menus and we ordered... Banana Pudding for Frank

And Bread Pudding with strawberry sauce for me.

We finished up our desserts and said goodbye to Fern. It was one of the best dining experiences I've had at Disney World... and headed outside to catch a bis to our next destination.

Here is a picture of a horse.

And then I made Frank stand by the F in this sign... but I didn't have my zoom lens on, so went for the far away shot.

I felt a few tiny drops of rain... but didn't think anything of it. We got to the bus stop and waited a few minutes before boarding for our destination... where Frank's surprise awaited!

Coming up... Frank's surprise... and RAIN!!!!!!

catmandoo · Dec 6, 2016

Day 5 continued...

So, as the bust got closer to Epcot. It started raining harder... and harder... and harder... to the point where it just looked like sheets of water pouring down the windows. I figured it would end quickly, and didn't worry too much.... we got to the park, and got out of the bus, umbrellas out, hurrying to the midpoint for shelter.... and this is what we saw.

So we waited a few minutes...

And a few more minutes...

And some more...

Eventually, we decided to brave it, put on our ponchos, and opened our umbrellas, then hurried toward the bag check. Frank went through the no bag line, and I was through the bag check pretty quickly... got myself all fixed up again... and then, guess what... RANDOM SELECTION! 4 for 4.
I was super annoyed since it was pouring,and I had to take off my poncho, bag, empty my pockets and go through the detector, then get all back together.

Once we were in the park, we had a little time before Frank's surprise, so we hurried onto Spaceship Earth, figuring it might let up while we traveled through time. I tried a few pics with my cell phone... they are not the best, but...
He's pounding reeds to make papyrus.

Since you can read and understand this trip report, Thank the Phoenicians.

One small step for man...

#selfie with my favorite gal

And Earth

Once again, our futures were not ours, but the random animated characters...

We left Spaceship Earth and it was still raining... so we headed through Future World and towards Frank's surprise...

The Illuminations Sparkling Dessert Party.

Which was moved from its normal location to CHINA.

So we began the trek from... whatever that shop by the Lagoon is called... Disney Traders? Port of Entry? the one on the left when you're looking at the Lagoon.

We went through some kind of deep water in Mexico... and through Norway.... and finally into China...

Coming up... The Dessert Party... will the rain ever end... and will Illuminations ever start?

Bama14 · Dec 8, 2016

Your story about the "heart attack" or pin attack...still laughing! Sounds like something I would do! :joyfull:

catmandoo · Dec 8, 2016

Day five-- Concluded...

So we checked into the China pavilion and got some fancy sparkly red bracelets to show that we were Dessert Party goers. The room was decorated with lots of tables, blue table cloths and fancy lights. There were a couple tables of desserts. Frank and I got a table, put our stuff down and worked our way out of our ponchos and then went to get some desserts. (We were still a little full from Dinner, so didn't over indulge on the desserts... but the champagne was a different story...)

Here are some of the dessert selections.

All very good.
And a glass of champagne with a little bit of pomegranate syrup.

A few minutes into the party, a gentleman came up to us and struck up a conversation. I forget where he was from, but we chatted for several minutes about Ohio and the Cavs winning the championship and then he went on his way.

These are the table decorations I kept playing with.

There was also a mixed drink that Frank had that I have no idea what it consisted of because I never asked or found out, but he enjoyed it.

So throughout the time, cast members kept coming around telling us they anticipated the show to go on and would be leading us to the viewing area around 10 til 9, so we were told to keep eating and drinking... so we did. I probably had 4 glasses of champagne.

The weather app on my phone is very specific about rain, so I checked... and this is what it said.

Hmm...

But we were led to the viewing area... i grabbed one last glass of champagne for the walk, and was finished by the time we got there. It was still raining a little... So we staked out a spot and waited... and waited.... and waited... and waited some more. There were about 10 announcement saying due to weather Illuminations was delayed... and we waited.... Past 9... 9:10... 9:15... 9:20... 9:30... We saw the Star Wars fire works from the Studios go, and the cast members said that was a good sign.

Finally, around 9:55, They announced it would be starting shortly.

My big camera didn't do too well, but I got a few pics with my phone.

After the show was over, it was still drizzly, and of course, Epcot was closed. So we moved with the herd and got to the bus, and back to the resort. Stopped to get our drinks, then back to the room and settled down for the night.
Despite the rain... it was a wonderful anniversary.

Coming up- Day 5 By Frank.
And on Day 6- Golf. Cupcakes. Dinosaurs. And dreams.

catmandoo · Dec 8, 2016

Day five by Frank

Walt, peeking through the trees

This... cabinet

These gold plates.

Rey's boots.

This reasonable priced souvenir

This not magical bit of a wall

This horse

This lovely water

This little wooden bowtie on our table

And me and my umbrella

See ya'll in a few days for Day 6. (Going away for the weekend!)

catmandoo · Dec 17, 2016

Okay I'm back... (sorry for the delay, I had a busy week!) And now, on to...

Day 6- Tuesday, September 20th

Our original plan was to head to Blizzard Beach this morning so we could see both water parks and see if we ever needed to go back... but after I got out of the shower, Frank was already dressed in real clothes instead of his bathing suit, so we had a little change of plans. We did get on a bus that was bound for Blizzard Beach, but then headed off to WinterSummerland for a little round of putt-putt.

We checked in and had a little wait before our tee time, so we walked around and took in the scenery. It was another hot day. Frank, as you can see, was super excited to start our game.

We had played the Snow course on a previous trip, so this time decided to go for the sand course.

And Santa wished us luck as we were on our way.

Full Disclosure... 17? ( I lost count)- As competitive as I am on the rides... it is nothing compared to how I am with Putt Putt. I have only lost a game once in my life... and only by one stroke. So, It was on...

We went through the course, reading the cute little signs and such. Frank does not take Putt Putt as seriously as I do, he usually just drops the ball and hits it.

And of course, I had to make him do silly poses on the course... He was thrilled, but... he always plays along.

This hole was fun... the ball went for a little ride.

This is the hole where I got a hole in one somehow. It was amazing.

So, then were were done... and I added up the score. And, defeated, cried. (Not really, but I wanted to play another round. But Frank reminded me that we had lunch reservations.)

It was a sad day.

Frank was gloating. He is not a nice winner. He wanted me to take a picture of him by the sign... and look. He smiles. I told him the sheriff car behind him was for him since he was being mean.

We went to the bus stop and headed away...

Coming up- There is a spring in our step... and we lunch with some friends from the past.

catmandoo · Dec 18, 2016

Day 6 continued...

So we got on the bus and headed toward Disney Springs. It would be our first visit since all the new stuff opened. Our first glimpse of our destination from out of the bus window...

I have to confess, I didn't really follow any of the news on Disney Springs cause I figured... we usually only spend half a day there to go to World of Disney and The Christmas Store... We did go to Disney Quest once when they were offering free admission if you booked a package. I was pleasantly surprised with the changes. It looks lovely, and was a fine upgrade to the area.

First thing we noticed when we walked in was the Coca Cola store. I felt like I had to go in to honor my Granny. Coke was all she drank and she lived to be 90, so... it can't be all bad.

Three floors of Coca Cola goodness, and expensive things that no one really needs. We went up to the rooftop coke bar and thought we'd get a refillable Coke Freestyle cup to try a few flavors. We do have these machines in Ohio, but this one seemed to have more choices... Of course, with the caffeine thing, I had to be careful with my choices. I think I had a lime ginger ale... Orange Caffeine free Diet coke... and some Grape flavored thing? I dunno... I don't know what Frank had.

There was really a nice view on a beautiful day.

I am anxious to try to new Planet Hollywood Observatory when it opens. We watched the workers for a while. They didn't seem to be doing much.
We finished up our drinks and headed down... around the weird outside walkway thingy... and back into the store for one last look around... and where I took what might be my favorite picture of Frank of all time.

There were still some construction walls up... including this one with this lovely gay couple and their children.

We headed deeper into the area and discovered the Springs from the name... It really does look nice.

As you can see, the sky was getting a little dark... but I think it only rained a little... nothing like the night before. As we crossed a bridge I saw a Sprinkles cupcake shop and was excited. They have good cupcakes as I discovered when we were in California a few months before...
AND they had the Cupcake ATM! (I have a weird obsessions with vending machines)
So of course, I had to get some overpriced cupcakes.

But... what flavors did we get? I guess you'll have to wait til the next post to find out!

Coming up- Cupcakes revealed! And Lunch...

happybear025 · Dec 19, 2016

Loving your trip report!!! Thanks for posting. Dour Frank is hilarious