Tag Archives: 365atDisney

Day 74- Thanksgiving at Magic Kingdom and Liberty Tree Tavern

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Today is Thanksgiving Day. My giving of thanks started last year at Magic Kingdom. Last Thanksgiving, we had an early brunch at Liberty Tree Tavern and we were going to have a late dinner at The Crystal Palace. As our day went on, we needed a light snack to hold us over, and my nephew was famished again. That does seem to happen with kids, they love to eat! So, we thought that a quick snack at Columbia Harbor House would tide us over, and they do have gluten free choices. We ordered his meal, and as I was waiting for our gluten free meal, I had a moment that would change my life forever.

There were a few minutes that no one was ordering, so the young cast member was nice and asked about my kids and me. She had taken our order and knew it that it usually takes a few minutes to prepare allergy meals. The cast member began to tell me about the college programs; she was so excited, and loved working here at Disney. Then she said, “They even have programs for people your age!” That made me laugh, but it got me to thinking, I would love to work for Disney after being home with my children for all of these wonderful years. After that moment, our journey to Florida began, and here we are…Thanksgiving Day, one year later!

Today, we arrive at the Ticket and Transportation Center and get to park fairly close, in the Zurg parking lot. That is encouraging since it is a holiday afternoon and I expected to parking lot to be nearly full. We arrive at the Monorail and it is busy, but nice. As we travel around the Seven Seas Lagoon, I see how blue the waters are and how pretty the sky looks; it is a most beautiful day. Once we arrive at Magic Kingdom, it is busy, but it is a steady walk to the front entrance. There are plenty of tables open for bag check, be sure to use both sides of the tables since they check the bags on both the left and the right, alternating sides makes the line(s) go faster. It is a nice setup and keeps the line moving at a good pace.

Main Street USA is always beautiful. It is like you step back in time with the beautiful Victorian era buildings. Love it!

We planned weeks ahead of time for our Thanksgiving dinner reservations. We got reservations for Liberty Tree Tavern at 4:30, so we have plenty of time to get there. (Be sure to allow extra time on holidays, since the parks tend to be busier on these days.)

On the way to the ride, we saw one of Santa’s friends!

Our first FastPass+ is for It’s A Small World. This ride is pretty busy today, but only a 40-minute wait if you walk up for the standby line. We see the Small World Cuckoo Clock sounding for 3:15. It is cool to see the trumpeters emerge and play their tune as the doors open on the clock front and sides.

Our next FastPass+ is in about 45 minutes, and we debate whether or not to go as we are walking. If we go on Pirates of the Caribbean we could be late for our Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, since we were close to Liberty Tree Tavern, we thought we might see if we could check in early. If not, we would browse the Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. Tooti checked with the hostess at Liberty Tree Tavern, they were glad to take us early and we were seated quickly.

This is my favorite place to eat on holidays. It reminds me of Grandma’s home. She was a really fun grandmother-in-law and her home looked very much like this restaurant. I feel like I am at home, even in the middle of Magic Kingdom.

Quickly, our server greets us, and soon the chef is at our table advising us on our gluten free options. He is so pleased to let us know that he has made a very special gluten free stuffing for our turkey dinner. Chef Alfonso shares that he created his own gluten free stuffing recipe just a couple of months ago! He says that it is very good! Chef Alfonso will be one of my favorite chefs; he has a great personality, is enthusiastic, kind, and is courteous and conscientious with food allergies. His newly designed gluten free stuffing is a perfect match to the perfect turkey and gravy.

The Washington Room that we sat in is like walking back in time. There are just a few families in this nice large room, making it a nice, quiet place to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. Yummy!

After our wonderful meal, we browse Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe on our way to the front of the park. Oh, look! We need a picture in the sleigh out front! What a beautiful Thanksgiving day!

Day 73- Epcot’s Italian Flag Throwers

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It is beautiful today! There are blue skies on this nice 70-degree, breezy day! We are going to Epcot and see the new Flag Throwing Show, Sbandieratori Di Sansepolcro, in Italy. I love the Italy Pavilion with all of its beautiful buildings and detailed architecture. There are even a few statues and a fountain. It is so pretty.

Here we go! We get to the parking area and park way down on the end. So, we decide to walk to the entrance. Some other families are heading for the tram, but it is about the same distance to the tram as it is to the entrance today. We arrive at the front gates, get our bags checked, and scan our MagicBands. We find that it is not very crowded for a holiday week. It is very busy, but there is still plenty of room to walk.

We go to the right and walk beside Spaceship Earth! It is crowded and we have to stop a couple of times really quickly as little ones suddenly stop in the walkway. I laugh, we tease that you should be quick on your feet, ready to dodge and jump aside for those moments since people will sometimes stop without warning. It is good to be kind, it seems that the visitors who are aware and nice to everyone have so much more fun!

We stopped at Starbucks, the kids got to talking to the cashier. Seems she was from Texas too! It was nice to meet a fellow Texan!

The Christmas tree at Epcot is beautiful; we head for it on our way around the World Showcase Lagoon. Now, we go to the left and make our way around through Mexico, China, The Outpost, Germany, and now we are almost to Italy. As we are getting closer, we hear the whistle! Sergio the mime is there and it performing a really a good skit! He is so interactive with the crowd, and kids love this! Even the adults are clapping and laughing, it is so fun! We watch behind the line of people.

In just a few minutes we hear the new Flag Throwing Show, Sbandieratori Di Sansepolcro, starting. They march in with a drummer and two trumpeters on their way to the stage in Italy. The show is absolutely incredible! They twirl, throw, and battle with the flags. Wow! This is truly a must see!

Tooti lets me know that we have already walked 2.3 miles to Italy in that short time. After she show, we are off to France. We leave Italy and pass through The American Adventure, Japan, Morocco, and arrive in France. Our friend we’ve made at Guerlain is there today, so we stop for a moment to say, “Hello!” She is one of the sweetest ladies you will ever meet.

Now, back to making our way around the World Showcase Lagoon. We cross the bridge into the United Kingdom when we see HIM!! It is a penguin from Mary Poppins! I have never seen him, ever! We start toward the line and find that he is supposed to leave soon. We totally understand, and are disappointed, but find that he will be back out in 45 minutes. We walk around the United Kingdom Pavilion for a few minutes and decide that we will stay and wait because the penguin is rarely ever here! I am so glad we got to wait!

As we saw the penguin coming over the hill, the attendant smiled since we waited and soon we met the penguin! It is so fun to get penguin hugs, and he is adorable! After our hugs and pictures, we thank the penguin and all wave bye!

We go back through the United Kingdom on the way to Canada, and then walk through the Showcase Plaza, by the Christmas tree. It is really cold and breezy. Now, back to the entrance and out to our car.

We had a blast today, and we took so many pictures for so many people! Sometimes one right after the other! But, with all of the fun, we walked 3.8 miles today (and that was a really short afternoon)! I love days like today, and am so happy we got to meet the penguin!

Day 72- Hollywood Studios and Star Tours

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Today we took our pups to school and it was pouring. I mean, it was raining buckets and the lightning was almost blinding. We decided to ride the storm out and go home until it settles. Once we got home, we found out that there was a tornado warning and over 600 lightning strikes in that storm. The rains were pelting our car windows. I felt for those who were already at Disney and hoped they had a good raincoats! We got about 2.75 inches of rain by 3pm, and it is still raining tonight.

In the late afternoon, we regrouped, and went to Hollywood Studios. The rain has stopped, but when we got off the tram, checked our bags, were scanning our Magic Bands, I overheard two of the cast members reading the 90-100% probability of rain! I didn’t worry; we had our lightweight raincoats for this 78-degree day.

It is beautiful to see all of the art deco style buildings as we walk down Hollywood Boulevard. The backdrop of dark clouds makes the buildings pop with color! The streets are wonderfully busy as we go toward Star Tours.

As we are in line to check into our FastPass at Star Tours, we see the Jedi Training Academy show. After we scan our MagicBands, as we walk up the walkway, we are stopped. We didn’t know why at the moment, but then we saw the Storm Troopers cross in front of us to walk onto the stage! It was so cool to be that close to them. They take the stage and we begin to walk by just as Darth Vader enters the stage! Cool! We got a glimpse of Darth Vader up close!

We have quite a bit of catching up to do as we walk and enter the winding line. Soon, we have made it to the final check in and are directed to line 3, where we listen to the instruction video before the doors open. We get seated and the cast member tells us to put on our 3D glasses. Here we go!

This 3D ride is so much fun. The ride changes for each ride, so you never know exactly where you’re going to fly! This time, there are some of the most interactive people and kids on board. It is so fun to hear them squeal as we dive and soar through space, and finally come to a landing.

I love when you disembark and go into the Tatooine Traders shop. I am amazed at how many new things we see each day! Today there is a young boy trying to get his face lined up for a picture looking like young Obi Wan Kenobi. It is fun to see a cast member quickly help the boy, and soon the picture is done.

As we exited, I thought, “I want a Cherry Coca Cola!” I turn ask Tooti and Twinkie, “Where would I ever find a Cherry Coke? I just got thirsty for a Cherry Cola!” They pondered that for a moment and said there was a place, Tune In Lounge, in the 50s Prime Time Diner. Oh sure, let’s go!

We see a couple of chairs open, so they let me grab one. I ask if they have Cherry Cokes and the bartender says that they do! They were the best Cherry Cokes! I had forgotten how wonderful it is when they make it right there in front of you! They were awesome! Tooti drank hers down and it was refilled instantly! It is a fun place to grab a Cherry Cola! Also, it is a really cute place with the retro design. They have vintage televisions running with old timey shows from the 50s. It looks like you stepped back into the 50s, even the décor and furniture matches the theme!

We walk around Echo Lake to Hollywood Boulevard and see all of the decorated windows. I decide that the skies look like they are going to rain again. We walk through a couple of the shops and see the new things they have this season. There are some really cute scarves, blouses, and Christmas decorations! We have fun looking at the new merchandise on our way to the front entrance.

It is a warm night and we are off to our car before the rain. It was a fun afternoon and this evening is warm, with a nice breeze!

Day 71- Magic Kingdom & Be Our Guest Restaurant

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Today is beautiful, with a high in the mid-80s. We are going to Magic Kingdom and it is an absolutely gorgeous day! It is going to be hot; Florida might break a record temperature today… that is toasty.

We get to the Monorail and it is absolutely packed. We came last year, during Thanksgiving week, and it was busy, but today it is so packed. There are long lines just to get on the Express Monorail. We chose to go to the Resort Monorail. We make 2 stops before Magic Kingdom (one at the Polynesian Resort, and one at the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa) and at the Grand Floridian, a little girl in a stroller and a grandma on a scooter boarded our car. The little girl was precious and so talkative! We were having fun talking to her when the little grandma started talking to me. Twinkie kept talking to the little girl and she was so smart, she said that her stuffed Olaf had a seat in the cup holder on her stroller. As Twinkie talked to her, she said that Olaf scans his nose, since he doesn’t have a MagicBand, and he gets his hat checked at bag check. What does Olaf keep in his hat? Rubber duckies, snacks, a sewing kit in case if a dog grabs his nose, and so much more! She was adorable!

Our Monorail arrived at the same time the Express Monorail to Magic Kingdom arrived across the way. We know it will take a little while for everyone to get down the ramp and make their way around to get their bags checked. There are so many people, but Disney is ready. We get our bags checked quickly, scan our MagicBands, and step onto Main Street USA.

We have lots to celebrate today, even with the busy, busy streets in Magic Kingdom. We make our way around Cinderella’s Castle on the sidewalks that go up and around the sides of her castle. We have a lunch FastPass for (YAY!) Be Our Guest! We LOVE their gluten free roast beef sandwiches! It takes planning to get to eat here, but last night at around 1am, we found a reservation that became available! WooHoo! So today, we are winding our way through all of the holiday visitors who are visiting Magic Kingdom!

We arrive at Be Our Guest and soon we are on our way across the bridge to the Beast’s Castle. We walk through the giant doors and step into our line. We are greeted by a nice cast member, and she shows us where to order. As we are learning how to order, one of the cast members checks on us and asks if we would like some help. We thank her for the offer, finish selecting our food, and get our order turned in.

I love that they give you a magic rose : you use it to order, then you sit the magic rose on your table, and they find you in this beautiful, huge castle! Be sure to put your receipt near the rose, they will remind you of this when you order since they will double check your receipt to make sure they deliver your order to the right table. We go into the main ballroom and find a table by the window with the falling snow. It is an absolutely fabulous ballroom. If you can make it to Be Our Guest, it is a fabulous place for lunch or dinner!

In the spring of this year, we got to eat in the main ballroom for the first time. As I sat and looked up at the cherubs on the ceiling, I was overcome with emotion. It is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. I looked up and the little cherub looked like my baby sister who only lived for 27 days. I started crying, it was so beautiful, and they look like they are in heaven looking down. It is beautiful.

Soon, I see the Chef walking toward our table; his arms are full of plates, and on one plate he holds our dessert – gluten free lemon raspberry crème puffs! He sets down our toasted roast beef sandwiches with the allergy sticks to show that we need the gluten free option. He is smiling and is very nice and peppy! I feel so welcome to be here! We thank him. He says, “Enjoy,” and he set off to the kitchen.  We LOVED these sandwiches. They are the best ones we have ever had! Then, oh my goodness! The crème puffs! They are so yummy!

GF Roast Beef Sandwich
GF Creme Puffs
Lemon and Raspberry!!

We get some pictures and then we bid the castle farewell until the next time.

As we reenter Fantasyland, there are so many people. As we near the Prince Charming Regal Carousel, the area is packed with stroller parking and people trying to make the transitions from all of the various areas of the park. We get tickled and can only imagine how this would look weaving in and out of so many people. Be kind to everyone, because everyone is at Magic Kingdom, where dreams do come true!

At Main Street Bakery, while waiting for my Starbucks, I met a nice lady named April! So, here’s our pic of May and April!

On the way down Main Street, music fills the air and we stop for a few minutes to listen to Main Street Philharmonic. Quite a nice way to end our afternoon at MK!

It is beautiful today and I enjoy seeing so many people having fun.

Day 70- Magic Kingdom & Talking Mickey Mouse!

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Happy Sunday Morning! It is a beautifully HOT day today! We were cold last night, but today, we are putting on our summer clothes and the kids also put on their Keens sandals. We park at the Ticket and Transportation Center and walk to the Monorail. It is almost a half-mile walk from the car to the Monorail, and we parked close today, in the Zurg parking lot! We hop on the Monorail and soon we are at Magic Kingdom! It is busy today as we get our bags checked and our MagicBands scanned!

It is only 4 days until Thanksgiving and 32 days until Christmas; we checked the countdown board near City Hall. Across the way from City Hall is the Town Square Theater where we are going to meet Mickey Mouse! I love what Walt Disney reminds us of: “I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.” Well, we got to meet that wonderful Mouse today!

After we scanned our FastPasses, we were directed into a waiting area, where we were happy to find the character’s mail station, complete with a bag of fan letters to Mickey Mouse himself. Soon, it is time to enter Mickey Mouse’s Dressing Room! Mickey was looking into his mirror as we walked in with a couple of other families. He greeted the first family and they had a few moments to get to meet with him and take pictures. Then, it was our turn. Do you know how much fun it is to have Mickey Mouse greet you, TALK to you, and hug you? He is so kind and warm… it’s almost like being in a dream. We all got our big Mickey hugs and he even asked if he could take a picture with us! Of course! After our picture, he walked us to the door, and thanked us for visiting as we said our goodbyes. I love Mickey Mouse!

We walked out of Mickey’s dressing room and into the little shop. I could hardly see anything, my heart was full, and my hugs were complete for the day. The gardens outside of the shop are just beautiful and so Christmas-like, poinsettias surrounded by greenery.

Oh, OK, back to reality. Oh, wait! This is my reality! We make our way to Main Street USA see all of the windows decorated with beautiful Christmas colors, hats with Mickey ears, and many of the characters you will find in Magic Kingdom. The Main Street Confectionary is full of wonderful sugary smells. The Main Street Gallery has beautiful art on display as we pass through.

Of course, Main Street Bakery is our next stop. We grab a coffee and have a little over half an hour until our next FastPass+. As we are finding a place to sit and visit, we see the Tomorrowland Terrace quick service restaurant is now open! It has been closed since we started our 365 at Disney journey, but today, it is open again! There are plenty of visitors that have found this little oasis. It is decorated in a fun, futuristic way.

Soon enough, the time flies by and we are off to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin! We arrive, scan our MagicBands, and start to step inside to the FastPass+ line, but it is absolutely packed and the line is not moving. We know this is not the normal wait, but it is worth the slight delay. After a few minutes, we are moving, and soon, we are scanning our MagicBands at the second scanner. We notice that you cannot see Buzz Lightyear where he usually greets you. Instead, there is a curtain, and I cannot wait to see if they have made some changes. Quickly, we are on the ride and moving along. I got my best score of 305,200, Tooti got 999,999 (Galactic Hero!) and Twinkie’s score was 730,300.

As we are leaving, we see the People Mover has a long line. I have never seen it this long! We love to go on this, but today, I think we will pass. We walk over to Cosmic Ray’s quick service to sit for a minute. As we leave, the cast member has stickers! I walked up to him and asked, “Can I have a sticker?” He chuckles and says, “Why yes, you can have a sticker!” Then, he turns to Tooti and Twinkie and asks, “Would you like a sticker?” For some reason, when you are my age and ask for a sticker, it always cracks them up! TeeHee, I did get my sticker.

We head for the park exit, and the park is really busy since it is Thanksgiving week. I love Thanksgiving! Today was a beautifully hot day, with rain beginning just as we made it to our car! It was the perfect ending to a wonderful afternoon!

Day 69- Epcot and Chefs de France

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Today is overcast with a light, drizzly rain. It is in the lower 70s with a light breeze. So, we grab our lightweight rain gear and debate on which shoes to wear; sandals or sneakers? We are going with tennis shoes, since cold, wet feet are not fun!

As we get to Epcot, we see that we get to park close! We are close enough to be within the Monorail track! We hop out, walk to the entrance, get our bags checked, and scan our Magic Bands. The Mickey and Minnie Christmas topiaries are so beautiful. People are taking quick pictures in the rain. When it rains, the PhotoPass Photographers stand under the entrance awning to keep the cameras out of the rain. The front garden is so beautiful!

I was timing how long it took us to walk to the France pavilion. Since we parked fairly close, it took us 5 minutes to get to Spaceship Earth. From there, it was a 5-minute walk through Canada and the UK to get to the bridge that crosses over to France. From the bridge, it is only three minutes of semi-fast walking to get to Les Chefs de France.

We have reservations for Les Chefs de France and are seated quickly. We love Les Chefs de France. We are seated beside the windows, our favorite! I love watching people walk by. Our waiter is great. He brings us our drinks and takes our order. He brings us gluten free rolls with butter to enjoy. Soon, our French onion soup is served. They have the best gluten free French onion soup. The French onion soup is topped with Gruyère cheese, roasted to perfection by the master chef. I forgot how wonderful this soup is – I love it!

GF French Onion Soup

We finish our delicious soup and get back into the misty evening. There is the perfect amount of people to be busy, but not too crowded. It is nice. We go to Guerlain to see what is new. We love this shop!

On our way to the bakery, we see the new Christmas decorations. I love these glittery snowflakes! We went to Les Halles Boulangerie & Pâtisserie to get a crème brulee for me and Tooti, and a macaron for Twinkie. We sit for a minute and enjoy our desserts. As we come out of the bakery, the ice cream parlor, L’Artisan des Glaces, is so cute!

As we pass the The Tea Caddy in the UK Pavilion, we hop inside to take a quick look around. We decide on some of Twining’s Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Loose Leaf Tea Blend in a cute little blue and gold tin to brew when we get home.

We make our way back to the front entrance. As we are leaving, we are shed our rain jackets; the air feels warmer tonight than it did earlier. It a pretty night, complete with a light, misty rain.

Day 68- Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom

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It is a beautiful day with sunny skies and a few white clouds. The temperature is in the mid-seventies, with a bit of a chill in the air. We are off to Animal Kingdom, and later, Magic Kingdom. Both are very busy the week before Thanksgiving!

We park at Animal Kingdom and catch the tram. The tram attendant is so funny and has a great sense of humor. We were waiting on more people to load up, and a young man ran back to his car to get something. As he came back, the attendant called for no more boarding… just kidding! Tooti needed to run back to the car for something, and the tram attendant said we had time, so she hopped out and came back quickly! We waited for a few more people to climb aboard, and then we were off to the entrance.

Walking up to the gate, we spot Meeko and Governor John Ratcliffe off to the right. We’ve never met either one, so we venture over to the short line to get some pictures. They were a lot of fun. Apparently the Governor does not like high fives… hehe!

Animal Kingdom is nice and cool in the shade of the trees. I love the foliage! We notice how many orchids and other tropical plants grow up in the trees. It is absolutely fascinating to see how many plants can grow on the trees. Then, we grab some lunch at Rainforest Cafe. The atrium area is so cute! There is a green alligator, a purple elephant, and plenty of frogs to take pictures with in the courtyard. It is a fun place to eat.

After our meal, we re-enter the park (Rainforest Cafe is just outside of the gates) and watch the different birds that are in the Oasis. The ibis are up in the trees; they are so pretty and white. We are calling it an early day at Animal Kingdom, and head out about an hour before they close today.

Animal Kingdom now has its Christmas tree up! The decorations are so cool and there are many animals all over the tree.

We are now off to Magic Kingdom! As we enter, I hear that the Flag Retreat Ceremony is beginning. We stop, watch, and sing along. I love hearing our country and our American Veteran being honored.

After the Flag Retreat Ceremony, we head to Main Street Bakery. It is starting to get very chilly and the wind has picked up. We decide to make it a short trip since we don’t have our coats with us. So, I grab a coffee and we head back out to the Monorail. Magic Kingdom closes tonight at 7pm, unless you have a special ticket for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The front entrance is bustling as people pour in for the party tonight.

We go up to the Monorail and the platform fills quickly. The Monorail pulls up and it is absolutely packed with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Partygoers! As they finish unloading, we hop on, and our car fills up fast.

The last few moments of the Monorail ride, I asked a young mom and her little daughter if they had a good day. The mom said, “Yes, it is our first time to come to Disney World. I wish I had someone who knew what the best thing to do is. We only have 2 more days, and she [her daughter] loved Magic Kingdom.” I said that we love Magic Kingdom and that I would probably go to Animal Kingdom. We recommend getting a FastPass+ for Kilimanjaro Safaris; it is wonderful. Also, Animal Kingdom tends to close earlier than the other parks, so (since they had Park Hopper tickets) they could come back to Magic Kingdom or go to Hollywood Studios. She was curious about Hollywood Studios. Twinkie suggested it since they have a lot for the little ones, including a Disney Junior show. We had a nice chat and the mom looked refreshed as the Monorail arrived at the Transportation and Ticket Center. I love getting to meet fun families and offer suggestions!

After we get off of the Monorail and walk toward the exit ramp, I see an older lady on a scooter dressed in fabulous Christmas attire. Her daughter had a Mrs. Claus dress on, too! I stopped and said, “I want to go with y’all!” The older lady grinned and they both laughed! They were so cute in their festive Christmas dresses! I love Christmas, and it lasts about for 2 months at Walt Disney World!

Day 67- Epcot

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It is a chilly day and we are off to Epcot! We bundle up and head out for the parks. As we are passing through Disney property, we see 10 Osceola Wild Turkeys, and they are huge! We get to the Epcot parking lot, catch the tram, and are off to the front entrance of Epcot.

There are a lot of people going through bag check, we get our bags checked, scan our MagicBands, and enjoy seeing the new Christmas topiaries near the entrance! We see a young mom taking a picture of her son, and he is not smiling much. After she took the picture I offered to take a picture of both of them, they both smiled really big for a great picture. The Christmas decorations are so nice!

As we walk through Canada, I see that the Canadian Lumberjack Show will start in just 7 minutes. So, we walk up to The Mill Stage and wait to see them. They are really fun and did a great job today. They even carved little chairs out of a log with chainsaws! The chairs were so cute!

As we walk through the UK pavilion, I see Mary Poppins’ beautiful dress as she kneels down really close to a little girl, who is sitting on the tiny garden border. They are talking and the little girl is so shy. It is the most beautiful thing I have seen, Mary Poppins kneeling to speak to the little girl face to face. I love Mary Poppins and her love for children.

Now, off to France! I love seeing the Eiffel Tower as we walk up to the bridge. France is a beautiful pavilion and it has plenty of things to see. There are perfume stores, a most wonderful restaurant, an ice cream shop, a bakery to grab pastries and sandwiches, and plenty of places to shop! I sit for a minute as the kids take pictures of the Christmas decorations! There are so many people coming and going; it is fascinating to hear all of the different accents from all over of the world.

We realize it is suppertime, and try to get a reservation, but the soonest is an hour from now. A quicker plan is to go to The Land Pavilion and get dinner. We walk back through England, Canada, and the Showcase Plaza, then up and around to The Land. Yes, you can walk a few miles in just a couple of hours. Epcot is huge!

When we walk into The Land, it looks like a city. There are so many people walking and riding up and down the escalators, it really does have the feeling of a city. As we ride the escalator downstairs, the lower level reveals even more people! There is a pleasant bustle with all of the things going on. We get our meals at Sunshine Seasons and sit in the open area. It is busy, but there are several tables available. We enjoy our gluten free meals. I got the Power Salad, Tooti had the salmon, and Twinkie had the baked chicken. Their gluten free meals are spectacular, both in flavor and variety.

It is cold outside and Spaceship Earth is always so beautiful. It has been a great late afternoon at Epcot, and it is time to say, “Goodnight!”

Day 66- Dumbo the Flying Elephant at Magic Kingdom

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It is a chilly, overcast day, the high is in the mid-50s and windy. We are happy to be going to Magic Kingdom! You never know what fun things can happen in a day at the Walt Disney World Resort. As we enter the properties, we see that there are about a dozen Osceola Wild Turkeys on the golf course! I love the wildlife, and I have never seen so many turkeys at once in the wild.

We arrive at Magic Kingdom and it is lightly busy as we get our bags checked. Tooti and Twinkie both are laughing as they get their bags checked. I chose to go to a different security guard right next to theirs. I said, “Kids!” The security officer laughed as he checked my bag and he suggested I tease them, so I said, “I win!” He laughed!

Our first destination today is Dumbo the Flying Elephant! We weave our way down Main Street USA and turn to go to through Tomorrowland to get to Fantasyland. I looked up and a new thing happened. This young boy, with his pirate outfit and face painted said, “Hello, welcome to Tomorrowland.” This is why I love Disney, he was timid, but greeted us anyway. We said, “Thank you!” and smiled.

We passed through Tomorrowland and on to Fantasyland and Storybook Circus. Dumbo the Flying Elephant is the first ride I remember riding when we went to Disneyland when I was about 4 years old. I love this ride and it is so much fun! As we waited in line, it was so sweet to see parents enjoying the ride as they showed their little ones how to make Dumbo fly and soar higher. Now, it is our turn and we are heading for the Dumbo with the yellow hat like the one Dumbo has on in his movie! Twinkie lets me have the control and we soar!

Now, we are going to find those Anna and Elsa Mickey earhats we just saw on our way to Fantasyland. We found some in Big Top Souvenirs! Tooti wears hers with Elsa facing forward, and Twinkie faces Anna forward. What a great idea, making the ears double sided!

The next FastPass+ is for the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. We have plenty of time, so we go towards Gaston’s Tavern and yes, Gaston is there and we need a picture with him! He is so fun to watch, so be sure to watch the people as they get pictures; it is so fun to see how they react. After we get our picture with Gaston, a lady stops me and asks if I could take her picture with the Gaston fountain and Gaston’s Tavern in the background! Sure! I say yes, and hand it off to Twinkie, something I do often. 😀

And we’re off to Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid ride! We scan our MagicBands, and there are several people going through. We get in line and let the 3 people go in front of us to be with their family. Then, there were 3 more, then a couple more. A couple of them said that they were fine letting us stay where we were, but, I’d rather a family get to be together. Then, the young dad in front of me said, as their parents were coming around the corner, “There are 17 of us, we usually can’t all get on one ride!” I laughed and said that we had met another family of 17, just last week. He chuckled and then looked puzzled.

After the ride, we went to get some hot coffee, before we headed home. We order and pick up our delicious drinks. As we leave the Main Street Bakery with our Starbucks, we hear the announcement that A Frozen Holiday Wish castle lighting show will be in 5 minutes. We all glance at each other and Twinkie suggests that we watch from the train station balcony! So, we go down Main Street USA, and up the steps to the train station balcony! Listen to the music! Oh, there are not very many people up here at all, so we grab a chair and sit at the front!! “In just a few minutes A Frozen Holiday Wish will begin!” We are so excited. It is beautiful from here! The older grandma in front of us started clapping her hands as the lights on Cinderella’s Castle twinkled and before the full lighting of the castle lights! I love the cheering and the amazement you hear as Cinderella’s Castle is lit for Christmas! There was a little girl to our right, who watched in sheer awe and amazement, the same feelings reflected by the grandmas sitting beside us. It makes me think of this quote by Walt Disney, “Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever.” This is what I see as I see different generations sharing the same wonderful experience.

We are having a great evening, and it is time to go home! 36 days until Christmas is what the Countdown to Christmas sign says tonight! Sweet Dreams Magic Kingdom, Where Dreams Do Come True!

Day 65- Soarin’ at Epcot & Planet Hollywood at Downtown Disney

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Happy 86th birthday to Mickey Mouse! We’re so happy the weather has gotten cooler so that we can wear our vintage Mickey Mouse “ugly sweaters” to the parks today! The temperatures have plunged from the 80s yesterday to the mid 60s today for the high. It is windy and there are a few raindrops, but not many. What a great day to go to Epcot! Our goal is 365 days in a row at Disney World, and we are to 65, which means we only have 300 more days to go!!! I am so excited!

We arrive mid-morning at Epcot and it is very nice! I love going to the parks early, it is less busy and the atmosphere is much lighter. We are going to Soarin’ and our FastPass+ check-in is about 30 minutes from now. We talked about getting coffee, but decided to grab breakfast instead, since we only ate fruit earlier this morning.

We went to The Land Pavilion and journeyed downstairs to the Sunshine Seasons restaurant. We have not eaten breakfast here before, so we take a minute to look around. Oh my, they have this round pizza-pie-looking breakfast, it is about 3 inches tall, and it looks awesome. I do know that this is NOT gluten free! When it is our turn, we let the lady know that we have an allergy and she calls the chef. This chef is one of the fun chefs! He says, “Rootin’ tootin’ gluten? That seems to be the common allergy today!” We ask about the Breakfast Platter, and he says that they will cook our breakfast in another kitchen, would we like gluten free waffles? Yes! In 5-6 minutes we have our food and it looks great! The food was really good and a great value for breakfast!

Now, off to Soarin’! We scan our Magic Band in the FastPass+ line and make our way up to the ride. A young man began walking with me and asking if we had ever been on Soarin’ before! He had been sitting with his younger sister, she is 7, and she was not going on rides since she went on some of the scary ones in Hollywood Studios. Oh, I am so sorry! He continued talking and was really a fun, intelligent kid! I turned and didn’t see anyone following him, and we kept talking until we caught up to the line. His mom and the rest of his family caught up and we had so much fun talking to all of them! I love days like today, days you meet some really fine people. They are from Alabama. They ended up following us to our requested first row. We had fun riding with some fellow Soarin’ fans, and had a blast.

I need some hot coffee on this chilly day! We were going to go to Starbucks, but it was completely packed. We couldn’t even get into the door. I looked at my kids, and they looked at me, and we decided to pass on coffee. We talked about hopping on the Monorail and going to Magic Kingdom to grab coffee, but decided to get coffee on the way out at the Joffrey’s coffee stand. Twinkie said that it was a really good cup of coffee.

The kids have a friend, with friends, in town and they are going to Downtown Disney tonight for supper. We decide to go home and get ready for tonight.

It is a beautifully coldish day, and tonight it will be very chilly!

Now, I will turn this over to Twinkie, who went to Downtown Disney last night with Tooti and their friends:

Downtown Disney is an amazing place to explore, hang out, and eat. Our first stop was the World of Disney store. There is so much Disney merchandise for sale inside that they have actually divided the store up into departments like Women’s Apparel, Accessories, Men’s Apparel, Souvenirs, and so on. You can find a vast assortment here, so if you don’t get to make it to the parks, but find that there is something you’re looking for, chances are that World of Disney may have it!

After World of Disney, we made our way to Planet Hollywood, where we had reservations for dinner. First, however, we had to make our way to the Lego store. Outside of the Lego store, you can see a giant Lego Loch Ness Monster in the lake, a Lego Prince Phillip fighting Maleficent’s Dragon, and a Lego scene featuring all Seven Dwarfs! Inside of the Lego store, you can find a Lego Hulk, and a Lego Woody and Buzz Lightyear, complete with a backdrop for pictures. Too fun!

We made our way around to Planet Hollywood, checked in, and had our photo taken in front of a green screen. Once we walked inside the doors, we were informed that we would be dining on the second level, just up the stairs. We made our way up to the second level and were greeted by props and memorabilia from incredible movies. We let our waitress know that had to eat gluten free, so she brought out the chef. He was so nice; I ordered the Kobe burger with steak fries, and Tooti had the spinach and peach salad. Delicious! Great food, great service, and great friends to enjoy it all with. Before we left, someone came by with our picture and explained the package to us. It was a great photo of all of us, and our good friend decided to get the photo package.

After we ate, we looked at some of the various props, including Cousin Itt and Baby Cousin Itt from the Addams Family. They even had a GIANT Woody doll from Toy Story sitting up on the third level. What a fun place to eat!

We left Planet Hollywood and went to explore Downtown Disney. There is so much live music here at night! First, we heard someone playing Mele Kalikimaka and sang along in passing. Then, we ran across a Latin dance party where a lady was leading a group dance, so we joined in on the fun. After that, we passed by a guitarist with a cool pipe-like instrument; we clapped for him and he threw his guitar pick to one of our friends… woohoo! Free souvenir!

We went back into the World of Disney store so our friends could pick up some souvenirs for the people back home. When we exited, we saw that the dance party was going on the stage right outside. They had a singing competition for the little ones, and one little girl was singing, “Let It Go.” Frozen is our jam, so of course, we had to stop and listen. This little girl could really sing! It was great. After that, they had all four of the kids sing, “Do You Want to Build a Snowman,” so we sang at the back of the theater. The DJ called for a couple (anniversary, first date, or a couple) to act out “Love is an Open Door.” All of a sudden, we hear one of our friends yelling at the DJ, “All four of them (all girls), know it! They know the song!” The DJ zeroed in on us and said, “If you can pick two, come up here and act it out.” I looked at one of our friends and said, “I’ll be Hans,” and we made our way up to the front. What a blast! We even got buttons to commemorate the occasion. This was so much fun, especially considering that Tooti and I hadn’t seen her in a year and a half!

After that, we made our way down to Disney’s Days of Christmas store. If you are looking for some holiday cheer, year-round, this is the store for you! Just about every Disney ornament you can imagine is available for sale here. They have stockings, tree skirts, plushies, and even a separate room for Frozen merchandise!

Finally, on our way back to our cars, we spotted the guys on the really tall stilts. They are dressed as toy soldiers for the holidays! Of course, we had to get pictures with them! One of them had just finished doing yoga poses (on stilts!) and jumping jacks with the family in front of us. Next, it was our turn. The stilt-man graciously agreed to take a picture with us and then talked with all of us for a bit. If you ever spot the stilt walkers, ask to take a picture with them, they are so nice and funny to interact with. We thanked the stilt-man, watched a bit of the dance party that was still going on, and turned to make our way to our cars.

When we passed the World of Disney store, a cast member was handing out punch-out Frozen ornaments, to promote the Frozen Sing Along Editions that came out this week. How fun! Little snowflakes to decorate our tree!

We said our goodbyes, got our hugs and selfies, and made our way home. What a wonderful evening with wonderful friends!