Tag Archives: 365atDisney

Day 64- Magic Kingdom & Gingerbread Houses at the Contemporary and Grand Floridian Resorts

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Today we are on our quest to see gingerbread houses! We heard that the Contemporary Resort has theirs on display and the one at Grand Floridian Resort is up too. But first, we need coffee at Magic Kingdom.

We get to the parking area, and there are so many spaces empty! Oh my goodness, does this mean that there are not very many people here? We choose our parking place on the second row in the Villain’s lot! We get out and walk a couple of minutes to the Monorail. There are plenty of people on the Monorail as we jump on and make our way to the Magic Kingdom.

We see that it is still pouring down rain and the area at the bottom of the Monorail ramp is flooded. I smile as I see kids splashing. A dad saw me laughing and he said, “Hey, they are already soaked, this can’t hurt!” I love seeing how some parents handle the extra splashing on such a rainy day. We just join in! Some people behind us are pulling off their shoes and socks to go through this deep water. Just the basic rain pours and instantly soaks into your shoes… too funny!

We entered into Magic Kingdom and made our way down to Main Street Bakery for our Starbucks coffee. It is a little busy, but they are pretty fast. We decided that since it is raining we should sit around the corner, under the covered area at Tomorrowland Terrace. The wind and rain had drenched most of the tables, but there were some further underneath the cover that were dry. There was a cast member drying the tables and clearing the floor of the inch of the water. I asked her a question and we had a nice chat about Disney! She is here on the college program and was truly a delight to chat with!

We are going to see the gingerbread house, or should I say, castle, at the Contemporary Resort. Wow! The gingerbread castle is huge! It is the Frozen castle, modeled in the style of Mary Blair. It is adorable! Anna, Elsa, Sven, Kristoff, and even Olaf stand in front of the gingerbread castle, and if you look closely, you can find fourteen little Olafs hidden throughout the display. To the side of the gingerbread castle, they have a fun kiosk where you can buy Frozen inspired treats, including a Build-your-own-Olaf (not gluten free, but oh so cute!), and a gluten free gingerbread boy by Babycakes! The gingerbread boy is delicious! Also, they have limited release pins, featuring the gingerbread castle with Anna and Elsa! Too cute!

Next, we are going to the Polynesian to see if their Christmas decorations are up. We found out that they will be up in about 2 to 3 weeks. We take a minute to see the resort and venture downstairs to look around. As we are going back up the stairs, a little dude was being a “big boy” going up the stairs all by his little 2-year-old self. His dad said, “Oh, you can go past him!” I told him that I was enjoying watching his son accomplish these stairs. I said that I liked the way he was going up those stairs with his hands and crawling, it is a safe way! The dad was so funny and said, “I know, I’ve gone up stairs that way after a few drinks.” I said, “I go up the stairs that way, but it is just age!” He cracked up! The little dude made it! We all cheered and he was cheered too! We all were laughing and cheering their little dude’s accomplishment! Those were a lot of stairs!

Off to the Monorail and Grand Floridian to see the gingerbread house! The gingerbread house if huge! Starting on November 21 (at 9am) they will start selling treats from inside of the gingerbread house! That is how big it is! There is so much detail in the gingerbread house. If you look closely, you can find Alice and the Mad Hatter, Rapunzel and Flynn, Princess Aurora, Anna and Elsa, and Mickey and Friends painted in colored cocoa butter over several of the windows. How fun!

It is late so we need to get a bite to eat. We were able to get a last minute reservation at the Grand Floridian Café. It was very good.

I love the Grand Floridian Society Orchestra playing, and the piano. It is fun to see the little ones dancing to both! I love the parents that remember this trip is for you, yes, but for your children also. Enjoy them, and if they tire, let them rest by sleeping on two chairs at the restaurant, in their strollers, on a bench, or by laying their heads on the table, totally asleep. These little ones get so tired trying to absorb all of the new things! Please be patient with your babies, no matter how young or old they are. This is Disney, where dreams come true!

What a wonderful day at Disney, where dreams really do come true.

Day 63- Magic Kingdom & Epcot

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Today is an absolutely beautiful day. We are expecting it to be in the lower 80s today and even hotter tomorrow! The sky is a beautiful blue with a few puffy clouds floating by. We are going to Magic Kingdom today.

Magic Kingdom is bustling as we get our bags checked and our MagicBands scanned. We have until 7pm tonight, that is when Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party begins and you must have a separate event ticket. We plan to go later this season, we went in 2012 and it was so much fun.

As we entered by the train depot, the Festival of Fantasy parade was going down Main Street USA. After we watched the parade pass, we waited a few minutes and started down Main Street USA. What’s that I hear? It’s the Dapper Dans quartet singing! Their singing makes you feel like you stepped back in time. Then, we heard the Main Street Philharmonic a little bit later! I love all of the music on Main Street USA.

We headed for Tomorrowland to the Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. I love this ride, and there are so many people today that I am glad we have a FastPass+. The FastPass line moves quickly and soon we are on the ride. I got over 100,000 points today, that makes me smile!

Our next stop is the Main Street Bakery for some coffee. I know we are backtracking a bit, but that is not unusual when you go to Disney! As we step in and order, the cast member remembers us from a few weeks ago. He recaps our story and tries to remember Tooti and Twinkie’s nicknames. This is always fun, today he tries to recall and calls them Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. We chuckle and compliment him on remembering our story of 365 at Disney. We get our drinks, then go to sit and enjoy the Dream Along with Mickey show in front of Cinderella’s Castle.

After we finish our coffees, we head toward the front of the park to ride the Walt Disney World Railroad! We watched and waited as they refurbished the train recently, so this is the first time we have ridden on it since the refurbishment! I am so excited! I love trains and we get to sit at the very back; that is usually full during really busy seasons, so it’s extra special today. Twinkie gets to ride on the very, very last seat! Soon we are off and chugging down the rails! We stop at the Frontierland Station where some people get off and new folks get on. Twinkie heard that the girl who made her Paperman Ears was in Fantasyland, so when we got around to that stop, we got off. She was able to say, “Hi!” and then we made our way to the front gates once again.

We were all a little hungry, so we decided we needed a Power Salad at Sunshine Seasons in Epcot. We hopped onto the Monorail and went back to the Ticket and Transportation Center, where we changed to the Epcot Monorail and were off to find some supper! We met a wonderful family on the Monorail and had a fun time talking and sharing a few tips. The dad was trying to convince his daughter that Spaceship Earth is really made out of chocolate; if you peel back the wrapper you can go up and take a bite… just be sure to put the wrapper back down, though! I like that idea! They were going to be at Disney for eight days. How much fun they will have these next few days! I am so excited for them! They were a really nice family.

We walked down the ramp from the Monorail and got our bags checked, scanned our MagicBands, and we were officially in Epcot! YAY! I love being here and seeing so many happy people. The crowds are thinner than they were during the Food and Wine Festival and it is really nice! As we walk to The Land, there are several people who need directions to various parts of the park. I am always glad to help them and shout, “Have fun!” I hope they have as much fun as we did on our first trip to Walt Disney World!

As we walk up to The Land, Twinkie reminds me that the building is in the shape of a volcano! Really? That is so cool. Also, the sidewalks up to the building are colored to represent hot lava and cooled lava flowing down from the volcano. Now, that is really cool. As we walk up, a couple asks if Soarin’ is near here. Tooti told them to enter, go to the right, take the escalator down, turn right at the bottom, and you can see the Soarin’ sign.

Soon, we are finished with supper and we are back outside going to see the Epcot Christmas Tree. It is beautiful.

After an afternoon and evening of walking in two parks, I think it is time to call it a day! I have met so many nice families whose children were so kind and smart! What a wonderful day!

Day 62- Beauty and the Beast- Live on Stage at Hollywood Studios

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We are enjoying this gorgeous day, and Hollywood Studios is our destination! It is a truly beautiful afternoon. We arrive about 4:15pm and cars are just flowing into the parking lot. The trams are filling up quickly and heading out! The next one pulls up quickly, fills again, and is off to the front gates. The Christmas tree is up in front of the gates; it is absolutely beautiful and so very tall.

We looked at all of the Christmas decorations on the streets and in the stores. They are beautiful. I love the Christmas window decor and how fun it is to already have Christmas music and decorations on Hollywood Boulevard.

Today we came to see Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage! I saw this play at the beginning of summer and fell in love with it. It is spectacular. I get so caught up into the song Belle sings (“Belle”) and you can feel the passion in her voice. It is like the movie comes to life. The dancing is fabulous and I love the characters. Mrs. Potts, Chip, Lumiere, and Clogsworth are larger than life. The Beast? He is great and I love the way he is introduced! Gaston? He is robustly himself.

I would highly suggest that you see this, and listen to your family react as you watch this magnificent play. Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage is more than I could have dreamed, and more than just a play. The colors of the costumes are so beautiful, spunky, and dreamy.

It was very full, and we were able to get a great seat in the middle, near the front. If you plan to see the show, come early to get a good seat. You can plan ahead and get your FastPass+, too.

After the play we went toward The Magic of Disney Animation building to see if Baymax is still there, and found out that they close the line for him and Hiro at 6pm. We’ll get to see them another day! So, we walked around for a while and enjoyed the cool evening.

We are heading out to catch the tram and there is still a good flow of people arriving, even though there is only about an hour and fifteen minutes left before Hollywood Studios closes for the evening. As we are waiting in line for the tram, we start talking to the family beside us. They were from New York and such a great family.

As we disembark and walk to our car, there are still a lot of cars coming to Hollywood Studios, going to enjoy the last hour of the park tonight. It is a great night!

Day 61- Epcot and Journey into Imagination with Figment

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This morning was overcast and cool, but this afternoon is warm, with a few clouds in the blue, sunny sky! We are heading to Epcot to see how it looks after the Food and Wine Festival, since it ended on Monday. We walk from our car to bag check, and soon we are in the gates. I love seeing all the smiling faces and the excitement of getting to be at Disney’s Epcot.

Instantly, we notice you can clearly see Epcot’s iconic Spaceship Earth!  The Festival signs are no longer there, and this area has all new flowers! That is a lot of planting.

It is lunchtime and Tooti suggests a Power Salad at Sunshine Seasons, Twinkie agrees! I love these and I love the truly quick service! Off to The Land pavilion, it is a good hike up a hill into the building. Once inside, you turn to the right and walk down to the escalator, which takes you to the bottom level, and if you continue around, you will find Sunshine Seasons. There is a great picture menu as you enter, and we choose to go to the salad section.

It is busy, but the lines move quickly, and we all three order the Power Salad. It is so nice to have a quick service restaurant here with a great selection of gluten free options. Usually one of us orders the half chicken with yellow rice and black beans; it is gluten free (but please, do let them know if you have an allergy just to be on the safe side). Really, I cannot express how wonderful it is to have really delicious food at a quick service location! Sunshine Seasons is a great place to eat, and one of our favorite quick service restaurants. We enjoyed our wonderful lunch break.

Power salad!

Next, we have a FastPass+ to Journey into Imagination with Figment! I have been on this ride several times and it is so much fun, especially for kids! After the ride ends, there are plenty of interactive activities in the ImageWorks lab! This is definitely a fun place to explore with little ones.

We enjoy all of the beautiful palm trees; the birds of paradise are in full bloom, and the tall, tropical plantings look amazing. I love the beautiful landscaping that you can enjoy as you walk around the park.

It is perfectly busy and fun to be at Epcot! I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful, warm day!

Day 60- Magic Kingdom and the Holly Jolly Trolley Show

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It is a fabulous day in Florida and the weather is amazing! The skies are blue and the clouds are just beautiful and wispy. It is hot, in the 80s, with a perfect breeze. We are going to Magic Kingdom.

We see three deer as we are driving to the Transportation and Ticket center! I love Disney’s deer; they are so peaceful and beautiful. It is busy going to Disney, and the atmosphere is happy. The traffic was good and the parking is great! We park way at the far end and have a good walk to the tram. There is one pulling away as we get close, and the other one is waiting to pull up, with a third one waiting behind them. I love how Disney does things with excellence.

We get to Magic Kingdom and it is nicely busy. It doesn’t take very long to go through bag check, scan my MagicBand, and look around for the kids! They are way over there! We get onto Main Street USA and Tooti hears the Holly Jolly Trolley show! It is so cute and so fun! I have never seen them before! After they finish the show, we are off to get breakfast! We see the Victorian ladies, who are some of the Citizens of Main Street, and later we get to see the Fire Chief. I love all of the characters that are sprinkled throughout Main Street USA.

Our destination is Starbucks, inside of the Main Street Bakery! We grab some fruit, my Carmel Macchiato, and the kid’s green teas! This is a very busy place, but they are very fast and our order is in. It takes a few minutes until mine is ready, but it is so worth it! This Starbucks is always on point. YUM! Now, we are heading for my favorite place to sit at Tomorrowland Terrace. We have a blast having breakfast at Disney’s Magic Kingdom! I took a look around and there are a bunch of retired couples having breakfast here, too.

As we are sitting there, a cast member checks on us, “Yes, we are doing great!” He asked if we would like some trivia. Did he say trivia? Why yes, we love trivia! He asks if we have a map, and Twinkie pulls one out of her bag. He says, “Please forgive the dirt and fences,” and he points to our left. I said that I love construction, it means there are new things being built… the piles of dirt and “mess” are perfect for me! He chuckles, and shows us what they are building right across from us! There are huge additions for the hub, allowing for easier traffic flow, and additional standing areas for fireworks. I love construction and change!

We finish our breakfast. As we start to leave, the group has changed to younger families eating and enjoying a break in the shadow of Cinderella’s Castle.

A cute ice cream passed by!

The kids did some pin trading. Then, we got “I’m Celebrating” buttons! Today is day 60! I have been to Disney 60 days in a row! Oh, Happy Day! It is an absolutely beautiful day at Disney’s Magic Kingdom!

Day 59- Magic Kingdom and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile

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The sun is shining and the day is beautiful. We were running errands earlier today and saw the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile! I love seeing the Weinermobile! We were going to call home, but we forgot to tell Twinkie we saw it! So, now we are at the Magic Kingdom parking lot (at the Transportation and Ticket Center), thoroughly excited that we got a great parking spot as we wait on the tram. The kids wanted to walk, but they were waiting for the tram with me. Hey, Mom! Look! There is the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile!

What!? I am so willing to walk to get to see this amazing and fun Weinermobile! We chased the Weinermobile when the kids were little and we were driving in the country. We were driving near a lake where it was hilly and I thought I saw something that I had never seen. We sped up and saw it was the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile on the road in front of us! Yes, we chased it for over an hour before it stopped in a Whataburger parking lot. We met the driver, got pictures, and ate supper there. Then, we drove over an hour back home! Yes, we will do what needs to be done to have fun, like driving out of our way to get to see this fun vehicle! Today, we didn’t even have to chase it down!

After we got pictures with the legendary Weinermobile, we were off to catch the Monorail to Magic Kingdom. As we get into the Main Street USA area, we see that A Frozen Holiday Wish is going on, and Elsa is just about to light the castle. We run up to the top level of the Train Depot and just in time to watch from the balcony! It is beautiful!

Our first FastPass+ is Pirates of the Caribbean. I had heard that the crowds are heavy at Magic Kingdom today, and sure enough, they are very busy.

We scan out MagicBands for Pirates of the Caribbean quickly and get in line. The FastPass+ line is fairly long, and the mom behind us is trying to look past us as we turn another corner. I laughed and said that we go down this next hallway, then a little hill, and we will be to the boats. She relayed the information to her family, and we chuckled. We began to talk, started laughing, and she asked, “How many times have you been on this ride?” A lot! She asked us what out 3 favorite rides are! Oh, I love Peter Pan’s Flight. She said, “We have FastPasses for that one!” I love Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train, and Pirates of the Caribbean. It turns out that they had FastPasses lined up for all of these! We shared as much as we could in a couple of minutes, and they thanked us for all of the hints to enjoy Magic Kingdom!

Our next FastPass+ is Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, so, we head for Tomorrowland. However, on the way out of Adventureland is the Dole Whip stand. We grab two Dole Whip Floats and a pineapple wedge on our way.

We stop as we cross the bridge into Tomorrowland and sit to finish our Dole Whip Floats. We watch Cinderella’s beautiful castle with all if its thick, icy lights! It is so fabulously beautiful.

Now, on to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin! The FastPass+ line is very quick and we are soon on the ride! It is so much fun to shoot the targets and watch the score go up over 100,000! I can see Tooti’s score and she has a perfect 999,999: Galactic Hero! As we get off of the ride, onto the moving sidewalk, we are excited to see our pictures as we round the corner! The cast member says that the pictures are already linked to our MagicBands! How cool!

We must stop and get Tooti’s “I’m Celebrating” badge! If you get 999,999, a perfect score, take a picture to show the cast member in the store, they will give you a “Galactic Hero” pin and announce it to everyone!

The day is perfect and turns into a cool evening. It was a fun, yet busy, day at Magic Kingdom!

Day 58- Animal Kingdom

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It is an absolutely beautiful day. We checked the temperature for the day at 10am and it was 71 degrees. By the time we left at 10:45, it was 78 degrees, sunny, and hot! We are headed to Animal Kingdom and I am looking forward to going; it has been way to long since we headed this way!

We park near the end of the row and get to walk to the front gates! We go through bag check, scan our MagicBands, and walk into Animal Kingdom! Instantly I am looking for DeVine, I check and cannot see her anywhere. So, we go on up and around the Oasis and walk to Discovery Island. The path around the Oasis is all uphill, it is a good walk. There a various animals and birds that you can watch here if you choose to seek them out.

As we get to Discovery Island, my goal is to photograph the signs that mean a lot to me. These signs feature words of wisdom from Mr. Walt Disney, and I love reading them. The signs are posted on the construction walls that are scattered around the park. I love seeing these walls because it means that there are new projects being created, and soon we will get to see the new things that Disney is building!

Here are a few of these posted signs:

We take a moment to get Babycakes gluten free mini-cupcakes and Twinkie got a gluten free cinnamon donut. The lady in front of us is new to the gluten free lifestyle and seems a bit nervous about the whole process, which is completely understandable, it’s a lot to learn! The young man that is taking the orders gives her a sheet with all of the Animal Kingdom restaurants that work with allergies. She turned around and was concerned, so I added, “Disney is great about working with gluten free and they will work with you on this. They have even made something not on the menu for us to help us eat safely!” She was so excited and asked me about Yak and Yeti’s quick service restaurant, I said, “Oh, yes, they are really good about gluten free.” Twinkie let her know that they can specially prepare their sweet and sour chicken with grilled chicken, and it is very good! The lady was happy, relieved, and smiling when she headed out to eat.

During our stop to eat the treats from Babycakes, these little dudes showed up…

Now, off to Asia to see more signs! I love crossing the bridges to the different areas and seeing all of the sights. Oh, look! There’s Baloo and King Louie! As you walk, there is so much detail and so many things to see.

It’s finally cool enough for the monkeys to be out, so we paused for a while to watch them! They were snacking on lettuce and swinging from the many ropes on their house.

We pass by another area of construction and see one of my favorite sayings, “TOGETHERNESS. FOR ME, MEANS TEAMWORK.” –Walt Disney

Now, we are hungry! It is a good walk around Animal Kingdom. Today the crowds here are very courteous, kind, and so relaxed. We decided to go to Flame Tree Barbeque. This is the kid’s favorite place to eat at Animal Kingdom. We already know we can have the half a chicken (specially prepared) and Tooti loves the southwest salad. The manager is great as she talks to us and helps us get our gluten free food started. It does take a few minutes longer if you need special allergy-friendly food, but it is so worth knowing that the food you are eating is prepared specifically to help avoid your allergen(s). Disney Chefs are the best and we are grateful that they care so much to make sure that we are eating safe foods! Thank you!

While the kids are waiting for our food, I see a flock of Macaws and hear a cast member talking about these beautiful birds. This is the coolest, most beautiful, spectacular display of birds. This is my must see, I love seeing the Macaws as they fly in with their fantastic variance of color. The cast member tells about the Macaws and describes which varieties they are. Near the end of the presentation, she is going to send them out. I had hoped to tape it, but one loud, “Caw!” and they were gone. The cast member explains, “The loud ‘Caw’ is a warning sound that they do in the wild. With that warning, they all leave.” Oh, cool! The “Caw” is sort of like the Macaw’s safety alarm! No problem, another day we will come back and get the beautiful flight recorded so we can share it.

I walk back to Flame Tree Barbecue and meet back up with the kids. We get to eat in our favorite area by the water and enjoy our gluten free dinners.

Now, we are heading for the Oasis, I think I can just walk to the front. Just kidding! I have to walk across the rope bridge! I love rope bridges and I wait until the family in front of us crosses, then Twinkie and I enjoy walking with enthusiasm across the bridge! It is so much fun.

It is a beautiful day and an equally beautiful walk to the front entrance! We enjoyed Animal Kingdom and all of the kind people today!

Day 57- Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Epcot & Building Homes for Veterans

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Today is cool and the high is almost 70 degrees! It is overcast and perfect for the last day of the Food and Wine Festival. The band for tonight’s Eat to the Beat Concert is Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

As we arrive, we see it has just rained, and we are on the far end of our row for parking. That makes it good for finding our car later, and since we are at the very end of the row, we decide to walk. From where we are parked, the walk to the Epcot entrance is about the same as the walk down the row to catch the tram. Those are some really long parking rows! I enjoy our walk and we get to the gate in about 10 minutes.

We get our bags checked, scan our MagicBands, and I see all of the excited faces of first time visitors to Epcot. Their smiles are always amazing, it reminds me of our first days at Epcot! Everyone is full of excitement, ready to explore all that Epcot holds within its dreamy borders. I see a lady sitting in front of one of the Food and Wine signs; her husband is taking a picture, so I ask if he would like to be in the picture. She begins talking to him in another language, and soon he agrees, thanks me and sits by his beautiful wife. 1, 2, 3, smile! They laugh and thank us for their picture. I love getting to help.

Now, I am checking to see if the Friendship boat is at this port near Mexico at the World Showcase Plaza. Yes, it is! I ask if they are still boarding, the First Mate looks at us, chuckles, and says that they are! Do I look too happy and excited to get to cross the World Showcase Lagoon on the boat? We go aboard and it is mostly full. Soon we are off, crossing over to Germany. As we are docking the boat, I see that they are letting people in for seating at the American Gardens Theater for the concert. Oh, my, it is so very crowded as we cross through Italy. I love Italy!

People are still being seated as we walk to the back of the theater and wait for the ropes to drop. We sit fairly close and have a great view. We waited to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy until tonight, the last night of the Food and Wine Festival, in hopes that the crowds would be less on a Monday. And, sure enough, the crowds are perfect at the concert.

The first song is finished, and the announcer comes on stage to honor our veterans. He calls for those who have served to stand and the audience explodes with cheers and clapping as we look around at so many people who have sacrificed and served our great country. Then, he announces that they are giving two military families their own mortgage-free homes. It is the coolest thing to see as the families come on stage and are given the homes from Building Homes for Heroes.

The concert was a blast and listening to the music is almost like stepping back in time!

After the concert, Twinkie and I get a Kaki Gori to eat on the way to France. Oh, it is getting really chilly and this shaved ice is so cold! But, they are so good that it is worth being extra cold on this chilly night!

We go to Guerlain and find they have a new perfume called French Kiss. It is so perfect, so soft, and so on my Christmas list! Our friend is working tonight; she is an amazing lady, always so positive and encouraging when we get to talk. She was asking how our move is going and how wonderful God is when he moves us into the right place. I love her friendship so much! We hug and say our goodbyes for now.

We make our way back through France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and to the front gates. The breeze is perfect and I am glad we brought our warm jackets as we walk to our car. What a fun, chilly evening!

Day 56- Boardwalk Meetup, Big River Grille and Hollywood Studios

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Happy Sunday Morning! It is a beautiful day in Florida, overcast, and a cool 68 degrees at the hottest part of the day! This is a Disney marathon weekend and the parks have been busy, especially Epcot in its final days of the Food and Wine Festival.

We are meeting a group on the Boardwalk after lunch with Taking the Florida Plunge and WDW Mousenger followers. The only parking available at the Boardwalk today is valet. We don’t mind, we have Tables in Wonderland and it covers valet parking at many of the resorts if you eat at one of the participating restaurants. There are a bunch of people who have shown up, and it is fun to meet fellow Disney enthusiasts. We meet several fun people and the leader of the Florida Plunge group; their family moved down here a year and a half ago. It’s fun to talk with others who have made the move or are hoping to make the move to FL in the near future!  Twinkie even won one of the awesome giveaway prizes from MMP Travel- A Disney Dooney & Bourke Cosmetic Case!

I love the Boardwalk, it is very interesting and a good place to walk and enjoy the sights. This afternoon, it is very quiet and there is plenty of room to meander around on the Boardwalk, we even get to watch the ducks play in the water. One thing we want to do one day is rent one of the Surrey Bikes so we can pedal our way around.

After the meeting we went to a couple of places to see if there was walk up seating, but the longest line was at the ESPN Club. After seeing the line, we decide to walk to the other end of the boardwalk to eat at Big River Grille & Brewing Works. We asked about gluten free and they had nachos; Twinkie’s were made with freshly cooked Kettle Potato Chips and ours, the old fashioned way! They were great, and it’s a happy occasion when Twinkie gets to have potato chip nachos!

Now, we are off to valet and they quickly bring us our car. The attendant is extremely courteous and kind.

Our next stop is Hollywood Studios. We grab some Joffrey’s Coffee to drink as we look for the new Big Hero 6 MagicBand, featuring Baymax and Hiro Hamada. As we are heading for the Muppet’s 3D Shop, the back part of Hollywood Studios is so busy that it is hard to walk through Pixar Place. We are trying get to the Streets of America, and realize that the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show has just finished and the people are pouring out of the stands.

We finally get to the Streets of America. I love the buildings and can imagine how beautiful they will be tonight when the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights are turned on. It will be amazing!

I sit in the courtyard by the Stage 1 Company Store while the kids are shopping. I love watching families go by and hearing the fun sounds of happy kids! Soon, they are back with their awesome new Big Hero 6 MagicBands and we are off to walk around Hollywood Studios.

We are walking to the front when we see a beautiful tropical plant; it has perfect symmetry in its leaves and flowers. The evening light makes it look so picture-perfect. If you love tropical plants and trees, you will love seeing all of the landscaping all around Disney! We even saw four deer on the way to the Boardwalk this afternoon, and then, we saw eight more on the way back home. I love all of the deer, birds, and ducks that you can see during the day.

Day 55- The JINGLE Cruise at Magic Kingdom

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It is an absolutely beautiful day at Disney! It is cool and cloudy, and there are marathons going on at Disney today. Mickey’s Jingle Jungle 5K was this morning at Animal Kingdom, and tonight is the Wine and Dine Half Marathon. We were getting ready to head to Epcot when a friend let us know that Epcot was already so very full. It was so full that the Epcot parking lot was full, so they were parking people at the Transportation and Ticket Center and taking the Monorail to Epcot. With that new info, we chose to go to Magic Kingdom.

I don’t know how, but each time we get to Magic Kingdom, it looks so different and so beautiful! Today the sky is overcast and it makes Main Street USA pop! It looks so pristine and lovely. It is wonderful to be at Magic Kingdom today!

We get to meet up with some friends and they have a few moments to say hello and catch up on a few things. Then, they were off to Fantasyland and we were continuing on in Adventureland to the Jungle Cruise… I mean, the Jingle Cruise! I am so excited to see the Christmas decorations and see how it has changed for this Christmas season!

On the way, we were going to get a Dole Whip, but the lines are longer than they were in the middle of summer! Even a week ago we had a short wait, but today the lines are so long and our FastPass+ is in just 10 minutes! Oh my goodness! Look how big that Dole Whip is and the dad is carefully handing it to his little princess in her carriage! I loved getting to see her happy face.

So, we are off to the Jingle Cruise. As we go through the lines, we see all of the new Christmas decorations. As we get close to the boats, we see the little caged tarantula has a Santa hat and beard on for the holidays. Too funny!

This ride is entertaining and the interaction with the skipper is always fun! We have a great group of people on our boat and they are really getting into the jokes! It is really cute to se all of the Christmas presents and decorations sprinkled all throughout the Jingle Cruse.

Later, we are heading for the front gates and see that the line to get pictures with the toy soldiers in front of Main Street USA is very short. So, we get in line and get our picture taken with the toy soldiers! The mom in front of us is calling all of her kids, and they are gathering just in time. Our turn! Smile!

What a beautiful night! I wish you could see Cinderella’s Castle at night, it is so beautiful and it looks so icy with all of the beautiful lights for the holidays.