Tag Archives: Walt Disney World

Day 82- Holiday Macaron Treats at L’Artisan des Glaces & Walt Disney’s Birthday

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I am standing here, near the end of our day, on Walt Disney’s birthday, and I am overwhelmed with the IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth fireworks. It is described as breathtaking, and it truly is. The music subsides, and I think that the show has ended at the finale, but the music continues past its normal ending, into a special addition for Christmas! It was so amazing, so bright, and so beautiful that I could not take it all in. The music was fabulous and the final song, “Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me,” is echoed in the delicate, then spectacular, powerful fireworks display. I am so in awe of this grand holiday finale that I cannot even put into words how absolutely beautiful the Christmas fireworks finale is. I will have to see this again, it is so incredibly beautiful. What a wonderful experience on Walt Disney’s birthday!

As we walked back toward the entrance, I looked at Spaceship Earth, and it looks like a snow globe. It is so pretty and I see the word “Goodbye” on it in English, then in every language of the countries around Epcot. It is so beautiful and so clever. What a magical touch! It was a wonderful ending to a wonderful evening of fireworks.

Our evening began in France, with a most wonderful gluten free Holiday Peppermint Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich at L’Artisan des Glaces. The cast members at L’Artisan des Glaces were wonderful working with us as we read the ingredients to make sure we could have the Macarons. Sounds perfect! I was given our three macarons and Tooti found us a table in the Courtyard of France. It is a beautiful night, and the moon glows bright overhead as we completely enjoy our tasty treats! They were so delicious!

Once we finished our Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches, we headed toward the America Gardens Theatre to see Whoopi Goldberg at the Candlelight Processional. We stood at the back and waited until she was announced. It is so cool to see her in person! It’s so fun to know how much those who are in the theatre are going to enjoy this Candlelight Processional.

We leave and head around the World Showcase Lagoon to Mexico. We stop at La Cantina de San Angel for a snack and place our order. As our order is ready, our cousins make it back to Mexico, so we get to see them before they head home. We suggest a couple of places to watch fireworks when they head out. We are finishing our food as the fireworks begin. Wow!

What a spectacular day! Happy Birthday, Walt Disney!

Day 81- Epcot & The Seas with Nemo and Friends

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Now this is funny: today is our 81st day and the temperature today is 81 degrees!  I love this double number day! Even with the temperature being 81, it is nice outside since there are clouds and a great breeze. I even heard a man walking near us on the way to the front gates say, “It actually feels kind of cool right now.” It’s amazing what clouds and a nice breeze can do to cool off a Disney park.

We are park at Epcot and head for the front gates. We arrive and are looking forward to the new Holidays Around the World. Each country has a presentation for their holiday celebration, explaining the holiday traditions for that country. We have been looking forward to seeing these, but first, we have a FastPass+ for The Seas with Nemo and Friends.

Today it is nice and the wait time for the Nemo standby line is just 10 minutes! I might want to go back through, since there is so much to see. We scan our MagicBands and enter the line queue. There is a short walk before we scan our MagicBands at the second station and go on through the maze of railings. We walk right up to the short line, step onto the moving sidewalk, and are seated in our “Clamshell” vehicle. I love shell rides! It makes me happy to have my own shell to sit in.

As we exit from the Nemo ride, it is beginning to rain. We are head for Starbucks to get out of the drizzle. As we order and wait for our drinks, we find that the rain has stopped. Yay! Let’s find a place to sit and drink our tea and coffees. I love sitting near the Christmas tree, and watching all of the beautiful ornaments sparkle in the sunshine, as the gray clouds float by. We have a nice visit as we watch people go in and out of the Port of Entry shop.

The park is busy, but quieter today. It seems like it was a perfect day for riding rides and seeing the countries, but we will need to make this a short day today! I love seeing how much joy and happy smiles happen when people get their picture taken with the Christmas tree in the background.

It is a good day, and a perfectly wonderful cool night! Happy Christmas month at Disney, where dreams come true! Thank you, Mickey Mouse.

Day 78- Magic Kingdom

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Magic Kingdom is beautiful today! The sun is shining and the clouds are so pretty! We arrive and it is busy as we wait to get our bags checked, scan our MagicBands, and enter into Main Street USA. The Christmas season is in full swing at Magic Kingdom with beautiful garlands, lights, and festive window displays.

First, we walk down Main Street USA to the Main Street Bakery for coffee. It is busy today, but a nice busy. We know our cousins are at the park and we are going to get to meet up with them in a few minutes. We grab our coffee and head for Tomorrowland, since they were at the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor just a few minutes ago. On the way to meet them, I needed to get some hot water to add to my coffee, since it was a little bit too strong. So, I asked at The Lunching Pad. The cast member was really, really nice as she got me hot water for my coffee. I sat down to add the hot water to my cup and the kids hollered. They found our cousins!

We moved over to their table, where one of the babies was sleeping in the stroller while we visited. I love hearing the adventures that they have been on these past couple of days. Then, we were all hungry and we were going to have supper at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café, so they joined us for dinner. We had a lot of fun eating together, and their kids are so cute! Sonny Eclipse serenades us as we eat. Soon, we are finished. Our cousins head out to enjoy the rest of the evening, and we begin walking back to the entrance.

Guess what! 24 days until Christmas!

There are plenty of visitors arriving this evening as we leave Magic Kingdom. We arrive back at the Transportation and Ticket Center, where the arriving trams are completely packed with visitors coming to the parks. We get on the tram and it is lightly filled as we are leaving. It is beautiful tonight, the wind is picking up, and it is beginning to get chilly. We had temperatures in the high 70s today, and the low should be the mid-60s this evening. As soon as the sun sets, it gets chilly.

What a great day!

Day 77- Epcot

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The sun is shining and the day is warm! I think we will head for Epcot! Neil Patrick Harris is at the Christmas Candlelight Processional and that would be amazing to see!

As we arrive and park, we are at the far end of the row, away from the tram. That means that it is almost as close to walk to the front entrance as it is to walk to the tram. These rows are very, very long, but if you are here for the first time, the tram is a great way to make it to the front entrance.

We get to bag check and the security guards are really nice as we go through the line. Twinkie overheard the security guard say that people were lining up to see Neil Patrick Harris at 1:30 today, even though the first Candlelight Processional doesn’t start until 5:00. Apparently, the line was so long, it wrapped from the American Adventure, through Italy, and all the way down into Germany! Wow!

We scan our MagicBands and I laugh with the cast member as she welcomes me. I am laughing because at this very moment there are so many places open to scan my MagicBand! I love these moments!

As we enter, we are talk about wanting to see the Candlelight Processional, especially with Neal Patrick Harris. So, we need to see if there are reservations left for one of the Candlelight Processional Dining Packages. We want to make sure we get to see the Candlelight Processional, and it sounds like this will be the best way to get good seats. Neal Patrick Harris is amazing and we’ve enjoyed watching him throughout his career, even back to Doogie Howser, M.D.!

As we talk to the cast member in Guest Relations, her trainer says that she’s worked at the Candlelight Processional, and she really loved hearing him. He was her favorite! We are so excited, and they begin the search to see if we are able to find a lunch or dinner open. As we explain the restaurant and time we want, they both are so surprised that they have a reservation open. We smile really big and are thankful that there is one available. They completed the reservation, and again reemphasized how surprised they were that there was one still available. We smile and laugh with them and know that it will be an amazing night!

We grab a drink at Starbucks and head for Canada! Oh, Tooti sees a mom that is taking her daughter’s picture and asks, “Would you like me to take a picture of you both?” She was elated, and thanked us several times. We were so glad to get to help!

We are doing a lot of pin trading today. The kids are off and finding cast members to see which pins they have. I love pin trading; we find pins that I have never seen. We find a few and decide to see if we can find the bunny rabbits that live in the gardens in Canada. We see the beautiful gardens and it is so peaceful, but the rabbits must be hiding in the flowers. We continue around, cross the rope bridge, and climb the stairs. It is beautiful, and the waterfall is amazing.

We stop at the Northwest Mercantile shop to see the new items. Twinkie points out the raccoon hat with its plushie head and tail still attached. Then, she finds a little round critter with a Canadian Mountie hat on. They also carry Moose Spit, Bear Breath, Beaver Butt, Sasquatch Sweat, Ferret Farts, and these are soaps by Goat Mountain Soap Company! We do have to chuckle about these. Check out their lip balms! We love those names too!

As we are leaving and walking down the stairs, we can hear the new Christmas music coming from the Mill Stage. Oh, look! It’s the Canadian Holiday Voyageurs playing Christmas music! How fun!

We are going to back track and see if we can do some more pin trading on the way back to the entrance. We do stop at Pin Central to see the new Christmas Pins. We trade a couple of pins with the cast members and we are off. As we get close to Guest Relations, we stop and enjoy watching little kids dancing with the cast member, she has a bubble gun. Then, we notice that there is a remote controlled yellow car running in huge circles! I noticed that there were stickers attached to the top, with a little note that says, “Take one!” It is the funniest, coolest thing! A little dude walked up and got a sticker. I want one! We all got a sticker and the car took off.  I hollered back at two little brothers, “Hey, do y’all want to get a sticker?” They looked up at their dad and he said, “Sure!” They were hopping and happy when they got them as they headed toward the front gate!

I love Disney and all of the fun things they do. We had a wonderful afternoon of pin trading and enjoying the beautiful flowers. It was a good day!

Day 76- Magic Kingdom & A quick stop at the Contemporary Resort

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Today we are going to the Contemporary Resort first; we have family in town that arrived this morning. We see them and get to say a quick hello before they go back to their Disney resort to rest. It is so good to see everyone! We say goodbye and head for Magic Kingdom on the Monorail.

There is a little dude who is 3 and he was fixing to have a melt down. That little lip was sticking out and his eyes were tearing up. I smiled at his mom, looked back at him, and said, “Hey, how are you?” We talked to him for a little while and found that he got to dance with Baloo earlier today! I asked many questions and he finally smiled, but he was intrigued with his bottom lip sticking out. His mom said that she was glad for the help, and thanked us for taking the time to talk with him.

Magic Kingdom is beautiful, and today is much hotter than expected. It is in the mid-70s, and very busy. We visit a few of the shops on Main Street USA. It is so pretty and festive in its Christmas Season. All of the Christmas lights are beautiful.

We check the Main Street Bakery to see how long the lines are, and it is so very busy. We have waited in these lines for Starbucks before, but today we decide to skip it and head for Adventureland. As we enter into Adventureland, I turn and see the line to meet Peter Pan. Peter Pan is a pop-up character; he doesn’t have a set schedule like many of the other characters do, so it can be a little bit tricky getting to meet him. There are several people in the line sitting and waiting. We have been wanting to meet him, but the line closes quickly. So, we are elated and step into the line to wait. As we stand and wait, they close the line immediately after us. I am totally surprised, but so glad we got in line when we did. I am glad we get to see Peter Pan! While we are waiting, I see a lady we met on the Monorail a few days earlier, this is their 14th day and they go home tomorrow. We chatted while we waited in line.

It is the coolest thing to see Peter Pan interact with everyone. He has this amazing ability to make it seem like you are the only one who is here talking with him. I have seen him from a distance and he is so much fun to watch. One time a mom let her kids meet him, then told them to “move it” and she jumped in, talked to him, and got a picture. She looked like she was a kid again!

We were so excited to see the family finish in front of us… it was our turn! Tooti and Twinkie walked up to Peter Pan and it was so much fun watching them! Peter Pan is now one of my favorite characters to meet! Oh, it is my turn now! Yay!

We have not eaten, but the sun has set, and the chill of the night is rolling in quickly. I suggest a Dole Whip, and a quick walk to the front entrance. I know we will be shivering, but a Dole Whip is my favorite! We make our way past the beautifully lit Crystal Palace. I can see Tigger inside interacting with people at their table, and Pooh is in the distance! It is a great place for a character dinner; they have a buffet and are very good about food allergies.

Main Street USA is glowing with lights and happy people. I love the bustle of the holiday crowds as we make our way to the front entrance. We have met so many nice people today. I love hearing about their Disney experiences, and the parents having a ton of fun, I wonder if they’re having more fun than the kids sometimes!

We get on the Monorail, it is so very full, and it is only 6:30pm. It has been a wonderful day! Once we get to the Ticket and Transportation Center, we take the tram out to our car. What a nice day!

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 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!