Tag Archives: Walt Disney World

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!

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 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.

Day 52- A Frozen Holiday Wish arrives at Magic Kingdom!

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This evening is the first ever performance of A Frozen Holiday Wish at Magic Kingdom! It features the lighting of Cinderella’s Castle for Christmas, and we want to see the very first one of the season (and the first one ever with Elsa)!

We get to the parking lot and are able to park about five cars down from the tram! Oh, I love when we get to park close. We hop on the tram and once we get to the Transportation and Ticket Center, we catch to the Monorail. We get on the Monorail and the doors close, open, close, open, a few more people hop on, and the doors close. Now, there is an announcement that we are holding for a few moments due to a routine maintenance check. The people waiting to board are redirected to the Resort Monorail that stops at the Resorts and Magic Kingdom. The doors on our Monorail open and close, and open and close, and then open again. We are advised that we will be moving to the Resort Monorail across the way, and Magic Kingdom is the third stop.

So, we exit this Monorail and head across the platform, and wait a moment to board the Resort Monorail. We waited for our turn to board, but all of the cars were full since everyone had been redirected to this Monorail. We walked all the way down, and back to the middle. They just loaded two scooters and there was room for three on the seats, so, I ask the cast member if we could board this car, and he said, “Sure!” Another cast member jumped in our Monorail car just before the doors closed, then we were off and running.

When we were sitting at the second stop (Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa), we noticed that the other (Express) Monorail was passing us on the left. Tooti said, “Hey, they’re going the wrong way!” We knew it was because the Express Monorail and the Resort Monorails run in opposite directions on their separate tracks. I said, “It’s a race, it’s a race!” Our car began to laugh! As we got to Magic Kingdom, we looked and the other Monorail was still moving as we stopped! The cast member in front of us said, “Looks like we win!” Of course we had to holler, “Yay! We win!!!” as we started clapping; our whole car was cheering and laughing. The cast member thanked us for having such a good attitude about the delay and changing of Monorails. You’re welcome!

Main Street USA looks so beautiful at night! The moon is to the right and it is so beautiful. The Christmas wreaths are beautiful and brightly lit tonight. We have a few minutes before we need to be at Cinderella’s Castle for A Frozen Holiday Wish. Coffee? We stop at the Main Street Bakery for a cup of coffee at Starbucks, and then go to find a place to stand and wait for A Frozen Holiday Wish. We stand near a nice family.

The anticipation is great and there is a lot of chatter about tonight being the first lighting of Cinderella’s Castle this holiday season. The lady behind me talked about how even she is a kid at heart; she is the second person my age that told me that this evening! I love hearing ladies who love to be at Disney, and I love to hear how much Disney means to them.

Oh, listen to the beautiful sounds as A Frozen Holiday Wish begins. I love hearing the audience as Elsa and Anna take the stage. Kristoff is there too, and soon we get our very first glimpse of… OLAF! The crowd goes wild as Olaf, in all his huggable glory, appears on the castle balcony and greets us.

Soon, Elsa lights the castle with ice and snow. There are no words to describe how truly beautiful and fantastic this is, and the awe that falls over the crowd is phenomenal. This is an absolutely magical must see!

We wait a few minutes and step aside as we are waiting for the crowd to disperse a little before we make our way down Main Street USA. Soon, we are on the Ferry Boat back to the Transportation and Ticket Center. It is a warm night and a beautiful evening featuring the first ever performance of A Frozen Holiday Wish.

Day 51- Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom

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Today is pretty and it looks cold outside, but actually, it is in the mid-70s with a gentle breeze. Tonight, we have late reservations at Be Our Guest.

It is after 8pm as we arrive at the Transportation and Ticket Center, and we are able to park really close. We walk to the Monorail and head to Magic Kingdom! As we arrive at Magic Kingdom, we begin to see the Christmas decorations as we pull into the Monorail station. How exciting!

We get through bag check, scan our Magic Bands, and go to see the Mickey Mouse formed in the flowers (in front of the train station), along with the new Christmas trees. Christmas decorations are beginning to go up on Main Street USA. It is so pretty.

We make our way to Fantasyland and watch the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. It is really fun to be close to the ride watching it go by; it seems that the people riding in the front have their hands up, and the further back you go, the more they seem to be hanging on and bracing themselves. Also, where we are standing, it looks like the Mine Train is coming right at you! It is a fun spot to watch from.

There is still a little time before we can check-in at Be Our Guest so we go to the Bonjour! Village Gift Shop to look at the new arrivals for Christmas.

It is almost 8:45, so we can go check-in at Be Our Guest at The Beast’s Castle. We arrive, and there is a very long line to check-in, but as we wait, there are so many who are checking for walk-up availability and are turned away. We had heard that you should plan several months ahead to get a reservation. We have been checking often and found one three weeks ago, so we get to go tonight.

Soon, we are summoned by the Beast to be seated. We are escorted to the Rose Gallery, Belle’s favorite room, featuring beautiful pictures of Belle and the Beast’s love story on the walls. It is so pretty and the music box that Maurice, Belle’s father, built as a wedding present for Belle, plays in this room. As soon as we are seated, we hear the Wishes Fireworks starting. Oh, I forgot they were early tonight. However, it is fun to hear and the dad at a nearby table says, “They are trying to storm and raid the castle!” His kids laughed, but it did sound like the movie when they storm the castle! The little kids beside us are asleep on their parents, and stretched out on the chair and bench. It looks so cute. These are late night dinners; little ones are so very sleepy.

We meet our waiter, and the chef comes out to check on our gluten free order. We have Potato Leek Soup and Pommes Frites (French Fries) with Truffle Mayonnaise. They are amazing! Then, our favorite dessert! Lemon Raspberry Cream Puffs! Yes, it is totally gluten free and so very yummy!

We are notified that the Beast will be taking pictures until 10:45pm. It is 10:15 and we are on our way to the study to meet the Beast and take a picture with him. It is so fun to meet him and get a big hug.

After our picture, we know it is time to leave Magic Kingdom. The park is open until 10pm tonight. We stop a few times to get pictures and enjoy the Disney Kiss Goodnight as we watch Cinderella’s Castle.

As we near the front exit, we see a sign that says 51 days until Christmas! We three laugh, that is so cool! We are on our 51st day at Disney and there are 51 days until Christmas. What a really neat thing to happen!

It was such a fun evening with such fun people. We even chatted with a mom and her daughter who is working in the Disney college program. They were very nice and it made the ride on the Monorail more fun! What a lovely, cool evening!

Day 47- Epcot: Guerlain & Tokyo Dining

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Today we are heading for Epcot! The weather is hot, but today there is a cool breeze. We get to the parking lot park about halfway down one of the very long parking rows! So, we cheer, and get out of the car as soon as the cars next to us get settled into their spots.

When you park, be careful to wait and see when the car next to you is stopped. There should be one on the left and one on the right, then, after they stop moving, you can open your doors and get out. If you open the doors to soon, you will be prompted by the parking cast to “close your car doors!” Also to get to the park/tram, walk down the aisle that is in front of your car, not the one that people are driving in on. This is for your safety and for the safety of the cars that are just entering into their parking spots! 😀

We have a friend from Dallas in town and we are meeting him at Guerlain in France! It is so very nice to see a familiar face from Texas! A fellow Texan and a good friend!

Oh, I did think we needed a snack if we were going to be out this long, so we went to Tokyo Dining. Tooti and I went a few weeks ago and totally enjoyed our dinner. The waitress was amazing and we got to see to see her again today. Twinkie was sick the other day when Tooti and I came, so this will be her first time to eat at Tokyo Dining, and she is so excited.

We arrive and check-in downstairs, and they give us our ticket. We climb the stairs and take a minute to look around at the Japan Pavilion. It is so very pretty! Now, we go in and ask for a table by the windows if one is available. Yay! We sit in the corner by the windows and have a wonderful cup of hot green tea. The chef is able to make our vegetable sushi gluten free, and of course the miso soup is gluten free!

The miso soup is perfectly hot, we enjoy sipping it as we chat and enjoy the scenery. Soon, our vegetable sushi is here and it is so pretty! I ask our wonderful waitress for a rubber band if she has one; I wanted to make my chopsticks like the ones they made me at Teppan Edo. That was the first time I had ever been able to use chopsticks!! Our waitress said, “Oh, you want special chop sticks!” Oh, OK. Yes, I would like those! When she returned, she handed me my special chopsticks. Then she handed Tooti her special chopsticks. Finally, Twinkie! Hey, look! Your special chopsticks have an origami Mickey on them!!! I love the Mickey on the paper!

Twinkie!
Sitting right by the windows!
View out the window…
Menu…
Smile!
New Guerlain Lipstick!
Mickey!
We love origami!
Vegetable Sushi made GF!
Yum!

It was a fabulous gluten free meal and our waitress was so sweet. I appreciate all of the work they do to make it possible and wonderful for us to be able to eat! Thank you Tokyo Dining and Disney World!!!

Now it is time to go! I thought I could go past the Kaki Gori stand, but I had to back track and get a strawberry Kaki Gori with sweet milk topping. Well, make that three! As we were leaving, four ladies saw our treats and asked what they were. We explained that it is like a snow cone with sweet milk on top; they were delighted and were going to get some too!

As we head through America, Italy, Germany, and the Outpost, we stopped for a minute and saw a drawbridge! I have never seen that before! The next thing we saw was the globe that they use during the IllumiNATIONS fireworks show coming through that area. The breeze off of the World Showcase Lagoon is very chilly!

The bridge is still up? The rest of the platforms that they use for the fireworks show tonight are coming out! It very interesting to hear the narration explaining some of the details of IllumiNATIONS, and fun to watch each piece begin to take their positions! Totally FACINATING! Soon, the drawbridge is lowered and the tons of people begin to cross from both sides.

We are enjoying our Kaki Goris and the walk to the front gate. As we get close to the Spaceship Earth, I love seeing how the sun accentuates the texture and angles in the ball! Anyway, I love to look at how the sun makes it look beautiful during the various times of the day in so many different ways! Rainy days have their own ambiance.

Oh, and I love the people that never let anything stop them! This amazing lady who we met, Dorothy, is a firecracker; she gave us a moment and wonderful advice! So, I had to get a picture with her!

Now, we walk to the parking lot, row 19, hop in our car, and drive off to get the puppies from school! The sky is just beautiful and the sun is shining! What a beautiful day, and how fun to see our friend Marcus from TEXAS!