So we got back home from our trip on the 12th, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to get a chance to sit down and write all of this out. But here it is, the report for our long awaited and deserved anniversary trip to Disney World!
I'm going to skip the getting there bit and just say that the train wasn't bad and using the car service worked well!
SUNDAY
I had done online check-in several days before leaving and requested the 70s and lake view just because it sounded nice. We went to get our packets and check our bags, not expecting a room to be ready yet. There was no line at the desk, and the procedure went smoothly. After confirming my reservation, the CM informed me that there was not a room ready yet on the lakeside of the 70s, but she could give us a 4th floor lake view in the 60s if that was okay. I happily accepted, got our room keys, and we exited Classic Hall. It was probably about 80 degrees, and there were a dozen or so kids in the Hippie Dippy pool. We made our way past the Play-Doh jar, walked up the giant yo-yo, and found our room just around the corner. We had a gorgeous view of the lake and Art of Animation. The room was nice and clean, and our first order of business was to shower! We were so tired from not being able to sleep most of the night but too excited to rest because WE WERE IN DISNEY WORLD!!
We stopped by the food court to get our mugs for a caffeine boost. Jeff got some ice cold Coke while I loaded mine up with Nescafe and topped it with hot cocoa to mask the flavor. We took our mugs on a nice long walk around the resort, geeking out over the crazy huge statues all over the place. I really liked the Roger Rabbit, Rubix cubes, and fooseball court, but the one that really stuck out to us was the giant computer in the 90s section. The screen shows a computer running on Windows 95, and there's an ABC news story dated April 22, 1998 proclaiming the opening of Disney's Animal Kingdom! Very cool little detail.
After our walk, we left our mugs in the room, tossed our jackets into our back packs, and headed out for mini golf and to explore other resorts! Before leaving, Jeff went to the arcade to spend our games voucher, and I stopped by the front desk to ask if they had any Happy Anniversary buttons. The CM I talked with happily handed over the last ones they had, wished us a wonderful trip, and said to ask the front desk if there's anything we need assistance with. Really, all of the CMs at Pop were fantastic.
Getting to Fantasia Gardens was much easier than I expected. We caught the bus to Downtown, and one to the Boardwalk came within a few minutes. We walked over to Fantasia Gardens and signed up for a spot. We were told the wait was about 15 minutes, but it was really more like 5. The process that they have of spreading groups out works really well, and although there were a lot of people playing the course never seemed crowded. The course was fun, especially the part where the brooms spout water out of their buckets towards players. When we were done, we walked around the Boardwalk area and explored the inside of the Boardwalk Inn. We found the creepy face chairs and admired the old time theme that depicts the glory days of the Jersey Shore. It was really special to us.
Soon we were on a bus to Magic Kingdom so we could get to the monorail resorts. At this point we realized that we should take our jackets every day no matter the temperature, because some of the buses were FREEZING! Families in shorts and tank tops were huddling together to keep warm. Our first stop on the monorail was the Grand Floridian. That hotel is so swanky, very nice! We were considering getting a drink from Mizners until we realized that it was close to 3:00 and in all of the excitement we had forgotten to eat something! So we popped into Gasparilla for lunch. I had a rice and vegetable dish, and Jeff had a french dip sandwich. The food wasn't great, but it was filling and did its job of calming our tummys. We split Jeff's water and tossed my mine in the bag for later. We also each chose a cupcake, a 'smores and a pina colada, which we also saved for later snacking. This was our first realization of just how much food comes on the dining plan. Since we forgot our refillable water bottles at home, it was very convenient that we could get large bottles at meals to carry around the parks and refill if needed. After eating, we relaxed by the marina and listened to the band play in the lobby for a while. Then we headed for the monorail, but it was down. So we went back out, walked around the grounds and started leisurely following the walkway to the Poly!
It was really interesting how the scenery changed between the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian. We walked along the path between Victorian buildings, took our shoes off to walk in the sand, and suddenly we were in a tropical paradise! It was getting dark, and a whole lot of storm clouds were rolling in, but there was still a lot going on at the Poly beach. Some kids were roasting marshmallows over a fire, and there were a number of people at the volcano pool. The music was really relaxing, too! We spent a little time relaxing in hammocks and enjoying the warm sand on our feet.
Soon we were craving a drink, so it was off to the Tambu Lounge to start using some of the Disney gift cards that Jeff's mom had given us for Christmas! The lounge was pretty quiet when we got there, and our drinks came out quickly. I had a Lapu Lapu, which was delicious! I was afraid it was going to be too sweet from the pineapple juice, but the 151 gave it a nice bite. Jeff had the pina colada, his favorite cocktail. It was SO smooth and creamy, no ice chunks or anything. He said it was definitely the best one he's had. We settled in for the fourth quarter of the Redskins/Seahawks game and...well, that was painful to watch. All of a sudden a large number of people began coming in and out of the lounge area, many of them waiting on reservations at Ohana or Kona. Luckily, we had good seats to watch the rest of the game and were set on drinks.
We were getting hungry again, so it was back to Pop. That evening there were evening EMH at Magic Kingdom, so we were the only people headed back to the resort around 7. Back at Pop, we each got the Mom's Night Out special " fried chicken! This was the only meal we ate at the food court, and it was yummy! Best of all, Toy Story was playing outside by the pool, so we grabbed an outdoor table and chowed down while watching the movie. Then we went back to the room, pulled our chairs outside, and enjoyed the fireworks from Epcot! There were a few moments when it was so quiet we could actually hear some of the music! We were joined by our resort neighbors, a very nice couple from Canada. Their children had just gone to sleep, so sneaking out to watch the fireworks were in the lady's words, "a respite." We chatted for a little bit. They come to Disney once a year or so, but this was their first time staying on property. They said it was really convenient and that they were enjoying it.
But soon it was time for bed, and we were so happy to be able to get a good night's sleep, because in the morning, we were off to Magic Kingdom!!
PHOTOS!!
I have been in a few shadow casts of Rocky Horror Picture Show, so seeing this represented in the 70s section of the lobby got me really excited!
Extremely 90s computer
Mini Golf!
Hammock Time!
Lapu Lapu! It was SO TASTY and I was SO TIRED!
Fellow Americans, I hear your tambourines inside my head and that's no lie!
