Up early and we head to the hot tub for a soak. Only ones out there beside a maintenance man. Beautiful morning not chilled at all and clear blue skies. After our timer has retired the bubbles I jump in the main pool for a couple of laps. Then stop back at Picabu for some cereal and fruit.

Today’s plan is to play golf at LBV course. We have a 1:00 tee time, so off to DS for some window shopping and lunch. From there we will walk to LBV pro shop.

It was nice at DS this time of day, not crowded. We both agreed the new World of Disney Store was a nice, smart change. I may actually be able to find my shoppers in the future now that it’s opened up and they can’t hide from me in all those little tight rooms. The new high end stores aren’t my cup of tea, but I must admit all the new restaurant choices are impressive. Wolfgang Puck Expess is a family favorite and tradition so we both agreed can’t do it this time without our kids. I grab the original at Earl of Sandwich (love this place and it’s such a value) and the wife decides to try Chicken Guy. Chicken Guy is off to a good start, quite busy for 11:00. We both liked the chicken and it’s fun to contemplate the numerous sauce options. I recommend this as a place to snack or split a lunch however. Both the chicken and fries share the same seasoning salt which is pretty liberal and gets to be too much for a meal. Grabbed a coconut gelato at Puck’s new dine in restaurant location which has a walk up counter just crying out to grab a few extra calories

Walked off our lunch going along the west side and to LBV pro shop. Arnold Palmer Golf is now managing the golf at WDW and the are doing a great job. We both rented clubs and they thoughtfully included shoes and a box of balls. Usually these extras cost you and courses will jab you as a captive customer. The staff was very friendly as well. We were paired up with Derrick,a tax lawyer from Pittsburgh and Al from Naples a transplant from Indianapolis and still working as an accountant. My wife and I enjoyed spending the next 4 and a half hours with our new friends. It is a funny thing playing golf with complete strangers, everyone is a little nervous at first, especially coming down south to play after cold weather has sidelined a player for a couple of months, but my experience is we all hit some good ones and we all hit some bad ones and by the end of the day the nerves are gone and everyone is genuinely pulling for each other. It is a fantastic way to learn about other people’s lives and make a friend.

Have a bragged about the weather lately? Never got hot and sticky playing golf. We headed back to our room and got cleaned up for dinner. Bused it over to MK and then took small boat to Poly. So relaxed riding those open air boats on a pleasant evening.

New special spot! The outdoor patio at Trader Sams. Live Hawaiian music and some party lights strung across the patio make for a great atmosphere. Nothing on the cocktail menu was calling out to me so a Kona beer hit the spot nicely. Seen several small plates going out ranging from Sushi to Chicken wings to Pork BBQ sliders.

We make our way from the Poly to GF along the path connecting the resorts. The entrance to the Luau show is really decked out in Christmas lights. GF lobby is crazy busy! Plan was to listen to the band with a cocktail, but the comfy couches near the band have been removed for the Gingerbread House. It now sits more in the middle of the lobby and I understand why. The line of people waiting for their goodies extended all the way back to the rotunda that connects the restaurant wing. The busy chatter of so many people does detract from the enjoyment of listening to the band so after a couple of songs we gave them our smattering of applause and moved on.

Dinner at GFC was good. Our server was great, she was originally from China and she sold us on a shrimp cocktail appetizer. It was served with dressed arugula and was not a typical shrimp cocktail. My wife had the apple glazed pork chop which was excellent, I choose a New York strip and vegetables. The veggies were good but my steak was dry and uninteresting. No fault of the chef, sometimes you just get a poor steak. Our server timed our meal so we could go outside and enjoy the fireworks

Onto the monorail and back to th MK bus stop. Our bus was there, Yes! We got off at the Swan and made our way thru the resort. Unfortunately we witnessed a table of about 4 men who I’m sure were conventioneers, sloppy drunk hitting on some young ladies by the New York Italian restaurant. The young ladies were wisely exiting the situation but it’s a shame to see this type of behavior at a family destination. I guess at least it was late and I didn’t notice any kiddos around in this area.

Another joyful day, we were out as soon as our head hit the pillows.