Dsnygirl
10-15-2007, 10:16 PM
Welcome to day three of our adventures.... part two!!
The cast:
Dan - my DH and fellow Disney fan - also a non-Intercot person... for now...
Blythe - #1 Disney fan in the family, planner extraordinaire & birthday girl.
Day Three - Part Two
We pick up at the start of the F& W Festival -- enjoy!
We started in Chile, where I tried the Mango & Strawberry Fruit Salad w/ Cilantro - very good, but a very small portion. Then we headed to Argentina, where DH tried the Grilled Beef w/ Chimichurri Sauce and I had the Dulce le Leche.... Delicious!! And good portions, too. Then it was off to Mexico for Quesadillas con Chorizo at the Festival, and straight over to the Cantina for nachos and margaritas on the patio!! Yummm!! (Another first for us that I'd always wanted to do...:)) We relaxed there for a bit, and made our way through the HUGE lines in China to go to Italy for some pizza and Insalata Caprese and the best Asti I've had in AGES!! We settled on the steps nearby and people watched for awhile, shopped a little between Italy and Germany, and then headed to the Polish kiosk for Perogies, some Polish beer and some Raspberry wine. (DH is Polish, so this was a must - and can I tell you, those folks know how to make some serious Raspberry wine!! It was delicious, but it was like doing shots - about 3 of them!! Wow!!)
At this point, it was almost time for our Intercot meet w/ Mickey to start, so we headed back to Norway and met up w/ the gang outside in the courtyard. Soon enough, we were escorted upstairs to the "VIP Suite" (pretty cool to see what's upstairs in one of these buildings!!) and we weren't up there 5 minutes before guess who showed up!! Mickey!! My DH and I were right there when he walked in, and he came over to me, took me by the hand, kissed it and offered his arm to escort me into the room where we would all be taking pictures with him!! Talk about cool... I was 5 years old all over again!! Unfortunately, I also had the camera, so no lasting memories of that moment except in my head - but that's okay - I'll never forget it. Here's a picture of Dan & I with Mickey (http://picasaweb.google.com/Blytheny/WDWIntercotPics/photo#5121560340250251618)... it was really neat. We were all up there maybe 45 minutes... then it was time for our Illuminations party and we headed for France, down onto the pavillion on the water, which was just about the coolest place you could be for a party. Let me tell you, John and everyone went all out for us... they had t-shirts, lanyards and pins that light up, "rock star" badges and Intercot bags... and the greatest dessert spread I've seen in awhile -- it was delicious!! There were tons of Intercotees, and unfortunately, I only met a few new people - I'd had such fun with the friends I'd already met that we sort-of stuck together and caught up on our days, etc. But that was okay - it was still so cool to meet everyone we'd met and then to see so many new faces that all belong here - pretty awesome. We took lots of pictures, and all of a sudden, it hit me - this was it! This was the last night I'd see everyone - I hadn't really thought about it at all, and the thought felt kind-of weird, like that last day of camp feeling you get when you're a kid and you've got to somehow find a way to say goodbye to someone you've only just met, and yet they don't feel that way anymore, because now, you're friends. :(
So - seeing Illuminations was both bittersweet and amazing.... we hadn't seen it in 10 years, so the addition of the globe and the updating of the fireworks, music, etc. was totally wonderful -- and to see it so close, down on the water -- well, that was downright terrific -- something I doubt we'll experience again anytime soon. And to be there, with the Intercot group - well, that was super special in it's own way, as well - a wonderful "ending" to a great weekend for us.
After it was over, there were more pictures to be taken and then one huge, group shot that Stan got - a panoramic that I'm sure he'll be photoshop'ing for a week - but I'm also sure it'll turn out great.
At this point, we began to say our goodbyes - we'd planned on heading over to JellyRolls w/ whoever was going, but some of our friends weren't, and the weekend for us with them ended there in France. :( But - at least they're back here with me now!! :D
We started to head to JellyRolls, but knowing that tomorrow was our flight home after a quick breakfast at Kona... and knowing we had a few more things to shop for... and feeling the pull to head for one last trip around MK (since it was open until midnight :D).... well, MK won, and we headed straight there after a quick trip through MouseGears. (That store is AMAZING!! It's a good thing we hit it last thing, late at night!!)
Once we got to the monorail, we knew we'd made the right decision - it was 10:45, and not many people were headed to MK - and one of the CM's suggested we go up and ride up front. So - we headed that way, and he said, "No - go right up through this gate, and you can ride up with the driver -- really up front!" Well, that is something I've always heard about, but have never done, or even known how to go about doing. And suddenly, there we were, up front, looking straight out of the monorail -- too cool!!! :cool: We had a little girl and her mom with us, too -- she had to have been maybe 5 years old, and she just had to ride Pooh one more time - so they were on their way, too! She was really cute.
Once we got there, we headed straight for Splash, as we'd missed it yesterday (sure, we rode the dry rides in the heat... now, going for the wet one at 11pm... not too smart!! You'd think we'd have had enough of that earlier....) But - what is a trip to the MK w/o riding Splash??? So - off we went - and we were awarded with a front row seat!! Whoo hoo!! So yes, we got drenched... yes, we froze... and yes, it was awesome!! (And the t-shirts we'd gotten at the Illuminations meet came in very handy... we changed immediately after we got off!! Thanks, John!! :thumbsup:) Then, we closed our weekend getaway with one last ride on PoC... again, we got the front row... and it was perfect. Our pirate weekend, bookended by rides on PoC. Not bad at all. :)
The parks are amazing quiet at midnight, and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll back to Main Street and through a few shops... we went up on the balcony of the train station and just took in the view of the castle and Main Street, all lit up... what a perfect way to end the trip, and I even captured a picture (http://picasaweb.google.com/Blytheny/WDWIntercotPics/photo#5121560516343910946) of my DH in all his Intercot gear with me... I don't think he'll be a stranger here for long. We'll see...
Once again, it was a late night for us, but it'd been so great we just didn't care. We yawned our way (standing) on the bus back to our resort, and fell into bed around 1:30, totally exhausted, and totally happy.
The cast:
Dan - my DH and fellow Disney fan - also a non-Intercot person... for now...
Blythe - #1 Disney fan in the family, planner extraordinaire & birthday girl.
Day Three - Part Two
We pick up at the start of the F& W Festival -- enjoy!
We started in Chile, where I tried the Mango & Strawberry Fruit Salad w/ Cilantro - very good, but a very small portion. Then we headed to Argentina, where DH tried the Grilled Beef w/ Chimichurri Sauce and I had the Dulce le Leche.... Delicious!! And good portions, too. Then it was off to Mexico for Quesadillas con Chorizo at the Festival, and straight over to the Cantina for nachos and margaritas on the patio!! Yummm!! (Another first for us that I'd always wanted to do...:)) We relaxed there for a bit, and made our way through the HUGE lines in China to go to Italy for some pizza and Insalata Caprese and the best Asti I've had in AGES!! We settled on the steps nearby and people watched for awhile, shopped a little between Italy and Germany, and then headed to the Polish kiosk for Perogies, some Polish beer and some Raspberry wine. (DH is Polish, so this was a must - and can I tell you, those folks know how to make some serious Raspberry wine!! It was delicious, but it was like doing shots - about 3 of them!! Wow!!)
At this point, it was almost time for our Intercot meet w/ Mickey to start, so we headed back to Norway and met up w/ the gang outside in the courtyard. Soon enough, we were escorted upstairs to the "VIP Suite" (pretty cool to see what's upstairs in one of these buildings!!) and we weren't up there 5 minutes before guess who showed up!! Mickey!! My DH and I were right there when he walked in, and he came over to me, took me by the hand, kissed it and offered his arm to escort me into the room where we would all be taking pictures with him!! Talk about cool... I was 5 years old all over again!! Unfortunately, I also had the camera, so no lasting memories of that moment except in my head - but that's okay - I'll never forget it. Here's a picture of Dan & I with Mickey (http://picasaweb.google.com/Blytheny/WDWIntercotPics/photo#5121560340250251618)... it was really neat. We were all up there maybe 45 minutes... then it was time for our Illuminations party and we headed for France, down onto the pavillion on the water, which was just about the coolest place you could be for a party. Let me tell you, John and everyone went all out for us... they had t-shirts, lanyards and pins that light up, "rock star" badges and Intercot bags... and the greatest dessert spread I've seen in awhile -- it was delicious!! There were tons of Intercotees, and unfortunately, I only met a few new people - I'd had such fun with the friends I'd already met that we sort-of stuck together and caught up on our days, etc. But that was okay - it was still so cool to meet everyone we'd met and then to see so many new faces that all belong here - pretty awesome. We took lots of pictures, and all of a sudden, it hit me - this was it! This was the last night I'd see everyone - I hadn't really thought about it at all, and the thought felt kind-of weird, like that last day of camp feeling you get when you're a kid and you've got to somehow find a way to say goodbye to someone you've only just met, and yet they don't feel that way anymore, because now, you're friends. :(
So - seeing Illuminations was both bittersweet and amazing.... we hadn't seen it in 10 years, so the addition of the globe and the updating of the fireworks, music, etc. was totally wonderful -- and to see it so close, down on the water -- well, that was downright terrific -- something I doubt we'll experience again anytime soon. And to be there, with the Intercot group - well, that was super special in it's own way, as well - a wonderful "ending" to a great weekend for us.
After it was over, there were more pictures to be taken and then one huge, group shot that Stan got - a panoramic that I'm sure he'll be photoshop'ing for a week - but I'm also sure it'll turn out great.
At this point, we began to say our goodbyes - we'd planned on heading over to JellyRolls w/ whoever was going, but some of our friends weren't, and the weekend for us with them ended there in France. :( But - at least they're back here with me now!! :D
We started to head to JellyRolls, but knowing that tomorrow was our flight home after a quick breakfast at Kona... and knowing we had a few more things to shop for... and feeling the pull to head for one last trip around MK (since it was open until midnight :D).... well, MK won, and we headed straight there after a quick trip through MouseGears. (That store is AMAZING!! It's a good thing we hit it last thing, late at night!!)
Once we got to the monorail, we knew we'd made the right decision - it was 10:45, and not many people were headed to MK - and one of the CM's suggested we go up and ride up front. So - we headed that way, and he said, "No - go right up through this gate, and you can ride up with the driver -- really up front!" Well, that is something I've always heard about, but have never done, or even known how to go about doing. And suddenly, there we were, up front, looking straight out of the monorail -- too cool!!! :cool: We had a little girl and her mom with us, too -- she had to have been maybe 5 years old, and she just had to ride Pooh one more time - so they were on their way, too! She was really cute.
Once we got there, we headed straight for Splash, as we'd missed it yesterday (sure, we rode the dry rides in the heat... now, going for the wet one at 11pm... not too smart!! You'd think we'd have had enough of that earlier....) But - what is a trip to the MK w/o riding Splash??? So - off we went - and we were awarded with a front row seat!! Whoo hoo!! So yes, we got drenched... yes, we froze... and yes, it was awesome!! (And the t-shirts we'd gotten at the Illuminations meet came in very handy... we changed immediately after we got off!! Thanks, John!! :thumbsup:) Then, we closed our weekend getaway with one last ride on PoC... again, we got the front row... and it was perfect. Our pirate weekend, bookended by rides on PoC. Not bad at all. :)
The parks are amazing quiet at midnight, and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll back to Main Street and through a few shops... we went up on the balcony of the train station and just took in the view of the castle and Main Street, all lit up... what a perfect way to end the trip, and I even captured a picture (http://picasaweb.google.com/Blytheny/WDWIntercotPics/photo#5121560516343910946) of my DH in all his Intercot gear with me... I don't think he'll be a stranger here for long. We'll see...
Once again, it was a late night for us, but it'd been so great we just didn't care. We yawned our way (standing) on the bus back to our resort, and fell into bed around 1:30, totally exhausted, and totally happy.