BklynChick
10-30-2010, 03:30 PM
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Me - 30something and a true Disney freak, ready for a long-overdue trip!
Mom - 60+, loves Disney, but content to let me do all the planning
(Note: I will not go into great detail about food in this report, as I will be posting a separate “Dining Trip Report” in the Dining Forum.)
Today was our usual “mid-week break” day - a nice breakfast, some pool time and then Downtown Disney. I didn’t want to do another character breakfast so instead I booked Kona Café at the Polynesian. We took the bus to MK and then hopped on the resort monorail which was surprisingly empty. We walked around the resort and took some photos before it was time to eat.
I wanted to try the Tonga Toast after hearing about it for years. Mom ordered an omelette and we ended up sharing. We were very happy with both choices. After breakfast we took the monorail to Grand Floridian and walked around there. Then we took the monorail back to MK and caught a bus to POFQ. We spent the rest of the morning at the pool and also had a quick lunch poolside. We went back to our room to shower and then took the boat from POFQ to Downtown Disney.
As we approached the dock, I had my eye on the Characters in Flight balloon. I had no interest in this until I spotted it during our ME ride to the resort. There was a slight chance of rain showers that afternoon (which didn’t end up happening) so I decided that if I was going to ride, it would be our first stop at Downtown Disney. Mom was quite content to find a seat in Pleasure Island while I rode. I was glad I did it - it is a unique experience and something different for those who have made several Disney trips. The pilot was pleasant and informative, and volunteered to take photos of passengers who had cameras with them. I took plenty of photos myself. You get a great view of Space Ship Earth and Tower of Terror, and you can even see Everest in the distance (you can’t see Cinderella Castle because the Contemporary blocks it).
Next up was shopping at World of Disney. I bought some items for my co-workers (and a few for me too). We decided to leave the rest of the Marketplace stores until after dinner, and walked over to West Side. Mom needed a break (too much sun at the pool that afternoon) so she found a nice spot to sit near the water while I checked out D Street. I was curious about Vinylmation and decided this would be the best place to start. Too bad the CM I found wasn’t too informative or enthusiastic. I ended up buying one from Park 3 (the eagle from America Sings, which I would consider trading) and one from Muppets (Kermit, which I was definitely not trading). After hitting a few more stores, I joined Mom and we sat and watched the water and the balloon for a little while before heading to Raglan Road for dinner.
Turns out we were eating at Raglan Road on its 5th anniversary (when I thought back, I recalled that they were in soft openings on our last trip). We noticed that they were giving gifts to all the children who dined there that night, which was a nice touch. We stopped outside to watch some Irish step dancing before going back to Marketplace to finish our shopping. As usual, the Christmas store was my undoing. Christmas decorations and Disney are two of my favorite things, and when you put them together....watch out! We stopped for a snack (Mickey Ice Cream Bars) before our last stop of the night: Goofy’s Candy Company. I am obsessed with Mickey Rice Krispie treats (my friend always picks up two of them for me on her yearly spring trips to WDW) and I wanted to get one of the customized ones to bring home. It was good but there was actually a little too much chocolate and toppings for me - I like having only the ears covered instead of the whole bar. I still enjoyed it but next time I will stick with the regular ones.
We took the boat back to POFQ and caught a bonus - a quick glimpse of the last few fireworks from Wishes as we exited the boat. We stopped at the General Store to pick up a package and then settled in for the night.
Me - 30something and a true Disney freak, ready for a long-overdue trip!
Mom - 60+, loves Disney, but content to let me do all the planning
(Note: I will not go into great detail about food in this report, as I will be posting a separate “Dining Trip Report” in the Dining Forum.)
Today was our usual “mid-week break” day - a nice breakfast, some pool time and then Downtown Disney. I didn’t want to do another character breakfast so instead I booked Kona Café at the Polynesian. We took the bus to MK and then hopped on the resort monorail which was surprisingly empty. We walked around the resort and took some photos before it was time to eat.
I wanted to try the Tonga Toast after hearing about it for years. Mom ordered an omelette and we ended up sharing. We were very happy with both choices. After breakfast we took the monorail to Grand Floridian and walked around there. Then we took the monorail back to MK and caught a bus to POFQ. We spent the rest of the morning at the pool and also had a quick lunch poolside. We went back to our room to shower and then took the boat from POFQ to Downtown Disney.
As we approached the dock, I had my eye on the Characters in Flight balloon. I had no interest in this until I spotted it during our ME ride to the resort. There was a slight chance of rain showers that afternoon (which didn’t end up happening) so I decided that if I was going to ride, it would be our first stop at Downtown Disney. Mom was quite content to find a seat in Pleasure Island while I rode. I was glad I did it - it is a unique experience and something different for those who have made several Disney trips. The pilot was pleasant and informative, and volunteered to take photos of passengers who had cameras with them. I took plenty of photos myself. You get a great view of Space Ship Earth and Tower of Terror, and you can even see Everest in the distance (you can’t see Cinderella Castle because the Contemporary blocks it).
Next up was shopping at World of Disney. I bought some items for my co-workers (and a few for me too). We decided to leave the rest of the Marketplace stores until after dinner, and walked over to West Side. Mom needed a break (too much sun at the pool that afternoon) so she found a nice spot to sit near the water while I checked out D Street. I was curious about Vinylmation and decided this would be the best place to start. Too bad the CM I found wasn’t too informative or enthusiastic. I ended up buying one from Park 3 (the eagle from America Sings, which I would consider trading) and one from Muppets (Kermit, which I was definitely not trading). After hitting a few more stores, I joined Mom and we sat and watched the water and the balloon for a little while before heading to Raglan Road for dinner.
Turns out we were eating at Raglan Road on its 5th anniversary (when I thought back, I recalled that they were in soft openings on our last trip). We noticed that they were giving gifts to all the children who dined there that night, which was a nice touch. We stopped outside to watch some Irish step dancing before going back to Marketplace to finish our shopping. As usual, the Christmas store was my undoing. Christmas decorations and Disney are two of my favorite things, and when you put them together....watch out! We stopped for a snack (Mickey Ice Cream Bars) before our last stop of the night: Goofy’s Candy Company. I am obsessed with Mickey Rice Krispie treats (my friend always picks up two of them for me on her yearly spring trips to WDW) and I wanted to get one of the customized ones to bring home. It was good but there was actually a little too much chocolate and toppings for me - I like having only the ears covered instead of the whole bar. I still enjoyed it but next time I will stick with the regular ones.
We took the boat back to POFQ and caught a bonus - a quick glimpse of the last few fireworks from Wishes as we exited the boat. We stopped at the General Store to pick up a package and then settled in for the night.