SpectroMagically, Taking on the Worlds in 2015! Day Twelve-A Disney Kiss

[walt4it]

Welcome back everyone, Thanks for reading and for your comments too really appreciated.


Day ELEVEN is here

The full index is here too .



Today was the start of something we had all been awaiting since our arrival in the 'Sunshine State' - We had Disney on our minds!

Sunday 9th August 2015 – Moving from Anna Maria Island to Saratoga Springs - Disney here were we come!



...and for the very first time

Our FP+ and ADR for today were...

Space Mountain 5:35 PM - 6:35 PM
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 6:50 PM - 7:50 PM
Be Our Guest Restaurant 8:10 PM
Splash Mountain 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM


The things you do in clearing up , cleaning and washing as you leave a place often get forgotten in trip report notes - they did in mine , but looking back we got ourselves sorted and organised rather quickly and left the place in a rather immaculate state, if I do say so myself.
Car Packed and we were ready to hit the road.
Not made mention of the car so far - but a full size and an Ok one at that- Would have loved the usual SUV of mid or full size but car hire prices for us just did not seem to hit the spot this year- Karma I think given a few glitch prices in the past and the £500 for a 5 week hire can't be sniffed at

As we drove away from AMI we all had a heavy heart- the previous 7 days had flown by and we had once more enjoyed the unique feel and enjoyment of the Island . Perhaps made even more heavy by a thought that we would not be coming back We do like to explore whilst on holiday and two years in the same place goes against the spirit of adventure that we have - we will be back one day as it is forever etched in our minds and memories. Anna Maria Island = Paradise and then some.


The good news was we were heading for Orlando once again and The Mouse was calling !
Nearly two weeks in Florida and the time had simply served to build the anticipation and longing for the Disney bit. I think the boys had particularly been building to fever pitch at the thought of the next part of the holiday and so we headed straight to Saratoga Springs Resort for next instalment of this trip.

We checked in at the desk at 1 pm ( We had made good time on the road as it was trouble free and in free flowing traffic ) and since our room was being cleaned, we went for a swim at the Paddock Pool. ( as previously know by Joe as The Haddock - and so it has stuck!)
With all the stuff literally stuffed in the car we had our swimming stuff and nothing more, no camera then!

The boys took part in a Mr and Mrs style game and their 100% knowledge of each other was amazing! Questions such as favourite Disney film, character, song etc
Having never seen the show, nor bothered to listen to all of the instructions their lip reading skills were hilarious to watch as they sought to check answers before committing it to the white board. They were oblivious to the fact they were cheating, in fact they just thought they were doing well in getting them all right!

We pretended they weren’t with us!
They won a beach ball! - such is the rewards offered by Disney for such long running game shows!

Having soaked up the pool and sunshine for a bit we headed to our room close to where we were last year, which was handy for everywhere and useful for the bus too.

Always good to get a photo of the place before you give it that 'lived in' look!

We simply unpacked and got on the bus to MK - the Disney adrenaline really had kicked in and we were in no way thinking of staying at Saratoga Springs.

I'm not sure if any of us have any memory of the above photo being taken but it was our welcome and even now the hair stands on the back of my neck as to what was about to happen in the following three weeks.

The first thing that we saw was the new and ' improved' Move it ,Shake it ,Celebrate it, Play it Parade- all the Main characters now safely aboard the top of each float - when in the hub

And a personal welcome home from Donald

What followed was eerily similar to our very first day last year – the clouds were rolling in!

We headed towards Space Mountain and our very first Fast Pass + of the whole trip and a ride photo too.

Our exit was to a steel grey sky and we knew that meant only one thing …
A Storm was brewing fast!
It struck just as we reached the Fantasyland expansion area and we became very quickly aware of how few places there are to find shelter – A comfort break for Joe meant we split, as Alison and Josh found the tented concession stand opposite the Mermaid ride as we headed to the Rest Rooms near Gaston’s Tavern - we were soaked already! The nearby shop was at capacity and then more so when a ECV user decided she wanted to be inside too – I’m not sure if she touched the glassware display in the front of the shop but she was mightily close to wiping the whole thing out!:angry:

As the rain dissipated we became the first intrepid explorers to brave the waters on the way to the Little Mermaid ride.
This had received a small update since last year and the loading and reliability seemed a lot better as was the improved darkness within the ride.

Our Fp for BTM had been cancelled amid the rain chaos and the instant notification of this via the My Disney Experience App saved not only a wasted journey but allowed for an alternative plan to get pulled together as it was not a FP that could be used until park closing on a range of rides ( not 7 Dwarves though!)
Small world was calling us , more because of the short queue. A ride on this always reminds us of Joe’s very first trip in 2008 when he stood at the front of the boat and danced all the way through the ride at just 2 years old – he at least sits down these days!

Since the rain had had stopped , we headed for a walk around to just soak up the whole place once more and to absorb the magic that we had spent the last 11 months just wanting to experience again.

The exhilaration as we just walked around the park was etched on the faces of us all – the planning, the saving, the waiting was all worth it.
We were all in our Happy place!

Very few words shared just a shared appreciation as to how we got here again and just a realisation as to how lucky we are.

Time moved on, and it was time our first DDP food occasion of the trip at Be Our Guest I will try to avoid using the abbreviation of BOG as I’m sure it puts off one or two people.

Our reservation was at 8.10, we were given a buzzer and left to wait until it lit up and vibrated - I'm sure they could charge more for this feature

We were seated in the Main Ballroom and welcomed very warmly by our server.

Our order was taken quickly too

Three steaks and a lamb – along with a bottle of Rose wine too.

The food was amazing although the wine lacked the little card that came with it last time! Which was a shame as it was one of those little magical extras that made for a personal touch and once lost will not be likely to be reintroduced.

Joe had the lamb and he devoured the lot- and his dessert too. It even took the server by surprise when his adult dining plan meal vanished and boy did he enjoy it!

A wonderful meal to start this part to the holiday and as we got our photos with Beast we shuffled the plan one more time.

We exited into darkness and with the time at 9.45 – we were left with a bit of decision making – BTM without the FP that was rained off earlier or Wishes? We did both!
The Music started us off as we joined a rather short standby queue for BTM the fireworks going off in some rather peculiar places and whilst on the ride too. A different way to see the fireworks.

After Joe took a quick visit to the refurbished restrooms next to Splash Mountain we then achieved the three Mountains in our first night.

Splash was particularly wet ,but exhilarating all the same riding it in the dark is just so special and to see the park lit up as you descend the drop just beautiful.

We followed the path round to Haunted Mansion and had a look at the queue for the Seven Dwarves mine – it was not short enough for my liking.

So we walked round for some whiplash inducing driving on the Indy Cars.
Having been fortunate enough to ride Autopia at DLP earlier in the year it seemed some thing of a throwback to the speedway smells tonight. And yes I am still negotiating with my no win no fee solicitor regarding the whiplash!

We walked across for a small queue at Buzz Lightyear and with my competitive edge raised after losing on the final ride at DLP I was mightily peeved to find that no matter how many times you press the trigger I was shooting blanks!
My score stuttered to 200 and at that point I gave up and sulked for the rest of the way round the ride.:angry:
There is another version of this that will follow so keep reading as I got even more cross!

We did another toilet stop at the Tomorrowland Terrace, and the rain that was once again in the air put paid to the second parade of the night- I’m not even sure the first one happened!
The cancellation of the parade had resulted in the park being incredibly quiet , empty and somewhat surreal- we gathered in the hub with just another 4/5 people and a couple of off duty CM's

We just lingered there hoping that with a midnight park closing we would be privy to something never seen before.

As the boys have got a little older we have found our park times extend and our nights get later and later. Tonight was the latest we have ever stayed and it was worth it just for the ‘The Kiss Goodnight’
Just a little hidden gem, that I think everyone should see at least once . It does not last long, is not advertised and we did not find many others waiting for it but it was special to us – we had been on Disney property for just a few hours but it was a signal for the next three weeks of Magic.

As I watched and took a few pics, Alison got her phone out and videoed - which resembles a beautiful scene spoilt by some one in an ECV beeping all the flaming way through and spoiling the calmness and beauty of the whole thing Hope it was not the same person who had earlier nearly trashed the shop
So rather than our vid with all the beeping
it can be seen in a little more peaceful version



thanks to someone who did not have such a selfish hole of a person around them!

As we headed towards the exit, down a near empty Main Street and then got the bus back to Saratoga Springs – at 12.30!

Straight to bed for the boys – the plan was a late one tomorrow – so I do think subconsciously there was a thought that tonight may have been a late one in MK- maybe not this late though!

As starts to a holiday go - this is something else, we have been away for nearly two weeks , experienced some amazing things already and we now see it as a start!

Until the Morning


Day Thirteen is here

[KittyBlackDog]

Yay you've arrived! We were tucked up in our beds 😴💤😴💤😴 When you did most of your first evening 😂

It's such a good feeling when you're in your happy place, no real words necessary, and even more so when the whole family feels exactly the same 😬

TFS

[jorm35]

Love that feeling of first day in magic kingdom. Shame about the rain but you got something special and unforgettable out of it, so alls well ... 😀

[joanna23]

Wow no wonder I got to see you by the pool with that kind of park stamina! A truly impressive first dive into the magic xx

[WhereIBelong]

Another lovely day, thank you for sharing it! Your boys look so smart - my kids always look like they've been dragged through a hedge (and that's before we set off for the day)!

[mick]

It's got to be Magic Kingdom for our first day too we have never seen the Kiss Goodnight show but looks like a fantastic way to finish the day off

Joan

[EJSakaAnna]

What a wonderful first night in Disney ! We're going to BOG on our first night there too and have similar plans to ride the mountains etc, so reading this has gotten me very excited!

[jemima2]

Awwww loved that! What an amazing end. That looks brilliant xxx

[Taffy1959]

Lovely day, shame about the selfish person spoiling your video

[sandshal]

Another great day guys ... Don't get me started on ECVs 😡