Newlyweds in the Caribbean: Curse of the DLXDDP - Day 14 - Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom

[Scruffette]

Newlyweds in the Caribbean: Curse of the DLXDDP - Day 14

Index

Wednesday 12th September

Hollywood Studios & Magic Kingdom

Lunch at Mamma Melrose, Dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern

Another early start this morning – today we planned to battle the crowds in Toy Story Land!

We got up just after 7am (I was getting worse each day at getting up when my alarm went off) and got ready for the day. Ollie went to get us hot chocolates and our breakfast of champions consisted of our Karamel Kuche goodies from last night – the salted caramel cupcake and the caramel apple.





As Ollie’s was mainly apple, he could just about justify his choice as breakfast. Me, not so much! However, the cupcake was delicious.

A bus to Hollywood Studios was waiting when we arrived at the bus stop (love it when that happens) and we arrived at HS around 8.15am.

We had the usual trek from the temporary bus stops to the front of the park, but at least it was early and not too warm.

The line for security was surprisingly ok, and after a bit of a wait they started letting us through the tapstyles around 8.40am.



It didn’t really matter if you didn’t know where Toy Story Land was – just follow the crowds of people and you’ll end up in the right place!

Today, our fastpasses and reservations looked like this –











As we had a FP for Slinky Dog Dash in the afternoon, we decided to start with Toy Story Midway Mania. This was an excellent idea as the ride was a walk on.

Mr Potato Head was on good form –









Despite the fact that Ollie always wins, I really enjoy this ride! I didn’t even win on accuracy!



I really enjoyed the details leaving the ride – Ollie had this set as a kid!









The wait time was showing as only 15 minutes (although it was more like 10 minutes), so it would have been rude not to go round again!



Before the first ride, I was telling Ollie how they added an extra track to boost capacity. However, I couldn’t see this when we got into the ride and was starting to think I made this up. For this go, we were sent round to the new side, so I was glad I wasn’t imagining things.

Again, we had great fun and Ollie won. His score was very consistent between goes, where as I get most improved (sorry, blurry photo!)



The army people (not just men) were out and about in Toy Story Land and were drawing quite a crowd. They were great fun!











I was quite pleased to be heading out of Toy Story Land after this, as lots of people were heading in the opposite direction. We had no real interest in riding Alien Swirling Saucers – looks like an ‘on the shelf’ ride that would probably make me feel a bit sick.

Star Tours was almost a walk on, which was a nice bonus. Ollie was really playing up to the camera when we were being seated, in the hopes of being chosen as the rebel spy. Unfortunately, this title was awarded to some cute looking kid.

Star Tours was good fun and I find myself recognising a lot more of the locations now!

We did catch the Storm Troopers on parade –



We popped to first aid next, near the park entrance, as Ollie wanted a blister plaster as his sandals were rubbing. They were super helpful in here and gave him about 10 to take away.

It was now time to use our FP for the Tower of Terror, which is one of our absolute favourites. There was a great photo opportunity outside the ride which I’d never seen before, where you can have your photo taken will bell hops and luggage. Just a shame they had no photopass photographer there – missed opportunity!





The standby line was only 20 minutes and we were through in 10 minutes with our fastpass. Always a great ride!



Afterwards, Ollie went off to Rock n Rollercoaster. Inversions and me are not friends, so I gave Ollie my magic band so he could ride twice. No one questioned when he went through as ‘Lucy’. I arranged to meet him in the Beauty and the Beast show and did some browsing in the shops.



I bought this Tower of Terror magnet ($9.99).





We already had some in the same style from Haunted Mansion, It’s a Small World and Enchanted Tiki Room from our last trip.

I was also eyeing up some scarves as a potential birthday present for my Mum. Her birthday was shortly after we got back and she had requested a Disney gift!



I found a seat in Beauty and the Beast shortly before show time, but struggled to save Ollie a seat as he was a bit late. I noticed him arrive during Be our Guest.







I enjoyed the show as always, but maybe it is time for a little refresh? I wonder if this will last after the new attraction in Epcot opens.

After the show it was time for our lunch reservation. As we were doing two sit down meals a day on the dining plan, we found an early lunch to be a tactic to fit in all the meals!

Lunch was at Mamma Melrose. We were seated fairly quickly and liked the inside look of a restaurant. I read a few reviews beforehand saying there wasn’t much theming in here and looked like a standard Italian restaurant. I’m not sure what Italian restaurants people had been visiting, but this was much nicer inside than your typical Italian.





Our server unfortunately was a bit of a let down. She disappeared for long periods and it was very difficult to get a refills of water.
To start, we both ordered a flatbread which was the size of a main pizza!

I had the Mushroom Flatbread - Roasted Cremini and Button Mushrooms with a Roasted Vidalia Onion Spread topped with a Fontina and Asiago Cheese finished with Balsamic Reduction and fresh Herbs - $15.00



A good amount of topping on that pizza!

Ollie had the Carne d'Italia Flatbread - with Pepperoni, House-made Sausage, Pancetta, and spicy Marinara Sauce - $17.00



We traded a slice for a slice and both were tasty.

Half way through our appetisers, our drinks showed up. We split two rum based cocktails.



Italian Surfer - Disaronno Originale, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, and Pineapple and Cranberry Juice - $11.50

This had disaronno in, so it totally makes it Italian, right?

We also had a pina colava, which was one of my favourite cocktails of the trip. Very cold which was appreciated in the heat.

After our appetisers were cleared, bread arrived. As we hadn’t received any yet, I was starting to think it was one of the restaurants where bread isn’t included as standard. We probably didn’t need bread with 3 courses, but it’s still nice to get it at the start of the meal.



At some meals, Ollie and I would pick 2 mains and go halves. However, I was insistent that I wanted to try the steak (after reading rave reviews) and wanted more than half of it. After some negotiating, we decided to split two mains in a two thirds/ one third split!

The first main (2/3 for me, 1/3 for Ollie) was the Charred Strip Steak - Four-Cheese Macaroni with Pancetta, Aged Balsamic-Shallot Butter, and Chianti Wine Reduction - $33.00



The mac n cheese was really good and very rich, so 2/3 was probably plenty. The steak tasted charred without tasting burnt, which I enjoyed.

The second main (1/3 for me, 2/3 for Ollie) was Oven-baked Chicken alla Parmigiana - Breaded Chicken Breast with Marinara Sauce topped with Melted Mozzarella over Spaghetti - $23.00



Ollie thought the pasta was overcooked, or possibly precooked. The chicken was nice, but not nearly as nice as the steak.

For dessert, I went for the - Traditional Cannoli - House-made creamy Cannoli Filling with a hint of Citrus and dusted with Cocoa Powder - $7.00



When it arrived, I was surprised by the orange-y flavour. I clearly hadn’t read the menu closely enough! These were nice and I even let Ollie have one.

Ollie had the Chocolate and Cherry Tort - Made with Ghirardelli ® Creamy Chocolate infused with Morello Cherries served with Cherry Coulis topped with Whipped Cream - $7.50



It looked quite similar to my dessert from Le Cellier last night. I tried a bite, but cherries aren’t really my thing.

Overall, the food was good but our disappearing server let it down a bit. I’d still consider putting it on the list for next time.

Afterwards, we took a look in It’s a Wonderful Shop next door, although I was restrained and didn’t purchase anything.



Our next stop was the Indiana Jones stunt show, stopping up to pick iced waters en route (as I hadn’t had a chance to guzzle as much as usual during lunch).



Last time we watched the show, the end was cancelled due to the rain, so it was nice to watch the whole show this time and we both enjoyed it.

It was then time to use our Slinky Dog Dash fastpasses, and I was excited to try the new ride.

[Scruffette]

The standby line was only 45 minutes, which I didn’t think was too bad. However, the queue line is completely exposed in the sun, which must make for an uncomfortable wait.







I know people call slinky dog a kiddie coaster, but I think it is a really fun ride and enjoy the theming.

However, our ride photo wasn’t quite what I was expecting…



They must still be working on that one!

On our way out of the park, I stopped at the Trolley Car Café to pick up a carrot cake cookie, which was my breakfast plan for tomorrow.

Ollie managed to book at 5.45pm fastpass for Winnie the Pooh whilst he waited.

We walked to the bus stop and unfortunately had to wait 30 minutes for a bus. The temporary bus stops were completely uncovered, so this wasn’t a fun wait.

Fortunately, the bus ride back to the hotel was only 10 minutes. We popped to the food court for drinks and then took our first, and only, dip in the POFQ pool. We’re really bad at making time for the pool, which is a shame as I do like the pool here.

Back in the room, Ollie caught up with Flo on the Weather Channel and I took a power nap

We left the room for MK around 5.30pm and just missed a bus. Luckily, another bus turned up around 5 minutes later, which was a win.

The security line was fairly short, but the park felt quite busy this evening. It was Extra Magic Hours and a non Halloween party night, so to be expected really.

Obligatory Halloween photos –







We walked through the Confectionary (smelt amazing!) and the art store, on our way to Winnie the Pooh.

The ride was cute as always and a good use of FP as the standby line was really long.

It was then time for our dinner ADR at Liberty Tree Tavern. I had lunch here way back in 2009, so it’s been a while since my last visit. It’s a restaurant that has made the ‘maybe’ list on the last two trips, but for some reason hasn’t made the final cut.

We checked in and took turns to restroom, but when I came out Ollie was gone! I tried to hunt for him in the restaurant and he came looking for me aswell, but eventually we found each other!

We were seated next to an older American couple who were just finishing their meal. They highly recommended the pot roast to us.

Shockingly, neither of us ordered an alcoholic drink!

To drink, Ollie had the Patriot's Slush - Enjoy a refreshing combination of this Frozen Cherry and Apple Beverage - $6.00



I just went for a coke zero, as I wanted something to guzzle. We also got iced waters.

To start, we were brought rolls and the - Declaration Salad -Tossed Mixed Greens with House-made Dressing





We were then brought the - Patriot's Platter - Roasted Turkey Breast, Pot Roast, and Oven-roasted Pork with Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, Herb Stuffing, and House-made Macaroni and Cheese



The American couple were right and the pot roast really was amazing. I also particularly liked the stuffing and turkey with gravy. It was nice to have a slightly more traditional meal. We ordered seconds of the pot roast!

Dessert was the Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake -Vanilla Toffee Cake, Chocolate Sauce, and Vanilla Ice Cream



That is mainly ice cream in that photo! This was delicious, although I would have liked a slightly higher ooey gooey to ice cream ratio. The ‘cake’ was more like a cookie and was soft in the middle.

We settled up and then headed to Main Street to watch the fireworks. It was fairly busy but we managed to find a spot. However, I had so many cokes at dinner that I needed the toilet. Navigating through the crowds to the restrooms and then back to Ollie was a bit of a challenge and I only just made it back in time for the show.

This was our second Happily Ever After viewing and I was really falling in love with this show. The projections on the castle are truly stunning.



We managed to get a fastpass for Dumbo earlier in the evening and this is a ride we’ve never done together. However, there was practically no wait, so the FP wasn’t really necessary. A fun ride at night time





We were now into Extra Magic Hours and our next stop was the Barnstormer. A ride I’ve never done before, but for completeness sake felt I needed to ride!

We then stopped by the Little Mermaid ride. We managed to complete the whole ride without it breaking down this time. It was nice to see Ariel’s happy ending.

There was lots of trainee photopass photographers out taking night time shots in various spots around Fantasyland. We did check out the queue for the Tangled lantern photo, but it was a bit crazy.

Walking round the park, some of the queues looked really long. This was a bit misleading, as at the start of the queue entrance there was a cast member scanning magic bands. However, this process seemed to be taking a long time. They probably could have done with two cast members on each entrance.

Our next stop was Big Thunder Mountain. We got compliments on our magic bands when we scanned in We got the front row, which is normally a gentler ride, but in the dark felt a lot cooler.

Pirates had a short queue, so this was our next stop. Had to get in another ride to make up for it being closed on our last trip!

We decided to call it a night here and walked back down Main Street through the Emporium. We got to the bus queue around 10.45pm and there was a long queue. The first bus to turn up was crammed full, but it was only a short wait for the next bus and a quick journey home.

Once back at the hotel, Ollie stayed up to watch the Weather Channel (his new favourite thing!) while I dozed. Another busy yet amazing day!

Day 15 - Disney Springs & Animal Kingdom

[JenD1]

What a brilliant day. You managed to do lots!😊

[Scruffette]

Originally Posted by JenD1

What a brilliant day. You managed to do lots!😊

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Probably why I was always falling asleep on the bus! Thanks for reading