Aimee and Lauren's Split Year Split Stay Part 2- Disney August 2016- Day 3

[xAimeex]

Hi guys sorry for the delay in uploading this day! A busy half term week set me back a little! This day is another long one, around 8000 words 200 pictures hehe. Hope you enjoy it!



Tuesday 16th August 2016- Magic Kingdom, Cinderella's Royal Table, Disney Springs and Fantasmic!



We all woke around 3:45 again today. I just couldn't get back to sleep again after so stayed up on my phone and messaged home for a bit.


Lauren had another 45 minutes but got up at 4:30 and Mum and Dad managed to go back to sleep until 5:30.


Once they were awake we could start having showers and getting ready!


Lauren and I were so excited as we were finally heading to Magic Kingdom!


Not only that but for the first time we were finally getting to eat in the castle! It's been my dream for so long but when we were kids the dining plan didn't exist and characters meals were, as they are now, pretty expensive and we knew it was a treat enough just to be in Walt Disney World!


It was something we didn't think we'd get to do until we had children of our own. It's only been in the last couple of years that we've become more confident meeting face characters (as opposed to fur characters as we've done quite a few character meals with Mickey and the gang over the years).


We originally didn't book Cinderella's Royal Table when we did our ADR's. We went for Tusker House instead but Lauren and I were discussing one day how we'd always dreamed of actually getting to go inside the castle and it wasn't long before we were logging into My Disney Experience to check!


We really fancied breakfast but we knew it was a long shot as CRT is such a popular reservation and we knew for sure we'd never get a pre-park opening ADR at such a late stage (it was around 70 days out if I remember right).


So imagine our surprise when an 8:15am reservation popped up on our first Magic Kingdom morning on a non extra magic hour day!


We decided it was fate and booked it straight away (you usually have to pay upfront for CRT but if your dining plan is properly linked to your MDE account it will give you the option to use credits, in this case 2 table service credits each).


As well as fate we decided it was also most likely down to the fact that on Tuesday mornings (and Saturday I believe) Magic Kingdom opens at 7:45 for a kind of paid for extra magic hour (including exclusive access to Peter Pan's Flight, Winnie the Pooh and the Mine Train plus breakfast at Pinocchio’s) which is open to anyone willing to pay (even if you're offsite) but I believe numbers are very limited.


Part of me hopes this wasn't the reason someone cancelled that reservation as in all honestly we really didn't notice a big difference in the crowds (although obviously for us it was a good thing). Long gone are the days of completely empty Main Street pictures I think now that Be Our Guest opens for breakfast. When you consider this plus Crystal Palace and Cinderella's Royal Table ADR's, pre-park opening Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique reservations and tours (such as Keys to the Kingdom) there's a lot more traffic on Main St first thing than there used to be!


As I said though we really noticed no difference with the paid for extra magic hour but I'll get back to that later as I've waffled on for ages and we still haven't even left the room!


Lauren and I both had Cinderella themed t-shirts today! I was also wearing my Cinderella ears and Lauren had picked out her cute sparkly rose gold ears!









We also had our new park bags that had been delivered in our Mockingjay order but I'll show you a picture of those a little further down.


With everybody ready to go we left the room at 6:45. After our long wait for an Animal Kingdom bus yesterday we didn't want to take any chances today!



This little guy was on the railings outside!




Some of the badges Lauren bought me for my bag!


Mum had picked this badge that Lauren had bought for the 3 of us!


We decided to go to the Old Turtle Pond bus stop today as it was so close to our room.


The bus to Magic Kingdom arrived at 7 and by the time we'd picked up from the last 2 stops we left OKW at 7:10.


Love the sight of the bus you want


I love the bus ride to Magic Kingdom, it's so exciting when you spot the Monorail tracks and see the Contemporary coming into view!


As I said in yesterday's report, no fanfare arrival music which was so disappointing! It always made for such a magical arrival at Magic Kingdom!


We pulled in at the bus stop at 7:23 (precisely hehe).


It was a really nice temperature out right now, not too muggy so we enjoyed the short stroll over to the Magic Kingdom entrance!


I love looking out over Seven Seas Lagoon for a first look at the Grand Floridian and the Poly! Nothing beats the first visit of a trip to each park, spotting all the sights and sounds you've missed since you were last there!


Bag check was fairly empty which was nice after the long wait yesterday!




We were all picked to walk through the scanner again this morning. I think as it was so quiet they were making everyone go through.


They have cast members out at this time in the morning with Magic Band scanners. You have to scan one band so that they can check that you have a reservation before they'll let you join the ADR line.


We scanned our bands again at the mickey tapstiles and went through to the ADR holding area by the Newsstand!


Waiting to get in!













We were so excited, it just felt surreal to think that we were finally going to get to go inside the castle!


At around 7:40 they made everyone move up as close to the front as they could as it was starting to get busier now and by 7:50 they dropped the rope and let everyone in!


You can't beat that first moment walking on to Main Street! The familiar sights and sounds, the yummy smell, the anticipation of walking around the corner and seeing the castle!

















I love it, and having a pre-park opening breakfast ADR, while not as quiet as it once was, makes for a much less chaotic entrance into the park!


As you can imagine we took about a hundred photos on our cameras and also stopped at a couple of photopass photographers along the way!













We stopped at the Hub grass area as Lauren wanted to arrange our new park bags and ears for a photo!


Lauren’s picture of our park accessories!


We shared this on Instagram and it ended up getting about 900 likes which was hundreds more than any of our other pictures had at the time which was totally mad considering it’s a photo of some bags and ears!











You can never have too many pictures of the castle right! Shame about the people in the red though



Dad definitely wasn't amused that we wanted to stop to photograph our park accessories and was keen to get to breakfast but our ADR wasn't until 8:15 and it was only just 8 now. He can be a bit of a grump when he's hungry hehe.


With food on his mind he didn't want to be in anymore photos so went to find some shade while Mum, Lauren and I went over to one of the photopass photographers by the partners statue! He took some lovely pictures on his and also Lauren's camera and we were really pleased with how they came out so it was a shame Dad wasn't in them! I think he probably regrets it now too but he was definitely suffering from a bit of hanger on the day hehe.






This one was taken on Lauren’s DSLR camera and although it’s been edited I actually think it came out better than the photographers camera!


By now the hub had really emptied out as people with 8/8:05 reservations had already gone to check in so it was nice and quiet in front of the castle!


A nice couple offered to take a picture of us in front of the castle! The guy was really nice and took loads. We offered to take one of them on their camera but they didn't want one.




With plenty of photos to be going on with we finally headed up the walkway and towards the castle! Again this just felt like a dream! Although we've walked through the castle to Fantasyland plenty of times, we've never walked through it to get to Cinderella's Royal table! We couldn't wait to be inside the castle!






We checked in and were sent straight through to queue to meet Cinderella!


The attention to detail in here is brilliant and we were excited to spot Jaq and Gus Gus and to see the beautiful stain glass windows! Things we've seen so many times in photos but it was extra magical to finally see them in person!
















Continued below…

[xAimeex]

…Continued


We only waited a few minutes until it was our turn to meet Cinderella!


She was a really good Cinderella and really easy to chat with (even now we find some face characters can be more awkward to talk to than others).


She loved our shirts and ears and was pleased to see that she was having a good hair day on my t-shirt! Lauren and I said she was having a good hair day today!













The photopass photographer took a couple of nice photos (again Dad declined to be in these) and then we were directed over to the spiral staircase!


It felt so magical walking up the winding stairs! When we reached the top we were actually surprised at how small it is in there, I always pictured it to be bigger! It is however as beautiful as it looks in pictures!


This photo doesn’t do justice to how beautiful it is in here!


We were shown to our table, the CM referred to Dad as Lord and Mum, Lauren and I as princesses which is always a nice way to start the day!


Even the menu was beautiful!


Not the best picture but these were the menu choices



Our server came over shortly after. I didn't make a note of his name but I wish I had as he was a bit of a grump (even more than hangry Dad hehe).


I won't dwell on it. He was ok, just really lacking in enthusiasm and not really in the Disney spirit. I think if he'd been our server anywhere else we wouldn't have noticed so much but when you're eating inside the castle and you’re surrounded by magic and Princesses you kind of want a server to match that. Especially considering it's a 2 credit meal and what it would have cost if we'd been paying out of pocket! But all in good time, let's move onto the food!


To start we were offered coffee which Mum and Dad gladly accepted after such an early start again. Lauren and I don't drink coffee so went for soft drinks instead.


We were also served a platter of pastries which is my ideal way to start any day hehe.






There was 2 of everything, we had cinnamon rolls, apple Danishes, mickey shaped blueberry muffins and another pastry which if I remember right was a cherry or blueberry Danish.


These were all really yummy! Lauren had a mickey shaped muffin but isn't keen pastries so ate the strawberries while Mum, Dad and I shared the rest!


While we were looking at the menu they announced Sleeping Beauty's entrance!


She started off a few tables away so we didn't have long to wait until she reached us.


She was probably the most awkward of all the Princesses we met this trip. She was a little quiet so we couldn't really hear her properly over all the noise of the dining room but she was nice enough.




We ordered our breakfast next. I'd known what I was planning to order since we booked it! The caramel apple stuffed French toast!


This is French toast stuffed with sweet cream cheese and caramel apples with a drizzle of caramel sauce on top! Basically my idea of heaven!




Mum also went for this! We both loved it and although it didn't seem like a huge portion it was deceptively filling!


Lauren and Dad went for the traditional breakfast which consists of bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes. Lauren asked to sub the bacon for extra sausage as she doesn't eat the former.


I don't think the server heard properly though as when it came out there was bacon on Lauren's and no sausages at all on either Dad or Lauren's plate.

We explained to the server and in all fairness to him he did resolve it well, he brought out a plate with about 8 sausages on so there was plenty for both of them!



Before the sausages were added


They both enjoyed this although Lauren said the eggs weren't great.


Although the food is obviously not the selling point/reason for visiting CRT but the traditional breakfast in particular really was no different to a breakfast platter you can get in a few places around WDW. The potatoes were a little nicer I think but really it was just the same bog standard bacon, sausages and eggs that are used in all the counter service restaurants.


I’m not putting that down as a low point particularly as the food wasn't bad (apart from the slightly overcooked eggs) but you can't really make sausages and bacon anymore fancy really so it was more of an observation.


Obviously to have these items as a counter service breakfast would cost considerably less (if you're paying out of pocket) but as I said CRT is really more about the experience than the food as has been reported on these forums before.


The next Princess to be announced was Snow White!


She was lovely and very chatty! She also loved our ears as they were both sparkly and reminded her of the diamonds the 7 dwarfs mine for!




Ariel was up next! She was a brilliant Ariel personality wise! She was excited that I had red hair and asked if Lauren and I were mermaids too. She said she'd see us soon in the ocean!




Last up was Jasmine! She was also excited as Lauren's hair was so long like hers! She asked how long it had taken us to get here on our Magic carpet, Lauren told her it was a long time! She went to pick up my notebook which was sitting on the table to sign it but I explained that it wasn't an autograph book just for taking notes hehe she said we were very organised Princesses!





After we'd seen all the Princesses we sorted out the bill.


The total would have been a staggering $221.52 although the gratuity is included here which helps. We used 8 table service credits and felt all the more grateful for the dining plan as there was no way we could have justified spending that much on a one course meal and a few pastries!


Don't get me wrong we had a brilliant time but it's not one I would consider paying OOP for I don't think. As I said though you pay for the experience and there's no denying it's a magical one especially if you can get a pre-park opening ADR!


Lauren and I stopped in the restrooms on the way out and of course even these were beautifully themed as you would expect!


We met Mum and Dad downstairs. Mum was pleased as a CM had given her a wishing star on the way out which was nice as they no longer give these (or the wands and swords) to adult only tables which is a shame. Although I'm sure they wouldn't say no if you asked!


Mum’s wishing star!


It was 8:55 when we left and the park had just opened so we wondered into Fantasyland to one of our favourites Peter Pan's Flight!








It turns out Mum has no royal blood hehe










It was listed as a 5 minute wait but was actually closer to 10 by the time we got in it.


We didn't mind though as it gave us a great opportunity to look more closely as the beautiful nursery that they added to the queuing area last year!


We'd seen it last August but the ride was a walk on and we'd had to pass through it fairly quickly so it was nice to wonder through it at a more leisurely pace!


I love all the little bits of magic in here! Especially the shadow effect on the wall at the back of the nursery and the pixie dust!


















Poor Nana




Sorry for the blurry pic but I love all the little details!








Mum being sprinkled with pixie dust!




Lauren and I sat together. I love that when the safety bar is lowered the CM's pretend to sprinkle pixie dust over it first!


This ride is such an iconic one from our first couple of trips as it just seemed so completely magical to be flying in a boat over London and Neverland!


Off to Neverland!


Even as grown-ups it never gets old!


After we finished here we strolled over to the Tangled Restrooms to get some pictures! We just love this area, it was such a beautiful addition to the area although I do still think it's a shame poor Rapunzel really only has a meet and greet and some toilets to represent her hehe.












As we walked over a man stopped Mum to say that he like the castle button (badge) she was wearing! He asked if we got it in the parks and we told him it was from Etsy. He wished us a magical day which was nice so we wished him the same!



It was so hot out already that we were in need of air con so we didn't hang around for too long but did manage to get a few photos!


Unfortunately here Lauren realised that the lens cap was missing from her camera. As anyone with an SLR camera will know the last thing you want is to damage a lens as they don't come cheap!


We searched everywhere in her bag and around us but no luck and Lauren couldn't remember where she'd last seen it but was pretty sure she'd had it since breakfast.


I could tell she was feeling down about it and worried about scratching the lens. We suggested re-tracing our steps but she didn't want to hold up the day so we ended up heading over to our first fastpass with a plan of popping into guest services later to see if it had been handed in.


Continued below…

[xAimeex]

…Continued


We had a Haunted Mansion fastpass from 9:15-10:15 so we headed over there.


They were refurbing the exterior of the Haunted Mansion this summer so had tarps up around the outside which did take away from the magic a little but the ride was otherwise unaffected thankfully as we love it!







This photo came out all blurry and creepy looking which seemed kind of appropriate for the Haunted Mansion!


It's definitely one of our favourite MK rides although we were absolutely terrified of it as children and refused to even go on hehe. I'll admit some bits still give me the heeby jeebies now! Whenever we pass the corridor with the candlestick, Lauren and I are sure something will come running down every time hehe.




After we finished here we walked over to the new Fantasyland area (although I think it's all just referred to as fantasyland these days hehe) as we'd arranged to meet dibber Janine (Pcnine) and her husband Steve and daughter aka Tink.


We were all originally supposed to be meeting with fellow dibber Tracey (Chaffey) and her girls Millie and Olivia too. Lauren and I had met them last summer in Epcot with Cath (Derryfam) and her family so were looking forward to catching up again!


Unfortunately poor Tracey had had an absolute nightmare of a travel day! They'd been delayed and then their luggage hadn't arrived so they were unfortunately stuck in their accommodation today which was a real shame as it was supposed to be their first park day so we really felt for them.


We met Janine and her family not far from Journey of the Little Mermaid and had a nice chat.


Janine had kindly bought me an Ariel keyring for my bag which was really sweet of her!


As we were right next to it we all went for a Journey of the Little Mermaid!






It was listed as a 10 minute wait but was a walk on at this time in the morning, we always find that the listed wait time for this is often exaggerated!


Love the detailing in the line!


I love this ride, as you can probably tell the Little Mermaid is one of my favourite Disney films! I think one of my favourite parts of the ride is the effect they use to make it seem as though you are going under the sea!









After we finished here Mum, Dad and Lauren decided to go and get a goofy glacier to share from Big Top Treats over in the Storybook Circus area as the heat was starting to get to them (especially Dad) so they headed off there.


The slushy would have cost $5.11 but they used a snack credit, sorry no photo.


As it was just across from the Flying Dumbo's I went for one more ride with Janine and her family before we said goodbye to head off to our other various fastpasses etc.









Janine and I rode together so it was nice to sit for a few minutes and chat Disney!


I thanked her again for my keyring before heading off to find the others!


Now suitably refreshed, they were browsing (and making use of the air con) in Storybook Souvenirs as we still had 5 minutes until we could use our fastpasses for the Mine Train.


We hadn't ridden this all together since our trip in 2014 (just after the ride opened) as last year Mum and Dad booked really last minute so their fastpasses were at a different time to ours, so we were really excited to go back on it as a family as we love this ride (although some of us less than others judging by the ride photo later hehe).



At 10:20 we all headed over! I didn't make a note of the standby wait time but we waited about a minute in the fastpass line.




We were excited to be sent to the back 2 rows as it's so much better there! It's definitely much tamer in the front.


Judging by the windows things were getting a bit steamy in the Seven Dwarfs cottage!




Although we loved the extra speed from sitting in the back row (even Mum!) I'm not sure Dad was so keen judging by the ride photos hehe.







Rather aptly for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train it appeared we'd bought our very own Grumpy along hehe.


He swears he was enjoying it though!


After all that excitement Dad decided he would pop back over to Cinderella's Royal Table just to check the missing lens cap hadn't been left there.


Mum, Lauren and I had a look in Sir Mickey's and Castle Couture while we waited.


I attempted an arty shot with my Cinderella ears in the archway hehe. N.B Notice my nails from days 1 and 2 had already been removed by this point!








They sold really cute baby Princess dresses in castle couture!


I was pleased to spot the Elsa doll I’d bought for the little girl I nanny for in the online Disneystore.com sale for $9.99 for nearly $25 dollars!



As luck would have it he found the lens cap! Lauren must have left it on the table and we missed it as we left (which is rare as normally one of us always checks to make sure we haven't left anything!)


Someone had handed it in to a server luckily and they'd put it away safely until we came back!


Lauren was relieved to have it back!


As we were right next to Philharmagic we decided to pop there next!






It was listed as a 10 minute wait (as it generally always is) but was actually a walk on as a show had just finished and the doors opened automagically just as we picked up our 3D glasses and walked into big holding room so that was lucky!


We absolutely adore this show! It doesn't matter how many times we watch it, it never gets old!


We finished here around 11:10. We had fastpasses for Pirates of the Caribbean at 11:20 so decided to stroll slowly up there as you can use your fastpasses 5 minutes before the official time (and for up to 15 minutes after).






We saw Janine and her family on the way there. They were heading up to Splash Mountain so we said hello again.


We headed over to scan our magic bands at Pirates but they flashed blue as we were about 7 minutes early.


The CM changed them to green though as he could see we were only a couple of minutes over the 5 minute allowance.


The standby wait was only 20 minutes but it took us nearly 10 in the fastpass line anyway


Pirates had been closed for our entire trip last year so we were extra excited to ride it today as it had been so long since we last went on it!


They'd been refurbing the boats as they had been taking on water apparently. I'd read somewhere that you now got more wet during the short drop (which always seems longer than I remember every time hehe) but I can't say we got anymore splashed than we have done in the past.


If anything it's the last canon in the water that gets you wet if you're sitting on the right side of the boat!


We loved it as always!


This is a ride I have such strong memories of as a child, I can always remember thinking that the fire was real and wondering how the whole ride hadn't burnt down hehe.


They have a PotC cersion of the Disney blanket cuddlies! So cute!


It was 11:30 by the time we finished here.


For Lauren and I this meant lunch as we like to eat early to avoid the rush!


Mum and Dad were quite tired now though and still felt quite full from breakfast so they decided to call it a day and headed out.


Lauren and I were heading to Pecos Bill's for lunch today which is just next door to Pirates of the Caribbean so we didn't have far to go!


We said our goodbyes to Mum and Dad before heading over.








After our last trip they'd changed the menu in here.


It used to serve mostly burgers but had changed to a more Mexican themed menu now. We were a bit disappointed at first as they served some of the best counter services burgers on property!


Originally they hadn't added a burger to the new menu I don't think as we'd actually taken it off the list after the change.


However we took another look at the menu as we really like the theming and atmosphere in here so were keen to come back. Thankfully they now offer 2 burger options!





I went for the Southwest burger!




Lauren fancied something a bit more typically Mexican so went for the nachos! These are served with seasoned ground beef, lettuce and tomato on top.




For dessert I went for the churros as I absolutely love them! Lauren didn't like the dessert options so picked a strawberry lemonade slush as her dessert.








We also ordered a large coke and lemonade.


It would have cost $45.80 out of pocket but we used 2 counter service credits.


They were running a similar offer to one we'd used in 2013 where if you ordered something from a counter service restaurant before 12, on the bottom of the receipt was a voucher for money off at certain outlets in Disney Springs.


This time it was only being offered at Magic Kingdom counter service restaurants I believe and the offer was for 10% off!


We had a few of these over the next few days and managed to save on a few bits at Disney Springs later in the trip!


We found a table in one of the quieter side rooms (it wasn't busy in there so there were no CM's directing you to a table today).




Cute theming


The food was delicious so we were really glad we'd added this back in to our plan!


Lauren loved the nachos and said it was nice to have something a bit different for lunch!


The burger was really good! They definitely haven't lost their reputation for serving some of the best counter service burgers in the parks! I really liked that it came with nachos too as I much prefer them to fries!


The churros were yummy although not as good as the churros dessert from the Le Cantina De San Angel at Epcot (the counter service option in the Mexico pavilion). They came with a chocolate dipping sauce which I actually wasn't too keen on so I ate them on their own.


We were so full by the time we finished! I pretty much had to roll myself out of there after such a carb fest hehe but carbs don't count in Disney (along with calories) hehe.


It looked quite dark and stormy as we got outside. We were on our way out now anyway so we quick footed it back.


Unfortunately as we walked through Liberty Square it started to bucket it down with rain so we ran for cover in the Christmas Shop.




A lot of people had the same idea so it was fairly packed in there but Lauren and I adore Christmas decorations so it was a nice place to wait out the rain!









Continued below…

[xAimeex]

…Continued

















It was that proper torrential Florida rain (although nothing compared to the recent Hurricane) so there was no chance of us running for it without getting soaked.


We still hadn't bought new Disney rain ponchos yet and now seemed like as good a time as any!


Luckily Disney gift shops are well prepared for this and keep a stock of them behind the counter!


As it had been a few years since we last bought them they'd gone up in price by a couple of dollars so we shelled out $10 for them. But that's ok though because in August they're a worthwhile investment, right?


Little did we know we'd just spent $20 on 2 ponchos that over the course of the trip would be worn for a grand total of about 30 minutes!


We can't complain really considering on our last night alone in 2015 it rained for about 5 hours straight and we had to keep them on all night!


It really was one of the driest summer trips we've experienced which for the most part is a good thing however as I mentioned before without the rain to cool it down the heat just felt so much more intense this trip!


I digress we put on our ponchos so that we could at least make it back to Main St.


The sun came out approximately 2 minutes after we bought the ponchos although it was still drizzling!






We cut through the Emporium once we got there.




More merchandise photos













There was a CM walking around with a Stitch cuddly who stopped to chat to us for a while! He did a spot on impression of Stitch and asked if we'd bought the rain with us when he heard our accents hehe.


By the time we'd had a bit of a browse and made it to the other side of the shop near City Hall typically the rain had stopped!


At least this meant that we could make our way back to the bus stops without sweltering in ponchos!




We left at 12:45 and walked over to the bus stops. An Old Key West bus arrived at 1 but they had to change bus drivers so we had to wait for them to do their checks before we left at 1:05.


We made it back at 1:20 and headed back to the villa for a much needed rest. Mum and Dad were already asleep when we got in so we changed quietly and both had a sleep too.


Lauren and I slept from 2-2:30 but the storm had started up again by then and I couldn't fall back to sleep with all the thunder so we rested till about 3.


The thunder eventually passed but the rain carried on for a couple more hours and we were hoping it wasn't going to be a wash out at Disney Springs tonight!


Tonight was also the only night Lauren and I could make it over to Hollywood Studios to see Fantasmic (they changed the scheduling of this and the Star Wars fireworks meaning it was basically impossible to see both on one night). So we were extra hopeful that the rain would pass as Fantasmic is sometimes cancelled due to weather conditions for the safety of the performers in the show understandably.


As we were stuck inside for a couple of hours we decided to make the most of the Jacuzzi bath!


It takes an absolute age to fill so you need a couple of hours if more than one person wants to use it!


It was a great way to relax after a busy morning in the parks! It was one of the things we missed most about Old Key West!


We were all ready to go out again around 5:20. It was still spitting a little so we walked down the road to the Turtle Pond bus stop.


Loz put on a Star Wars tee as we were heading to Hollywood Studios later!





I went for an Ariel themed outfit!



A Disney Springs bus turned up at 5:30 but the driver was earning his ears which meant the journey was quite a slow one so by the time we'd been around the other stops at OKW we arrived at DS at 6.


We had a look in a few of the new shops tonight.


Lauren wanted to look in Sephora first. It's huge in there!


Sephora face masks


I'm not really into make-up (although I do wear it most days hehe). My favourite brand of make-up is Boot's natural collection, mostly because I find it to be really good quality but an added bonus is that most of their products cost around £2 hehe so none of the expensive brands interested me much.


Lauren does tend to wear branded make up but didn't find anything that she felt was a bargain so she didn't buy anything.


We did find one interesting product-




Mum thought Brazilian bum bum cream was a product for, how shall I put it politely, bleaching the derrière area haha.


They had some cute Disney themed stuff too but they were pretty pricey!





Our next stop was Superdry so that Dad could have a look. He saw a couple of shirts he liked but again didn't buy them as it was still quite early in the trip.




We had a wander after this. Dad made us laugh by asking what kind of food they serve at Lime Garage hehe.




We stopped off in the new Pandora shop next as I wanted to pick up a couple of new charms this trip.


As I mentioned in yesterday's report we were bringing stuff back for a local dibb family as they had had to cancel their trip under really difficult circumstances and the Dad had given us some dollars as he wanted to surprise his family with a couple of bits. Along with the calendar that we were looking for yesterday the other thing was a Pandora charm.


He'd given us 3 to choose from that he thought his wife would like but ideally a Tinkerbell charm!


We were really pleased that they had that one in stock so we sorted that out first! I honestly checked it was ok in the safe every day of the trip as we were so worried about losing it! Thankfully it was fine and we delivered it along with the other bits not long after we were back!


For my own bracelet I already knew the exact charm I wanted! The Epcot charm! It looks like a miniature Spaceship Earth and has the monorail passing in front of it! I absolutely adore it! It cost $63.90 after tax.




We walked over to Sprinkles after as Lauren and I really wanted to share a cupcake from the ATM. When we got over there though it was card only unfortunately and I didn't feel comfortable using mine with it so we left it for now with the intention of coming back next time to buy one in-store (although sadly it totally slipped our minds so we're still yet to try one of their yummy cupcakes!)








As we couldn't use the cupcake ATM we decided to head for dinner instead!






Fultons looked a bit different this year!


We walked over to the Marketplace as our restaurant of choice tonight was Wolfgang Puck Express! One of our favourite counter service restaurants!




We've always had really great meals here but last year Lauren and I hadn't been blown away by the food like we had been in the past but I'm glad to say it was back on form for us today!


Lauren went for the spaghetti bolognese which she really enjoyed! She said it was one of the nicest bolognese sauces she'd ever had!




I went for my old favourite the macaroni cheese as it was a little disappointing last year so I wanted to give it a chance to redeem itself hehe. Luckily it did! It was really tasty!




Mum and Dad both went for the bacon wrapped meatloaf! I was also really tempted to order this as until this year I didn't like bacon so this was the first trip where this entrée was an option for me and I'd heard such good things about it!





Mum and Dad both absolutely loved it and couldn't believe it was a counter service meal! They said it was one of the nicest meals they'd eaten so far (along with Yak and Yeti)!


I'm not going to lie I had major food envy when Mum let me try a bit of hers as it really was absolutely delicious, even the mash was perfect!


Next time we eat at WPE I'll definitely be ordering the meatloaf!


For dessert I went for the cheesecake as it's always delicious here, I love the caramelised sugar layer on top! The cheesecake was lovely and light today too!




Mum and Dad picked a cookie each and Lauren had a rice Krispy treat! They all saved theirs for later as they were so full up.




We also had 4 fountain drinks. The total out of pocket would have been $94.58 but we used 4 counter service credits! As always this place really is a brilliant use of a CS credit!


We also left $10 for our server as although it's a counter service restaurant your food is bought out to you and collected again (as it's on proper plates with metal cutlery as opposed to paper and plastic). They also get you drink refills if they see you need one and will offer to fetch extra sauces/Parmesan/black pepper etc. so they do work much harder here than in most CS restaurants.


It was 7:10 by the time we left here so we popped into the Christmas shop as it's just next door.








Continued below…

[xAimeex]

…Continued


This is one of my favourite shops at Disney Springs as I'm totally Christmas mad! Lauren and I could spend hundreds of dollars in here if we had the money and didn't have to transport all the breakable ornaments home on a plane hehe.


Rubbish photo but we’d never noticed before that these displays are like the trunk of the Christmas tree and the branches spread out over the ceiling! I’ve said it before but always look up in Disney!


I so wish I’d bought these, I have the red and white version but also have a blue, white and silver tree so these would have been perfect!




The 2 year old I nanny for would absolutely lose her mind in the Frozen room at the back of the store!



We didn't buy anything today but did have a browse for our traditional decoration that we pick as a family!


We headed over to the Art of Disney next as we all love browsing at the beautiful art in here!


I walked through into the Wonderful World of Memories shop as they had a memory box I'd wanted to buy last year but hadn't had room for!




It's designed to look like an old fashioned fairytale book and it's absolutely beautiful!








My writing is really messy in my notebook so this cost either $24.49 or $29.49 but I have a feeling it was the former.


By the time we'd finished looking in here it was nearly 7:30 and time for Lauren and I to walk over to Saratoga Springs as we needed to catch a bus to Hollywood Studios and you can't catch park buses from Disney Springs.


We said goodbye to Mum and Dad as they were staying on at Disney Springs to have a look in a few more shops.


Lauren and I found the walk way and it was about a 5 minute stroll along to SSR.










After all the rain earlier it was a really pleasant temperature out now! This was the coolest it was all trip pretty much but it was a welcome relief after a couple of scorching days in the parks!


We wandered until we found a bus stop. The first one we came across was the Congress Park stop. We got there at 7:40 and bus arrived about 10 minutes later which worked out well timing wise for Fantasmic at 9.




As with OKW, Saratoga has a lot of bus stops to go round but I think Congress Park is one of the later ones as we only stopped at the Springs before heading out of the resort and on to Hollywood Studios.


The bus wasn't busy so we picked the hot seats (the back row near the engine) which we normally dread having to sit on during the heat of the day but on a chillier (by August standards) night we were in need of the warmer seats!


We arrived at HS at 8:10 and headed over to bag check. A girl stopped us on the way to say she liked our backpacks which was nice!




At this time of night there was no one else waiting for bag check so we got through quickly and neither of us were picked to go through the scanners either!


This was our first visit to HS this trip and it felt odd to be arriving in the evening!


We were soon heading through the tapstiles and into the park!


As we walked onto Hollywood Boulevard Lauren and I were thrilled to see that for the first time in years there was no hideous stage blocking the view of the Chinese theatre!


No stage!


I actually liked the hat, but not its location in front of the theatre so as sad as we were to see it go last year we were also really excited to finally see the theatre as the centrepiece again! As I mentioned in my trip report last year we were gutted to see the massive stage for the Frozen show in front of it!


There was still a small stage in front of it for the Star Wars show but as we learnt when we eventually saw that show, it has a retractable screen so when not in use it drops down so the beautiful view of the theatre isn't hindered!


We didn't have time to linger though as we know how quickly the Fantasmic theatre can fill up (having had to watch it from the standing only area before) so we headed straight there.


We'd originally talked about maybe getting a snack to take in with us while we watched the show but we were both too full from dinner.


It's a bit of a trek over to the theatre but we got in at 8:25. We were pleased to see that it wasn't too busy and we managed to get fairly central seats which was nice!






Our view


Although the seats (well benches) are super uncomfortable I do love the atmosphere in the build up to the show starting!


They had a DJ playing music like they'd had at the Frozen dance party last year (which we really missed this trip as it was so much fun). In fact we did wonder if it was the same guy as he played a lot of the same music like Journey's don't stop believing, shut up and dance and a couple of the frozen songs. Either that or he'd just been given the same playlist hehe. Those songs bought back so many memories of last summer at the dance party!


The left side of the theatre started a Mexican wave which went back and forth pretty much until the show started!


Now that it was dark out it was even colder than before and here's something I thought I'd never say on an August trip but as the show went on I started to get really cold and wished I'd bought a cardi with me!


The show was amazing as always! I know this isn't everyone's cup of tea but Lauren and I totally love it!


I love those first few bars of the music! I can't help but smile when I hear it!


A week or so before our trip, as I'm sure many of you saw/heard about, Dopey had taken a tumble and slipped through the bars on the upper deck of Steamboat Willie's boat and fallen on top of Goofy. It looked like a really nasty fall although I think both CM's involved were ok.


After this accident apparently the boat had been removed from the show while extra safety features were added. Due to this we were fully expecting not to see the boat go round so we were pleasantly surprised when it did! All the characters were aboard too!


I can't say we noticed any obvious safety changes to the boat but I'm sure there was and we just couldn't see it. Either way we were both happy to have seen the boat go round!


Having said that looking at the photos now I think they might have added a border around the deck to make the gap between that and the bar smaller!




Lauren’s pictures of the boat


At this point Fantasmic started at 9 and the Star Wars fireworks started at 9:30 (Fantasmic is around 30 minutes long) so if you rushed it was just possible to see both on one night although it's unlikely you'd have gotten a good view of the projections on the theatre which are really a huge part of the show.


However later in August they changed the scheduling to Fantasmic at 8:30 and the fireworks at 8:45 which just seems a bit ridiculous really as Fantasmic would still be on when the fireworks started as I'm sure you'd be able to hear them from the amphitheatre which distracts from the show I'd imagine. It also means there's no chance of catching both on one night. Bizarre scheduling but I'm sure it makes sense to Disney.


I digress we made it back to Hollywood Boulevard just as the fireworks began! We both got goosebumps as we heard the opening music and it was tempting to stay and watch it but we were coming back the next night to watch it and later in the trip as we had booked the Star Wars dessert party!


We were also keen to get out to the buses quickly before the fireworks finished too and there was even more people heading for the bus stops!


We power walked out and spotted an OKW bus just pulling in with only a short line of people! Hooray!


We got on the bus at 9:35 and waited for the bus to fill up a bit more.


We left just after 9:40 and made it back to our bus stop at 10.


We walked back to the villa and had showers etc before going to bed at 10:30 after such a busy day!


Thanks for reading x

[Bullpeppar]

Amazing as ever, well done Aimee.

[mobeckwith]

wow,what a busy exciting fun filled day,with tonnes of food also.great detailed trippie mo x

[thepricefamily]

Another great read, thank you! Your poor dad on 7DMT!

[jemima2]

That was brilliant, loved reading it as usual...that Christmas tree in the shop while it was raining 😍

[lottie89]

Yay! Great day, you got so much done, even with an afternoon nap. I love your backpacks! x