I just got back from my latest Disney World Vacation - my first for 2019! It covered five days, February 3 through 7 (Sunday through Thursday), and I had a fantastic time! Here are all the pictures, videos and stories (before I forget).
For getting to Disney World, sometimes I fly - sometimes I drive (ride). This time, I rode. Although Silver Airways has direct flights between Pensacola and Orlando, I save a lot of money sharing a ride with others and we get to enjoy the scenery along the way like the Florida Welcome Station billboards advertising fresh fruit, free juice and live baby gators. Its a neat stop along the way.
From Pensacola, the drive is about seven hours. Not too bad. I rode with Kevin and we got to Orlando well before dark. Mike and Maureen flew in at about the same time and Tina drove in from Palm Coast. We all met at Disney Springs for drinks, dinner, shopping and fun.
Tina beat all of us to Disney Springs. Kevin and I met her on the boat dock bar behind the Boathouse. Tina had not been there in maybe ever and she was already having a blast by the time we got there. We watched the car boats come in and out and walked along the dock to see all of the collector-worthy boats that are docked behind the Boathouse.
Mike and Maureen met us all at The Wine Bar. We had tried to get a second floor balcony table, but the wait was too long. We would have seen a great view overlooking the lagoon, but we'll do that again some other time.
We made a quick stop on top of the riverboat (Paddlefish) next. The rooftop bar there has an outstanding view of the streets running around the lagoon of Disney Springs and especially of the Rainforest Cafe's volcano. After a round of drinks, we all went over to The Edison for dinner.
The Edison is way cool. You will love it. You walk in their 'secret entrance' and down stairs to the restaurant, bar and entertainment. Sunday night is not a show night so we missed out on that, but we all had a great dinner there. I'll be back, definitely, on a show night.
After dinner, we stopped at Enzo's Hideaway Tunnel bar; and then our next stop, after a quick Lyft over to Mike and Maureen's hotel - the Polynesian, was Trader Sam's. It was late and most of the staff was already packing it up for the night so no big showing of zombies or witch doctors, but we enjoyed our stop there at this great Disney hideaway.
Mike and Maureen called it a night and we did, too. Tina, Kevin and I caught an Uber back to All Star Music Resort. We did not go directly to bed, however. Granted, it was late (after midnight); but the arcade in the hotel caught our attention so we had to stop in for Gigantic Pac Man and Snowboarding. At our ages, the best time to go to arcades is after midnight when the arcades are empty and we don't feel so old with all of the kids running around. It was a great way to end the evening, and I think Tina won a snowboarding medal. Watch the video.
Our first day at Disney for this trip was Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios! I worked from the hotel for most of the day (as does Mike) and then met everyone else at Magic Kingdom. Tina did not stay for the parks. She drove back home that morning, but we were all glad she made the trip to see us and we all had a great time with her the night before at Disney Springs.
Since the Patriots won the Super Bowl (big fiasco over the Saints not winning their game before the Super Bowl), Disney hosted a parade for them at Disney World. The parade would have been at Disneyland if the Rams had won. Maureen and Kevin saw the Patriots parade. I missed it. I did, however, arrive in time for the afternoon parade which I watched on the circle at the entrance. It was a beautiful day and not too crowded.
After the parade, I waited for Maureen and Kevin to meet me at the front only it wasn't Maureen and Kevin. Maureen had already gone back to her hotel to rest and wait for Mike. They would just meet us later at Hollywood Studios. It was Kevin, Roy and Susan that met me at the front of the park. Roy and Susan had been visiting friends and decided to stop at Disney as we would all be down here this same week. It was Roy and Susan's first time joining all of us at Disney World and it was great seeing them. They even ended up upgrading their tickets to Florida Annual Passes before they left that week (it only makes sense).
Kevin helped them with Fast Passes+ and dinner reservations before we all caught a bus over to Hollywood Studios for the night. We weren't able to change the existing reservation that Mike, Maureen, Kevin and I had for dinner at the Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater, but Kevin was able to get them a table at the Hollywood Brown Derby which is also where we all stopped for drinks while waiting on Mike and Maureen. We got to watch a couple of Star Wars character shows while there, too.
We split up for dinner. Roy and Susan ate at Brown Derby and the rest of us at at Sci-Fi. The wait at Sci-Fi seemed like it took forever, but that was really because we got there early hoping for an early table (there was not an early table). After our sci-fi dinner, the four of us had Fast Passes for Slinky Dog in Toy Story. It is really great seeing the Toy Story section of Hollywood Studios all lit up at night. It does not matter if you are a kid or an adult, you will LOVE the lights. Toy Story's nostalgic over-sized Christmas light lighting brings back a LOT of childhood memories. I had not realized how small this section of the park actually is. I think it only has two rides: Slinky Dog and the alien saucers (which I have not ridden yet). The same is true, though, for Animal Kingdom's Pandora section - just two rides. All the same, the four of us rode Slinky Dog and we all love it. It was my second time riding it. It is a roller coaster that is just the right mix to be great for kids and for adults.
Parade time at Magic Kingdom on a beautiful Monday
Peter Pan, Wendy, Captain Hook
Mickey and Minnie at Magic Kingdom
We Know!
Noah and Buzz Lightyear
Toy Story, I LOVE the lights!
Leaving Hollywood Studios and watching Epcot fireworks with Mickey.
Tuesday, I started the day early with Maureen and Kevin at Epcot. We met for breakfast at the bakery in France, Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie. The bakery opens early and not a lot of people know about it so there is usually not a long line. Since we all found this out a year or so ago, we make a habit of coming here on our trips.
This trip also happened to be during Epcot's Festival of the Arts. It is a pretty recent addition to Epcot's list of annual events and a very nice addition at that. It is great to walk around World Showcase and see all the different artists that come in from around the world. Wyland was there just the week before us. He has a show on TV for painting that I watch pretty often (one day, I'll start painting again).
I took a few pictures of the lagoon at Epcot as we walked around World Showcase. Epcot is changing its nightly fireworks display. For years, it has been IllumiNations - Reflections of Earth. That is all being redone and there is a lot of construction work on the lagoon islands. You'll see barges, boats and heavy equipment in the photos if you zoom in. IllumiNations started in October of 1999 and will be discontinued at the end of summer 2019.The replacement show will initially be named "Epcot Forever" but this is a temporary name and show until the official new show which will start in 2020. I'm sure it will be equally impressive.
Maureen, Kevin and I spent the day around World Showcase including Tutto Gusto, lunch from the different food kiosks (I had lobster and chips from Canada) and a ride on Mexico's Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros (on which I found a hidden Mickey!).
Figment at Epcot's Festival of the Arts
The Wine Bar in Italy. Love it.
Spaceship Earth's mural showing us going the caves to the stars.
NASA's control center on Spaceship Earth ride.
After Epcot, Kevin and I had Fast Passes at Animal Kingdom: Kilimanjaro Safaris ride and Flight of Passage. We met Roy and Susan at Nomad's Lounge in between the two. Poor Kevin still doesn't open his eyes on Flight of Passage.
Weird that this is right in the middle of Animal Kingdom and you don't see any people.
Roy, Kevin, Susan, Noah at Nomad's Lounge
After Animal Kingdom, we met up with Mike and Maureen at the Polynesian for fireworks at their club level lounge (Very nice, indoors, air-conditioned, no bugs, with seating and wine. Thanks Mike! Thanks Maureen!) and then dinner at Ohana. Ohana serves you so much food that you will most definitely not leave there hungry. It was so much food that I had to wave off at least two servers before everybody else stopped eating. Great food. Great entertainment.
Wednesday was our last full day at Disney World with everyone (minus Tina who went home Monday). Same as Tuesday, I started the morning with Maureen and Kevin at the bakery in France at Epcot and then around Epcot checking out any art stands that we missed the previous day. In the afternoon, we took a Lyft over to the Polynesian to wait for Mike to finish work. Mike and Maureen were staying on the club level at the Polynesian so the three of us waited in the club lounge which faces the Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom. It has a great view with large two story windows... and complimentary wine.
Once Mike wrapped up for the day, we took a boat over to Magic Kingdom for a couple of Fast Passes for the Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan. Roy and Susan met us there as well and all of us watched Mickey's PhilharMagic. PhilharMagic premiered in 2003 and has a mass appeal for lots of people, and everyone loves it on hot summer days. I know Susan loved it as she laughed through the whole show.
I had dinner that evening with Mike, Maureen and Kevin at Monsieur Paul's Restaurant in France at Epcot. I do not think any of us had eaten there before and it was a very nice dining experience. Perhaps a little more formal than I prefer for Disney, but great service and great food. We did sit through the fireworks just after our dinner, but the windows at Monsieur Paul are not very large so we could only see parts of the show. Still, it was very nice to see the fireworks from the second floor.
Pink Trumpet Trees are everywhere at Disney World
Mary Poppins
Artists at Epcot's Festival of the Arts
Polynesian Club Level Lounge
Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom
Disney Graveyard
Outside Mickey's PhilharMagic
Peter Pan - No Riders
I think Kevin, Mike, Maureen and I add nicely to this painting.
