Steve & Sue take the Convertible to Disney: Day 6 is started! About This Page:

[SharonK0527]

I'm loving your TR so far Sue!! I agree with you - Coconut Shrimp - YUM!!!

Keep it coming - can't wait to read more!

[Colexis Mom]

Another great update Sue

Sounds like you room was great, even though it wasn't where you wanted at first! Dinner sounds very yummy! Can't wait to hear about the rest of your adventures

[DrDolphin]

Great report so far!!! I can't wait to read more!

[luvnwdwgal]

What a special moment to hear "Dream Weaver" as you're crossing the Florida border! I love that song too! Looking forward to more!!

[statelady01]

Looking forward to more!!!!!!!!!!

[goofy4goofy]

Isn't the coconut shrimp there the best?? I love Olivia's!

I can't wait for the next installment!

Kelly

[crystalloubear]

Great trip report. If you're hooked on Waffle House now there is one in Allentown on Airport Road by BJ's Wholesale.
I love the pina colada sauce that comes with the coconut shrimp!!
Can't wait to hear more!!

[MegglesMom]

Just got caught up... fabulous report!

[Wendyismyname]

Love it!
Thanks Sue for writing one!!

[chezp]

Your "half" day sounds wonderful and Old Key West sounds beautiful - I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your dinner at Olivia's, as we're eating there for the first time in December! More please!

[pparm]

Looking forward to the rest!
Paula ºOº

[rescuesk]

Who: Steve, 46, and Sue, 44, 11th trip to WDW

When: 9/30 till 10/10

Where: Old Key West/Hilton Head

Why: We own the perfect Florida car now, so LET'S GO!

Day 1!!!

Day 1 (OK, day 3 of vacation but our first real full non driving relax we are here day!! ) was hot and sunny! I woke up to the smell of coffee brewing (love those villas!). Steve made us coffee which we enjoyed out on our patio. We were up early enough to make Rope Drop, so we got dressed and strolled to the bus stop. The first bus was for the Magic Kingdom! OK, we are on a roll. It's only 8:30, we can do this! Now, we were near the SouthPoint bus stop, which was bus stop number 2, which meant we had two more to go to as well as the Hospitality House. We got to the third stop and the bus driver lowered the lift for an ECV to get on. She got on with no problem, but then...the lift got stuck in the down position! No matter what the driver did, he couldn't get it to work! At least 6 buses came by, even one for MK, but by that time the other buses were filling up. Finally, he got the lift to retract. Now it was....8:45! Oh well, no rope drop today! We did make it to the MK within a few minutes of opening, and we still got to see the characters and the trolley singers!

We headed right to our favorite place, the Main St. Bakery. I had the yogurt and fruit parfait, Steve had banana nut bread and a croissant, plus coffees. It was crowded in the park, and most of the tables were taken. So we took our trays down to the tables below the Plaza. This is a smoking section, but it is so wide open and there were so few people there that we didn't even notice if people were smoking! We have never sat here before! (Another first!) We ate our breakfast overlooking the Castle, the moat and the old Swan Boat loading dock. After awhile, several birds flew to the table next to us to see what we were doing. Now, let me reiterate as I have mentioned in past reports I have never seen an underfed bird at Walt Disney World. These guys were no exception. We started by giving them some crumbs, and soon, they were eating out of our hands (literally) One bird had one leg, but he didn't seem any worse for it! And he ate as much as the rest of them!

After breakfast, it was off to do some of our favorite rides. We did Phlharmagic, the Carousel, HM, the Liberty Belle, and then decided to go to Tom Sawyer's Island. We haven't done this since 1992, when Michael was 6 and was terrifed of Injun Joe's Caves! We took the raft ride over and went exploring. It was cool, and pretty, and partially CLOSED!! I know they were doing rehab that was supposed to end 9/25, but we figured with all the hurricane cleanup, the resources had been diverted. Still, it was nice to do something different. We did not, however, find the White Paintbrush, and Aunt Polly's was closed! So this was not quite a first, but close enough!

After we came back over to "The Mainland" we did The Enchanted Tiki Room. This was another attratction that wasn't quite a first, but was close enough. We haven't been here since 1998!! Then it was time for our lunch PS. Every trip, Steve insists we go to Tony's. Even if I try to fool him and don't make a PS, we end up there anyway. I've kind of given up. Luckily, I like it too, so it's not really a hardship! So we were off! We were seated quickly, and then the CM asked what we wanted to drink. Hmmm..ice tea or lemonade? So our CM says, Did you ever try an "Arnold Palmer"? Umm...no...? She said she would bring us one. It was half lemonade and half iced tea. Mmmm it was good! It's named Arnold Palmer because it's Arnold's favorite drink! (Another first) We each had the lunch sized spaghetti and meatballs (Good thing I had a light breakfast! ) It was great, as always. After lunch, we walked through some of the shops, and I picked up some postcards. We decided to head back to the resort because we had PS for CP tonight!

We went back to the resort where a cool room and a nice nap awaited us. We rested, and then it was back to the MK for dinner and a few other surprises!!

We arrived back just in time for our dinner at Crystal Palace. This was another first..we have done breakfast here, but never dinner. There was a huge crowd outside, at least 50-75 people waiting, and we figured on a long wait, despite PS. The CM at check in said about 15 minutes. OK, that's not too bad. Well, it was more like 5 minutes! How cool was that? We were in and ready for an adventure with Pooh and friends! I hadn't remembered how big this place is! It's very deceiving from the outside, but it is one huge restaurant! The characters were on the other side of the dining room, so we headed up to the buffet. I went for salads first, Steve went right to the entrees. Everything was great! I went back to the buffet and tried the entrees and the carving station. The beef was delicious! It was seasoned, and tender and soooo good! Soon the characters made their way around, and we got pictures and autographs. (We are planning on loading the computer program in that will allow us to upload the digital pictures from our camera, so hopefully I will be able to post them before I am done with the report!) We of course, saved room for dessert, which was as great as everything else. I would highly recommend this buffet, not only for characters and location, but for the food!!

We did a few more things after dinner, including Jungle Cruise in the dark, where Steve did his own monologue along with the CM. She really enjoyed it, and we had everyone laughing on the boat. She actually thanked him for making her trip more interesting! Then we went and staked out a place for Spectromagic. This has to be my favorite ever parade. I could watch this every night and not complain. I finally bought the CD so I can play it over and over and over again. These pixies give you a rough idea of what Steve looks like after a car trip with me playing this CD many MANY times: Anyway, we got a good spot on the bridge near the Castle. Soon the lights went down, the music began, it was starting! We noticed that they had added some new things!!! New floats, a few different characters, oh I was in heaven. After Spectromagic was over, we hung out in the general area we were in to wait for Wishes. We were not disappointed. We were right in front of the Castle, we saw Tinkerbell fly, and we had a great view of the show. I got some really great pictures with my new (35mm) camera. This show makes me tear up, especially when you think about what they are saying! OK, so I now own this CD as well! (I don't know if Steve will ever get in the car with me again, come to think of it! )

After the show, the crowds thinned out considerably, but we were waiting... I had read about the "Good Night Kiss" and we were waiting! A few other people were waiting, too, so I guess we aren't the only ones who knew that little secret! At 9:30, it began! It was even more beautiful then it looked on the computer video! I think the word "spellbound" would be appropriate. It is definitely worth waiting for. Also, another first!!

We strolled out of the Magic Kingdom hand in hand . We weren't really tired, so we decided to walk over to the Contemporary Resort for a nightcap. We strolled through the lobby, and then went to "The Outer Rim". We sat at the bar and ordered the house specialty. It was a wonderful concotion made of Coconut rum, Melon Liquer, Vodka, Pineapple Juice and sour mix. Very good!! We are going to try 3 things in our WDW career: to stay at every resort at least once, to eat dinner at every restaurant in World Showcase and to have a drink in every resort lounge. We have done The Belle Vue Room (BW) and Fransciso's (CSR). Now we have added CR to the list.

After our drinks, we hopped the resort monorail to over to the Poly. We were going to hang out there for awhile, but we were starting to get tired. On the way there, we ended up in the Monorail with a very loud, very intoxicated group of people. I was a little concerned that they were literally going to fall off the monorail, but they did OK. It was an interesting ride. We decided to go back to the resort instead. We got off the monorail, and the Downtown Disney bus was waiting!! We hopped on, and in no time at all, we were at DD. The OKW bus took about 3 minutes to get there (Were we lucky or what tonight?) and soon we were back at OKW.

All in all, it was a truly magical day. We were asleep soon, though. Tomorrow was Animal Kingdom and Awakenings, and we wanted to get an early start!

Next: Day 2: Steve gets wet, we eat too much and "Trick or Treat!"

[Jillybean]

Aw Sue, you brought a tear to my eye reading about your Wishes experience. You are a great trip reporter.

Jill

[LizardCop]

Great Update Sue....

It gave me a couple of new ideas, and places to check out...

Thanks!!!

MORE [img]http://smileys.*************.com/cat/23/23_31_4.gif[/img]

[DopeyGirl]

Just got caught up on your TR . . . great so far!!! But, I am wondering . . . just what the heck is a "Sultry Seahorse"?!