The Aussietravellers Adventures continue... Updated - Day 26 - Part 1

[PrincessInOz]

Great updates. I can actually say that when we had breakfast at Cape May, we were handed the pager and we went around the corner to sit down. Before we could even sit down, the pager went off. Not quite "seated immediately" but close. Of course, having a 7.30 am ADR might have had something to do with Disney's idea of immediacy .

Out of curiosity, the laundry you went to - was that on the YC side? It certainly doesn't sound like the laundry we went to when we stayed at BCV.

 

[aussietravellers]

Great updates. I can actually say that when we had breakfast at Cape May, we were handed the pager and we went around the corner to sit down. Before we could even sit down, the pager went off. Not quite "seated immediately" but close. Of course, having a 7.30 am ADR might have had something to do with Disney's idea of immediacy .

Out of curiosity, the laundry you went to - was that on the YC side? It certainly doesn't sound like the laundry we went to when we stayed at BCV.

We had a quick page at Cape May's too the first time (our check in morning) as we were the first to check in, but the wait was still long enough to go and sit, then get a text that our room was ready and walk to the reception desk to get the room number and then the pager went off, so it would have been 5 minutes I suppose and we were the first people in the restaurant With a 5 minute wait for a table

No it was the BC laundry, but I did find out that there is another one. The one I went to was just near the quiet pool, there are signs all down the hall leading to this laundry and when I first asked where it was, the housekeeper said its down there at the end of the hall. When I had finished the laundry a woman came in to get her stuff out of the machine and into the dryer and I said how ridiculous this laundry is, only one machine working and no coin machine etc. She said there was another laundry outside near the quiet pool (how weird having two near each other) and she said it was bigger than this one, but still only has one machine working! Will be checking out the YC laundry today.

 

[aussietravellers]

This morning we had breakfast at Kouzzina. So we walked over to the Boardwalk.

Joining us was a little friend, but he decided to stop just before we got to the Boardwalk. He did not seem fazed by us walking with him, it was a classic and he walked over the bridge, so cute.

Breakfast was absolutely delicious! It is up there with Boma i have to say, only it is not a buffet, it's a menu only restaurant. The food was so fresh and yummy, we enjoyed every bite.

We started with a fruit plate to share

Then had

and the feta, tomato and spinach (I didn't have tomato) omelette

This was so delicious.

Service was so quick, we were in and out of there in about 40 minutes!

After breakfast we went back to get ready to go to Blizzard Beach

After being so hot the other day at Typhoon Lagoon and i was starting to feel like I was coming down with something we decided to hire a cabana for the day. Oh we loved this! It comes with your own roped off cabana and seating for 6. It comes with a locker and towels in the cabana and also includes a refillable mug for use that day for up to 6 people. You also have an attendant and there is a menu in there so when you want lunch or snacks they will get it for you (you have to pay for the food) and bring it to you to eat in your cabana. Tip is included, asked about that and they said no they don't accept tips

So here are some of the photos of our cabana

We were overrun by these little critters at BB. They are called lovebugs and they are everywhere. It's funny seeing cars sometimes then are literally covered in these squished bugs

We like Blizzard Beach better than Typhoon Lagoon. Not sure why, just like the feel of it better. Here are some other BB shots.

After spending the day at BB we went back to the hotel and dropped our things and went out to have a look at the Food and Wine festival that had started that day. I had seen the Aussie stall and was desperate to try a lamington. Well you can read my review and our afternoon at the food and wine festival in a post earlier.

After the wandering around Epcot we were really tired, it had been a busy day. So we headed back to the room for a rest and we had a late dinner at Yachtmas Steakhouse, well the ADR was actually an hour earlier than i had realised so I was posting away on Dis about our first adventure at food and wine fest and I realised we had to go. Luckily it was only downstairs, but with our room being halfway back to Australia it was a long long walk

We made it on time and were as usual told to have a seat. We waited about 15 minutes and were then taken to the table. I was blown away When we were handed our menus, at the top of the menus were my and DS's names and wishing us Happy Birthday! Printed on the menu! I couldn't believe it.

So our waiter came over, he was so lovely and we ordered our dinner. Some bread came out which was delicious and it has roasted garlic, YUM!

and then we waited and waited...... waited....... waited. Then our waiter came over apologising as there had been an error. The machine had malfunctioned or run out of paper, something, as our order had gone through so the kitchen hadn't receive it So he apologised and he kept coming over to say it won't be long.

When the food eventually arrived, it was worth the wait. It was absolutely delicious!

Filet

Side dish of spinach

Side dish of macaroni and cheese with truffle oil

Childs grilled chicken

Now aside from the hiccup with the length of time, I have to say this was the best service we have received at WDW so far in any restaurant. The food was also just incredible an the printing of our names on the menu was a really nice touch. Yachtmans steakhouse is on our must do list and I'm upset we don't have another ADR there before we go! It was so good!

After dinner we went back to the room for bed. It was late and we had had a very busy day and I was really feeling at this stage like I was coming down with a very nasty bug!

 

[PrincessInOz]

We had a quick page at Cape May's too the first time (our check in morning) as we were the first to check in, but the wait was still long enough to go and sit, then get a text that our room was ready and walk to the reception desk to get the room number and then the pager went off, so it would have been 5 minutes I suppose and we were the first people in the restaurant With a 5 minute wait for a table

No it was the BC laundry, but I did find out that there is another one. The one I went to was just near the quiet pool, there are signs all down the hall leading to this laundry and when I first asked where it was, the housekeeper said its down there at the end of the hall. When I had finished the laundry a woman came in to get her stuff out of the machine and into the dryer and I said how ridiculous this laundry is, only one machine working and no coin machine etc. She said there was another laundry outside near the quiet pool (how weird having two near each other) and she said it was bigger than this one, but still only has one machine working! Will be checking out the YC laundry today.

We used the one outside and swam in the quiet pool. It was easy to check on laundry as we just had to towel down and pop our head into the laundry. I remember that it had at least 3 or 4 washers (and I know that at least 2 were working because we used 2) and a couple of dryers. I cannot remember if it had a change machine - but then DH got there before me to load the washing, so he may well have done the trek across to the Marketplace.

 

[PrincessInOz]

And I just missed Day 17!

We ate at Kouzzina's for dinner. I loved most of the meal; except I had a steak and it wasn't cooked properly - burnt on the outside and red inside - way too overdone for my medium rare tastes. Everything else was fabulous.

Thanks for posting the lovebug. I'm kinda hoping that they might still be around at the end of the month. Don't think I've ever seen one before (and before anyone laughs at me, I have a major in Zoology so animals of all kinds fascinate me ).

Your food porn pictures are GREAT . Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[aussietravellers]

And I just missed Day 17!

We ate at Kouzzina's for dinner. I loved most of the meal; except I had a steak and it wasn't cooked properly - burnt on the outside and red inside - way too overdone for my medium rare tastes. Everything else was fabulous.

Thanks for posting the lovebug. I'm kinda hoping that they might still be around at the end of the month. Don't think I've ever seen one before (and before anyone laughs at me, I have a major in Zoology so animals of all kinds fascinate me ).

Your food porn pictures are GREAT . Thanks so much for sharing.

Funny, the love bugs don't seem to be around BC/YC much. There were so many of them at AKL but at the waterparks they are insane! They were everywhere! Some areas we would walk and there would be black areas and they were all squashed love bugs on the ground. DS said that even our Aussie flies are not as annoying as these bugs! He then said "I don't know who called them love bugs, like I know the bugs must be in love seeing they are stuck together but really, nobody could love one of those bugs, they should be called annoying bugs" I hope you get to see them, there are so many I can't see them going anywhere before you go. If you don't see them in the sky you will certainly see them all over the cars.

 

[shushh]

EEwwww to bugs and snakes. Do the bugs bite?

So sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well. Hope the rest of the trip goes smoothly.

I LOVED the cakes. They were gorgeous. The detail is amazing. We are ordering cakes with Disney as well for a 3rd Birthday of one of the little girls at CRT. Can't wait to see what they come up with.

Loving the details and the photos. Couldn't help laughing at the lamington!

 

[AussieDisneyNut]

What a fantastic trip report ... really enjoying reading it and especially love all the photos. The cakes look awesome (as my DD would say). I wonder if Disneyland does cakes like that?? I will be celebrating my 40th there next year and would love a castle cake . Hope you feel better soon, nothing worse than being sick on holidays.

 

[5ofus]

I'm loving the trip report too! Those cakes... YUM!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

I'm really enjoying your latest updates. The cakes are wonderful, I wish I could come back for my 40th next year but I will just enjoy looking at photos of yours.

Sorry to hear you are still not well, I truly hope things improve soon.

The love bugs are truly bizarre aren't they. AK was full of them, yukky things.

Hope you are still enjoying lots of great restaurants and look forward to more pics.

 

[aussietravellers]

EEwwww to bugs and snakes. Do the bugs bite?

So sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well. Hope the rest of the trip goes smoothly.

I LOVED the cakes. They were gorgeous. The detail is amazing. We are ordering cakes with Disney as well for a 3rd Birthday of one of the little girls at CRT. Can't wait to see what they come up with.

Loving the details and the photos. Couldn't help laughing at the lamington!

No the bug's don't bite, thank goodness. We are often in the lift going to the room and have a chuckle at the others in the lift, transporting a lovebug on their back up to their room Funny thing is, we probably have a stowaway lovebug on us too

What a fantastic trip report ... really enjoying reading it and especially love all the photos. The cakes look awesome (as my DD would say). I wonder if Disneyland does cakes like that?? I will be celebrating my 40th there next year and would love a castle cake . Hope you feel better soon, nothing worse than being sick on holidays.

I am sure that Disneyland does cakes. I am sure that I have seen them ordered. I have a feeling they are ordered through vacation planning or whatever they are called at Disneyland.

I'm loving the trip report too! Those cakes... YUM!

Thanks

I'm really enjoying your latest updates. The cakes are wonderful, I wish I could come back for my 40th next year but I will just enjoy looking at photos of yours.

Sorry to hear you are still not well, I truly hope things improve soon.

The love bugs are truly bizarre aren't they. AK was full of them, yukky things.

Hope you are still enjoying lots of great restaurants and look forward to more pics.

Thanks. I'm enjoying your your reporting also

Yes the love bugs are really bizarre. We found them to be the worst at Blizzard Beach, although we did have a lot on our balcony at AKL. I am still enjoying the restaurants, although have cancelled a few and have been slack on photo taking of the meals since our friends have arrived.

 

[aussietravellers]

So today was an exciting day and also a very busy day and also a day filled with unplanned drama. I will add photos later as I haven't uploaded them yet and photobucket is tilling me I"m near my monthly limit and wants me to pay and upgrade, ah not doing that

We woke up this morning and went down to Cape May for breakfast. Oddly we were seated at exactly the same table as a few mornings earlier. This seems to be a bit of a pattern with us. We go to a restaurant a second time and we end up sitting where we went last and sometimes you like a different view or outlook. Anyway breakfast was delicious as usual, a yummy buffet with great character interaction. Whilst at breakfast our friends who had been on a 2 week Disney Cruise called to say they were getting off the ship soon and they would call when they arrived at WDW.

After breakfast we went back to our room. I had been to the bathroom and notice the carpet area outside the toilet (where the sinks are) was very wet in one patch. I couldn't work out how on earth we had wet the floor so much out there, when we did have floor mats in the bathroom but oh well. Then the mousekeeper came in. I told her that was fine, we were leaving in a minute so it's was fine for her to do her thing. Next thing there was knocking and knocking at our door. Before I could get to the door (yes, nobody else seems to get up for the door ) the knockers came in. It was the housekeeping manager and another manager "just wanting to look at something" "sure I said" So they were feeling around on the floor in the entry hall and near the interconnecting door and they said "thanks" and they left. I said to the mousekeeper that was a big strange and she said there was a little leak next door So I said to her, "oh, there is this water patch near the bathroom, I went over and when I touched it with my foot, my foot disappeared under the water, the floor was SOAKED. So I went outside and they were still outside with various other people, all on walkie talkies. So they came back in and even in that time it was worse, a much bigger area, totally saturated. So in comes a guy with a big vacuum thing and the more he tried to suck water up the more seemed to arrive. Before we knew it, from the front door to the bedroom and all of the sink area was totally saturated, squilching wet. So we couldn't leave, well I didn't want to. Our room was then open and people coming in and out.

So the room next door to us had turned on some tap and left (the toilet I think ) and it has totally flooded the room, the room below it, the room below me, were also flooded, running down the walls flooded. The hall outside our room between the flooded room and ours was also soaked and being vacuumed up.

So big drama. We couldn't stay in that room, it was going to take a day at least for the carpet to dry and that was with one of those massive loud carpet blowers in the room No thanks!

So we were moved, across the hall, to a waterview

Yes it was annoying as we had to pack up, but they came and moved us, bought new keys up to the room. But it seriously delayed our days plans and we didn't know what time our friends were coming. On top of that I was really feeling this flu or bug taking hold.

Anyway we had an ADR at Coral Reef, so after the move to the new room and an unpack we headed to Epcot.

We had an absolutely delicious meal. Delicious bread to start with. We were sitting at the back which was a shame but we still had a good view of the tank. I had the lobster soup which I actually didn't like

DS had the Caeser Salad (we have taken to asking for the dressing on the side with salads, they over dress them, even likes his on the side too)

and i had the NY Steak and it was absolutely delicious

Perfectly cooked and the mashed potatoes were so good. I am a fillet steak lover, but this was so good, so much better than the steak I had at Le Cellier!

For dessert it was the Wave. OMG..... I can not tell you how yummy this was. My mouth is watering just now thinking about it. I asked my waiter if it was inappropriate to lick the plate He didn't get that I was just joking. Many Aussie jokes or sarcasm falls very flat here What ruined this dessert for me was all of those coloured mickey heads sprinkled over the top. It is such a lovely dessert and with the raspberries and raspberry coulis (and the fake cream) It really did not need the mickey confetti, but I just scraped this off.

Here is the inside of the wave, all warm and runny.

So after lunch we walked over to Fantasia for a round of mini golf. It was just so hot today! Maybe the fact that I wasn't well, the fever had started so I knew I was in for a beauty of a chest infection although it was only in my throat at this stage. I could hardly talk and nobody could understand me as only the odd word would come out when I talked and when I swallowed I am sure I was swallowing a packet of razor blades. But hey, I am at WDW, don't know when we will be coming back, so it was just downing panadine, sucking soothers and carry on.

My ball was stuck here for three shots!

Anyway mini golf was fun. We did the easy course first. Whipped through that. We actually skipped past a couple of holes and went back and did them, there were a few larger groups on the course and they were slow, so we just went past them as we were waiting for ages. We seem to whip through a game of mini golf. Anyway, I won But we decided to do the other side, after an icypole rest break as it was so hot! So we started the other side, but it was not normal mini golf, its more like a real golf course but a small version and really hard. Along the course we saw this fellow.

Second snake sighting at WDW. We got 3/4's of the way around that and were over it! It was so hot, we had to get back to the hotel and change as we had dinner at 1900 Park Fare and then the Wishes Cruise to celebrate my birthday (40th), even though my birthday isn't for a couple of weeks, DS couldn't be out of school at that time, so the celebration has been brought forward.

We were meeting up with our friends at 1900 Park Fare and were really looking forward to seeing them. DS has been friend free the whole trip so he was excited about seeing their kids and having a play.

Dinner was lovely. Sorry I don't actually have any photos of the food. We were too busy catching up on each other's holidays and just tucked in. The food was great and the characters were so funny. The stepsisters are just a crack up.

Our waiter was a bit slack though, he actually added $15 for "tink and buzz" to our bill Always check your bill people. I asked him what this was and he said they are the light up things on the drinks. I said we didn't have anything like that. Oh sorry, my mistake He was also a little slack. They bring around place mats and cupcakes for birthdays, they had everybody getting them at once. All the servers came out with the mats and cupcakes and gave them out to the birthday people, all servers except ours that is, we had another birthday at the table too. We mentioned it to him and he said that he would organise it. Took another ask before he did it. So we were not impressed with him at all. Very slack.

Up Next, Wishes Cruise..

 

[Travel Mum]

So after lunch we walked over to Fantasia for a round of mini golf. It was just so hot today! Maybe the fact that I wasn't well, the fever had started so I knew I was in for a beauty of a chest infection although it was only in my throat at this stage. I could hardly talk and nobody could understand me as only the odd word would come out when I talked and when I swallowed I am sure I was swallowing a packet of razor blades. But hey, I am at WDW, don't know when we will be coming back, so it was just downing panadine, sucking soothers and carry on.

Another great update thanks Aussietravellers but you poor thing feeling like that. It's so unfair that after, all the planning and research into your trip, you have to get sick over there. I bet that freezing air-conditioning was a factor in it! I do so hope that you get better very soon

 

[PrincessInOz]

I hope that you get better soon.

At least you had that WONDERFUL view to console you at BC.

Love the update. And I'm so going to have to get the the Coral Reef....someday. *sigh*

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

What a drama about the room flooding but that new view is pretty special so I'm sure you are happy with the end result.

I'm really sad to hear you are getting sicker, it's really no good at all but I love your attitude about wanting to still enjoy Disney.

You better get back into taking the food pics miss, we live for food pics.

Glad your friends have arrived and that your son is now friend-loaded.

 

[aussietravellers]

Another great update thanks Aussietravellers but you poor thing feeling like that. It's so unfair that after, all the planning and research into your trip, you have to get sick over there. I bet that freezing air-conditioning was a factor in it! I do so hope that you get better very soon

Thank you I do enjoy having a rest and doing my updates. Just miss some days if we have been out all day. Like yesterday, left at 7.30am, came back for a nap at 3.30pm, left at 6pm and back at the room by 1.30am So no time to update yesterday

I hope that you get better soon.

At least you had that WONDERFUL view to console you at BC.

Love the update. And I'm so going to have to get the the Coral Reef....someday. *sigh*

Thank you. Unfortunately I am still quite sick although the fever seems to have broken now. It has moved deep into my chest so I have an absolutely horrendous cough and it get's rather embarassing particularly on the bus or in a confined space if I have a coughing fit and I literally can't stop coughing. I did have to have a big rest on day 20 I think it was, my fever was very very high and we were at 50's Prime Time for lunch and I was shivering, then roasting, sore chest, sore throat, runny nose, horrendous cough! LOVELY one of those people that if they are near me I wish they would get lost and go home to bed so I don't catch it!!!!! So I did just that!

What a drama about the room flooding but that new view is pretty special so I'm sure you are happy with the end result.

I'm really sad to hear you are getting sicker, it's really no good at all but I love your attitude about wanting to still enjoy Disney.

You better get back into taking the food pics miss, we live for food pics.

Glad your friends have arrived and that your son is now friend-loaded.

Oh I have been very slack with the photo taking since my friends have arrived. You won't believe what happened. On day 19 we had DS's birthday party at Ridemakerz (he had our friends kids and also a friend of his from school who happened to be here too and his brother) and at the beginning of the party I dropped my camera onto the concrete floor. When I turned it on it would shudder, I then dropped it AGAIN!!!!! What an idiot! Anyway I have killed it! It does still work, but it is not taking many clear photos and it shakes and it makes this terrible grating noise when turned on. When I'm trying to take a photo it isn't steady, the image (and the camera) is shuddering so the photos are often not clear. Going shopping tomorrow (girls shopping day Child free!) so I will get a new camera I think with the $ looking so good!

How many days have you got before you go home? I'm getting quite sad that the holiday is coming to an end and it's going to be back to reality, school, work, housework, hectic life

 

[5ofus]

I hope you start to feel better soon you poor thing. If you have a chest infection, maybe you should try and get some anti-biotics before the flight home. I'm not a fan of ABs in general, but I think they might be called for in this case.

Feel better and enjoy the shopping!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Oh I have been very slack with the photo taking since my friends have arrived. You won't believe what happened. On day 19 we had DS's birthday party at Ridemakerz (he had our friends kids and also a friend of his from school who happened to be here too and his brother) and at the beginning of the party I dropped my camera onto the concrete floor. When I turned it on it would shudder, I then dropped it AGAIN!!!!! What an idiot! Anyway I have killed it! It does still work, but it is not taking many clear photos and it shakes and it makes this terrible grating noise when turned on. When I'm trying to take a photo it isn't steady, the image (and the camera) is shuddering so the photos are often not clear. Going shopping tomorrow (girls shopping day Child free!) so I will get a new camera I think with the $ looking so good!

How many days have you got before you go home? I'm getting quite sad that the holiday is coming to an end and it's going to be back to reality, school, work, housework, hectic life [/QUOTE]

Oh no about the camera . That is terrible. Actually my camera started playing up today and now won't work at all. Thank goodness this happened today and not at the start of the holiday.

I truly hope you feel better really soon.

We leave tomorrow to go home and I am ready. It's time to get back to reality and I'm ok with that.

 

[aussietravellers]

I hope you start to feel better soon you poor thing. If you have a chest infection, maybe you should try and get some anti-biotics before the flight home. I'm not a fan of ABs in general, but I think they might be called for in this case.

Feel better and enjoy the shopping!

Luckily I did bring some antibiotics with me We have travelled a lot and we are usually prepared for those minor unexpected illnesses

Oh no about the camera . That is terrible. Actually my camera started playing up today and now won't work at all. Thank goodness this happened today and not at the start of the holiday.

I truly hope you feel better really soon.

We leave tomorrow to go home and I am ready. It's time to get back to reality and I'm ok with that.

Yes, that is lucky that your camera had it's issues at the end of the holiday! I hope your camera didn't catch my camera's virus, I didn't think my camera's virus was contagious but maybe it is Hope you get it fixed soon.

I'm not ok with getting back to reality. I could really get used to living in a hotel, having somebody make my bed and give me fresh towels every day, having somewhere to go down to dinner each day and not school pickup, no homework stress (ds hates homework), no work, just a life of leisure Oh I'm dreaming!

Safe trip home tomorrow for you and your family. Enjoy Boma tomorrow too, it really is our very favourite breakfast at WDW. The baked ham is SO good! So was the turkey, but it's not on every day. Oh and the juice, mmmmm. I'm jealous, enjoy

 

[aussietravellers]

Sorry no photos, at my upload limit for the month with photobucket and also I could not find the right setting on my camera and all of the night shots have come out blurry.

After dinner at 1900 Park Fare we had to check in for our Wishes Speciality Cruise down at the Marina at the Grand Floridian. We wandered around and had a little trouble finding the location but we eventually did. We could see our pontoon straight away as it was the only Happy Birthday decorated boat that night. It had a big Happy Birthday Banner and bunches of balloons tied to I guess what would be a roof (that can be folded out if it rains).

We checked in and were introduced to our driver. We then saw the waiter from Private Dining at Grand Floridian arrive with the cake

Chocolate Cake with chocolate mousse filling and chocolate buttercream

I had also organised a party favour for each guest. It was a solid white chocolate character each in a gold box but I didn't want any of them to see them or know about them so I had them leave the tray of those up at the check in house.

The cake was put on the boat, under the Happy Birthday sign. I was terrified it would fall off the boat as we were driving along , but it didn't.

The seats of the boat were all covered in pool towels and there were plenty of rolled pool towels on the boat. I had wondered why there were towels on board. I was hoping not to get wet, it had been so hot and I had not taken a jumper (none of us had) and tonight it was cool and with my flu I was not wanting to be out in that cool air. So those towels came in very handy, not just for me but for everybody, we used them as blankkets Also on board was a tray filled with bags of different types of chips and an eskie with water and other soft drinks. We also got the boat that plays the wishes music during the fireworks.

We took off about 20 past 8pm, first stop was in front of the Contempory Resort. As part of the "tour" (I didn't know it was a tour but that's what our driver kept referring to it as) we would go around to the different resorts and learn a bit if the history of that resort. That was fine, only....... we were being invaded by bugs! Because it was dark we couldn't see what the bugs were, but we were covered in them. So again the towels came in very handy, I had a towel over my shoulders that I then pulled up over my ears and covered my mouth as the bugs would fly around your ears and go up your nose and in your mouth. We asked the driver about the bugs, what were they and would they bite as he didn't seem to be bothered by them. He said he didn't know, they were just a type of lake bug and that they shouldn't bite! Anyway they looked like mozzies and then I realised that the seat back was covered in them. I took a little photo of these bugs as they were very annoying and did make it rather unpleasant, but I can say they were the only downside to this cruise!
There don't look like there were many here, but we were brushing them off the seat backs. We took photos because we couldn't see them in the dark but could with the photo flash in the picture

So after the CR we went and saw fort wilderness, the original animal kingdom island and the abandoned old water park beside fort wilderness (which we couldn't see a lot of due to being in the dark! (and trying to ward off bugs ) We then stopped outside Wilderness Lodge. This looked just beautiful and enormous from the water, i can only imagine how spectacular it is in the day light.

We then went around inbetween the Grand Floridian and Poly which also looked beautiful at night from the water. It's interesting, that lake is HUGE and it's man made! There is a roadway that actually goes under the lake (there is one at Epcot too, near the international gateway entrance coming from BC, YC and BWI, where the road actually goes under the lake and as all things Disney, this is very well camouflaged, you can not tell from the roadway that you are going under the lake and you can not tell from the lake that a road is going under you.

Anyway it was then time to take our position right in front of the castle and Magic Kingdom for the fireworks. We cut the cake and had some and it was SO good! Very rich, but so moist and just delicious. Problem was as you can see from the cake pictures it was very soft and we realised that the forks and napkins for the cake were left on the other tray, with the party favours that was back on the dock So we had to eat with our fingers and luckily we had the towels

The fireworks were just amazing! I do recommend this cruise to anybody and do get the music as it really makes it. It is such an amazing view of the fireworks from directly in front on the water, it was such a wonderful way to see them, we all loved it.

After the fireworks we were kind of stuck, blocked in and could not return to the Grand Floridian right away. We were not bothered by this at all as the reason we were blocked in was because of the water parade that goes around the MK resorts at night and can be viewed down by the lake but the resorts guests and visitors. That parade was fantastic and the kids (and big kids ) absolutely loved it.

After we got back to the dock, we were allowed to take all of the drinks and chips with us as they were paid for apparently and we went up and got the party favours. Here are some of them

The cruise people are not allowed to accept tips, he did keep refusing so I said oh ok, but then he did say that some people do leave them they just hide them somewhere So we hid one somewhere. I did feel bad not leaving one as he was awesome and did a great job. Gosh, who would have thought I'd have been so into tipping No I still greatly dislike it, but I am doing it

So after the cruise we were all very tired so we headed back to our resorts and went to sleep, ready for another day of adventure at WDW.