Day 8 - Thursday, November 30, 2017
Another glorious morning at Disney World and another monorail ride to Epcot!
You may have spotted these ears in a previous trip report. However, I neglected to share where they are from and the extra special and super talented friend whose shop I purchased them from! My dear friend Chrissy of AdventuresInDIYShop on Etsy creates incredibly comfortable, well made, and super cute ears! I took quite a collection of ears with me (many Disney Parks official ears) yet found myself reaching for these Christmas cuties the majority of the trip! Disney official ears can give me a headache fairly quickly and I never had that issue with these, plus polka dots and a Minnie bow, how could I resist?! If you're planning a Disney trip and are looking for unique ears to pack, I highly recommend Chrissy's creations! You can find her shop, AdventuresInDIYShop, HERE!
Breakfast Date for Two
We decided to split up briefly at the start of the day. The girls headed to Future World and Jason and I went to a quiet World Showcase spot. Here's a tip for you - World Showcase doesn't open until 11am, but Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie (the scrumptious quick service restaurant in the France pavilion) opens with Epcot hours prior to the rest of the pavilions! Not everyone realizes this, so you can grab a yummy bite and feel like you have this perfectly Parisian pavilion and restaurant nearly to yourself at times in the early morning!
So many goodies to choose from here!
Jason simply can't resist a quiche!
A sunny PhotoPass snapshot
Anyone care for a spot of tea?
Christmas crackers in U.K.
Morocco Pavilion
Such a gorgeous view!
Italy Pavilion
Aren't these Santa Mickey topiaries too cute?! I wish I couldn't taken one home with us!
Germany Pavilion
When I visited Germany years ago I went to a teddy bear shop that was very similar to Der Teddybar. Each time I pop in here at Epcot it reminds me of that European vacation. I love how authentic Epcot's World Showcase truly is!
When in Mexico it's time for a margarita!
Cheers to a beautiful day at Epcot!
Sweets for the sweet!
We had another fastpass for Frozen Ever After that morning. I was so glad Jason scored us multiple fastpasses for it! It is such a cute ride!
Soon we boarded another boat, this time a Friendship bound for Hollywood Studios!
Gertie in all her Christmasy glory!
Lunch at the Backlot Express
Honestly, Hollywood Studios doesn't have a lot of delicious quick service options right now, so we thought we'd give Backlot Express a go.
Burgers, fries, and chicken, oh my! This lunch was just "ok". I hate to give negative reviews, but I don't want to steer anyone wrong either. This "Royal Guard Burger" (1/3 lb. angus beef topped with barbecued brisket, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickles) sounded great, but tasted like a bland burger topped with prepackaged barbecued meat. It wasn't awful, but will not be a repeat meal for me.
Citizens of Hollywood
This is a bittersweet memory. We always love stopping and watching the hilarious Citizens of Hollywood improving with hilarious results! My personal favorite has always been Mimi Kaboom, seen here in her signature green. She was incredibly talented and always brought joy and laughter with each performance we saw throughout the years. Sadly, a few weeks after we watched, laughed, and cheered for her, she committed suicide. I am so glad we stopped to watch her perform, unknowingly, one last time. My heart breaks for her loved ones and the streets of Hollywood won't be the same without her.
March of the First Order
My Star Wars loving family loved this!
What do you do while waiting in a bus line? Take giggly selfies, of course!
We returned for a late afternoon and evening "home" at our resort.
On this lovely afternoon Princess and I explored together, taking a nice walk followed by some swinging on the beach.
Here's a look at the boat guests can take to and from Magic Kingdom from the Poly.
These photos also show just how close the Polynesian Village Resort is to the Contemporary Resort (pictured above) and the Grand Floridian (pictured below).
I spy Space Mountain and Cinderella Castle!
They recently added this fencing along with warning signs to keep guests out of/away from the waters.
I think they did a great job with this. Not only does it keep the guests safe, it blends nicely with the surroundings.
The Polynesian Village Bungalows
Space Mountain peeking out from behind these bungalows
As night fell we hung out on the balcony awaiting a Disney dream come true...
We had 'Ohana delivered to our room! That's right, guests of the Polynesian can have the same feast enjoyed at the Poly's restaurant 'Ohana delivered to their room as room service! If you've read some of my reports from past trips you'll know that 'Ohana is a long time favorite restaurant of ours. If you've never been to the restaurant I recommend securing an advanced dining reservation for it and eating in the dining room as they have music, games for the kids, and a fun tropical atmosphere. However, since we'd been so many times over the years, but had never had the opportunity to enjoy this feast in-room we were thrilled to do so this trip!
Polynesian Twilight Feast
This feasts boasts all the deliciousness offered family style at
'Ohana. It comes complete with:
Starters: 'Ohana Pineapple Coconut Bread and Mixed Greens Salad with Lilikoi Dressing
Appetizers: Pork Dumplings tossed in a Garlic Ginger Sauce and Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings served with Peanut and Sweet-n-Sour Sauces
Entree: Stir-Fried Vegetables, Noodles tossed in Teriyaki Sauce with Fresh Vegetables
Sweet-n-Sour Chicken, Szechuan Sirloin Steak, and Spicy Grilled Peel-n-Eat Shrimp all prepared over an oak fire
Dessert:
'Ohana Bread Pudding a la mode topped with Caramel Sauce and Bananas
Yep, it's every bit as delectable as it sounds, friends!
You're looking at a dream come true right here, 'Ohana in bed in my pajamas! Oh, happy night!
This meal truly is a FEAST! At the advice of the cast member we placed our order with we didn't order one serving per person. We ordered for 2 adults and 1 child and still had an entire plate of food that went untouched! It was amazing!
After dinner we walked down to the beach to catch the electronic water pageant. You can barely see the final "float" in these shots, but we did watch it again and get better pics on another night. I look forward to sharing more with you then. ;)
Seeing Cinderella Castle lit up at night from our resort never got old!
Back in our room we watched a Disney Christmas special from Disney World! We love watching these types of programs from home, and there was something extra special about watching Cinderella castle there on the television, knowing that if we took a short stroll outside we could see that same lit castle from where we stood! It's the little things!
Thanks for joining me for another recap! It's such a joy to have these magical memories captured here, and so much fun to share them all with you as well!
Also, don't forget to check out the video footage from this day at my family's YouTube Channel,
Direct Links to Previous Trip Report Tuesday Blog Posts:
I appreciate each comment, & "like"! They let me know that you enjoyed what you read, which makes it worth sharing! ;)
SUPER CUTE ears, yummy food....oh my...that Bread Pudding!!!, beautiful flowers, amazing sights but more importantly SMILES for MILES and loving the recaps from my favorite family!
ReplyDeleteYour comments, my dear sweet friend, bring big smiles too! Thanks so much for being beautifully you!!
DeleteVery cool about the France pavilion spot opening early, I didn't know that! I always thought there is a closed off rope, or can you just walk around the World Showcase at that early time? That baby in your Frozen picture is so cute! That is sad about the Citizen of Hollywood. The meal in your room looks yum!
ReplyDeleteYou can enter World Showcase up to the France and Norway pavilions as those two countries offer breakfasts. Norway's Akershus Royal Banquet Hall hosts a princess character breakfast and their bakery is open as well. All fun breakfast options for sure! Yes, we will really miss Mimi Kaboom. So very sad. 'Ohana is delicious! It was a dream come true getting it as room service! :)
DeleteEpcot is my favorite! Now I want to visit the Germany pavillion at Christmas time!
ReplyDeleteLOVE Epcot too! It's beautiful year round, but Christmastime is extra special! :) Thanks so much for stopping by, Kimberly!
DeleteI love this so much! You know I absolutely LOVE World Showcase! That O'hana meal in the room seems absolutely perfect! And those views! So magical!
ReplyDeleteThank you! This day filled with Epcot magic and beauty followed by in-room scrumptiousness was a fun one to recap! Thanks so much for being here to share with and for taking the time to leave such a sweet comment too! xo!
DeleteLes Halles Boulangerie Patisserie sounds like a place I need to hit when we get to Epcot next summer! I love breakfast treats! And, I had no idea you could have Ohana sent to your room! We ate there for the first time our last visit and it was delicious!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
curlycraftymom.com
Absolutely, Carrie! You'd love the patisserie and all the tasty treats found there!
DeleteSo glad you enjoyed 'Ohana during your last visit! It really is so delicious! Keep that 'Ohana room service idea in mind if you stay at the Poly again. It was so much fun to get it delivered right to our room!
Ohana for room service! How amazing! Totally craving that right now!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing my ears again! They look great on you, of course! I love everything about the Poly - so glad you guys were able to stay there!!
ReplyDelete