Happy Tuesday! Let's get right to those Disney deets, shall we?
Day 5 - Thursday, October 13, 2022
We kicked off our day in pairs. Jason and our youngest really wanted to hit Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance while my oldest and I were in the mood for a different start to our day. Jason purchased two individual lightning lane entrances for that incredibly popular attraction and they headed off to Hollywood. Meanwhile my firstborn sweetie and I lingered a bit longer at the resort and leisurely made our way to Hollywood Studios via the skyliner a few hours behind them.
As we entered the park we paused to wish a good morning to Donald and his best gal Daisy.
Then we kicked off our day with sweetness by the spoonful.
Living that vacation life!
After savoring the last of our sweet treats we strolled over to Hollywood Tower Hotel. Goofy and Max were their greeting guests. Seeing Goofy always makes me smile and think of my dad as he's his fave of the Fab 5. Max is a rarer character to spot in the parks and brings my mind to a couple Christmastime fam fave flicks, "Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas" and "Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas", which also make my heart light.
This visit to Hollywood Tower Hotel we were not there for drops and screams, but instead simply to pop into the gift shop as it was our last time at Hollywood Studios during the WDW Annual Passholder 30% discount promotion.
Fun fact, did you know that when you visit this window (just outside the Tower of Terror gift shop) any month of the year it will still feature jack-o-lanterns? That's because it's not a seasonal display. The story behind the Tower of Terror attraction is that Hollywood Tower Hotel was struck by lightning on October 31, 1939 and it has since been frozen in time, Halloweentime! Gotta love those well thought out Disney details!
Her Nightmare Before Christmas haul . . .
Soon we met up with the other half of our fam and swapped morning stories. They were thrilled about how many rides they'd already packed into their day and we were loving the laid back tone of our morn. Everyone was delighted to be enjoying the day and we were happy to be reunited once again. When my littlest love heard we kick started our day with creamy confections she thought that sounded pretty sweet! So, back to Scoops we went to get her a bowlful of ice cold deliciousness!
Next we went back to Caribbean Beach for a few hours of rest and relaxation. The girls snoozed for a bit with Mickey Mouse cartoons playing in the background. Meanwhile, Jason and I hung out outside with the view of skyliner cabins above and blue water before us. Normally this beach is lined with hammocks and beach chairs, but with waters higher following the hurricane those were removed for the time being. Initially I was bummed about that as a love a good hammock, but then settled happily into thankfulness that we were vacationing after the hurricane and that this was the only impact it had on our trip.
Just before three we boarded the skyliner once again, this time Epcot bound!
We caught the talented taiko drummers performing which is always a treat!
Next up, a family linner (late lunch, early dinner) at a longtime fave, Via Napoli!
Would you look at that scrumptious sight?! Yum!
With full tummies and happy hearts we made our way from Italy to Mexico to board a boat on the Gran Fiesta Tour.
The girls lingered in World Showcase for shopping while Jason and I hopped on a monorail to visit Disney's Polynesian Resort for some shopping of our own. We would be checking in at this resort for a weeklong stay in just a few days but at that point our Annual Passholder discount would drop for 30% down to 20% so I wanted to take this opportunity to hit Boutiki for anything I may like to bring home after our stay there too.
I snapped this photo to text my girls along with the question, "DVC ears <3 Yes or no?" They both liked them and thought I'd be happy to have them in my ear collection so off to the checkout with them I went. The colors didn't come across quite accurately in this photo. They're a pretty pink and the colors remind me of a Lilly Pulitzer style.
We also scored a Polynesian Resort magnet! Why the excitement over this particular magnet you may ask? Well, we have attempted to pick up a Poly magnet during two previous stays, but each time we were told they didn’t have any. That said, this was a fun magnet to finally add to our fridge!
We decided to lounge in the lovely lobby and take in the atmosphere. This made us even more excited for our quickly approaching stay there!
When we finished up in that lovely lobby we took a monorail back to Epcot.
We lingered for a nice long look at Spaceship Earth in all her WDW 50th Anniversary glory before buzzing back to the resort.
When we arrived back at Caribbean Beach Resort the girls shared their World Showcase hauls from that day . . .
From the Mexico pavilion
From the Japan pavilion
The Animal Crossing figurine was a fun Mitsukoshi find! This almost sweet enough to eat Baymax s'more was on her souvenir wishlist this trip. The little Munchlings come in blind boxes so it wasn't the easiest to find, but she scored one! Hip hip hooray!
Oh, friends! I'm excited to share this sweet evening with ya! The girls grabbed dinner to enjoy in the room while Jason and I headed over to the resort's Banana Cabana pool bar for a waterside dinner and drinks for two.
Jason went with their Cuban sandwich served up with a generous size side of fries.
I had their jerk chicken sandwich. It may not look like much in the dim night light, but it was delish! The chicken was moist and flavorful with that yummy jerk goodness, topped with grilled pineapple and roasted chili-mayo on toasted ciabatta. I would (and likely will ;)) order it again someday.
The atmosphere was tropical, laid back, and beautiful! Our server was super nice, helpful with recommendations, and added to the enjoyment of our meal. This place is a seat yourself style setup and we just happened to unknowingly have chosen the best spot and the perfect time too! We ate with a view of the fireworks set off during Epcot's Harmonious evening show.
Cheers to a yummy vacay margarita and a super sweet and memorable evening with my Love!
We returned to find our sweeties enjoying burgers in bed. Vacation relaxation at its finest! :)
Thanks so much for visiting today! Hope to see you back here again next Trip Report Tuesday!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Previous Trip Reports from this Vacation:
Every time I see a pic of Via Napoli, I almost start drooling. I only ate there once, but the pizza was so delicious that I instantly have a Pavlov reaction to hearing or seeing it's name or pics. LOL So glad you were able to take advantage of that 30% discount for as much as you could! (Ok, let's see if this comment actually posts now)
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a very relaxing and yum filled day!
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