Welcome to the finale of this vacation's Trip Report Tuesday posts! I can hardly wait to recap this epic Disney day! We packed it so full of goodness that my husband and I didn't realize we did all of this in one day until we looked back at the photos! Speaking of looking back at photos, I should've done that a few weeks back when prepping my day 11 part 2 post as it would've stopped me from misspeaking. Oops! While that was our last evening at Magic Kingdom this trip, it was not our final visit to the park. We spent one more morning there on our last day in the parks. When I shared my mistake with Jason he quipped, "How will anyone trust anything you say ever again?" Ha! I hope you'll all excuse my mistake as we move on into the final trip report covering this October vacation. :)
Day 13 - Friday, October 21, 2022
On this fine Friday Jason and our youngest headed out ahead of us while my firstborn and I got ready at a leisurely pace and arrived via a beautiful boat ride just after 9am.
This day began with two captains. Jason and our youngest visited Captain Culpepper Clyne first. Then we met up where Captain Jack resides, hides, and sings surrounded by treasure inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
Outside in Haunted Mansion's queue, "Here floats Captain Culpepper Clyne, allergic to dirt so he's pickled in brine. He braved the seas and all her wrath but drowned on land while taking a bath." If you have the time, or are stuck in line, always read the tombstones in this queue. They're clever and cute, and like this one, are sometimes topped with boots!
We have the family tradition of riding Pirates during our final MK day each trip. Yo ho! Yo ho! A pirates life for me us!
A bench break snapshot of my cute crew.
Howdy Goofy!
Cheers to the final cream cheese pretzels of the trip!
My dear friend Chrissy gifted me these awesome Small World ears for my birthday the month before our trip. I was excited to wear them on this beloved classic attraction, and to pose for a pic in them to send her along with a big thank you.
Mary Blair cuteness straight ahead!
The backside of my ears matched the goodbyes found at the end of the attraction. :)
We followed Small World with another classic Fantasyland attraction. Off to Neverland!
"50"
Mickey pumpkin wreaths always make me smile!
Our visit concluded with the stylistic sounds of the Dapper Dans. Random side note, if you enjoy barber shop goodness, there is plenty to be found on YouTube. Jason got us hooked on watching an annual competition. Some of the crooning competitors in a group called "Main Street" look pretty familiar.
See ya real soon, Magic Kingdom!
I'm thankful she still indulges her mama with an outfit of the day shot while near color coordinating pretty petals.
We'd been passing the Oasis Grill pool bar daily at the Polynesian Resort. We thought today would be a great day to check out their menu and dine pool side.
We started with a couple appetizers to be shared around the table.
Fried Wonton Chips served with Spicy Duck Sauce
Black Pepper-Parmesan Chicken Wings
Jason and I each went with their grilled chicken avocado wrap. I had imagined it'd be warm grilled chicken wrapped up in a tortilla, but was mistaken as it was served cold. Not bad, but not really my thing. Thankfully by this point in the meal I'd already enjoyed some appetizers and am never opposed to feasting on fries, so I had more than enough to eat that was to my taste.
The girls both went with cheeseburgers and each came with enough fries for the entire table. Ha!
In all honesty I'd pass on this place in the future. While the appetizers were nice, overall the food wasn't above quick service quality, yet having a wait staff adds a bigger price tag and the added expensive of tipping. Despite being his only customers, our server was not at all attentive. He'd say things like, "If you need anything give me a holler." But then was never anywhere in sight. When we needed additional napkins I had to walk to the side of the building near their rapid refill fountain drinks to retrieve them myself. Perhaps this would be a better spot to grab poolside drinks from with an appetizer after swimming. However, as for as a spot to pause the day for lunch, I'd have to recommend passing on it and spending those Disney dollars elsewhere. Still, I have no regrets over having dined here as we'd wanted to give it a go after many times passing by it and that we did.
After lunch we headed back to our room where the fam enjoyed some relaxation and I did a bit of packing to make our morning departure the following day go as smoothly as possible.
Around 3:30 my youngest love and I headed out the door, monorail bound to begin our mom/daughter Epcot afternoon date.
If you followed along on our previous fall trip you may remember that "Little One" and I enjoyed Remi's Ratatouille Hide & Squeak Scavenger Hunt offered during Food and Wine Festival. This trip we decided Pluto's Pumpkin Pursuit would be a perfect October trip endeavor. When we did Remi's in the fall of 2021 Disney had sold out of the game cards they typically sell for around $10 that allow guests to play along, mark their findings, and return upon completion to receive a small prize. That trip we opted to play without our own physical card by looking up a photo of one online, then we put the money we would've spent on a card toward prizes of our own choosing. We decided to play the same way this trip, found a photo a game card online, and off we went in pursuit of pretty pumpkins!
First finding, Daisy at the Creations Shop
Minnie pumpkin at Connections Cafe
Figment found at Journey Into Imagination
Do you see Dory at The Seas with Nemo & Friends?
So cute!
Chip 'n' Dale sitting atop one of my favorite Disney walls just outside The Land.
We spotted Mickey up high inside a shop.
"Joy" was blending in grounded on the green grass.
Gotcha, Goofy!
Playful Pluto perched outside Test Track
Groot inspired pumpkin near Guardians of the Galaxy
Olaf keeping cool in the Club
Our final pumpkins were the trickiest to track down! The card said they'd be located in the green landing family play zone. We wandered back and forth through that playground looking high and low and probably looking pretty silly since we didn't have any kids there on the play equipment we were examining, but we were determined to find them! Finally we did, but the card was misleading. They were not in the play zone at all. They were actually completely on the other side of a walkway from the play zone, enough of a distance away that we wouldn't have even needed to enter the area covered with kiddos, strollers, and guests that we'd previously been convinced were likely blocking our view of the pumpkin and hindering the completion of our mission. However, we did find them and victoriously made our way to my daughter's choice of a spot to pick her own prize, Mitsukoshi in Japan. Is anyone surprised?
Before we even got to prize picking, she spotted the plush perfection she'd been keeping an eye out for all trip, Luna, Sailor Moon's pet cat. My girl sewed together a Sailor Moon costume for Halloween and this cute kitty made the perfect holiday accessory! This was the only one they had, and it was without a flaw to be found. She put her grandparents' gift of birthday money to good use with this purchase!
Next she chose a prize that would pack a surprise, a Kirby blind box figurine.
We finished up at Mitsukoshi just in time to make it to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, where we'd meet up with the other half of our family. When I texted to let them know we'd arrived they replied saying we'd be seeing them pass by on the monorail above any moment. While we couldn't make out where they were seated on the monorail, we waved our hearts out as they passed by just then. Moments later they were joining us and we were hopping in line for our Lightning Lane for one last whirl on Guardians this trip!
We were able to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind three times this trip and each time we got a different song. So fun! This ride we had Tears for Fears' Everybody Wants to Rule the World. I was thrilled as it was one I'd wanted to get and my favorite of the trip!
At this point we parted ways, Jason and I swapping which daughter we'd have one on one time with. The day before our youngest had commented how she'd wished we could've ridden the thrill rides at Hollywood Studios a bit more this trip. Jason surprised her and stacked lightning lanes there just for the two of them that night. Coolest dad ever! They took the skyliner from Epcot to Hollywood Studios. From the photo they sent on our family's group text you'd think it was the first thrill ride of their dad/daughter date night! Ha!
After using my phone a lot to refer to the Pluto's Pumpkin Pursuit card my phone it was drained, so all snapshots going forward from our park fun were captured by my darling daughter or are ones we received from the other half of our family during their time at Hollywood Studios.
My oldest daughter has a great appreciation for other cultures and languages making World Showcase her favorite spot in all of Disney World. On this fantastic evening we would explore each country in Epcot and would take our tastebuds on an international adventure!
In Mexico we rode Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros and bought a beautifully packaged chocolate bar.
In Norway we visited the Forgetful Troll and sampled some Swedish Thins almond pepparkakor.
A terrifically tasty treat!
Meanwhile, at Hollywood Studios . . .
Back at Epcot, we shopped in China and picked up some crackers we enjoyed sampling. Funny enough, after munching on a few and tucking them away to take home I mentioned that they'd be comforting to eat if you were sick. A few weeks later my daughter was under the weather, and she found that to be true as she nibbled on these while combatting an upset stomach.
At Hollywood Studios, the other half of our fam was enjoying scoops of sweetness! Dessert before dinner, this is definitely vacation!
Next Epcot pavilion, Germany, we did a little shopping but opted to pass on picking anything up. Most things in this shop we can purchase at home nowadays. We considered getting a treat from Karamell-Küche, but since we can only eat so much in one night we had decided to go for things we could sample and seal up for future enjoyment.
In Italy we purchased sweet chocolate truffles that thankfully came individually wrapped and have a nice shelf life as they are still being enjoyed in our home to this day.
Another wish granted in Hollywood, she'd mentioned wanting a hot dog this trip, her dinner checked that box.
Next up, in Japan we picked up some nuts that my daughter had previously enjoyed sampling at a Japanese ambience festival at a botanical garden closer to home.
We didn't find any prepackaged food in Morocco, but browsed this shop a bit then strolled through the pretty pavilion.
Another pavilion that we perused without a purchase was France.
We talked to a lovely cast member in the UK pavilion when purchasing a Turkish Delight. She asked us to be honest and answer one question, was the reason we chose this because of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Without hesitation, we admitted that absolutely was the case! We had quite a fun chat and she told us that people either love or hate these. She personally hated them, so did my daughter. I was in the "love" group as I very much enjoyed my bite of this different delicacy.
We finished our trip with a pop in the shop at Canada and snapped a fitting pic for most anyone on their final night at WDW, "Dog tired".
Goodnight, Epcot! What a good night indeed!
We all reunited at the Poly and swapped for one final date. The girls spent their sister time relaxing in the resort room while Jason and I attempted to visit Trader Sam's Grotto and Tiki Bar, a themed bar that we've heard so many fun stories about over the years.
We knew getting in to Trader Sam's would be all but impossible shortly before 10pm on a Friday night, but you can't blame us for trying. We were informed right away that even their waitlist was completely full for the night, but outdoor sitting was available at Trader Sam's Tiki Terrace. We happily headed there and nabbed a waterside table with a view of both the live entertainment and what we'd soon find out would be a fantastic view of Magic Kingdom's fireworks too!
I absolutely adore this man of mine!
His and hers drinks, a margarita for me and a Tahitian Torch for my man. If you look just beyond our drinks you'll see a live performer playing Hawaiian songs beside a waterfall wall creating such a lovely atmosphere!
We shared some yummy appetizers of Thai chicken flatbread, Kalua pork tacos, and pan-fried dumplings.
Delightfully delicious!
So yummy!
A nice choice to round out our tasty trio!
When we chose this table we didn't even have fireworks in mind and yet again enjoyed a truly fantastic view of them!
We ended the evening just the two of us sitting on a secluded beach listening to the water lapping against the shore, admiring the glow of the night lights reflecting off the water in the marvelous moonlight. My heart was so full it could've burst as we chatted about what a terrific trip we were thankful to have enjoyed. This was easily one of my favorite evenings of this trip and a memory I'll forever cherish.
Back to the Tokelau building and up to our room for one more night's sleep at the Polynesian before heading homeward.
Day 14 - Saturday, October 22, 2022
We lingered in our room until checkout time, took one last look at one of our favorite resorts then hit the road, airport bound.
While awaiting our flight we grabbed food court lunches from a spot that looked similar to Panda Express and McDonalds.
Returning to the Midwest in October has its upsides. The cooler temps and colors of fall welcomed us back home sweet home after two wonderful weeks away.
Now for the moment we'd been eagerly anticipating, reuniting with our precious little furry love, Toffee! My parents took excellent care of her while we were away, but we missed her an awful lot! Getting a dog was the best way to ensure we're never sad for our vacations to end.
Reunited and it feels so good. :)
There you have it, another vacation in the Trip Report Tuesday books! It's a treat to have these memories preserved here for my family to look back on, and sharing with you has been the sprinkles on top! Whether you've commented on posts or silently scrolled through the plethora of pics, I appreciate you being here!
What's Next?
We have another WDW vacation countdown going, so stay tuned for more Trip Report Tuesdays on the horizon! See ya real soon, friends!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Previous Trip Reports from this Vacation: