Scooter and Big D - 50th Bday! Day 7 and 8

[scooterca42]

Cast – Big D – this trip is his 50th birthday celebration
Scooter (me) – a bit younger than Big D, planner and plotter
Staying at All Star Sports on Free Dining plan (regular, not quick service) from Sept 21 - 27

Day 7

Effectively, this was our last day - our pickup the next day was 6:35. Originally we'd hoped to go to Blizzard Beach, but the stuffiness threatened to become a full-blown cold, so we decided to spend our time at the Magic Kingdom and try to get into the rest of the stuff we wanted to see. We had full plans to come back and change before our dinner at California Grill, but that didn't happen - we'd done the white t-shirt thing, though, so though we weren't as dressed up as we'd planned to be, we didn't look too scruffy.

MK was packed, but by planning ahead and fastpassing things, we did Pirates twice, Splash and Big Thunder once each, saw the Bears, watched the Carousel of Progress, checked out the new Parade, saw the new Stage show in front of the castle, and rode the TTA - a tradition we try to maintain. Lunch was Pecos Bill's again, same meal as last time, and dinner was…

California Grill! Wow. We were in the Wine Room - I'd noted it was Big D's birthday celebration dinner and we had a gorgeous view with Mickey confetti sprinkled on the table! Very quiet and romantic, and the food was just exquisite. I had the pork loin and Big D had the beef. Perfectly done and plated, and the service was attentive without being cloying. Well worth two table credits and we have to do it again next time we go.

We finished dinner just about ten minutes before Wishes was to start, at 9 pm. We were on the catwalk for about a minute before the heavens opened up! Massive, massive downpour, rain just sheeting in. Big D headed down to the end and found a staircase with an overhang - we tried to video some of the fireworks - which still ran. The high bursts were in the low-hanging clouds! Finally we gave up, as we didn't want to damage the camera, and just watched the counterpoint of Wishes against a thunderstorm.

Rather than going back to the jammed Kingdom, we went to the TTC and changed monorails to Epcot - we knew the busses ran till about ten thirty and would be far more manageable than those at MK.

It worked out well. We had an entire car to ourselves from the TTC to Epcot - with the storm still going on outside it was a surreal experience!

We were dried off, packed and in bed by midnight.

Firsts - Cali Grill , MK on a Saturday - more manageable than we thought, a whole Monorail car to ourselves!, Wishes in a thunderstorm

Tips - If you have the good fortune to be in Cali Grill as the sun sets, DON'T FORGET TO TAKE A PHOTO!!!

Day 8

The Magical Express is anything but that at 6:30. Our trip to the airport was uneventful, and our flight back calm and quick. We actually left early and were on the ground by 1:30, home by 3!

It was a great trip. My mum stripped and resurfaced our dining table while we were gone, and the friends who were knowledgeable in Disney transit made dinner for us that evening. Wonderful end to a great holiday!


Tips summary - Clothespins are massively useful. Bring ALL kinds of batteries you might need. Don't forget enough cold remedy for the whole week, just in case! Oatcakes are still a fabulous breakfast. One can get used to Nescafe if one must - it still has caffeine!! The water in All Star Sports tastes great! The water in the Magic Kingdom is just plain Florida tap water - no wonder bottled water does so well!

[disneykid@hrt]

Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for sharing!

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

What a great way to end your trip!

[LittleRoosMommy]

What a great ending to your trip!! We love California Grill!! We try to go each visit. We love the California Grill Sunset! Thanks for the great trip report!

[CanadianWDWFan]

Thanks for sharing your vacation with us all!

[DizNee143]

sounds like a nice day in the MK..glad dinner was sooo yummy..wish you guys could of enjoyed wishes a bit more!!
thanx for sharing your trip with us..i enjoyed reading all about it!!

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report!

[KylesMom]

Wonderful, wonderful trip. I bet that Big D will never forget his 50th celebration! You two did many "firsts" - a nice way to keep Disney fresh. You also ate at some pretty awesome places!

Thanks for sharing with us all!

[faline]

I never travel without being ready for a possible head cold even though I always hope it will never happen!

Sounds like it was a wonderful trip and a terrific birthday celebration! Thanks for sharing!

[vizsla]

Thanks for the report.

[ChipDale]

Sounds like a great ending to a wonderful vacation and birthday celebration. Thanks for taking the time to share your trip with us - I enjoyed all of your reports.