Day 6 - Hot Chocolate, Cold Weather, Good Food, Shopping and Fireworks!
Waking up at the Pop Century was so nice. The beds are very comfortable. Maybe it's because the resort is so new, but they are definately more comfortable than both the All Stars and the Contemporary.
We got up without an alarm and made our way over to DTD by about 9:30. The weather was
cool in the morning- high 50s and sunny, made slowly made it into the 60s by afternoon - but only for a while.
Shopping with the AP was great. There are a number of stores at DTD that honor the 10% discount and if it's a Disney store that doesn't, don't buy it there. They carry EVERYTHING at World of Disney, you just need to be patient to look.
We had lunch at Earl of Sandwich and it was GREAT.
Today turned out to be a day of shopping and entertainment. We listened to a middle school band play Christmas music. You had to admire their spirit. Clearly, they weren't used to the cold and they struggled a bit. But some of the pieces were actually quite nice.
Dinner at Portobello's was terrific. Our server, Erica was great and it turns out that the waiter we typically ask for, Justin, had been promoted to assistant manager. We had a great chat with him and he comped us dessert. We also learned that Wolfgang's is now being managed by Levy Restaurants. Apparently Wolfgang hasn't been around much, focusing on his other restaurants, so Justin has a lot of responsibility over there. For anyone that ever had service issues at Wolfgangs, please give it another shot. I promise you that Justin does a phenomenal job and I'm sure that problems are being cleaned up.
After dinner, we took a bus to the Boardwalk Inn and in the lobby we were lucky to see some entertainers. First there was a magician who was quite funny and then a knife balancer who was nothing short of impressive. It was also a good opportunity for us to get out of the cold for a while. It was dropping into the 30s by now and even us Northerners were feeling the bite. Thank God for Disney sweatshirts.
We walked out back to the Boardwalk and stopped briefly to enjoy a bell choir. The conductor actually asked the crowd to stand closer for body heat.
On the way over to Epcot, DW and I were no longer debating over whether Florida cold was colder than Boston cold. It is. But we had our sweatshirts and we were in Disney, so we braved it.
We got a spot at the McDonald's snack stand again around 8:45. Time passed relatively quickly.
The only thing I can say about IllumiNations is wow. The first 12-13 minutes were the same as always. Lemme tell ya, when they lit the lagoon on fire, it was as if the entire place sighed in relief. It really took the bite out of the cold. Then, just as you thought the show was over, they start up again with what seems to be a quite holiday ending. They talked about family and coming together during the holidays while playing "Let There Be Peace on Earth" and it was beautiful. For those that are familiar with it, there's a crescendo towards the end of the song when the following words are sung:
Let there be peace on Earth
Let this be the moment now
Let there be peace on Earth
Let this be my solemn vow
To take each moment
And live each moment
In peace eternally
Let there be peace on Earth
And let it begin with me.
The fireworks grew bigger, and louder and more intense and concluded with a very loud and bright finale that literally made you feel warm on the inside. Honest to God, everytime I tell someone about it, I get chills. I just got chills typing it.
It was beautiful and quite moving. If you have the opportunity to visit Epcot during the Holiday season, do yourself a favor and find a way to stay for IllumiNations. Absolutely amazing.
The trip back to the PC was quick. We waited only 5 minutes for a bus and the driver was great, keeping us entertained by making fun of other drivers.
Then, as I settled into bed, I couldn't believe the Patriots blew an 11 point lead in the 4th against the Dolphins.
Tomorrow - Epcot and our encounter with Crush