End of Day 1:
We lounged at the pool, got changed, and drove over to the Polynesian. I hadn’t been there for… at least 16 years? They’ve expanded it so much! But still such a lovely property. Before our reservation, my priority was to get a tiki drink at Trader Sam’s Tiki Terrace, because those souvenir mugs are just too good. I love this place!! I wish I could go there every night we’re here! (I might try to go back on Thursday…) My drink was DELICIOUS — if we hadn’t had a reservation at ‘Ohana, I could’ve sat there for ages. And had another drink or three…
Then we went up to ‘Ohana to check in — it seems like we hit it at just the right time; our reservation was at 5:10 and we were seated almost immediately! The food was really tasty, and a LOT. That coconut bread was yum, salad nice and crunchy, and oooooh the dumplings. Those were the best part of the meal for me. By the time the skewers came around we were already pretty stuffed. And since we had the dessert party coming up, we said no to the bread pudding and got the check. (I know, I know… but one can only eat so much sugar before collapsing into a coma!)
After hopping on the monorail, we got that sweet sweet green Mickey at the tapstiles, and we were in! Dinner was even so quick that we had time to catch a ride or two! I’d grabbed an FP for Buzz while we were still at dinner, so we rode that, and then jumped on the PeopleMover (still one of my favorite rides). By then it was time to get our wristbands for the party. Once we got them, we entered the spot and staked out just the right view. @profmatt is 100% correct that the optimal spot is at the back of the garden. Our view was PERFECT. This pic was taken with just my iPhone, no edits:
Since there was lightning in the area, Tink didn’t fly … I was pretty bummed, but HEA was still sooooo good. I can’t seem to watch it without crying in happiness and delight. My friend is a pretty jaded, cynical New Yorker, and even he loved it. (He’s a total mush on the inside, but it takes some doing to get that to come out… HEA definitely worked its magic on him )
Since we had the post-show dessert party booked, we ambled over to pick out some tasty treats. It was all pretty good — nothing life-changingly amazing, but worth it for the really great fireworks view.
Once we’d stuffed ourselves silly, we headed back to the Poly. The monorail lines were bananas, so we took the boat — this definitely ended up being the right choice. We picked up the car and headed back to the YC to crash for another day of magic and fun, starting out at the Magic Kingdom!
To be continued…
(The next installment will contain my tale of amazing success at playing the fastpass lotto — @OBNurseNH is not kidding that you can ride ALL THE RIDES with very little waiting!!)