Christmas at the World (Day 6, Tonga Toast, Dinner Shows and Leftovers)

Tonga Toast (Internet Picture)

Once again, Because of the meal plans we had made, our day started early on the next to last day of our stay.  Our extensive reading and research had relieved to us a not so closely guarded secret about breakfast at Disney world.  Everything we read on the web and in the guide books my librarian wife had obtained for us had spoke highly of the Tonga Toast at the Kona Cafe in the Polynesian resort.  Being one not to pass up a good meal, We made reservations for Breakfast at 9:30 at the Kona Cafe.  Our goal was to try the Tonga Toast and the pressed coffee service.  We hopped on the bus and rode to the magic kingdom, where we caught the monorail to the Great Ceremonial House at the Polynesian Resort. The Kona Restaurant was located on the same floor as the monorail station right next to Ohana's.  We soon were seated and were ready to order breakfast. There would be no Mickey waffles and tasteless bacon this day.  We went to the Kona Cafe for real food and we soon ordered our breakfast. The Tonga Toast was huge and rich.  It takes a better man than me to devour this mountain of banana's, sourdough french toast, and strawberry compote. It comes with a breakfast meat at which point I think I wised up and ordered the sausage. We also ordered the Kona Coffee in the french press pot.  I think it was the best cup of coffee we had the whole trip.  Having assuaged our hunger we were ready to once more venture into the parks. Low and behold, the proximity of the Magic kingdom make it the perfect choice.

Mike Wizowski??? (Internet Picture)

The time has now come for a disclaimer.  While there are a number of things I'm completely certain about with regard to their chronological status  There are a number of things in the next few paragraphs that I want to talk about that I'm not completely sure happened on Day 6.  Some of the attractions especially I'm sure we did earlier in the week but warrant some discussion. For example, I'm sure we did the Monsters Inc. laugh floor several times and I know we did "Its a Small World" and the Peter Pan ride the first day there but I neglected to talk about them. So I'm going to take advantage of my lapse in memory and discuss some of my favorite attractions as if the were all done on Day 6. After all,  the attractions were no less fun just because I don't exactly recall what day we did them.  The first of these attractions is the Monster Laugh Floor in the Magic Kingdom.  Some of you might recall some number of years ago of a show with a character named Max Headroom.  The technology used to animate Max is probably different that the Technology used in the Monster Laugh Floor, but I'm pretty sure the Imagineers would acknowledge the fact that real time animation may have had its start with Max.  The Amazing part of this attraction, Beside being outrageously funny and different each time you see it, is the  technical skill it takes to put the show on.  There are real live cast members voicing the Animated characters on video screen.  Of course some of it is pre-recorded and doesn't change from show to show, but much of it is interactive with the audience and could only take place with live cast members manipulating the animation.  The audience is brought into the show by cameras and screens so you might end up a part of the show.  One audience member is singled out for special treatment by the cast and has a reoccurring role through out the presentation.  He is know as "That Guy" and yes, it wasn't on this trip, but I have been "That Guy".  I was thrilled.

Its a Small World after all.... (Internet Picture)

Some of the most iconic attractions of all the Disney parks reside in Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom.  These attractions have been with me since before I visited Disneyland at 10 years old.  My first Disney Experiences was on our one and only trip do Disneyland in the late 60's. Disney World had not yet opened.  Most of my favorite Fantasyland rides were recreated at Walt Disney world.  I remember the Mad Tea Party, a ride that I can no longer do, remember my aversion to round and round, but it was fun then. I visited  "Its a Small World" with the insidious song that invades your brain thanks to the Sherman Brothers on that first trip to Disneyland.   I can't visit Disney without seeing these too cute creations from all over the world singing "Its a Small World" in all those various languages.  The Small World attraction had its start as part of the 1964 New York worlds fair.  The attraction was moved to Disneyland in 1966 where it is still going strong today.  The Disney World incarnation opened when the park opened in 1971.  One thing that made the attraction more fun for me was looking for the Hidden Mickeys scattered among the anamatronic characters. I found a few.

Entrance to Peter Pan's Flight (Internet Picture)

Right across the sidewalk from "Its a Small World"  is one of my favorite old school Disney Attractions.   Peter Pan's Flight.  Apparently, There are a number of people that agree with me about this attraction, because,  the line always seems long for this attraction. Sometime, the line has been so long for Peter Pan's Flight that we have skipped it. Christmas trip was were blessed with thinner crowds, so the lines were shorter.  Basically, visitors are taken on a flight over London and Neverland in small flying boats.  The clever way the imagineers used perspective gives visitors a true sense of flying. Its always fun to see Pan and Hook do battle while Peter tries to save the Darlings from certain doom. The original incarnation of this attraction opened in Disneyland in 1955 and was expanded in 1985 and versions of this attraction exist through out all of the Disney Locations through out the world.

Barbossa, Pirates of the Carabbean. (Internet Picture)

In adventure land we, of course, visited on the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.  This is one of the few attractions that have inspired a movie that has inspired a renovation of the attraction.  Disney's attempt at a movie about the haunted mansion doesn't really count because none of the movie found is way back into the attraction.  If you ride the Pirates of the Caribbean then you well see Capt'n Jack Sparrow, Black Beard and Barbossa and the whole time the ride keeps the same flavour the old Pirates of the Caribbean. This is one of those old school rides that I remember riding in Disneyland  all those years ago.  We didn't visit the Enchanted Tiki  room  Under New Management this trip Even though it is one of my favorites.  About a month after we were in Disney World there was a fire in the attic of the attraction.  Sadly, the fire had  damaged Iago pretty severely.  The attraction has reopened however in the interim to more closely resemble the original attraction.  I look forward to see it when i get the chance.

Space Mountain (Internet Picture)

In Tomorrowland sits one of the Three Mountains of the Magic Kingdom.  Splash mountain and Big Thunder Mountain are in Frontier Land and Space mountain, The iconic coned building that can easily be seen from the Monorail, sits in Tomorrowland. I had first rode Space Mountain when I was a teenager just out of high school. I had gone with my Senior Class to Florida as our Class Trip.  Back then, Only the Magic Kingdom was open as Epcot was still 5 years away from opening. Disney World still used the Lettered Ticketing system and of course Space Mountain was an E ticket ride.  I loved Roller Coasters when I was a teenager. I still love them now.  Space Mountain was special.  Except for the occasional glowing sign or swooshing star, the ride takes place in complete darkness.  Riders don't have any way to prepare for what's coming up on the ride because riders can't see the track ahead . Space mountain boasts a relatively modest top speed of 28 miles per hour. Not being able to brace for curves and hills and loops made the attraction thrilling and new. For years,  every time, i would return to the Magic Kingdom, Space mountain would be "Closed for Renovations".  During this trip to Disney World, The stars finally aligned and I was in the Magic Kingdom at the same time Space Mountain was open.  I jumped at the chance to ride it.  My wife had some trepidation about going on the ride but she, in the end without any coercion on my part decided to ride.  I have to say now,  The experience was a bit anticlimactic. It was still fun, but i didn't love it with the same fervour i loved it before. As I have aged, I guess I enjoy the smoother ride that a steel coaster provides. The recent Renovation replaced the wooden track with a steel track but it still seemed to jerk me about a lot.  I've come the the realization that the reason i didn't enjoy the ride as much this time was the very same reason i loved it before.  I couldn't brace for the turns and didn't know what was coming. I'll probably ride Space Mountain again someday.  I gave Everest a second chance and really enjoyed it the second time.  Maybe the same will be true for Space Mountain.

Sleigh (with wheels) (Internet Picture)

Our Day ended early at the Magic Kingdom because we had set up a number of special events for next to last night of the trip. We took a water taxi to the Wilderness Camp Ground where all of this evening's fun had been scheduled. My wife had found a "sleigh" ride listed on the Disney Website while we were putting together our Vacation. As we were already planning to go to the Hoop Dee Doo Review dinner show in Pioneer Hall, we thought that a ride through the camp ground might be a lot of fun.  We had read where many of the campers decorate their site with lots of Christmas ornaments and lights.  The cost was fairly reasonable and we could schedule it before our reservations for the dinner show so we decided it would be fun to take the "Sleigh" ride. Now, obviously, there isn't a lot of snow in Orlando. I think they might get a dusting every 30 or 40 years but I'm not sure. The rub of all this is, the only way you can take a sleigh ride in the wilderness camp ground is to put the Sleigh on wheels. We are not so silly as to expect a real sleigh in Orlando so we were not disappointed when we saw the sleigh perched neatly and safely on top of the wagon. Now just like all the other evenings it was cool bordering on cold and loosing temperature fast.  We arrived early for our reservations.  There were not a lot of other people sighed up to do the sleigh rides that evening, so, when we arrived, the cast member running the attraction was ready to take us right away.  We climbed into the back of the sleigh an the cast member  gave us some blankets.  It would come to pass that later that evening we would have liked to have those blankets again. For now however, we were bundled and warm as we road off through the camp grounds.  I had seen many houses decorated for the holidays and the park had gone all out to decorate. In typical Disney fashion, many of the campers went all out as well. Santas, Rudolfs, Elves, and lights were all over the camp ground.  These decorations were not Disney furnished  but each camp site had been decorated by the camper that was renting it at the time.  There were many Nativities as well as secular decorations that we saw as we wandered through the camp grounds. It was fun to see how people shared their holiday spirit with the rest of the visitors at Disney world.  I would probably do the Sleigh ride again given a chance.

Now the highlight of the evening was to be the Hoop Dee Doo review and we had planned the timing of our attendance much better than we executed it.  Our reservations were for the 9 o'clock showing.  We had floor seats that we had paid for ahead of time.  Our "sleigh" ride wrapped up around 6 o'clock.  As the sun went down, it got colder and we still had three hours before our show.  So, We made a decision that at the end of the day may have saved the evening for us.   We went up to the Ticket sales booth and asked if we could attend the 7:00 show instead.  They said that the show was sold out but, that usually somebody didn't come so they put us on the 7:00 waiting list assuring us that we wouldn't loose our spot at 9:00 if we didn't get in at 7:00.   An hour in the cold was much easier to deal with than 3 hours.  There were places, like Crocket's Tavern where we could have stayed warm and spent the time having a drink or two but this was a better solution.  We did spend some of the time while we waited at the Trading post.  Camp ground Trading posts have a little bit of everything. I would equate it with a general store.  They had food, meds, clothes, and souvenirs, just about every thing you would need to camp at Disney.

Pioneer Hall, Home of Hoop Dee Doo (Internet Photo)

Our instructions were to hang around the entrance of  Pioneer hall till the next showing of the Hoop Dee Doo Review was seated. After a few minutes, which seemed much longer, our names were called and we found our seats on the top balcony over looking the crowd seated below.   Pioneer hall is laid out with the more expensive seats on the bottom floor near the stage. The seats on the floor further from the stage and the center balcony seats where the middle tier  and balconies on either side were the least expensive of the seats.  Notice at no time did I call any of the seats cheep.  Our view from the side was good and the cast made an extra effort to include everybody in the show.  The show is based on the Old Traveling shows that went throughout the old west.  A troupe of entertainers had come to Pioneer hall to do their show.   The food is served very soon after the first couple of songs are done.  The food included Fried Chicken, Ribs, fresh bread, baked beans and corn on the cob.  The cast makes a production number of serving desert and all the servers get in on the act.  As far as the show is concerned it is cornier than corn on the cob you get with your meal.  The jokes are, by design, bad.  The songs were straight out of the western song book with enough twist to make them entertaining.  At the end of the day the barrage of bad jokes and corny songs made for one of the most enjoyable shows I had seen for a while.  The cast is delightful and very talented singers. I laughed and clapped my way through the evening. There is a surprise at the end that makes the jokes even funnier when the audience participates in the show.  I have seen the Hoop Dee Doo since and it was just as delightful the second time. After laughing and singing and clapping my way through the Hoop Dee Doo review, Special buses were provided to all of the Disney Resorts.  After asking around a bit, we found our bus and jumped on.  There was standing room only on the bus and I got the chance to stand and hold onto the rail for most of the trip back to our Port Orleans. We both collapsed into bed as day 6 drew to a close.

Christmas at the World (Days 5. A Little of This and a Little of That)

Christmas Tree at the American Adventure.

By Day 5 we had hit all the Theme parks at Walt Disney World at least once.  Days 5 and 6 were spent either revisiting attractions that we enjoyed or experiencing ones that we had missed because of on thing or another. We also on Day 5 swang past Downtown Disney. Instead of catching a bus this morning we caught the boat to Downtown Disney. Like most of the mornings we have had on this trip it was pretty cold that morning and you could see the steam rising off of the canals as we went along.  One of the advantages of taking a whole week at Walt Disney World during Christmas is the crowds are not so intense that visitors can't have enough time to more thoroughly explore all the attractions in the parks and still have time to enjoy some of the other Disney offerings   Many of the resorts have delightful restaurants and dinner shows that visitors to Disney World might not get a chance to visit on a more condensed vacation. We did so many things on our Christmas trip that my memory sometimes has a little trouble keeping up with the time line.  For major events and meals I had developed a spread sheet that listed dinner and show reservations along with a guess at what park we would be spending the bulk of our time.  This actually worked out quite well for us, keeping us from being late for dinner reservations.  We didn't list everything we wanted to do on the spread sheet and we used it as a guide rather than a schedule.

Worlds Biggest Disney Store

My Spread sheet for day 5 showed lunch at Teppan Edo's in the Japanese pavilion, so my wife and I decided it would be fun to explore the world show case, or at least parts of it.  We arrived at the World Showcase opened. For a guy like me, the walk through Epcot and through the world showcase is not a short one.  I'm sure you have heard how important good shoes are to your enjoyment of Disney World.  Almost every guide I have read about Walt Disney World stresses how important your shoes are when exploring any of the Disney Theme parks. I cannot agree more with how correct the guides are about shoes.  I bought mine about two weeks in advance to allow the shoes to break.  Brand new shoes can be almost as bad as Bad shoes if they haven't been broken in properly.  Some of the worse blisters I got have been from good shoes that I hadn't allowed to break in and used to walk long distances.  Also, good supportive socks make a huge difference when walking the Disney Parks  An experienced Disney visitor soon learns is how to take advantage of the many benches and shade trees scatter though out the Disney Parks.  As the weather was cool, well maybe cool is not a strong enough word for the temperature, the shade was not as important, but I have been in the Central Florida sun visiting Disney World when a few moments sitting under a shade tree can make a world of difference and any time, however brief, sitting on a bench and not standing on concrete is welcome.

Bonnie In Japan (Disney Style)

Our lunch reservations for Teppan Edo were for 12:30 so we pretty much made our way to the restaurant as soon as we arrived at Epcot.  We arrived on time and after a short wait we were seated at one of the many Teppanyaki grills. Teppan Edo is the sister restaurant of Tokyo Dining and shares the same floor.  Tokyo Dining serves Sushi, Sashimi, Tempura, chicken and steak. After we were seated we expected to see the Teppanyaki chief do his flair and then we would enjoy his cooking.  Unfortunately, whether he was not so inclined or some moratorium had been placed on Teppanyaki flair, our chief came in and immediately stated to cook.  We got no spinning spatulas nor did we get cooking forks arching gracefully through the air.  No eggs were juggled.  Nothing was caught in pockets or chiefs hats.  I while I've seen Teppanyaki flair before many times, I would like to have seen the Volcano or a spinning egg split by a spatula.  The restaurant was saved by the quality of the food.  It was good. I had my favorite Steak and chicken with a side of Yakisoba.  However,  I really don't want to revisit a restaurant where I can get the same quality of food and a better show at home. Teppan Edo has good memories for me because my wife and I ate there when we went on our first vacation together. Since then, Teppanyaki restaurants have spread from the original Benihanas and good Hibachi grilled food is now available even in the smaller cities of the country.

Candy Sculpture in Japan.

After lunch, we walked around the World Showcase.  As we left the pagoda where the Japanese restaurants were, a woman molding figures from rice candy caught our eye.  Using scissors, needle noose pliers and other tools she skillfully recreated the form of a crane from the candy.  She worked quickly because the candy would set as it cooled.  With hands that had obviously done this many times, she finished  a lovely candy sculpture.  Later in the day, we found a stand with shaved ice near the Japanese Pavilion.  Even though the weather was cool, the shaved ice with the fresh fruit was refreshing. We had already spend a day in Future World, so our goal for the day was to enjoy as may of the offerings of each country represented in the World Showcase as we could. We watched the film at the French pavilion and enjoyed Caramel covered treats at the Karamell Kuche in Germany. By the way, for people on the Disney Dining plan, the Karamell Kuche is a great way to spend a snack credit. The treats are large and delicious. An amazing juggler was doing his chair balancing act in France. We saw kids playing drums and watched a cast member tell a Christmas story in Italy.  Many of these things events were part of the Christmas around the World celebration in Epcot. I've read in some of the guide books where the Maelstrom ride in the Norwegian pavilion is a "not to miss" attraction.  I guess, I don't get it.  The attraction was fun.  There are a few minor Thrills, I mean, how can being in a viking ship be bad?  But, well, I will just say that its only something I will do again if line is short and I don't have something else more pressing to do.  In Canada we watch a panoramic 360 degree film that surrounded us with visions of urban and rural Canada.  I enjoyed being surrounded by the images of our northern neighbor.  Perhaps, even more fun than the film, Canada boasts a band called Off Kilter. Until I had seen Off Kilter I had never heard a bagpipe used in a rock band.  The effect wasn't entirely out of place and unusual and fun to watch.  I picked up a new hat in England. I bought the drivers cap with the Union Jack on it with a gift card my wife had given me the previous Christmas in anticipation of This trip to Disney.  I love the hat and wear it when ever the weather is cool enough to justify it.  We purchased tea at the Twinings shop in England where they also had an assortment of English sweets that might have been fun to taste.

Off Kilter on Stage.

Bonnie Calls Dr. Who.

Voices Of Liberty

 For me, the highlight of our time spent in the World Showcase was the experience we received at the  American Adventure. When we arrived, the Voices of Liberty were singing Christmas carols in the rotunda. They were good. I mean, very good.  The singers were perfectly in pitch the whole time. Their blend was amazing.  They sang Carols that were so moving that I wasn't surprising to find a tear in my eye as I listened. Actually, getting me to tear up is not much of a trick.  I tend to shed tears pretty easily.  Needless to say I loved listening to them. I have written posts on hidden gems before, and the Voices of Liberty certainly qualify as a Hidden Gem.  Visitors may have come to expect good music, but I am constantly surprised by entertainment like the Voices of Liberty.  I doubt that if some of these amazing Street performers were offered, fewer people would go to Disney world. I'm sure that some visitors don't even notice the amazing talented people. To me, these small touches  separate and elevate a Disney experience above most any other. This is one of the reasons I continue to come back as often as I can manage. After the listening to the Carols, the doors opened to the American Adventure and the crowd filed in and took their seat.  The American Adventure is a mixture of film and anamatronics.  Any citizen of the US would be filled with patriotism when watching the presentation.   The show is full of good old flag waving USA history that is tempered somewhat by exposing a few of our less proud moments as a Country.  This is about as balanced as Disney gets, when it comes to reflection on American history. But, there is something for every one during the show.  I enjoyed the show as much, if not more that the Hall of Presidents and the Hall of Presidents attraction is a must see for me every time I go to Disney.

Evening at the Magic Kingdom.

Our dinner reservations for Day 5 were at Ohana's in the Polynesian resort close to the Magic Kingdom, so, we caught the monorail From Epcot. There is something iconic about the Monorail.  I personally would put it on a par with Cinderella's castle and The Tree of life as one of the icons for all things Disney, though long gone are the days when visitors could ride with the operator in the first car.  I had read a lot about  the Castle Lighting Ceremony during Christmas time.  Cinderella's Castle is turned into a magical ice covered Palace in an awesome display of Electrical wizardry.  If you have read previous post or if you have been to Walt Disney World any time between mid November and Early January, you know that Cinderella's Castle is draped with 10's of thousands, if not 100's of thousands of lights. You all know by now that Disney cannot do anything without making a celebration or a story of some sorts out of it. I find this is part of the magic of Disney world.  Anyway, The Castle Lighting Ceremony is no exception.  A short musical sketch involving Cinderella and the Fairy God Mother is prelude to the lighting of the castle.  The lights start at the top and work downward flickering and shimmering till the whole castle is lit.  I can't really do justice to it with words as it quite took my breath away.  Again, the beauty of the castle and the Magic of watching the lighting was another one of those moments that brought a tear to my eye.  I can still tear up a little when I think of castle all decked out in lights and how beautiful it was. To this day i have the fully lit castle as the wall paper for my work computer. and I smile every time i look at it.

This was to be the frist time we had eaten at Ohana's. I have had a fondness for Brazilian steak houses. I guess I have to let me inner carnivore have reign from time to time.  The nearest analog I can find for Ohana's is a Brazilian steak house. Meat is brought to your table on skewers until you tell them to stop, very much like a Brazilian steak house. The difference between Ohana's and say Fogo De Chao's are the sides, certainly, Ohana's gives you wings, potsickers and noodles, while Fogo's gives you fired bananas, Polenta and Popovers, and the larger selection of the cuts of meat available at Fogo's. What Fogo's dosn't have that Ohana's does is a more family oriented spirit.  Diners would be chased from Fogo's if your children pushed a coconut around the room with a broom or if you got up to do a hula.  Ohana's in Polynesian means family and the cast members at Ohana's go out of their way to make you feel like family.  The food at Ohana's is delicious.  My wife and I especially enjoyed the potstickers and I had a fondness for the noodles.  The Turkey, port and steak that was delivered on the skewers was delightful as well.  Please, If you go to Ohana's try everything.  You have to have the Bread Pudding for desert at least once in your life time and all their offerings are delicious,  But be forewarned, make sure that Ohana's is your last activity for the day, except of course watching the fireworks from the beach at the Polynesian resort.  The Cast members keep bringing you food with a relentless precision that can overwhelm you if you don't keep your head.  They will not stop until you tell them too.   All this boils down to the fact that when you are done, you can barely move.  A food induced coma is part of the experience for those who are unwilling or unable to turn away the cast member that has that last piece of steak or turkey. Diners often aren't able to do anymore than go back to their room or sit and watch the fireworks.  Our reservations were set up to take place before the fireworks, but Walt must have been looking down on us that day.  He delayed our seating until just before the fireworks and made sure we had a seat at the window facing the Magic Kingdom.   The lights dimmed and the music swelled and we were treated to a third prospective to the Wishes Fireworks spectacular.  After eating, We rolled our selves to the buses and back to our room.