Blizzard Beach – here we come!!
We hopped the bus (shared between Contemporary and Wilderness) and got back to the room very quickly. Once we changed, we grabbed some towels from the pool and took our minivan to the water park. There is no worse feeling, to me, than getting on a hyper cold Disney bus in a wet swimsuit. So, we always drive.
First stop –
Lottawatta Lodge and LUNCH! The food at Blizzard is pretty good, better than Typhoon. This time, they had California Rolls as a special. We got one order of those, a pepperoni flatbread and a salad with chicken to all share. Everything was pretty good! The flatbread is really flat, but it was plenty to share. The California Rolls had eight rolls, plus wasabi and ginger. And, the salad was not over dressed.
Blizzard offers such a great break from the other parks! My whole family loves the wave pool, lazy river, and, most of all, Teamboat Springs – the family raft ride. The lines were very short. The longest wait was for the chair lift to Teamboat Springs, about 10 minutes. Tyson decided to do Slush Gusher while the girls went to the wave pool and I read my book in peace.
While at Blizzard, Tyson asked me, again, what time dinner was. I said, “5 5 5.” Emma couldn’t figure out if I meant 5:00, emphatically or 5:55. Even though I had given everyone a paper schedule, discussed this and said it earlier in the day. YIKES! This is the price we pay as planners, I guess!
Anyway, the girls started high 5 5 5ing each other repeatedly, cuz everything is funnier if you do it over and over and over and over. AmIRight? The whole trip, they said 1,2,3, 4 and then 5 5 5 (while high fiving). Even now, at home, every time a clock reads 5:55, they start up again. I’m sure it’s funny if you are 13 or 10(almost 11).
We left Blizzard around 3:30, and drove back to Wilderness to change. Our family enjoys Disney transportation (except for water parks) and seeing how many forms we can take in a day. This evening, we took the boat to Magic and caught a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge for that 5:55 BOMA dinner. We were going to be early, but hoped we could be seated. If not, they have the Savannah and a great gift shop. AKL is one of my favorite resorts to just hang out in.
We arrived at BOMA around 5:20 and they seated us quickly. Tyson and I ordered wine and the girls got some special lemonades. I don’t know why, but people at BOMA always start at one end, near the carved meat and go through the buffet like it’s a line. It’s not meant to be that way. The appetizers, hummus and breads, are in the center. We started there. I love the red pepper hummus. Next, we got salads and soup. The chicken curry soup was delicious and spicy! For my entrée, I got some carved beef, salmon and the baby broccoli. The girls enjoyed some pasta with meatballs and some chicken. They got fruit and salad too. Then they had some mini desserts. The key lime tarts were good and the mini cupcakes were yummy too. BOMA never disappoints. The meal was delicious and we love the variety. Hands down, family favorite!!
For the rest of the evening, we couldn’t decide if we wanted to go to EPCOT or Downtown Disney. So, we played bus roulette and Downtown Disney won. The girls wanted to check out the Marketplace Co op and World of Disney.
Well, let me just say, none of us wants to go back to Disney Springs until they are much further along. It was CROWDED! I mean, CROWDED. Wall to wall people. Lots of cheer and dance groups. Roving packs of teens with minimal supervision.
The Marketplace Co-op was just okay for us this time. I like the concept that they can change things out, but it was so similar to our last visit, that it just wasn’t that interesting. Katie, who is 10(almost 11) and would like to fit into Junior sizes, is still a kid size. So many Disney shirts are suited more for a 6 year old. So, for her, the Zoey & Pickles store works great. She found a cute top!
We went to World of Disney, which is so huge it just overwhelms me. I’m not a shopper and only go because I have to. Anyway, we all found shirts there, even Katie found an Extra Small Ariel shirt she loved. We attempted to walk around and see some of the new construction, but gave up because of the crush of people.
The bus stop was just the worst I have ever experienced. The traffic pattern makes everything go so slowly! We watched some resorts get picked up twice before our bus came.
By the time we got back to Wilderness, Tyson and I needed a drink at the lovely Territory Lounge. We got the girls settled in the room and went downstairs. They made us a very nice, Hendrick’s Gin, slightly dirty, martini. Totally hit the spot! And, we remembered to use our new Tables in Wonderland card! I was surprised the drinks were only $10 each. Very reasonable, imo.
FitBit Report: 13,341 steps. Not bad, about the same as at home.