A fun day and extra magic at night

We got up at around 7.30 and were discussing how to spend the day. There were still counter service credits to use up, so we were going to Wolfgang Puck’s Express for breakfast. We got ready and then drove over to Downtown Disney. Parking was easy that early in the day and found a spot right behind the Once Upon A Toy store. We slowly walked over to Wolfgang Puck’s, doing some window shopping along the way.

There were a few people in line ahead of us, but we saw someone we hadn’t seen in a year, Maritza, our all time favourite Wolfgang Puck Express employee. She was working a till and a little before it was our turn she looked up and immediately recognized us and waved. We placed our order and she came over to hug us and we all got a lot of funny looks from the other customers. We spoke very briefly as she was busy, but she promised to come over to our table lateron. We both picked up our Diet Cokes and then walked over to the seating area to find a table. It didn’t take too long until our breakfast was brought out by Maritza, who now stayed to chat for a little bit. She then left, telling us to enjoy our breakfast while it was still hot. This time Tom had chosen the Smoked Bacon Pizza, topped with scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheese and Ranch Dressing, which he really enjoyed and I had ordered the Three Cheese, Tomato and Fontina Omelet, with mozzarella, goat cheese, and basil, which came with breakfast potatoes. We both enjoyed it a lot and once we were done, Maritza came over again and we chatted some more. Far too soon it was time for her to go back to work and for us to get on our way again. We strolled through Downtown Disney before we went back to our car and went offsite. The outlet malls were where we were heading. The first one we went to was the former Beltz Mall. We were happy to find a Fossil shop, as one of the straps of Tom’s watch were broken and we wanted to ask if they could replace it.

After quite some time someone was finally helping us, telling us that they would have to send it in and it could take up to 8 weeks. Well, we stay for a long time, but not that long. They were very helpful and looked up an Austrian store where we could have it repaired and then we went on to look around the store. Luckily Tom discovered a watch he liked enough to replace the broken one and we got in line again to pay for it. All in all we had spent nearly an hour in the shop and were happy to get outside again. We walked on a bit and found a Samsonite store. We still wanted to replace on of our bags and went inside to look for something. I am not really a brand name buyer, but when it comes to luggage Samsonite mostly wins. And this time was no exception. We really found a bag we liked, but I was unsure it was within Lufthansa’s limits, so we got the measurements down and were sure to be back. Next stop you ask? The Disney outlet store of course. We just love the one in that mall, it has really good merchandise and if you find lots of bargains. So we spent quite some time there, browsing and we even picked up a few items. By time we were done it was already 2pm and we decided to head back to Old Key West. Once we had arrived there, we stopped at the General Store and I picked up some Carrot Cake. And after putting everything into the room and having a quick drink we headed out to the quiet pool to relax.

While enjoying the pool we noticed the skies becoming a bit greyer and greyer and then it finally started to rain. Very light drizzle first and everyone stayed in the pool. Then, when it became much heavier everyone fled the pool and we stayed under the roof of the bar. The shower didn’t last long and after about 10 minutes we were able to head back to the pool. Only to have to leave it again about 20 minutes later, when the rain started up again. This time we dried ourselves off as much as possible, headed to the bar and picked up a Mickey bar and a Frozen Banana and sat under an umbrella until we had finished our treats. The rain was still light and we headed back to our villa.

Once inside, after having had a shower, we both had a snack, I had my Carrot Cake and Tom had some Cinnamontoast with butter and some coffee and later a Land Shark beer. We chilled for a while in front of the TV, hearing the rain outside. Lateron Tom went to enjoy the Jacuzzi, while I did a load of washing and checked the internet. By 5pm the rain had stopped and we got ready to head out again, this time for dinner. We had a reservation at Kouzzina and were cutting it close for our ADR, but made it to the Boardwalk just in time. We walked inside, checked in and were told it would be about 10 minutes, so we walked outside again and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the Boardwalk and the view of the Yacht and Beach Club.

It didn’t take long and our buzzer went off and we were led into the restaurant. We were led to our table, a four top just a few steps into the restaurant, handed the menu and told that our server would be out to greet us soon. It didn’t take long until he arrived and we placed our drinks order for two Diet Cokes. When he brought the drinks he also brought out some warm bread and a small plate with three compartments. One was filled with a variety of olives and into the other two our server poured two different kinds of olive oil. We sat and nibbled the bread, dipped into the oil and the olives while we waited for our main courses to arrive.

Tom had ordered the Traditional Whole Fish, a Pan-roasted Snapper with Braised Greens, Greek Olives, Fennel and Smoked Chili. It came on a large plate and the server kindly fileted it for Tom. I had ordered the Oak-fired Pork Tenderloin with Feta Gremolata, Zucchini Cornbread, and Seasonal Vegetables and we both shared a side of the Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with a Brown Butter Vinaigrette, Capers, and Cheese. Everything was as good as it looked when it first came out and we enjoyed our dinner. We still had dessert to conquer and while I had my mind set on the Loukoumades, Freshly Made Greek Doughnuts drizzled with warm Honey and Cinnamon.

Tom chose the Greek Yoghurt variations. Greek Yoghurt, flavoured with vanilla and served with Blueberries, Brown Sugar and Cherries, all of them drizzled with honey. And while I was disappointed they no longer served vanilla and raspberry dipping sauces with the Loukoumades, Tom was pretty happy with his light, yet flavourful dessert. Once we had finished our desserts, we asked for the bill and used our Dining Plan credits to pay for our dinner. Once everything was settled we walked outside and over to Epcot to enjoy the rest of the Extra Magic Hours there. We entered at the International Gateway and strolled through England and Canada .

Another 10 minutes later we had already returned from our trip to Mars. Test Track was closed, so we headed back towards the fountain and over to Spaceship Earth. Just a 5 minute wait, so we got in line and walked right onto the ride. It’s always fun to ride Spaceship Earth and try to find new ideas for our future. We still had a good junk of Extra Magic Hours left and headed over to The Land. The line for Soarin was still long, and since there was no line for Living with the Land we hopped right on board and explored the Disney greenhouse. When we finally got off again we headed over to Soarin and the wait was short enough for us to get in line.

After 20 minutes we had made it to the gliders and asked if we could go in row one. The Cast Member was happy to do so and we walked over to the next bay where some people were already waiting. We scored seats very much to the center of the glider and enjoyed our visit to California. When we got off the ride we decided to call it a day and leave the park. So we headed back to our car and drove back to Old Key West. We still spent a little time with an adult beverage in front of the TV before we finally went to bed.