Gingerbread
After two late nights, and with plans to close down the Magic Kingdom tonight, we all voted to skip Extra Magic Hours at the Disney Studios and instead start our day with our breakfast reservation at Chef Mickey's. Since we were using Disney transportation, that meant taking a bus to the Magic Kingdom, where we had to pass through bag check and metal detectors before taking the monorail to the Contemporary. We were early, so we browsed the shops and looked at the gingerbread house in the fourth floor lobby.
Chef Mickey's
We checked in for our 10:35 breakfast reservation and then sat around the lobby for 15 minutes until they found us a table. Breakfast was the typical Disney menu of Mickey waffles, eggs, sausage and bacon. Our experience with Disney waitresses did not improve as Alex and J. R. were finished with their first plate before they were served coffee (and had to ask the waitress to get that). Because of the delays in seating us, the restaurant was serving lunch before we finished our meal.
Cold Florida
We had flown to Chicago to avoid the bitter cold weather, but it followed us to Orlando (although wind chills back in Chi-beria were 25 below zero, so we weren't as bad off as it felt). Luckily most of us had brought winter jackets since we would have to wait for the airport shuttle when we returned, except for Rebecca, who borrowed an extra hoodie J. R. had brought. We all apologized to Alex, who we had made fun of the day before because he was wearing his wool jacket in the sun when we landed.
Studios and Springs
Our plan for the afternoon was another spin through Disney Studios, so we took a bus from the Contemporary directly to there, which meant another bag check and security scan. We had FastPass booked for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Star Tours and the Tower of Terror, so rode those. There wasn't much else to do at the Studios these days so we walked through the exhibit showing the new rides to come. After the Studios, we wanted to do some shopping, so we climbed on a bus to Saratoga Springs so we could hop over to Disney Springs from there. The bus rides were long and Rebecca took the opportunity to take a nap. World of Disney was a madhouse and Rebecca was unhappy because Mom didn't want to wait in line to buy a pin, so after a trip through Basin for some bath bombs, we split up. Janie and J. R. went through the Christmas Tree Walk and the Disney Christmas Shop while the kids walked around the rest of the shops. We met up and walked over to the Marvel store because Rebecca wanted to see it, but we didn't have much time and she got upset again because we rushed through it.
Late Dinner and Missed Fireworks
The reason we rushed through was because we needed to catch a bus back to the Magic Kingdom for a 7:30 reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern. We had booked this so we would have enough time to eat and then step out and see the nighttime fireworks. When we arrived at the restaurant, however, they told us they were running 30 minutes late and we wouldn't be seated until after 8PM. The lobby was crowded so the options were standing in a corner or sitting outside in the cold. J. R. was not happy the restaurant didn't call, text, email or use the My Disney Experience app to let us know dinner would be delayed. All of the rushing was for nothing and we would miss the fireworks. Dinner was good although some of us thought the meats were overcooked, especially the turkey. The dessert was very good but everyone was full. J. R. bet Alex $20 he wouldn't finish the half of the dessert left and Alex took him up on it and polished it off. We heard the fireworks out the window and would now have to plan another night to actually see them. Thanks, Disney, for a 'magical' experience! After dinner, we took a night time run through Big Thunder Mountain, which is always fun after dark. Lines were getting short so we were able to ride Space Mountain in the standby lane and then Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. The line for Peter Pan said 55 minutes, which is the lowest we had seen, so we got in line and it was only a 15 minute wait.
