Our Big DVC Anniversary Trip-Report September 13 *completed*

Day 5

A Lazy Day

Given that it was 3am before we got into bed the night before, I was quite surprised to wake up at 9am this morning, and I woke up refreshed as if I'd had a nice long sleep! We had decided yesterday that we would be taking it quite easy today after such a busy day so we got a leisurely breakfast in the room that consisted of bagels (for me) and cereal (for Sy). We got up and got dressed and by then Hayley had messaged to say they were up too. Hayley and Gareth were staying in a 1 bedroom unit which has washer and driers in the room so I asked nicely if I could take round some washing We do get free washing when staying at DVC but that means you have to go and wait in the washing room which is no fun so it was much appreciated that we could take some round to theirs to wash.

So we packed up some washing and made our way over to Kidani. We stopped on the way at reception to get a statement of what had been charged to the room, it was a little shock when the lady said that we were in credit... We had charged a lot to the room already So she printed out an itemised bill, Gray had credited our room with $200!! O.M.G. To say I was shocked would be a massive understatement, I was floored! I couldn't believe that someone could have done that for us. It was such a contrast to the awful bus driver last night. I totally had a cry once we got to the car.

Once I had composed myself we headed over to Hayley and Gareth's room. We chilled out in their room for a bit and put the washing on before making our way down to Sanaa for lunch.

We didn't have a reservation but the restaurant wasn't even half full and we were seated almost right away. We decided to skip the bread service today and try some of the other starters, we decided to get 1 plate of the samosas and the sampler.

Well, that's what we did order once we could find out server, she was total pants! She was never around, Gareth asked for a drink before the starter came and he didn't get it till well after the plates were taken away. The Samosas were amazing, and I loved the mango chutney that came with them.

For mains I had the Durban chicken (very spicy!) and butter chicken (yummy). Sadly when all the mains came they were cold They weren't even just a bit cold, they were stone cold, the rice was like they had forgotten to heat it up! When we finally managed to get hold of our server we sent the food back. She certainly wasn't impressed with us for sending them back. We had ordered naan breads to go with the mains which she left and said she would bring more out when our food came back out, she charged us for both sets on the bill so we had to ask her to remove the first lot from the bill. Despite the server being rubbish the food was amazing and we will be back next year

Here are a few pics of the meal...

Love this pic, always makes me smile as Sy is seriously shiny and Gareth looks like he's going to commit murder, and like it!

We were *so* full after lunch so we headed back to Hayley and Gareth's room and slobbed out for a while. We watched some TV and generally just hung out while Hayley and Gareth did some packing as they were going home tomorrow :'(

Once a few hours had passed and a few cross words between Hayley and Gareth about what was going home and what was staying in the owners locker, we decided to head out to Epcot. We got there at about 6pm and had a few photopass pics taken.

You might notice someone missing from those pics. We did all go to Epcot but Gareth had hurt his back when packing and didn't want to be in the pictures. Poor Gareth

We went to ride Spaceship Earth first, annoyingly the flash didn't go off on our pictures so there was no opportunity for some dodgy pics or video at the end

Waiting to go in.

And us on the ride

We then headed over to Soarin' Just *love* this ride! We asked for centre seats so had to wait a short time worth it though!

Afterwards we decided that we had done enough especially as Gareth wasn't feeling 100% so we headed out. We had made loose plans to go for dinner with Carrie and Mark at Kobe but she messaged before to say they weren't going to be able to make it after all so that just left the 4 of us. Even though we had eaten a huuuuuuuuge lunch we decided to head to kobe anyway, as it had taken so long to convince Hayley to give it a try Before we left I had signed Sy up to their birthday club as they send out a $30 gift voucher for use anytime within your birthday month.

We decided to head to the Kobe in Lake Buena Vista as it wasn't too far to go to. We had to wait a short while for a table so we sat at the bar and ordered a few drinks.

When some more people arrived we were shown to a table of 10, we were sat with a group of 5 who were rather drunk I was still wearing my magic band so one of the girls started asked me about it and it turns out she works on Main Street, she was SO perky, I said to Hayley that I think she takes her job home with her They were nice enough people, just a bit loud and drunk lol. Hayley and Gareth ordered a sharing platter for 2 while I had chicken (of course!) and Sy had one of the specials, he was told to order as much as he could to take it up to $30 as it was free so he did!

This is the yummy salad you get after the miso soup.

The food was amazing as it was before and Hayley really enjoyed it too which I was relieved about as we all had to twist her arm to go there. Once we had finished I started to feel a bit ill... I'll spare you the details other than to say it was like my body went 'OUT! GET IT ALL OUT!!!' Both ends This was something to do with my tummy problems I found out last week when I saw my consultant, it happened again on the trip and since we got home It was horrendous.

I was really upset though cause I missed Sy getting a hat and a birthday cupcake and everyone in the restaurant singing happy birthday to him! Poor Hayley came to look after me, getting me cold wet hand towels to take my temperature down. Amazing friend She really looked after me, Sy and Gareth went to wait in the car and as soon as I thought I could make the journey back to the hotel we headed out and joined them, I had to sit with a plastic bag on my knee just in case

We dropped Hayley and Gareth off Kidani, we had left stuff in their room including washing but I just needed to get back to our room so Sy dropped me off and went back for our things, while I practically ran back to our room.

I luckily didn't need the plastic bag in the car and wasn't actually sick again thank god. I felt so bad for putting a dampener on Hayley and Gareth's last night I know I couldn't help it and they told me not to be so silly but I still felt pants about it

Sy got back to the room shortly after with our things. We couldn't really leave the stuff there as they were checking out in the morning so we couldn't leave them more stuff to worry about, its bad enough making sure you've not forgotten any of your own stuff, let alone anyone else's! I had a shower and spent about 10 mins cleaning my teeth LOL before getting into bed by about midnight.

Tomorrow we say a sad farewell to Hayley and Gareth and we head to MNSSHP in the evening.

Awwww thank you Allie! Hope you're enjoying it xxx

Well not to be mean to Sy here, but as soon as he starts to lose weight he completely stops! (Other than when he's had a drink or two). His dad is exactly the same. It's something to think about though cause I'd have done anything for a peaceful nights sleep on that trip, Sy had me up every. Single. Night. It was awful as Im a girl who really needs my sleep.

Thanks for reading! Glad you're enjoying it xxxx

Day 6

A sad farewell and MNSSHP

I woke up due to Sy's snoring again but if I was awake he damn well was gonna be too so I woke him up and all Yeah, Yeah I'm a mean wifey I know Hayley and Gareth were leaving today so we were on a bit of a downer so didn't want them to go home! We got dressed and Sy had breakfast in the room while I facetimed my mum. I wanted to do some more washing so I packed up our stuff and headed down to the DVC washing room. Luckily both washers were free so I stuff our things in them both and headed down to the shop. There was a sign that said the washers would take 30 mins so what better way to pass the time than a mooch round the shop?! I bought a few bits in the shop on my band however there was a bit of fuss about being able to use my annual pass discount, while the tickets might be on my band now, they still need to see the annual pass, seems a bit silly to me that I still had to carry the annual pass, luckily for me the lady took me on my word and let me use the discount but she totally didn't have to so I was very grateful! Half an hour passed very quickly (funny that, I'm sure to some people half an hour in a shop would have felt like hours yet to me it went within a blink of an eye!), and so I made my way back up to the washing room. Weirdly only 1 machine was done so I sorted through that one and worked out what could and couldn't be tumbled and then waited for the other to be finished. And I waited. And I waited. Finally after a further 30 minutes it was done. So the sign is a bit useless, it should say 1 machine takes 30 minutes and the other takes a hour Once I had sorted that one and put the relevant stuff in the tumble drier I headed back to our room. I had half a bagel to eat, I was still feeling fragile from last night so didn't want to have much. I then painted my nails and sent Sy to collect the clothes from the drier, of course I then couldn't touch the washing with wet nails ;) hehehe! Sy came back with Hayley and Gareth in tow, we arranged yesterday that they were coming to ours as they had to be out of their room so early.

We didn't stay in the room for too long before going out for some early lunch at Logan's, this was a first for us. We got a nachos to share as a starter, though I didn't eat too many as it was beef chilli. It was yummy though!

I then had some sort of chicken burger with a baked potato. It was nice enough, I think the fact that I didn't feel 100% still didn't help and as soon as I had eaten it I regretted it lol.

I would definitely head back to Logan's again, it was fairly priced and I think I would enjoy it much more when I'm not feeling a bit grotty still.

We then headed back to the hotel, we made the 'mistake' of stopping by the DVC guide in the lobby, before we knew it we had an appointment with our guide to talk about the Grand Floridian... oh dear!

We headed to our room and chilled out letting lunch go down and watching the animals from the balcony. Before we knew it though, it was time for Hayley and Gareth to head to the airport We were so sad, I properly cried once they had left

We put the TV on and started to watch Toy Story but ended up having a nap for about erm, 2 hours, whoops! Lol When we woke up we quickly got dressed for MNSSHP and headed out to the car (not before getting a few pics of each other dressed up in the room).

Sy didn't have any ears by this point though...

We then made our way to the car and headed to MK. After being ill the night before and spending the day ill on and off today I decided to take the scooter, I really didn't want to as I wanted to show off my outfit and its soooo not the same effect when sitting down but needs must (guess I'll just have to recycle the outfit again next year )

We decided to get the boat over as its so much easier with the scooter, no ramps or anything, just roll on and roll off!

On the way in I saw a couple in the best costume EVER, the man was wearing a grey suit covered in paper aeroplanes while the girl was dressed all in grey with bright red lipstick - from the short, paperman! They looked awesome!

First stop on main street was the hat shop to get Sy some ears. He didn't want one of the hats with ears on, he wanted a headband like mine, only they don't do them for men so we had to buy Minnie ears and cut the bow off in the shop, the girls in there were lovely though and helped us by getting sharp scissors.

We then made our way to Tomorrowland to the candy stations there before heading into Monsters Inc where I got the first proper picture of Sy including his ears...

Monsters inc was *so* funny, and not just because Sy was 'that guy' (which was HILARIOUS) but the way they used the audience in their outfits was brilliant, at one point there was even a dance off between Batman and Spider-man! It really has to be a must do in MNSSHP. Plus there was no wait whatsoever

Afterwards we got some more candy and went to find a spot for the fireworks. We waited for quite a while and got talking to a lovely couple who were waiting with us. They were such nice people! The fireworks were brilliant but I have no idea why people say they are better than Wishes?! They are good but they don't even compare if you ask me

The crowds were MENTAL tonight, I'd never seen it so busy. I have a feeling it had something to do with being the first party after the party that was held on the 13th when all of the roads were blocked, I think people couldn't get to the party and got their tickets changed to tonight. After the fireworks we were properly stuck and couldn't move for about 20 minutes which was a little scary! When we did finally move it was only because a kind cast member took pity and held up the traffic of people for me to get out of the spot I was in (I didn't want to just move as I didn't want to risk hurting anyone with the scooter), we then made our way to the disabled area to wait for the second parade. We were 40 minutes early but it was so busy we didn't want to risk not being able to get back there.

The parade was amazing, it really is the best Disney parade I've ever seen. Its really long too! I took a gazillion pictures but I wont bore you with them all so here are a select few Sorry for the quality, my camera had died so they were taken on my phone.

Not really sure how I felt about seeing the dog in the parade, he was really hot and panting....

We then spent some time getting more candy and some photopass pictures. I did notice that there werent that many photopass photographers around and the ones we did find had big queues would have been nice to get more pics.

We had lots of compliments on our outfits all night, with lots of cast members calling us boss and Mrs boss, some of the CM's were asking when they were getting that raise we'd talked about it was great and I really loved it

It was soon time to leave so we headed out to the front to catch the boat back again.

The mosquitos are awful at night on the boat, they were everywhere! Not much disney can do about them though, water + warm weather + lights on the boat = feeding frenzy for the little bleeders.

Once we got back in the car Sy decided he was hungry so we stopped at McDonalds on the way back to AKL. I didn't want anything though as I was *still* feeling dodgy.

Back at the room Sy grabbed one more pic of me before getting out of my outfit, I was so sad to be taking it off, I would have kept it on for days if I had the chance

And of course, the obligatory candy pic...

I don't think we did too badly made sure we skipped out on the blooming raisins this time! You can keep your healthy stuff thanks I'll stick to the bad stuff

Our heads finally hit the pillow at about 2am. That power nap really kept us going tonight, must remember to do that next year too

Tomorrow we check out of AKL and into BLT

Day 6 is now done thanks for reading xxxx

I totally emailed disney after we got home to tell them how awesome she was, they got back to me last week saying that they are so pleased and they will let the relevant people know so she can be commended for it

There's no way I could have let it go, cause by doing that it's saying it's ok to treat me and more importantly other people, that way. No way Jose!

Hahahaha I have no idea where it came from but it was a more polite way of saying what I really wanted to put

Ah that's good to know, I still don't think I fancy the christmas crowds mind you

Awwwwww thank you so much Diane! Xxxxx

Day 7

Goodbye AKL and Hello BLT!

Sy's snoring had me up at 8am, wayyyyy too little sleep for me! I've said it before, I am a girl who really loves her sleep, plus I had an email while I was away from my consultant with the results of my latest blood test, I was suffering with anaemia So I got up and made myself useful by packing up our things. I didn't do it quietly either oooooh I'm a mean wife

Soon Sy stopped pretending to be asleep to get out of helping me and got up and had a shower before making us both something light to eat as we were going for a late breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe. We had a mini bagel each, I had mine plain with just a bit of butter on, Sy was going for peanut butter and jelly, I really don't get that combination... Strange boy!

When we had finished packing and clearing out our room we called bell service to come and help us with our bags, as there was just no way we would be able to manage it all by ourselves... its funny how quickly you can accumulate stuff isn't it As we had some fridge stuff we decided to take our things straight over to BLT rather than let bell services transfer it for us, we didn't want to risk the stuff hanging around and possibly getting all hot. They have fridges in the luggage store but who knows how long it would be from fridge to fridge or how many stops they would have to make between resorts. We did leave some of our things at AKL long term store as we would be back in just a few days though so at least we didn't have to take too much over to BLT.

We said goodbye to AKL and hello to BLT by 11am. There was a bit of a queue to get into the Contemporary car park, I guess it was from guests waiting to check in as they all seemed to be going through to speak to the guard on the gate rather than the automatic gate. We pulled up out the front of reception at BLT and was greeted by 5 staff with iPads, all smiley and welcoming us home. I left Sy dealing with the bags and bellhop while I went to check us in. When I did online check in it asked for an ETA so I put 10:30am in the hope that our room might be ready but sadly it wasn't They linked our bands to the room and let slip what room number we were in... Whoops! It didn't matter though, we weren't the sort to go and find the room before we were told it was ready Sy joined me half way through check in having sorted the bags and parked the car and we were given 2 new buttons to celebrate our anniversary. It was only as we were getting back into the car that he realised that he hadn't asked for 1 of the bags to be put in the fridge! Doh! So off we trundled back to see the same bellboy and ask for it to be moved to the fridge. He was very sweet though and didn't mind at all.

We had an ADR at Whispering Canyon Cafe but sadly we had missed it, it was for 11am but we didn't get there until 11:30am. We were in luck though as the place was deserted apart from 2 other tables. I did explain at the desk that we were running late due to changing resort and we were 'told off' at the front, having never been to WCC before I thought at first I had been told off for real, it wasn't until the same lady kept coming back to tell us off through the meal that we realised it was part of the fun! When she checked us in we were asked if we would like breakfast or lunch as we were right on the border for either but we had been eyeing up the breakfast menu online so we went with that

We were shown to a table the furthest away from the front and right next to the kitchen weirdly considering there were only 2 other tables with people at them and they were both near each other by the front.

Our server was properly mental, he was brilliant! He really gave us a great time even though the place was empty, it must be harder when its empty. We placed our order and took a few pics while we were waiting.

Then our food arrived in superfast time.

It was then that awful moment that we were asked if we wanted anything to go with our meal... I gave Sy a deadly look that said, if you dare to ask for ketchup I will kill you... sadly for me though he DID want ketchup, and he could see the other table with children on it and all of the ketchup and so wanted to give them a good time...

It was sooooo cute watching the kids bringing them all to us, there were 3 of them, one who was only just about toddling and could only manage one at a time. I didn't let on to Sy that I thought it was cute though....

We both really enjoyed our food and the CM interaction and cant wait to go back next year!

After we finished and paid our bill we headed back outside to collect the car.

It was almost time to meet our guide Tim so we made our way over to SSR to wait for him there. We weren't having a full on tour as we were already owners now, we just needed to go through the pricing for VGF and to work out how many points we would need if we chose to buy in. Tim seemed to remember exactly who we were even down to where we stayed when we were here in May, I asked him if he made notes and he admitted that he did He was much nicer with us this time and there was no hard sell even though we had bought our AKL points via resale. We went through all the paperwork and pricing and went away to talk things through. I'm sure people don't believe me when I say this, but it was Sy who had to talk me into buying VGF points and not the other way round! I was still humouring him at this point... He also wanted to go over to the model rooms so he could try selling it to me, which Tim thought was very funny as its usually the wives who have to talk the husbands into it! While we were inside looking at the model rooms the heavens opened to the heaviest downpour of the trip, we said goodbye to Tim and were about to run to the car but Tim gave us an umbrella from the basket by the door and said give it back to him next time we see him

We decided to try heading back to BLT to see if our room was ready, sadly it still wasn't however we were told on the sly that housekeeping was in the room right now so it would be ready any moment, so we waited in reception.... 40 mins later someone from the front desk came over to say the room was ready. We were both *so* excited for our stay in BLT, we had a MK view and Hayley and popped an email over to her guide to ask for us to have a nice central view high up as we were there for our wedding anniversary. Hayley is amazing! We were in room 7918.

The room was sadly very tired It was still pretty and nice but just so tired in compared to AKL and this is a newer resort! Out on the balcony is was super noisy due to MK, the road and the works going on the renew the bus stops. Not the tranquil peace and quiet balcony like in AKL...

Some pics of the tiredness of the room...

We quickly unpacked and headed out for afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian, Garden View Tea Room. I booked this back in May when we were here as I wasn't able to book it online and didn't want to call up. We got dressed up and headed over via monorail, we were a little early so we checked in and took a seat in the lobby listening to the pianist and singer. They were both fab!

Before long a waitress came to get us and showed us to a table for 2, it was half empty inside so not sure why we weren't able to be seated early? It didn't matter, we were happy listening to the music, I'm just nosey and wanna know why lol. We were given menus and we both decided on the Buckingham Palace Tea which included sandwiches with an onion tart, scone and jam tart followed by a choice of trifle, strawberries and cream or 2 pastries from the cake tray and your choice of tea.

I decided to go for the Mango Oolong tea and Sy the Thunderbolt Darjeeling. I really enjoyed the delicate taste of the Oolong and I was loved how it was presented - in the sweetest little chintzy, floral cups and saucers with a thick, luxurious tea cosy for the pot, soooo cute!

I didn't have the full selection of sandwiches cause of my food problems so stuck to curried chicken, Sy had the normal plate which included, curried chicken, cucumber and watercress, smoked salmon, pear and Gorgonzola and egg mayonnaise. We loved them all Sy often says he misses sandwiches while in Orlando as the bread just isn't the same, however these came closer to it

We were then brought out our scones and jam tart, the scones probably weren't the best I had ever eaten but they were still not bad. They came with strawberry jam, lemon curd and Devonshire cream. Sy ate both jam tarts as I don't like them

We decided that Sy would order the strawberries and cream while I ordered 2 cakes from the tray and share them both. Our server came over with a big plate full of cakes which were beautifully presented, I chose a rhubarb and plum swan and Simon chose a coconut cake. They were both very good but for me, the strawberries and cream stole the show! They came out so gorgeously presented and the cream was slightly sweetened. I was sad that I hadn't just ordered them to myself (note to self make sure I order them all for me next time!).

We had been chatting to the couple at the next table who were also English and DVC members, in fact the lady nearly wore the same dress as me to afternoon tea! That could have been awkward... Lol. We paid our server and thanked her for her help with my allergies and food problems. We then hopped back on the monorail and headed back to the resort feeling full and happy

We chilled out in the room for a bit and had a little nap while watching TV When we woke up we decided to head out and get some food, didn't have a plan on where to go which turned out to be a mistake as we ended up driving round and round for a while before deciding to get curbside Chili's to bring back to eat on the balcony before watching Wishes. I don't know the proper protocol of tipping at curbside however I gave the girl a few dollars and she seemed really shocked and pleased, not sure if that's cause she isn't normally tipped or cause we were British hahaha!

Stupidly I didn't check the time of Wishes before we went out and it was on super early tonight at 8pm (it was 9pm, 10pm & 11pm the rest of the week) so we saw the beginning of it as we were driving into the car park. We totally legged it to the room to try and catch it from the balcony. I'm not 100% sure what had happened but we weren't back in the room till 8:15 but it was at the beginning and went on for the full time so I guess it must have started late, not sure why though, it wasn't raining or windy by now.

Even though we had seen most of it, I was really upset that we had missed the beginning of Wishes, we had paid more to be in a MK view room and we were only here for 2 nights, plus I already knew that we were going to miss it the next night as I had booked something special for our Anniversary meal Sy managed to jolly me out of it though and said we will book to come back again in a few years for an MK room, if the resort has a bit of TLC in the meantime.

We ate our food which wasn't too bad nor was it cold as we had left it while watching Wishes, we then vegged out on the sofa watching TV before getting an earlyish night at about 10pm.

Tomorrow, our wedding anniversary

Aww thank you! Another day now added!

Hold on, you saw my outfit right?

Thanks for reading, hope you are enjoying xxx

Awww thank you so much! I'm soooo gonna reuse them next year, any excuse to wear the dress again

Okay, okay... Just for you, day 7 now added xxxxxx

Awww thank you so much, it means a lot to me that everyone enjoys reading them. I really hope your blues aren't too bad

Btw, no idea why these quotes aren't in order lol

Day 8

Our Wedding Anniversary

I was up at 7:30am due to Sy's snoring yet again, but being the nice hubby he is, he got up and watched TV for a few hours so that I could get some more sleep, yay! I then managed to sleep until 9:30am, those extra 2 hours made all the difference to me, I do love my sleep I think I was catching up from days of little and broken sleep due to Sy's snoring...

When I was awake again I went to grab all of our cards, our lovely family and friends had given us cards to bring with us We opened them all in bed Sy then made us both some breakfast of bagels, we had quite a few to get through as Hayley and Gareth had kindly given the rest of theirs when they left (among other things, they gave us drinks, stuff for sandwiches etc, thanks guys!). We called home while eating to say hello to our parents and thank them for their cards - they had both given us some dollars to spend *awww* We are very lucky

We had made some loose plans to meet up with Jeff and Joe but it was quite difficult to try and arrange it as our mobile's didn't like their phone numbers We quickly dressed and I messaged to say we were on our way. We then hot footed it over to MK. It was *SO* hot today, it was the hottest day since we got there, and added to that, MK was PACKED. We queued to get through bag check and then queued to get in. I was in a bit of a flap as it was starting to go past the time we were supposed to meet, I did message to say we were on the way but then we were just hoping that Jeff had read the message and didn't think we had changed our minds!

As luck would have it though, Jeff had read the message and they were waiting for us. Yay! I didn't even have to do that awkward I'm-not-too-sure-what-you-look-like-but-I-have-to-try-and-find-you thing because Jeff spotted us as we walked over the bridge. We have the biggest hugs before getting into the queue at Aloha Isle for some Dole Whips. We were given a voucher for 2 free dole whip floats on our first day to kinda make up for the waiting around trying to fix our bands and we also wanted to buy for Jeff and Joe too as it was Jeff's special birthday (which I think he's totally lying about, there's no way he's as old as he tells me ), there was a little bit of an argument on who was paying as they wanted to treat us as it was our anniversary! Teehee. We then got a spot to sit down and talk. Jeff and Joe are just the cutest couple *ever*! We chatted for aaaaaaaages, and we totally forgot to get any pictures of us all which was annoying - we were just caught up in how much fun we were having We did spend an awful lot of time talking about DVC and why Jeff and Joe weren't owners yet... Sorry Joe! After what felt like 5 mins but was at least 45 mins we had to say goodbye, it was getting so hot out in the heat plus the guys had somewhere to be. So we said a big goodbye and headed in the direction of the park exit.

We walked through the shops, totally buying into the whole Disney making the shops cool to entice you inside to escape the heat... and we found the perfect present for my friend Ruth who was cat sitting for us. She's a huge Disney fan and we have been to Disneyland Paris with her but she's never been to WDW, well she is a huuuuuuuuge villains fans and board-game fan, and I found a villains monopoly Perfect present for her I just had to buy it I just knew she would love it though.

When we got back to the room I quickly facetimed Ruth to show her what I bought and she was THRILLED with it! She said she wanted us to come home right now so she could play it hehehe. So pleased with myself for getting her such an awesome present We then rushed around getting ready for a swim, it was wayyy hot and it was so needed to cool down. I've read reports of BLT pool getting very busy, I didn't really think it was very busy, but it was busy for sure. Still loads of sun loungers available, but more people in it than the pool at AKL.

Some pool pics

We had a dip in the pool to cool off and then I went to read a book on my ipad in the sun, I didn't manage to read much though as the sun was so hot, so before long I was back in the pool cooling down. I really wanted to try out the water slide but I was a bit afraid of looking like a beach whale if the pool had been quieter I'm sure I would have given it a go... next time Once we were suitably prune-like and wrinkly we decided to call it a day and head back up to our room to get showered and changed as the plan was to hire a boat from the Contemporary boat dock.

I knew we were expecting a delivery from Disney Floral (Sy told me he had ordered something as he didn't want me to think he hadn't got me anything as I didn't have anything to open from him), so I wasn't too surprised to hear people in our room when we got back. I was surprised that they were being loud and jokey so I let Sy go in first. At first we opened the door to something behind it blocking it, and then lots of hushed noise and the toilet flushing?! They moved what was blocking us from entering and we could get in where we found 2 maintenance guys and a girl. They were doing something like changing a filter but I didn't really know what it was. I wasn't impressed that we hadn't been told that they would be coming in, we were still dripping wet and had no where to change so we ended up standing on the balcony for 10-15 mins while they finished so we didn't get the carpet all wet. When they did leave they left mess all over the carpet from the filter!! I was really upset, we were made to feel like we were getting in the way in our own room, plus they had obviously used the bathroom. Had we been told that they needed to come in we could have made sure we were out, and we could have left underwear and valuables out (we hadn't as we knew disney floral could come in but that's not the point!). We had pretty much dried off by now so we decided not to shower yet but to get dressed and head down to speak to someone at the front desk right away.

I took a sneaky pics of them doing the work...

When we got to the front desk we asked if there was a manager around to speak to and a guy in a navy jacket came over and asked if he could help, his name was Mario and he was a supervisor but offered to call a manager from the Contemporary if we would like. He took us over to the DVC desk away where it was quiet and asked us what the problem was. When we explained he was very upset for us, though he did say they don't always let guests know as its such a quick thing to do - they are usually in and out in 20 mins - which I think is rubbish, I want to know when people are entering my room! If I'm not scheduled to have housekeeping I don't bother putting things away that I don't want to be seen, like underwear and valuables He also was very upset that they had left a mess in the room and used the bathroom, he was going to send housekeeping up right away to clear up after them. He also spent a lot of time chatting to us and asking us how the trip was going, he also noticed on our booking (as he brought it up to arrange the housekeeping) that it was our wedding anniversary today and asked if there was anything he could do to make it up to us, to which we said no, just to pass on the feedback that we think guests should be notified, even just by a voice mail overnight, that there would be some maintenance in their room. He said he would definitely pass on that feedback and wished us a happy anniversary and we went on our way. Although we were complaining, we are certainly not the rude and angry sort of complainers, the way I see it, Mario didn't do anything wrong so there's no point in losing the plot with him, he is far more likely to listen to us and what we have to say if we are genuine, nice people who are pointing out that something isn't quite right. I really hate to see people shouting and screaming when something doesn't go the right way, all that does is upset them, the person they are shouting at, and everyone else around them! There's just no need really.

I felt a lot better having spoken to Mario, he really made me feel like we weren't just making a fuss about nothing, which is always the possibility as something that is important to one person isn't always that important to someone else.

So off we went over to the Contemporary marina to see about hiring one of the boats We walked along the water as we were there in seconds. We weren't sure which boat to go for, I knew I wanted one of the bigger boats and not one of the Sea Raycers as you have to wear your life jacket at all times on the Sea Raycers and on the bigger boats you just need to have it with you on the boat, total vanity and comfort, no one looks good in those life jackets We decided to go for a Sun Tracker after some advice from the cashier - she said these are slightly more comfortable than the Boston Whaler as they are a little larger though both boats are the same price.

We had to sign a waiver and show ID for the driver, Sy. I didn't want to steer the boat and he is nautical anyway we put him down as the only driver. We were given some snazzy different coloured wristbands for driver and non-driver. We then had to go and find a life jacket each and take it over to the boat.

One of the CM's showed us how to steer and we started on our way.

We reversed out and started to move away however there was a problem with the engine so reversed back, I wouldn't have noticed a thing however as Sy knew what he was doing he realised it straight away. Back at the dock we explained to the CM and were soon sailing back out on another boat. First stop was heading over the water bridge to see the Grand Floridian Villas....hmmmm wonder why we wanted to see them....

We went round Seven Seas Lagoon before heading back over to Bay Lake and went on the lookout for the old River Country and discovery island.

Some pictures I took onboard...

Before we knew it, 45 mins had past and we were heading back into dock. When it came to pay we were only charged for 30 mins instead of 45, not sure if that was something to do with the boat problems to start with or cause we had our anniversary buttons on but we thanked them and paid with the nice 30% discount that we got from either our annual passes or DVC membership, I cant remember which! Oops! Sorry....

We then headed back inside, we were going to head up to our room but we were starving, even though I knew we had a big dinner planned we just had to go into the contemporary and visit contempo cafe. I tried really hard to convince Sy to share something with me so that we wouldn't be too full but I couldn't say much as I didn't want to tell him where we were going... So we ended up having something each, I had a cheese flatbread and Sy had a sandwich. The ordering system is a bit confusing, you had to order at the counter and you were given a buzzer then go and pay, and then go back to wait by the counter. What would make more sense would be to go and sit and wait for the buzzer to go off but everyone else was waiting holding their buzzer so we guessed that was what we should do too... but maybe we were just being sheep LOL. When it was ready we took it back up to our room in BLT to eat it while watching TV.

When we got back to the room there had been a little delivery for me! EEEEEK!

I was so pleased with my lovely present There were 2 champagne glasses, some mickey chocolates, a mickey basket, a rose display and a balloon. It was a shame that the balloon was half deflated :S but I loved it all the same There was also a really cute princess charm on the vase.

Soon after there was a knock at the door, Sy went to answer and it was in room dining with a chocolate Mickey for us! OMG! We were told it was to say Happy Anniversary but I had my suspicions that a certain Mario may have had something to do with it....

Mickey was solid chocolate! He was really hard to eat though I gave it a good go...

LOL! Sy took quite a few pictures of me posing eating the Mickey but this is the only one going up as the others all look like I'm doing something rather inapropriate to poor Mickey...

Time was getting on so we dashed in the shower to get ready for our special meal (that Sy still didn't know about ) Shortly after I got out of the shower and while Sy was having his shower there was another knock at the door. I grabbed my towel round me sharpish, I was scared it might be someone with a key! I yelled that I was coming and ran to the door and opened it a crack. There stood Mario, he just wanted to make sure that our day had got a little better I thanked him for the mickey which he played dumb and said what Mickey? Before giving a wink and said he would leave us to it, I told him I was just out of the shower but I don't know that he believed me given that it was our anniversary and wearing just a towel hahaha

We were soon ready to go for dinner. As far as Sy knew, we were heading to the Grand Floridian Cafe, and heading there a little early to grab a drink in the bar and listen to the band play... little did he know We walked over to the Contemporary and hopped on the monorail.

We were a little later than planned but still early for our dinner reservation yet I could already see the Butler waiting for us beside the piano so I led Sy downstairs, away from the bar much to his disgust He said I was acting very strangely but it soon became clear when I walked over to the butler he realised we weren't going to be eating in the Grand Floridian Cafe... I had booked for us to have 'an intimate dining experience' or 'private dining experience'

The butler introduced himself as Jack and he led us to the lift for guests staying at the Grand Floridian. Jack said it was really quite windy outside but that it should die down soon. I'd been watching the weather alllll day praying for good weather so that we could eat outside, luckily the weather gods had been listening to me and decided to be kind!

Jack wasn't lying, it really was quite windy out there - the table had a couple of rose petals on it, and lots blowing around on the floor beside us... Oops! The table still looked gorgeous though with a lamp with a flameless candle inside and some beautiful flowers. Jack asked if we would like a drink from the bar and Sy said yes, a long island iced tea, I declined and just had a diet coke as alcohol often makes me unwell Jack poured my drink and water for us both and gave us some warm bread before going to get Sy's drink. He also asked if we would like some music to listen to, when we said yes he put on music through his cell phone and some portable speakers. Awwwww

The little speaker on the table...

Our View

(yes we swapped seats due to the wind and my hair)

When he came back with the long island iced tea, he brought our first course which was the soup.

Sy had French onion soup, the chef had made me a special soup of potato and leek I would probably run out of adjectives when describing everything that passed our lips this evening, the food was the best either of us have ever eaten - this includes Palo on the Dream last year
which before this we said was the best meal we'd ever had. That was THE best soup I have ever eaten, and I don't even like soup! I swear I go to bed dreaming of that soup LOL

When he took away the soup he brought us our starters of lobster risotto and spring egg rolls.

Again these were super scrummy. I was trying to save room so didn't eat all that was on my plate so when Jack came back he jokingly scolded me and made me eat the last one, I didn't really need any encouraging - I was just trying to be good. That damn cheese flatbread was taking up too much room in my tummy!

This was Jack's little table which he put things on before serving us, it also had our drinks and water on it.

Then it was time for the salad course, Caesar for me, Tuna for Sy. I went for a bit of a curve ball on this one as Sy's came with avocado which usually he doesn't like, but I really thought he would enjoy the rest and he could leave the avocado if he didn't like it... I definitely made the right choice though as he LOVED it My salad was good too much I was starting to feel ever so full...

We did also have a little friend during our meal, a tiny frog was on the window beside us and at one point jumped into my lap and scared the life out of me! I think he felt like he was missing out on such a good night and wanted to join in on the action

It was then time for our mains, chicken with mushroom sauce for me, pork chop for Sy. My main was a little strange, it was another specially made plate for me, it was chicken with a mushroom sauce and it came with asparagus and long stemmed broccoli. I ate the chicken which was beautiful, I didn't eat the greens though as I should stay away from green with my tummy problems. Sy LOVED his main.

During our main course Wishes started so we watched the fireworks while eating. It was beautiful! How more perfect can you get?!

Then came the dessert, this was the winner of the meal for me. I loved the swans, they were the best dessert I could have ever wished for. Sy had the baked chocolate mousse which he thoroughly enjoyed however I didn't like at all when I tasted it (but of course I don't like dark chocolate so it was no surprise really!).

When it came to the end of our meal I had to visit the ladies so Jack took me downstairs to use the restroom by Citricos, I wasn't very well I cant really eat too much in one go and it was even worse on this trip, and tonight I was seriously ill, like I was in Kobe, ill When I could venture out of the bathroom Jack was still waiting for me, I told him I wasn't well and asked him to get Sy to settle the bill and come and find me here. I went back into the bathroom as I was still feeling sick, when I came back Sy was there with Jack who wanted to make sure I was ok and to say goodbye. Earlier in the dinner we had talked and decided to leave Jack a bigger tip than what was included in our bill so Sy had given him an extra $30 as he really was the best server we have ever met in Disney. He was very funny and had some great stories, yet he knew when to step back to allow us time to ourselves, absolute perfect service! Also, I found out afterwards that he had bought Sy's drink for him to say happy anniversary and he had given us a white chocolate picture of the Grand Floridian, which Sy showed me once we returned to our room (which was a LOT later...)

2 Hours after I was first ill I was able to leave the bathroom without too much fear of disgracing myself. Sy being the super amazing husband that he is, had taken the monorail back by himself and gone to pick up the car to take me back to the hotel as I was petrified I was going to be sick on the monorail in front of other people, as it was he had remembered to even pick up a plastic bag just in case for me for the car. What an end to our anniversary eh? I just had to go and spoil it! Damn body!!!! Sy didn't mind, though he was worried about me obviously, he wasn't upset that our evening had been a bit ruined (he said it hadn't bless him!).

Sy dropped me at the door to BLT and went to park the car while I went straight to the room. We finally got into bed at about midnight. A pretty amazing anniversary apart from the last couple of
hours.

Tomorrow, we check out of BLT and head back to AKL and spend some time in Epcot