17 Days of Wishes Come to Life- A Sept. 08 WDW and DCL Adventure 3/27 new link posted

[jaycns]

On our walk from our room to the Whispering Canyon Cafe (WCC) we could hear it before we would could see it. "WHOOOOO'S GOT KETCHUUUUUP?!"

The boys were excited to eat there when they heard all of the hootin' and hollarin' coming from the restaurant as we approached. While we waited to be seated, I snapped this picture.

And this one. I dare any child (and almost any adult) to pass up a table full of Lincoln Logs and not start to build a log cabin!

We were seated before Goofy's log cabin even had a roof. And just about the time we were seated, we lost our littlest guy. He was sleeping cuddled up on dad's lap just as soon as we were seated. If you look right behind him, you can see the cool picture on one of the chairs at WCC.

This meal was to be the first of many that left us stuffed enough that we thought about trying to roll back to our room. While we were waiting to place our order, Chef Eddie came out and started to talk to our very own Aladdin.

It was great to get the chef's personal recommendations and he was a whole lot of fun to talk to as well. He spent about five minutes at our table and it was nice to have had that special insight into the menu provided (don't know why he came over, but we were glad that he did).

Even though we heard about a lot of great things on the menu, we chose to stick with what we had planned on ordering from the start and get skillets all around. That skillet was jam packed with finger licking, rib sticking, great tasting food. Real down home favorites like corn on the cob, beans, cole slaw, biscuits, mashed taters, chicken, ribs and pulled pork. It was all tasty and very filling.

We had a great waitress as well (I think she just might be the loudest human being on the planet, when she hollered for ketchup, I am sure that they could hear her at Universal Studios). She was a very funny and to introduce herself she came over and threw a pocketful straws on to our table. Along with the skillet all of the boys (including dh) chose to have a milkshake. When I chose to order iced tea, our waitress loudly pointed out that I must be the boring one in the group.

All of the boys were pleased with their beverage choices.

During the meal our Little Prince woke up and I gave him the lemon from my tea. He made the funniest little sour faces.

By the time the napkin waving started we were all in high spirits and having a lot of fun.

We had eaten so much off of our skillets that we had to take a pass on dessert. However, we did end up ordering it to go and taking it back to our room for later on. **TIP- on the dining plan (or even if you are not using it) you can always ask for your dessert (or any other part of your meal) to be served "to go". ** The boys all ordered worms and dirt. Dh and I ordered cheesecake.

 

[jaycns]

After dropping off our dessert in the room we headed back up to the 7th floor and the club area that is there. Notice the closed doors to the food buffet area. They close it off when they are not serving.

We spent some time relaxing and looking down into the lobby below.

When the buffet area opened up for cordials and desserts...we somehow found room in our stomachs to try a few more treats. Here are Stitch and Goofy near one of the pictures in the food serving area.

We were trying to stay awake for the fireworks that night. We thought we might have a better chance of remaining awake if we kept moving.

The first picture I took during our explorations was one of a tepee light that is hanging near the back staircase on the seventh floor landing. The first picture is from the side.

This next picture is of the bottom of the tepee light.

And here is one of the bigger boys peering out of the tiny windows (used to fire out at your enemy in the "olden days").

Check out these tepee lamps hanging over the main lobby!

More beautiful Native American artifacts.

My guys relaxing by one of the fireplaces. It was a very cozy area. Later in the trip, I curled up with a book one night and spent a good three hours relaxing here.

Even our Little Prince was enjoying our explorations!

Looking down at the boys from the screen opposite the fireplace in the cozy seating area.

A picture of the pretty screen.

Here are the bigger boys sitting at the writing desk. This was a place I would revisit during our stay. I sat here late one night writing the many postcards I wanted to get sent out before we left for the cruise.

The bigger boys on the little bridge across the front of the lobby.

Yet another beautiful tepee light!

This little beaver (and his twin friend) held up the railing in the elevator. We loved him and named him Buster Beaver and talked to him throughout our stay. Yes, I know it sounds a bit strange. I never claimed to be normal.

While in the concierge lounge we had asked where a good place to watch the fireworks would be and if we would be able to see them from our room. We were told that we were on the wrong side of the lodge to see them and that we would have a great view from the 7th floor by flooring the hall until we came to the big wooden shutters and pulling them open. It would be a "straight on" view.

Would we head there for the straight on view or would we just head for bed since our eyelids were getting so heavy?

To be continued...

 

[MouseTriper]

Oh my goodness Jay....I am loving ALL the pictures so far, your family is just so dang cute!!! Each one of your little guys is just adorable!!! It looks like a great start to what I know is going to be one brillant vacation!!!!!

So looking forward to more!!!! more!!! more!!!!

 

[RachelTori]

WOW Jay! Love the pictures of your family! And WOW on that room! Looks like an awesome location!

I added your 3 tips to the CL thread (thanks again!). And any time you're ready to post your room pictures and some of the other terrific WL pictures, please do! They will really liven up that thread!

 

[michellejed]

Keep the pics coming!! Love to see it all!!

 

[ethansmommy]

I know what you mean about the hit or miss nature. I had good experiences with Denise. You might want to address your emails to her and ask if she is available on the phone. She seemed to be "with it" as far as keeping things straight and me feeling as if they would be done. HTH

If you are going to have an anniversary dinner at AP, may I suggest looking into doing something romantic before or after? We ended up going to see the BLUE MAN GROUP (totally NOT romantic but PERFECT for us). I was planning on heading over to Fort Wilderness to do a carriage ride or you could set up a Wishes cruise afterward or even head to DTD to see Cirque. Other people suggested doing a couples spa treatment over at the GF, heading over to the Poly to watch the fireworks from the beach, renting jet skis before dinner, a bike ride. Even just a soak in the hot tub. I LOVE celebrating anniversaries at WDW and have done so for almost every year since 1999. I have tons of ideas. If you are interested, I would be happy to share.

I will defineatly try contacting Denise the next time I need to book something with IPO, thank you. We are actually going to be celebrating our 5th year Anniversary while we are there so please please please share your ideas. The one thing I didnt like about the WL club level the last time we stayed there was the fact that they close the food/beverage area off in between servings. I think it would be nice to leave it open at least for drinks/snacks. I am going to try and relax a little this trip so Im going to steal your idea and sneak away with a book for a couple of hours, it sounds sooooo relaxing.

 

[heaven2dc]

What a beautiful resort WL is! I've never thought of staying there since I grew up in the Northwest (Oregon, to be precise) - we use to go up to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood alot and always thought if I went to Florida, I wanted to see palm trees but you have convinced me to try it! (side note here: my cousin got to work at Timberline Lodge on the huge main fireplace one year replacing some stones & he got to inscribe his name & date on the cement behind the stone - he felt sort of special with his name immortalized in such a beautiful structure http://www.welton.it/photos/oregon_summer_2006-mountains/timberline_lodge_fireplace.jpg) The WL is amazing!

You have a beautiful family and having raised 4 boys myself, I can see how special each moment can be (esp when your baby was excited to see Buzz!)

Love your pics - can't wait to find out if you went to see the fireworks!

 

[disneydusted]

Jay! What a great update! I love the pictures of the Little Prince and Buzz Lightyear! So adorable! It is so sweet to see all of your boys together. Aladdin seems to be a natural with another little brother to love.

 

[Figment's Friend]

I love your Wilderness Lodge pictures! Such great detail! Whispering Canyon Cafe looked like a riot Can't wait for more.

 

[SkyGirl]

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the pictures of WL! It is just beautiful and seems to feel so homey. The picture of the boys looking out the small windows is one of my favorites.

Little Prince and Buzz were too cute. What a doll he is.

Food porn pictures are always welcome! I can't wait to do WCC one of these days. We don't have room for it this upcoming trip but it looks like so much fun and the food sounds yummy!

Your TR is making DD and I even more excited about our trip! Only 51 days left!

We were so excited to see the writing desk where you wrote the postcards -- including ours!!!

 

[IluvXU]

Love all the WL pictures... it was a big hit for our family, sorry it was not your favorite though. looking forward to hearing more about your trip. Your boys are too handsome and the baby is getting too big!

 

[hjohnson6]

The Wilderness Lodge is beautiful! I am trying to convince DH to stay there sometime but he has the mentality of "It's just a room for sleeping" so he prefers to stay at the Value Resorts. I don't mind them but I wouldn't mind splurging either. It looks like our next trip will be in 2010. We have serveral house renovations we want to so we need to save our money for that.

Yet another busy morning for me. Had to take DS#1 to school for music class (Homeschoolers can participate in the extra-curricular classes in Wyoming), then the post office, and now we are waiting for our Parents as Teachers Facilitator to arrive. After that we need to eat lunch and then time for school! Whew!

 

[jaycns]

Oh my goodness Jay....I am loving ALL the pictures so far, your family is just so dang cute!!! Each one of your little guys is just adorable!!! It looks like a great start to what I know is going to be one brillant vacation!!!!!

So looking forward to more!!!! more!!! more!!!!

We did have so much fun! I am glad you are loving the pictures. Later on in the trip report, I will have a special installment highlighting the photo challenge you gave me! I had so much fun doing that!

WOW Jay! Love the pictures of your family! And WOW on that room! Looks like an awesome location!

I added your 3 tips to the CL thread (thanks again!). And any time you're ready to post your room pictures and some of the other terrific WL pictures, please do! They will really liven up that thread!

I will be sure to stop by in the very near future. Thanks for giving that thread a new start and updating all of the information. I know it will be very helpful to me (and lots of others) in the future!

Keep the pics coming!! Love to see it all!!

I am glad you said that. I was worried I was going on too long about everything and including too many pictures. Sometimes I ramble (who am I kidding, I do that a LOT).

I will defineatly try contacting Denise the next time I need to book something with IPO, thank you. We are actually going to be celebrating our 5th year Anniversary while we are there so please please please share your ideas. The one thing I didnt like about the WL club level the last time we stayed there was the fact that they close the food/beverage area off in between servings. I think it would be nice to leave it open at least for drinks/snacks. I am going to try and relax a little this trip so Im going to steal your idea and sneak away with a book for a couple of hours, it sounds sooooo relaxing.

Here is a run down of some of the previous things we have done to celebrate our anniversary while at WDW:

Discovery Cove. We have done this one twice as an anniversary gift to ourselves. And I know we will do this one yet again. It's so very magical in a totally different way! It's not the cheapest day ever, but it's so worth it with the memories you walk away with. The snorkeling, the dolphins (swimming with them rocks), the sting ray feeding (while standing in the water with them), the bird feeding, the lazy river you go along while passing through the aviary and under waterfalls and past beautiful flowers/scenery. The food. Yes, I really do mean it, they have pretty good eats. And all of your food is included there. Even alcohol. You leave feeling pampered and like you just enjoyed a day in paradise. It's a great way to spend an anniversary. They have special packages (we have not yet done one) where you can pay extra to have a dolphin swim out with a special message (like happy anniversary) written on a buoy that it brings to you in it's mouth. Also they have cakes to buy and cabanas available to rent.

Dining in Cinderella's Castle with a specially arranged dessert and them presenting us with champagne flutes in honor of our anniversary. It was a dreamy/fun meal and I would love to do it again. You can order the glass slipper dessert (and/or a cake) and when you dine there on your anniversary they will give you (at least as of our last trip I saw them giving to someone else the same thing)champagne flutes (nothing in them ) to take home. Those are nice.

Diver at the Coral Reef holding up a sign and a personalized menu. One of the first surprises I ever pulled off for dh. It was a LOT of fun and very touching for dh. It was a moment I will never forget. Make your ressies to eat at the CR (lunch is usually easier to get a diver for than dinner due to timing issues) and then call the CR directly and ask to speak to someone about arranging for a diver/personalized menu. You can also order a cake from them.

The Wanyama Safari at AKL. Being taken right out on to the savannas of AKL with the animals roaming freely all around us was a spectacular way to celebrate our anniversary. They stopped the safari vehicle at one point and set up an open air "sun downer" experience right on the vehicle. They served us figs, dates, beef jerky, delicious juices and let us sit there and watch the sun go down. As we sat there a curious giraffe came and looked right over our shoulders. The kind safari guides even snapped a picture so that dh and I would never forget the special moment when we sat watching the sunset, sipping sweet refreshments as a giraffe peeked over our shoulders. The experience also includes a special meal at Jiko where you get to sample almost everything on the menu and even a few treats that are not listed. This meal was one of the best we have ever had. The chef who brought us our different courses and explained each one to us, the server who kept our drinks filled and made sure we had everything else we needed, the good company of the other couple who had also booked the safari (you eat as a group after the ride out on the savannas), the amazing food. It was a night I often dream about! I think you need to be staying at AKL to do this one, but I couldn't resist throwing it in.

La Nouba. We actually saw La Nouba right after that amazing safari/meal at Jiko. It was a surreal and wonderful way to top off an already outstanding night. This might be a good choice paired with a DTD dinner.

Dinner at Narcoosee's. We had a personalized menu here and a postcard perfect view of the Magic Kingdom across the lake. We took our time and enjoyed a meal alone. We really enjoyed the food and really dragged this meal out with coffee and tea afterward. It was a very nice way to celebrate our marriage.

We saw a Blue Man Group show this past year and WE ADORED IT! I WILL see it again, hopefully next year!! Not romantic per say, but fun in a totally crazy way! It's a way to really let loose and have fun with the one you love (and three very oddly funny blue men).

Artist Point...they were amazing in making us feel special. I will detail more about that meal in this trip report.

Other ideas I have yet to use but am considering:
-dinner at the Cali Grill timed to watch the fireworks and then head down to the hammocks on the CR's beach afterward

-dinner at Artist Point again followed by a carriage ride.

-dinner at Victoria and Alberts (this one sounds great, but dh is resistant, I have no clue why) preceded by a couple's spa afternoon. Ahhh...pure bliss.

-have private dining at the Grand Floridian cater a meal aboard the Grand 1

-grab a picnic style meal from a CS place at either the Poly or the GF, grab a blanket and have a romantic fireworks timed picnic on the beach followed by a romantic moonlight stroll.

-look into the different packages that the Disney florist offers (like the rose petals on the bed and other anniversary stuff they offer)

-An Illuminations or Wishes cruise. With or without a special meal and/or cake.

-TOO many more. Sorry, I tend to go on and on about this topic. I will now shut it.

What a beautiful resort WL is! I've never thought of staying there since I grew up in the Northwest (Oregon, to be precise) - we use to go up to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood alot and always thought if I went to Florida, I wanted to see palm trees but you have convinced me to try it! (side note here: my cousin got to work at Timberline Lodge on the huge main fireplace one year replacing some stones & he got to inscribe his name & date on the cement behind the stone - he felt sort of special with his name immortalized in such a beautiful structure http://www.welton.it/photos/oregon_summer_2006-mountains/timberline_lodge_fireplace.jpg) The WL is amazing!

You have a beautiful family and having raised 4 boys myself, I can see how special each moment can be (esp when your baby was excited to see Buzz!)

Love your pics - can't wait to find out if you went to see the fireworks!

Awww...thanks. WOW, another mom of four boys. The moment he saw Buzz really hit dh and I as a very special time. I am so glad I got pictures of him seeing Buzz for the first time. It's a moment I do not ever want to forget. And the fireworks installment is coming right up!

How cool for your cousin, that would make me feel special too! Thanks for the link!

Jay! What a great update! I love the pictures of the Little Prince and Buzz Lightyear! So adorable! It is so sweet to see all of your boys together. Aladdin seems to be a natural with another little brother to love.

Aladdin is great with all of his little brothers (and little kids in general) but especially with the Little Prince, the two of them have a very special connection. I love watching them spend time together.

I love your Wilderness Lodge pictures! Such great detail! Whispering Canyon Cafe looked like a riot Can't wait for more.

It was a blast. We had a lot of fun. I forgot to mention this funny thing before, but if you notice, the boys have multiple straws in their shakes. That is because every time the waitress would pass our table, she would stick another straw in their hands and tell them they needed to add it to their shakes and stand there tapping her foot waiting for them to do it. It was totally funny and they totally loved it.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the pictures of WL! It is just beautiful and seems to feel so homey. The picture of the boys looking out the small windows is one of my favorites.

Little Prince and Buzz were too cute. What a doll he is.

Food porn pictures are always welcome! I can't wait to do WCC one of these days. We don't have room for it this upcoming trip but it looks like so much fun and the food sounds yummy!

Your TR is making DD and I even more excited about our trip! Only 51 days left!

We were so excited to see the writing desk where you wrote the postcards -- including ours!!!

FIFTY-ONE days will pass by so quickly!! It's so close now!! I am glad to hear that nobody will mind my food picture postings. I am warning you now: I have a ton of them!

Love all the WL pictures... it was a big hit for our family, sorry it was not your favorite though. looking forward to hearing more about your trip. Your boys are too handsome and the baby is getting too big!

It was more than okay that it was not my favorite...it was still a great place to stay. And I have to say, even though it was not my favorite, I wouldn't have switched it to one of them. It was a fantastic adventure and a great resort worthy of at least one visit (and I know for lots of people, many many more). And really, without the issues (which I will share in the TR) I may have felt differently about the resort. Anyways, I am glad you enjoyed the pictures...I took many more at the beautiful lodge!

 

[jaycns]

The Wilderness Lodge is beautiful! I am trying to convince DH to stay there sometime but he has the mentality of "It's just a room for sleeping" so he prefers to stay at the Value Resorts. I don't mind them but I wouldn't mind splurging either. It looks like our next trip will be in 2010. We have serveral house renovations we want to so we need to save our money for that.

Yet another busy morning for me. Had to take DS#1 to school for music class (Homeschoolers can participate in the extra-curricular classes in Wyoming), then the post office, and now we are waiting for our Parents as Teachers Facilitator to arrive. After that we need to eat lunch and then time for school! Whew!

Whew! What a day! We finished up class time before lunch today. My boys are doing their "alone work" right now. I love this time. The baby is napping, the boys are quietly working and I have an excuse to sit here at the school table with them and my laptop (I am in here in case they need help). But, it's giving me time to post!

UP NEXT: What we did the rest of the evening...

 

[jaycns]

Day 1...Fireworks Treat

We all hit our wall. There was just no more energy to go around, so we made the decision that we would head back to our room and get ready for bed and then watch the light parade on the lake from our balcony.

This might be a good time to note, it was a LONG walk from the lobby (or anywhere else) to our room. If you are planning on staying in a deluxe suite and want the spectacular views that come in the "end rooms" be aware of the walk that comes with them!

We made our way back to our room and found our beds turned down and boy oh boy did those look welcoming. The boys started to rotate through the shower, dh was feeding our Little Prince with his feet up and the tv on (why is it that he always gets "baby duty" when the other option is one that requires being on your feet?! ) and I was finishing up the unpacking and finding our clothes for the next day. Just as the last boy was getting out of the shower we heard the big booms of fireworks and they sounded so very close and we could see a glow coming from the balcony area so we rushed over, opened the door and WOW...they were right in front of us! AMAZING! We saw the very best fire works display we have EVER seen. Better than Wishes. Better than MNSSHP fire works. Better than any 4th of July display we have ever been privy to! WOWSERS! I didn't do a great job filming it. And I only got about two minutes of it total on film...but I will share the clips with you. The voices and baby crying that you hear belong to people below us on the beach. I am happy to report that our Little Prince didn't flinch. He loved the fireworks and it was another ohhh and ahhh moment for him. For some reason the camera recorded the noises in front of us crystal clear but didn't catch the boys comments behind me. Sniff sniff. Oh well, I remember them being excited anyway. So here are the two clips I captured. I hope you enjoy them (and forgive all of the wobbling and movement)!


And the longer clip that includes the finale. You can hear the crowd on the beach below us cheer like crazy at the end. It was truly a very exciting and amazing fireworks display! Don't miss clicking this link! It doesn't have a big pretty picture like the others because I had to load it to youtube instead of my normal album cause the file was too big!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovtQ1sg-MNw

Right after we saw the fireworks we were treated to a family favorite...the light parade. Here are two short clips from it:




If we had gone to the window shutters on the 7th floor (as suggested) we would have seen a great fireworks display, the MNSSHP fireworks from the MK. It would have been a very nice start to our vacation...but what we got (through no planning of our own, how amazing is that!) was even better (yes, I said BETTER!). Later in our vacation we found out (from the captains of the Grand One yacht actually) that what we had seen was an outside company coming in and "showing off" for Disney. They relayed that the last time WDW had brought in outside fireworks companies to show off like that WISHES was born! That's right...we may have just seen the birth of the next fireworks show that Disney may one day put on! How cool is that? And really, the video I took doesn't do justice to how amazing those fireworks really were. Mickey heads, flowers, stars, so many amazing shapes and the number of fireworks going off together for extended periods of time...breathtaking!

Ahhh...what a way to end our first full Disney day!!

Shortly after the fireworks ended dh and the boys all hit the hay while I continued to try and get our belongings organized. Fairly soon I was getting T-I-R-E-D. So tired I couldn't see straight...so I figured it was time to head to bed and leave the rest of getting settled in for the next day. I changed into my pajamas, washed my face, brushed my teeth and headed into the bedroom...as I turned back the covers........

TO BE CONTINUED...**WARNING: My next installment is NOT full of pixie dust and happiness. In fact, it is full of quite the opposite.**

 

[starrzone]

Hmmm...I'm guessing that Pixie Dust is NOT what you found under the covers...whatever it was, I hope it got sorted out!

The pictures of Aladdin and Little Prince are priceless; that little guy is going to be an active one, I bet, playing sports with his big brothers! My youngest brother, if I may brag a bit , is an excellent soccer player because he would always play with my middle brother and cousins, who are 8, 8 and 9 years older than him, respectively (and much bigger!). Your family is just precious!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Oh no....how this one ended, with you pulling the sheets back, and then the warning - could it be a not so good surprise IN the bed? Ugh!!!!! I REALLY hope not.... that is one of my biggest fears - heebee jeebies!

I am loving your report, I was a couple updates behind and had things to comment on, but I can't remember what they are! I love all the detailed pictures of your room, and the awesome ones of the boys. In the pics of Little Prince and Buzz, you and really see how lit up he was about it all! So sweet!

Oh, and the fireworks display-HOW COOL!!! What a neat little treat...

What dishes did the chef at WCC suggest? We are eating there this trip and I haven't decided what to get... (I've ruled the skillet out because I'm not overlly fond of any of the meats it includes.)

 

[Illini4ever]

Jay,

Great start so far! The Lodge looks beautiful and the fireworks looked amazing. I love the picture of your oldest son smiling at the baby at the restaurant in DTD. I can tell how much love he has for his baby brother.

I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to hear what is lurking in the bed!

 

[SoonerGirl]

What a great treat to be able to see those fireworks! They looked amazing! You're cliffhanger is leaving me anxious though, just WHAT did you see when you pulled back the covers?!

 

[ethansmommy]

Here is a run down of some of the previous things we have done to celebrate our anniversary while at WDW:

Discovery Cove. We have done this one twice as an anniversary gift to ourselves. And I know we will do this one yet again. It's so very magical in a totally different way! It's not the cheapest day ever, but it's so worth it with the memories you walk away with. The snorkeling, the dolphins (swimming with them rocks), the sting ray feeding (while standing in the water with them), the bird feeding, the lazy river you go along while passing through the aviary and under waterfalls and past beautiful flowers/scenery. The food. Yes, I really do mean it, they have pretty good eats. And all of your food is included there. Even alcohol. You leave feeling pampered and like you just enjoyed a day in paradise. It's a great way to spend an anniversary. They have special packages (we have not yet done one) where you can pay extra to have a dolphin swim out with a special message (like happy anniversary) written on a buoy that it brings to you in it's mouth. Also they have cakes to buy and cabanas available to rent.

Dining in Cinderella's Castle with a specially arranged dessert and them presenting us with champagne flutes in honor of our anniversary. It was a dreamy/fun meal and I would love to do it again. You can order the glass slipper dessert (and/or a cake) and when you dine there on your anniversary they will give you (at least as of our last trip I saw them giving to someone else the same thing)champagne flutes (nothing in them ) to take home. Those are nice.

Diver at the Coral Reef holding up a sign and a personalized menu. One of the first surprises I ever pulled off for dh. It was a LOT of fun and very touching for dh. It was a moment I will never forget. Make your ressies to eat at the CR (lunch is usually easier to get a diver for than dinner due to timing issues) and then call the CR directly and ask to speak to someone about arranging for a diver/personalized menu. You can also order a cake from them.

The Wanyama Safari at AKL. Being taken right out on to the savannas of AKL with the animals roaming freely all around us was a spectacular way to celebrate our anniversary. They stopped the safari vehicle at one point and set up an open air "sun downer" experience right on the vehicle. They served us figs, dates, beef jerky, delicious juices and let us sit there and watch the sun go down. As we sat there a curious giraffe came and looked right over our shoulders. The kind safari guides even snapped a picture so that dh and I would never forget the special moment when we sat watching the sunset, sipping sweet refreshments as a giraffe peeked over our shoulders. The experience also includes a special meal at Jiko where you get to sample almost everything on the menu and even a few treats that are not listed. This meal was one of the best we have ever had. The chef who brought us our different courses and explained each one to us, the server who kept our drinks filled and made sure we had everything else we needed, the good company of the other couple who had also booked the safari (you eat as a group after the ride out on the savannas), the amazing food. It was a night I often dream about! I think you need to be staying at AKL to do this one, but I couldn't resist throwing it in.

La Nouba. We actually saw La Nouba right after that amazing safari/meal at Jiko. It was a surreal and wonderful way to top off an already outstanding night. This might be a good choice paired with a DTD dinner.

Dinner at Narcoosee's. We had a personalized menu here and a postcard perfect view of the Magic Kingdom across the lake. We took our time and enjoyed a meal alone. We really enjoyed the food and really dragged this meal out with coffee and tea afterward. It was a very nice way to celebrate our marriage.

We saw a Blue Man Group show this past year and WE ADORED IT! I WILL see it again, hopefully next year!! Not romantic per say, but fun in a totally crazy way! It's a way to really let loose and have fun with the one you love (and three very oddly funny blue men).

Artist Point...they were amazing in making us feel special. I will detail more about that meal in this trip report.

Other ideas I have yet to use but am considering:
-dinner at the Cali Grill timed to watch the fireworks and then head down to the hammocks on the CR's beach afterward

-dinner at Artist Point again followed by a carriage ride.

-dinner at Victoria and Alberts (this one sounds great, but dh is resistant, I have no clue why) preceded by a couple's spa afternoon. Ahhh...pure bliss.

-have private dining at the Grand Floridian cater a meal aboard the Grand 1

-grab a picnic style meal from a CS place at either the Poly or the GF, grab a blanket and have a romantic fireworks timed picnic on the beach followed by a romantic moonlight stroll.

-look into the different packages that the Disney florist offers (like the rose petals on the bed and other anniversary stuff they offer)

-An Illuminations or Wishes cruise. With or without a special meal and/or cake.

-TOO many more. Sorry, I tend to go on and on about this topic. I will now shut it.

WOW you do have tons of great ideas...have you ever thought of being some kind of planner...you should get paid for your services! I actually looked into Discovery Cove last year and had forgotten about it until you mentioned it. I would love to do this but I think it would be more of a treat for me not DH. I actually did the Coral Reef and personalized menu on our last trip but debbie at the Coral Reef was unable to get me a diver . We did have great seats, we were at a table right next to the glass and we had a sea turtle hang out with us the whole time. My son loved that. I actually think I might look into the La Nouba show and maybe a carriage ride since we will only have 6-7 hours while DS is with the sitter. I am however going to keep your other suggestions in my disney files for future use if you dont mind. Your new update is great, on our last trip we could see the Magic Kingdom fireworks go off just over the roof top of the WL from our room, it was so magical. I am still cringing from what you might find under the covers