On account of being our 15th wedding anniversary, we decided to split into two groups, and Nicky and I left Nanny, Grandad and Jake at home, contemplating a day of exploring our resort, going in the pool, and playing table tennis, before a trip to Epcot in the evening to see Illuminations.
Our first stop was at the Polynesian Resort, where we decided to go and try out the Kona Cafe, which we'd heard good things about in various reviews. Before our coffee we had a little look around, and to be honest, we are not disappointed that we haven't stayed at the Polynesian. The white sandy beach was lovely, and the views across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the other resorts and the Magic Kingdom were beautiful in the morning sunshine.
Nicky made a beeline for a hammock on the beach, and near to it found a ten dollar bill in the sand. Hoping to reunite it with its rightful owner, she asked a child who looked like she was looking for something whether she'd lost any money but she said no. So, as we walked back inside to go and find the cafe, I was thinking that we were doing to be enjoying some free coffee, Nicky wanted to hand in the money at the front desk. So, we went up and waited for a cast member to be available. Nicky explained that we'd found the money, and could they take it for safe keeping, and we were met by a very puzzled expression from the cast member. Clearly this did not compute. "Oh - so you want to hand it in?" Reluctantly, she took the money and put it in an envelope, but I'm afraid this was a black mark against the customer service team!
Anyway, upstairs for coffee, and the cafe was nothing to write home about either - so I won't.
Leaving the Polynesian, next stop some outlet shopping. We went to LBVFS, and parked next to Old Navy so that it could be our first port of call. As always, we found lots that we liked, and ended up with five items which were about $50. However, when we were in the queue someone (not sure if it was a staff member or another customer) handed Nicky a 30% off voucher, so we ended up only paying $35 (and Nicky handed the voucher on to the next lady in the queue as well).
A stroll around the shops, and we bought a few things in the Nike store and in Tommy Hilfiger as well. When we were about half way around the stores, I decided that I needed a polo shirt as well (reason will become clear later) but we couldn't find anything we liked, so we ended up back in Old Navy again, where I picked one up for $9, although I blagged a couple of dollars off at the till by mentioning that we had a 30% off voucher earlier and that we'd forgotten to pick this item up then!
Lunch was calling by now, and so we went and found the bottom of I-Drive in search of somewhere nice to eat. Just above the Pointe, we found an Olive Garden, and decided to add it to the list of new restaurants tried this holiday. It was great, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Despite only having one starter, one main, and one dessert between the two of us, we still came out really full up.
After a quick stop off at Game Stop (safe to write this here, as there's no way that Jake will bother to read this much of the post!) we went for a look around Celebration, which we haven't visited for a few years. On the main street, they were busy spraying on some snow, ready for the snowball fight that was scheduled for that evening! Our only purchase in the town was a toy for Barley (a reindeer just like Barbara from Santa Barbara!) and we didn't stay very long.
Next stop was Saratoga Springs, where we went to talk to the people in the pro shop at the Lake Buena Vista golf course. As a result, I now have a tee time booked for 8.39 on Friday morning, and am thoroughly looking forward to it. Nicky is going to come with me to be golf cart driver! Expect lots of photos ...
We had a drink at the Artists Palette and then got the boat to Downtown, where we could very easily have spent a few thousand dollars in the art store.
By now we were pretty worn out from a full day, and so after a light snack for tea, we headed home, and watched the Santa Claus on TV until the late night revellers got home from the fireworks at Epcot.
All in all, one of the best anniversaries ever!