Monday 19th October - Part 2
Once we had left MK we came back to the villa and let the kids have a splash in the pool for an hour and then got ready to go out again.
We had a reservation booked for the Whispering Canyon Cafe so by 4.30 we were on our way.
We got seated in no time and our waitress, Lazy Susan, was good fun and made sure the kids were especially loud - which pleased DS.
We skipped starters as we had already decided to go for the Canyon Skillet. BIL had a root beer, saying he was gutted when they stopped serving it at Mcdonalds in the UK but this one was much better. I - as always - opted for a large coke and it wasn't long before nephew Jack had pinched it off me.
This was the plate they brought us the second time - when we asked for more ribs
As we got there we were also presented with a little gift that Grandma, Sis, BIL, DS and DD had got for us. At some point when we had been seperated in MK they had gone off and had us our very own Mickey ears made and insisted that we wore them for the meal - and obviously we were only too happy to oblige
After dinner we had enough time to explore Wilderness Lodge before going to meet the boat for our cruise. Everyone was in awe at the sheer size of it, and the kids were especially happy when they found a big TV playing Bolt on the beach. We all settled down to watch that while we waited patiently for the time to meet Rose, our captain approached.
At this point I must mention how cold it was this evening. We had left the villa in shorts as it was still really warm, but we were now thinking that it wasn't such a good idea. The kids were complaining a little about being too cold and it was starting to worry us that the cruise wasn't going to be much fun if we were all sat around shivering.
I needn't have worried though, as once the Captain arrived and showed us to our boat she pointed out the blankets that were stacked on the benches. They were HUGE and easily fitted 2 of us under each one. We all took our seats - me and DW at the back of the boat on a bench to ourselves
- and set off for a cruise around the lake in front of MK.
The captain gave us some interesting information as we sailed about and we also got to watch the water pageant before the fireworks. I say we - Jack had fallen asleep within 5 minutes of leaving the dock and missed the pageant, the fireworks, the pageant and the pageant (yes - we saw it 3 times, one of them from about 100 yards away which was amazing)
As 9pm approached the captain positioned us in front of the castle and we watched Wishes from what seemed to us to be a very priviliged position. The fireworks seemed to fill the sky from here, music was piped onto the boat and it was just perfect.
We had also ordered a cake from Disney dining to help us celebrate in style but as it was so cold we decided we would take that back to the villa for dessert. After we had moored up back at Wilderness Lodge we said our goodbyes, went and collected our car from valet and came home for cake and sleep.
Today was as good as it gets for me and the memory of me and DW, snuggled together under a blanket on a cold Floridian evening in front of Cinderellas castle, while we watched one of the most magical displays on earth is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Moments like this are what we live for.
We had a wonderful day that was made even more special by the attention given us by Disney and all the CMs that wished us "Happy Anniversary" as they passed by. We were in a place that holds a lot of fantastic memories for both of us, and it was also the perfect opportunity for me to thank DW for the 19 wonderful years that she has given me, and to make a special wish of my own for many more years with this wonderful lady of mine.
Our Anniversary Cake made especially for us by a Disney chef