A Great First Day!

Hard to believe we've been here two days already. Time is flying by SO fast and we've been having TOO much fun :) Even though temps were cooler here than we hoped, they were much better than what we left behind in Pittsburgh. Thankfully there were no flight delays, we actually arrived in Orlando ahead of schedule and we're back home at Old Key West by mid-morning.

Once checked in, contacted home to let them know we arrived ok and then contacted our BFF's Terry (aka BK) and Bob & Toni F. that we were here. Old Key West hadn't switched over to Christmas but was in the process. The only sign was the pots along the walkway were filled with beautiful white, pink and red pointsettas. Olivia's (a favorite of ours, pictured above) was decorated beautifully for fall. Some great photo ops! Keeping fingers crossed it will decorated before we leave.

Since our room wasn't ready, Bob & Toni met us OKW and we headed over to Disney Hollywood Studios hoping to grab a Fast Pass for Toy Story Mania. We stopped at Boardwalk Resorts to drop off our carry-ons and check out the decorations. Impressive as the last time we were here at the holidays. Boardwalk Resort had a very cool gingerbread house this year that featured my favorite couple, Donald & Daisy. Under the house was an electric train running on two tracks. What was really cool about the train, each featured the name of one of the restaurants along the Boardwalk .. really cool! We then took the boat over to DHS. We arrived somewhere between 11:00-11:30am and the Fast Pass's were already gone for the day and the line had an approx. 70 minute wait :( DHS was fully decorated and really love the nostalgic look of their decorations.

We decided then to head over towards the New York section of DHS in hopes of finding Lightning McQueen and Mater at their new location, Luigis Casa Della Tires. We were in luck! Both were there, the line was next to nothing and we got some awesome photo ops with both cars.

Since I wasn't able to ride Tower of Terror in May (was in Toy Story Mania mode) was glad to get to ride this time around. Bob, Mary & Amanda opted out and BFF Toni and I took the plunge (pardon the pun). Awesome ride and Toni, can't wait to ride it again with you next year (remember, you can't resist the look ).

The day went really fast, so headed over to Spoodles at the Boardwalk Resort to meet up with BFF Terry. Michelle had recommended this restaurant when were all down at WDW this past May, so thought a great first-night gathering. Eating at Spoodles is like taking a trip around the Mediterranean Sea with an eclectic menu featuring coastal cuisine favorites from such locales as Greece, Italy, Spain and North Africa. This "cuisine of the sun" concept is inspired by the abundant flavors of the southern European coast — noted for a creative use of spices, cheeses and other fresh ingredients. Enjoy favorites like oak-fired flatbread (which are out of this world!), authentic dips, pasta and seafood specialties. Our group chose such items as lemon-garlic shrimp linguine, wood grilled pork tenderloin and pan-fried chicken cutlet. We were so full from the flatbread and our meal, no one had room for dessert! What a great first day/night, too many laughs to count.

After a few hours sleep and being awake for 18 hours, we headed back to our resort for the night to get ready for the big day tomorrow :)