Disney Day 6: Hollywood Studios, Coral Reef and MK at Night

Day 6 at Disney found us heading back to Hollywood Studios. Why, you might ask? Well, for a couple of reasons. First of all, Tay had been upset the evening before because she hadn't been able to get Chip and Dale's autograph and/or a picture with them. We'd seen them at HS so we thought we'd chance it. Second, there was a really a cool ride - Toy Story Mania - we didn't ride while we were there the first time. Third - it's just a cool park.

So we headed over and, much to my angel's delight, both Chip and Dale were front and center when we arrived. Thank you, Jesus!

While we were in picture mode, we snapped a photo of the Snow White topiary. Isn't Dopey cute?

We picked up Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania but the line was so crazy that we had several hours to kill before we could head back to the ride. 

So we did some sightseeing...
Tay picked up yet another new hat...this time with rhinestones!
She got a Squirt tattoo...
And we just toured the park for a while...
We rode the Star Tours ride again, which was even more fun this time because we got to sit in the front row. We browsed several gift shops, thought about riding Rock 'n Roller Coaster again and/or maybe Hollywood Tower of Terror but then we decided against it.

We dodged the rain drops, met the Green Army Man from Toy Story, pretended to wait in line to meet Buzz and Woody simply to get out of the rain and finally it was time for us to ride Toy Story Mania. It really was a great ride. It was 3-D and you got to fling darts, eggs, rings, etc. at targets. Lots of fun. Glad we did it.

Then we headed back to the hotel for a little swim time. I took a few more pics of the scenery...

And Dave apparently took a pictures of us swimming...

Tay's dog decided to get out of the window and, instead, opted for a little light television viewing...

And we found a bunny. He hopped right over Tay's foot - so close she could feel his fur. Need I tell you that she was in heaven?

Then it was time to get ready for dinner Coral Reef, which we had been anticipating for months. It's located at the base of The Seas at Epcot so the walls are actually open into the aquarium. Awesomeness.

The only problem is that my mom called while I was getting ready and told me that Pop (who'd just been given 6 months to live) had gone in for a blood transfusion that morning, experienced a massive brain bleed and was unresponsive. 

Wow...

My brain turned to mush, I almost made us late for the reservation, Dave was irritated with me, he got run into by a guy at Epcot and tweaked his bad knee and Tay was just trying to figure out why we were so darn cranky.

We finally made it, though, and this was the view from our table...
The food was amazing...


So was dessert...this is Tay's made your own sundae platter. I had butterscotch creme brulee and Dave had a yummy chocolate cake...

Once we were finished, Tay and I decided to head back over to the Magic Kingdom for rides and fireworks. Dave went back to the hotel to rest his knee.

She tried to con me into buying this giant light saber but I held firm...

She posed for a few pictures...
We saw Stitch's Great Escape again. This time we got to sit in the front row. The only bad part was that I was tired and yawned at the wrong time, which allowed Stitch to spit directly in my mouth. Nasty!!!

We also rode Pirates of the Caribbean again and then we scoped out the perfect spot to watch the Spectromagic Parade and Wishes Fireworks Spectacular. We called Dave and he decided to head back over and join us so we were all set for family Extra Magic Hours. They were open until 2am!

Neither Dave nor Tay really wanted to watch the parade and fireworks but both were absolutely captivated by them. It was truly magical and had a special meaning knowing what was going on at home. 

Afterward, we rode the Buzz Lightyear ride again, Dumbo (a totally different story...took forever because some guy didn't think his child got to ride long enough), and then hit Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. They were totally different in the dark and it was so much fun - awesome memories.

We headed back to the hotel at this point and got in at 1:45am. Tay had a reservation for a Pirate Cruise the next morning so we said our prayers and went to bed quickly.

Awesome, awesome day. You know, with the exception of the news about Pop and all...made us cherish it more, though, I think.

Next up: Tay's Pirate Cruise, Le Cellier and Illuminations