Hollywood Studios aka "Star Wars Day"

You may remember that for our trip earlier this year, we themed our outfits for the park or attractions that we were going to be doing that day.  This trip was no different.  Just because it was just the two of us doesn't mean that we can't be festive.  Besides it's Disney, so why not?!?  Now last time, Honey was kind enough to don several Frozen inspired shirts to keep with the family theme.  So this trip I choose the apparel for our visit to Hollywood Studios that was a little more up his alley.  Welcome to Star Wars Day!  (cue the Imperial March aka Darth Vader's theme music)

We are children of the 80's, so of course Star Wars was a pretty big part of our childhood.  And I'm not going to lie when I say it felt pretty cool to walk around the park all day in a Darth Vader tank & earrings.  :)  (I wonder if that's how Honey felt in his Elsa "Let It Go!" shirt...hmmmm...probably not.)  

What better way to start Star Wars Day than to ride Star Tours!  It has been refurbished in the last couple of years, so this was my first time riding it since it re-opened.  Still amazing!!!

Hollywood Studios is undergoing A LOT of changes right now.  They are paving the way for several additions, including the largest single-themed land expansion ever at Disney ...  Star Wars Land!  So while a few of our favorite attractions have been closed to make way for this 
impressive addition, Disney doesn't ever just leave you with open, empty space.  So we had a lot of fun goofing around in the shops and backlot scenes set up to "keep the magic" going so to speak.  I have no doubt that we would have completely embarrassed the heck out of our kids, but what they didn't see won't scar them... too much.  :)

Sorry Honey, but our keys won't work on that particular model of Snow Speeder.  :(  We have the "other" grey one.

Look Out!  Incoming!!!!

Here Bantha, Bantha!  This way.  That's a good extra-terrestrial buffalo....

This Jawa Sand Crawler took up this entire shop!  It was amazing!!  (I know that I am impressing you all with my knowledge of Star Wars terminology right now!)  :)

FINALLY... we escaped the clutches of the Imperial Forces!  We couldn't have done it without Honey's superior driving skills on this Speeder Bike!  Whew!!  (Kids ~ aren't you so proud of your parents right now?  lol!)

Next, we headed over to a family favorite, Toy Story Mania.  Now if you remember from our last trip, I was challenged by C to a battle of skill on this ride.  This time it was Honey who issued the call to battle.  :)  And after the dust from darts, rings, and smashed plates settled ...  I still reign victorious!!!

Even without the kids, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to sing along with some of our favorite Frozen characters.  It was just a spectacular as before!  

As we walked Hollywood Boulevard, we stumbled upon the most hilarious group of street performers or "Streetmosphere Characters" as Disney calls them.  They are there to interact with the crowd while playing their roles as "old Hollywood royalty" so to speak.  I highly recommend stopping to watch them if you get the chance.  You will never see the same show twice as their material comes from the crowd .  It's family friendly, of course, and completely worth the time.  This group was a riot!!!

Meet "Holden Hollywood"...

"Mimi Kaboom"

And "Shelby Mayer"

In addition to several attractions closed due to the creation of Star Wars Land and also a new Pixar Land near Toy Story Mania, Hollywood Studios also removed it's signature icon, the Sorcerer's Hat.  We knew this was happening after our visit in January, however we weren't quite prepared for how empty the street would look without this fabulous feature.  Now you have a beautiful view of Grauman's Chinese Theater, but I'm not going to sugar coat it...I missed the Hat.  Such a bummer!

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Disney World without your kids, you'll notice that you have more time to just wander.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE coming here with my children!  Their smiles & happiness there cannot be matched.  However when it's just the adults, you are able to do things at a different style and pace.  We strolled through the shops, sat & people watched, looked for hidden treasures throughout the park and of course tried new snacks/desserts.  :)  Can you say YUMMY?!

We found the umbrella again from the film, "Singing in the Rain".  Honey was able to find the "secret" switch and actually make it rain this time!  

We noticed that they were starting to put up the Christmas lights on the buildings in preparation for the Osborne Spectacle of Lights holiday show.  It was amazing to see up close just how many lights are actually on the buildings!  It's unbelievable!!!  We were also saddened to hear that this year will be the last year for this remarkable display.  :( Heartbreaking to see it go, but so glad that we got to view it for the last time with the kids during our Frozen Dessert Experience.  What an amazing memory to have!!

It came to my attention that in all our times here, Honey had never seen the Beauty and the Beast stage performance.  :)  Apparently, that was my go-to attraction while the boys rode more "exciting" rides like Tower of Terror or Rock n' Roller Coaster.  lol!   With the movie being one of my favorites, he graciously agreed to see the show with me.  The costumes, the music and theatrics are all beautifully done.  It really is "a tale as old as time" ...

We ended our day with my other most favorite thing at Disney World, Fantasmic!  I won't bore you with all the reasons that I love it again, but I will say that this ... it never gets old.  When people ask me what is the one thing that they should make sure to do when visiting the parks, without hesitation I say Fantasmic.  There really is nothing like it!

As we were getting ready to head back to the resort, we stumbled upon a first for us.  The most perfect Character Greeting to sum up our day at Hollywood Studios, Sorcerer Mickey! 

Next up, Animal Kingdom!  Any guesses what that day's theme will be???  :)

Our "Wishes & Dreams" Disney Vacation

Star Light, Star Bright. 

First Star I See Tonight.

I wish I may, I wish I might.

Have the Wish, I Wish Tonight.

We all know how the saying goes.  You may even still say it to yourself when you see that first star of the evening.  I know I do.  I say it to myself & I say it with my kids.  No matter what you wish for, there's something peaceful (and even a little magical) about reciting these four little lines.  I've always loved this little tradition, but little did I know that it would become the "theme" so to speak of our recent trip to Disney World.

When we surprised the kids last Christmas and took them to Disney, Honey & I had no intention of going back again in the same year.  But the opportunity presented itself, and who am I to turn down a trip to the "Most Magical Place on Earth".  So with the assistance of my amazing Mother, who stayed behind to take care of the kids ~ Honey & I set out to celebrate our anniversary in the best way we know how.  Now you may be thinking 2 things: First, "You went to Disney without your kids??!!"  Yes, we did.  :)  In our defense, they went in January AND we left them little gifts to open each day, so they were more than happy. Second, for those of you that know us, know that our wedding anniversary isn't until November.  This year, we will have been married for 14 years.  However, a little known fact is that we actually started dating in September of 1995.  So, it's really our 20th Anniversary together and we thought that deserved a special celebration.  :)

We decided to try a new resort for this trip, so we booked our stay at the Coronado Springs Resort.  It's theme is Spanish Colonial Mexico with brightly colored casitas, ranchos and beachfront cabanas.  From the moment we pulled on to the property, it felt like we were in Mexico.  :)

This beautiful crest was on the wall in the Registration area.  I love how the lights shine just right to form a "not so Hidden Mickey".  

We went to check in & were greeted by the most wonderful Cast Member, Angelique.  She welcomed us and, of course, asked our names.  After a quick search on the computer, her smile changed from a "normal happy" smile to what can only be described as a "Cheshire Cat grin".  "I see you are celebrating your anniversary with us," she says.  We nod & smile.  "Happy Anniversary!"  We thank her, of course.  She continues to smile brightly as she continues through our check in process.  Now, I had been a little sneaky and pre-ordered a gift basket for Honey that was to be delivered to our room upon check in and I wanted to make sure that it had arrived. So I very nicely asked Honey to step away for a minute while I had a little chat with Angelique.  After he was safely out of hearing distance, I asked her about my gift.  She smiled & assured me that it was being delivered to our room as we speak.  :)  She didn't want to say anything before, because she wasn't aware which one of us had placed the order and didn't want to ruin the surprise.  I thanked her & waved for Honey to join us back at the desk.  She then giggled and said "I just love it when I know something you don't know."  My thoughts were on the gift basket that was making its way across the resort at that very moment.  I could hardly wait!  Honey is notorious for surprising me & this time it was my turn to do something special for him.  Angelique finished our check in process & sent us off to our room with an ear-splitting grin, "I hope you enjoy your stay here with us. Enjoy your suite!"  Now, you may be starting to see where this story is going but Honey & I were oblivious.  So you can imagine our surprise when we opened the door to our room to find this . . . 

We had been upgraded to the Executive Suite!!  To say that we were awestruck would be an understatement!!  It was absolutely gorgeous.  I think we both stood there with our jaws hanging open for what seemed like forever.  Not only was the inside of our suite beautiful, but the view outside was equally amazing.

What a way to start out our vacation!  Later on, we went back to the concierge to thank them for such a generous gift & learned that they were happy to do anything to make our "Wishes" come true.  (Wink, Wink)  Apparently when they saw the gift basket that I had ordered for Honey, they decided to take it one "Magical" step further.  :)

I placed an order from Disney Floral and Gifts for their "An Evening of Wishes" gift package. It includes a bottle of Wishes sparkling cider, 2 Mickey Mouse silhouette flutes, a silver Mickey bottle stopper, and a Mickey shaped chocolate dessert.  It also comes with 2 exclusive coins that you are to carry with you as a reminder that you have all the power to make your dreams come true.  It was stunning!

I would recommend this service to anyone celebrating something special at Disney.  It was beautifully assembled with the perfect touches of Mickey.  If you take a peek at their web site, you'll see all the different options you can choose from...birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, etc.  The ideas are almost limitless!

After getting settled in, we decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom to ride a few of our favorites.  I just love seeing Cinderella's Castle for the first time.  It's especially beautiful at night.

Now, I have already mentioned that Honey is notorious for his surprises.  Check out these shirts he had made for us before we left!  He ordered them off of Etsy so they can be custom made just for you.  We got several compliments on them as we were walking through the park.  :)

My all-time favorite thing to see at Disney World is the "Wishes" Fireworks Spectacular! (Are you noticing the theme here?!?)  We usually end our trip with it as a way to say "good-bye" so to speak, but this time we chose to see it the night we arrived.  I cry EVERY time we see it.  (I know, I know!)  But the lights, the special effects, the fireworks and most importantly the music.  It gets me every time.  It's not often that I put my camera away during these trips because I don't want to miss a single moment, however "Wishes" is the exception.  I just want to enjoy it.   But to give you an idea of how amazing it can be, here are a few pictures that were included in my Memory Maker photo package (more on that gem later).

(sigh) Pretty amazing, huh?!

Just when I thought this day couldn't get any more magical, Honey leaned down and placed the most amazing gift in my hand during the fireworks...  an Alex & Ani bracelet with the word "Wishes" across it.  It was so "I could carry my Wishes with me always".  Words simply failed me . . . 

I started this post with four little phrases that you say when you make a wish upon a star. What I will now add is that those words are part of the reason that I love "Wishes" so much.  They are also part of the song that plays during the show.  

Star Light, Star Bright,

First Star I see Tonight,

I wish I may, I wish I might, 

Have the wish, I wish tonight.

We'll make a wish and do as dreamers do.

Wishes...

Dream a dream.

Wishes...

Set it free...

Wishes...

Trust your heart. 

Just believe.

And all our wishes, 

Will come,

True...