Friday, November 2nd
It had been a busy trip up until this point in the week, so our final full day was intentionally designed to be a little more relaxing. While we never really sit idle on any of our vacation days, we like to have one or two that are parks-free. This was one such day.
It was our intention to hit up Disney Springs that morning (with the hopes of enjoying a ride on the Characters in Flight balloon, since it wasn't flying due to wind when we visited earlier that week) so we opted to pick a breakfast place that was on the way. Initially we had planned to go to Steak & Shake (since its such a good value) but we made a split second decision to stop at Perkins instead. As we sat at the red light at the entrance to the Crossroads, I happened to glance over and comment that someday we needed to give Perkins a try (we had never been to an American one, and not surprisingly our sole visit to one of the few Canadian locations for dinner many years ago was underwhelming). Steve had a "there's no time like the present" moment, whipped the wheel to the right, and snagged us a parking space before I had chance to argue. But then again, why would I do that?
It wasn't particularly busy so we were seated immediately and quickly had cups of hot coffee placed in front of us by our very efficient, very mature server. I was happy to note they had flavored creamers.....one of my guilty pleasures....so in my opinion, we were off to a very good start.
We took some time to review the menu......there were lots of good choices from which to pick.....before providing our order to our server. She whisked away to the kitchen to submit our entree choices to the cooks, but returned promptly thereafter to refill our coffee cups. It wasn't long at all before our food was delivered to our table, and it made a pretty good first impression.
Can you guess whose is whose?
All in all, it was pretty good. It didn't quite measure up to IHOP, in our opinion (although the price point was pretty similar) but it was a satisfying and tasty meal. It was a noticeably quieter atmosphere than IHOP, for sure, which was rather fitting for our 'relaxing' day. All in all, we were satisfied. Definitely a better experience than our Perkins dinner in Niagara Falls, Ontario many moons ago.
As we headed out of the restaurant and back to our vehicle, I commented to Steve that it felt like the wind was picking up. While I generally enjoy a nice breeze on a hot Florida day (and this day was definitely shaping up to be the warmest since we arrived.....even at the early hour, you could feel the heat in the air) I was a bit worried about the Characters in Flight balloon
. Surely we wouldn't be shut out twice in one trip!
Alas, that was exactly the case
. This would be as close as we would get to the balloon this trip, as the gusts persisted throughout the morning and the attraction remained grounded throughout our time at the Springs. Mother Nature obviously had other plans for us on that particular day! But hey, we couldn't complain.....from the moment we arrived, it had been a trip full of sunshine
and for that, we were extremely grateful.
It was a spectacular morning, and we were pretty full from our big Perkins breakfast, so we opted for a stroll. Sunshine and warmth in November are not things we would experience in Michigan for the next 6 months, so we wanted to soak up all that we could before we headed back to the chilly north.
All the fall overlays that we had enjoyed earlier in the week had seemingly disappeared overnight. While the Christmas decor had not yet been rolled out, we knew it wouldn't be long before Disney Springs was dressed for the holiday season.
It was quiet and peaceful. Early mornings are easily my favorite time to visit the Springs.
It's a nice time to check out some of the little features that are generally mobbed with people during the busier hours. Steve, of course, is drawn to the mechanical stuff.....
....but I love perusing the stores when you're not shoulder-to-shoulder with other guests. We eventually ended up in the Marketplace, and took a tour around the World of Disney.
Christmas was alive and well. There is barely enough time to take a breath between the Halloween and Christmas seasons at Disney World. A pause of .... 10 seconds, maybe?
It was marvelously uncrowded. You don't see the Disney Springs shops like this very often.
I was sorely tempted to buy this shirt, and have regretted that I didn't since we left. If I happen to stumble upon it again next week, I fear I may not be able to resist this time!
Of course, we also stopped by Ghirardelli after World of Disney......because it's tradition, after all
.
They were giving away samples of one of my favorites
. There is no more perfect marriage than chocolate and caramel.....except maybe chocolate and peanut butter
.
The smell in here is just amazing
. I'm pretty sure if heaven has a scent, this will be it.
To be continued....