Tony and I took advantage of a rare opportunity to go to the park alone yesterday. I have to say that CT is a great place for a date.
In the interest of full disclosure, my two favorite things to look at are glass and lights. So, I am perfectly content to wander around the park admiring the decorations.
Polar Pathway was once again our favorite area. I think the lights are beautiful and I enjoyed the music. I will admit that I wish the Monster Santa weren't there. Actually, he probably belongs in Holiday Hills. I wish this area had an outdoor cafe kind of area like Aquitaine. It would be really cool to sit and enjoy a drink, while soaking in the ambiance.
Aquitaine came in a close second for us. I thought trees were really pretty and I liked the Twelve Days of Christmas theme. I know not everyone agrees, but I thought it was pretty before and after sundown. Tony and I sat in the cafe area and had Cordon Bleu crepes, which were very good, and enjoyed the views. It was really very pleasant.
Tony really liked the approach from Ireland into Scotland at night. The hovering white snowflakes against the blue trees seemed a bit surreal, as if we were no longer in BGW. I thought this area was particularly pretty from the Flight of Lights, as well.
I found the pathway in front of the Wild Reserve to be serene. I know it is just green lights and white lanterns, but it was so dark and still, it seemed like a retreat from the normal theme park chaos.
I also really loved the lights reflecting in the river. The views from the Flight of Lights and the bridges just made me happy. And the tree wrapped in white lights near the bridge to Holiday a Hill is simply gorgeous.
So. Holiday Hills. Last year I thought it was cheesy and I suppose a bit clever. This year the only reason I can see for crossing that bridge at all it to get hot chocolate with toffee, salted caramel, etc. I found the music especially grating this time. I'm not sure if it changed, or if my tolerance for bad music has gone down. I thought the broken lights in the sign were completely appropriate: they gave the whole area a run down, trashy feel. In fact, thematically, I hope they don't fix the lights. (Was that too bitchy?)
I admit San Marco is pretty, especially the wrapped trees in the garden. The religious stuff just isn't my cup of tea.
I didn't spent enough time in Octoberfest to have developed a reasonable opinion yet. I plan to go back and check out the tree, while sipping a hot toddy, however. The shops did seem interesting.
Tony tells me the Santa at the North Pole was excellent. He looked realistic.
I am a big fan of the flavored hot chocolates. We tried the peppermint fudge, salted caramel, and toffee treat this time, and enjoyed all of them. The only problem with the hot chocolate refills is that I definitely overdosed on sugar by the end of the night.
We thought the s'mores were OK, but the plate of s'mores that we got in Tampa last year was better. Tampa had more graham crackers and no snicker doodles. Why did they use snicker doodles, anyway? I would recommend against trying to eat one alone; it is simply too sweet.
The savory crepes were perfect, after all of the chocolate and sugar we had been consuming.
I am still unhappy with the penguin display. This year they told us that there is snow in the cases, even though there isn't snow in their natural habitat. Apparently they like to play with the snow. I would advocate giving them bigger, more enriching tanks, rather than frozen water. The penguin keepers, however, were interesting and friendly. I am really looking forward to our penguin tour next time. They are very cute.
As ever, I loved the Flight of Lights, and we had almost no wait at any of the three stations. They views out of Aquitaine and into the North Pole are especially pretty. If you can only take one leg, I recommend that one.
With apologies to CK, I still don't enjoy the train. This year I sat on my scarf, so I wasn't as cold, but the light displays just bore me. I find this especially frustrating, given the potential. Thinking back to the HOS train, they used to put up massive and complex light displays for Halloween. With the space available they should be able to do much more than cover some trees in lights.
I expected much worse crowds. We really didn't wait in line for anything, including Verbolten, the Flight of Lights, the train, and the penguins. Maybe we were very lucky, but it just didn't seem too crowded last night. I guess that isn't a good thing for the park, however.
We really enjoyed the roving musicians last night. The bagpiper was especially cool. I am in awe of his breath control.
Anyway, overall, I had a fantastic time. I even bought some stuff for myself.
In the interest of full disclosure, my two favorite things to look at are glass and lights. So, I am perfectly content to wander around the park admiring the decorations.
Polar Pathway was once again our favorite area. I think the lights are beautiful and I enjoyed the music. I will admit that I wish the Monster Santa weren't there. Actually, he probably belongs in Holiday Hills. I wish this area had an outdoor cafe kind of area like Aquitaine. It would be really cool to sit and enjoy a drink, while soaking in the ambiance.
Aquitaine came in a close second for us. I thought trees were really pretty and I liked the Twelve Days of Christmas theme. I know not everyone agrees, but I thought it was pretty before and after sundown. Tony and I sat in the cafe area and had Cordon Bleu crepes, which were very good, and enjoyed the views. It was really very pleasant.
Tony really liked the approach from Ireland into Scotland at night. The hovering white snowflakes against the blue trees seemed a bit surreal, as if we were no longer in BGW. I thought this area was particularly pretty from the Flight of Lights, as well.
I found the pathway in front of the Wild Reserve to be serene. I know it is just green lights and white lanterns, but it was so dark and still, it seemed like a retreat from the normal theme park chaos.
I also really loved the lights reflecting in the river. The views from the Flight of Lights and the bridges just made me happy. And the tree wrapped in white lights near the bridge to Holiday a Hill is simply gorgeous.
So. Holiday Hills. Last year I thought it was cheesy and I suppose a bit clever. This year the only reason I can see for crossing that bridge at all it to get hot chocolate with toffee, salted caramel, etc. I found the music especially grating this time. I'm not sure if it changed, or if my tolerance for bad music has gone down. I thought the broken lights in the sign were completely appropriate: they gave the whole area a run down, trashy feel. In fact, thematically, I hope they don't fix the lights. (Was that too bitchy?)
I admit San Marco is pretty, especially the wrapped trees in the garden. The religious stuff just isn't my cup of tea.
I didn't spent enough time in Octoberfest to have developed a reasonable opinion yet. I plan to go back and check out the tree, while sipping a hot toddy, however. The shops did seem interesting.
Tony tells me the Santa at the North Pole was excellent. He looked realistic.
I am a big fan of the flavored hot chocolates. We tried the peppermint fudge, salted caramel, and toffee treat this time, and enjoyed all of them. The only problem with the hot chocolate refills is that I definitely overdosed on sugar by the end of the night.
We thought the s'mores were OK, but the plate of s'mores that we got in Tampa last year was better. Tampa had more graham crackers and no snicker doodles. Why did they use snicker doodles, anyway? I would recommend against trying to eat one alone; it is simply too sweet.
The savory crepes were perfect, after all of the chocolate and sugar we had been consuming.
I am still unhappy with the penguin display. This year they told us that there is snow in the cases, even though there isn't snow in their natural habitat. Apparently they like to play with the snow. I would advocate giving them bigger, more enriching tanks, rather than frozen water. The penguin keepers, however, were interesting and friendly. I am really looking forward to our penguin tour next time. They are very cute.
As ever, I loved the Flight of Lights, and we had almost no wait at any of the three stations. They views out of Aquitaine and into the North Pole are especially pretty. If you can only take one leg, I recommend that one.
With apologies to CK, I still don't enjoy the train. This year I sat on my scarf, so I wasn't as cold, but the light displays just bore me. I find this especially frustrating, given the potential. Thinking back to the HOS train, they used to put up massive and complex light displays for Halloween. With the space available they should be able to do much more than cover some trees in lights.
I expected much worse crowds. We really didn't wait in line for anything, including Verbolten, the Flight of Lights, the train, and the penguins. Maybe we were very lucky, but it just didn't seem too crowded last night. I guess that isn't a good thing for the park, however.
We really enjoyed the roving musicians last night. The bagpiper was especially cool. I am in awe of his breath control.
Anyway, overall, I had a fantastic time. I even bought some stuff for myself.
