The Traveling Steve's

Happy New Year 2016!

And Happy First Anniversary to The Traveling Steve’s blog!  I started this blog a year ago today as a fun venture to detail our travels.  While I’m still learning how to ‘blog’ it’s a fun way to share everyday moments, trips, trivia, travel tips etc with friends and fellow bloggers.  This is a quick post as I’ve gotten a bit behind after my old Macbook finally gave out.  Fortunately Santa (DOS) was good to me for Christmas and I got a new MacBook Pro which I’m writing this on.

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We are celebrating the New Year’s ring-in at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, conveniently located adjacent to Disneyworld, but a world away, no pun intended.  We are staying here three nights, and this hotel is a destination in itself.  IMG_8854As we’ve been to Disney so many times, and we know what a zoo it can be over the New Year’s holidays, we have the best of both by staying here – a beautiful 1,500 acre resort and can view the Magic Kingdom fireworks right from our private terrace!

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There were multiple Fireworks shows last night, and we started with the pre-dinner fireworks from Magic Kingdom at 6:30pm.  While the photos aren’t great, the view was outstanding from our 12 floor terrace – and best of all without the crowds!

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We then had a wonderful and quiet and elegant  8pm dinner last evening at Nine 18 Restaurant, located at the Grand Cypress Resort (sister property of the Hyatt), with a complimentary shuttle van transporting us the short distance between the two properties.IMG_8948 IMG_8950  I was a bit skeptical about the set-pricefix menu, but it was actually quite nice.  I’m more of the meat and potatoes guy, and this menu sounded a bit too fancy foo-fa for me; i.e. Duck Prosciutto, Quail Galantine  but it was actually delicious, and the quiet refined atmosphere of this golf resort was a major contrast than would we would have at any of the Disney resorts over New Year’s Eve.  A pianist played holiday music, and they gave us party hats during our dessert course. Paired with Jordan Chardonnay for our first couple courses and Silver Oak Cabernet with our main course, it was a memorable meal to say goodbye to 2015.  Even the butter was fancy with the Grand Cypress name!

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After dinner we came back to the hotel and enjoyed the 11pm festivities in the lobby of the hotel.  The lobby is huge and open all the way up to the top floor where hundreds if not thousands of balloons were dropped at midnight – quite a fun way to ring in the New Year!

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And DOS picked up a few balloons to take back to the room!

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Now that I have my Macbook working, I will have to go back and update the Christmas trip to Roanoke, but for now it’s New Year’s Day and time for lunch and a walk around the property.  It’s 86 warm degrees here in sunny Florida!

Happy New Year everyone, and may it be a prosperous, healthy, loving, and fun one for all!

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