annie
Cast Member
Posts: 321
Registered: Aug 2002
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Posted 11-18-02 11:24 AM
Cast: annie (me) 30something mom
Pat (dh) 30something dad
Day Four: Eating and drinking around the world
Nothing on the schedule today except EPCOT! We took our time getting out the door (and really, we were both so tired I don't think we could've moved faster!) To get to the park a bit earlier we decided to have breakfast at the Electric Umbrella at the park.
Took the bus and headed right over to Test Track. Already there was a 60 minute wait, and the Fast Pass times were getting later, so we grabbed a pair and wandered back to eat. After breakfast we went to the Imaginatian pavilion to ride the Figment ride. When we were hear last summer it had just reopened and the sound died during the ride, so we missed most of it, and I was anxious to see the whole thing. And, again, the sound died on is this time! Not for as much of the ride, just the part right before the upside down room, but I was bummed. Not enough to get back in line to try again, though. I still think Figment's cute, regardless.
We decided to check out the Living Seas, which we'd missed last time. Pretty disappointing, although the young boy explaining in very technical terms to his parents and younger sister how water pressure was making the Hydrolators work was pretty amusing.
We decided to pop into World Showcase to ride Maelstrom in Norway. Cool little ride. All it needs is a GIANT DROP at the end... just kidding.
Time for our Test Track fast passes! This is my third favorite ride in WDW (after, of course, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror.) Last summer between bad weather and breakdowns it took three attempts before I finally got on the thing, and because I had a purple "exit" pass, I missed the theming in the queue. This time I got to see the whole thing. Fantastic ride! We noted that the single rider line was practically a walk on, even though the regular wait was over an hour. I can't see waiting in the regular line again, unless you have a small child or nervous friend with you.
Now we were hungry again, so it was time to enter the Food and Wine Festival once more. First stop, France. I'd heard the Onion Tarts were awesome, and they were! Pat had two servings of escargot (one snail is one snail too many for me, thank you) and he really enjoyed it. Of course, had to have a couple chocolate truffles after that!
We noticed a French wine booth, so I treated myself to a Kir Royale. For the next 15 minutes as I sipped that drink I got lots of "where did you buy that". I happily steered the thirsty in the right direction. The same thing would happen later when Pat got a half-yard of Ale at the Rose and Crown. People like cool looking drinks!
We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the nations. When we'd been here in the summer we hadn't spent much time in World Showcase, so we had a lot to see this time. Along the way we grabbed lots of drinks, and sampled beef stroganoff from Russia, maple fudge from Canada, various Samuel Adams beers from the US of A, and creamy rice pudding from Andalucia, Spain (alas, the scallops were gone!) I also grabbed a nice warm sweatshirt for the evening chill, having left the other warm sweatshirt that I bought back at the Contemporary back in the room. No problem, can't have too many warm sweatshirts as winter approaches in New Jersey! At one point the Epcot character caravan came through, and we got ourselves a picture with the man...er, the mouse himself!
It was getting late. Magic Kingdom was open until 11 that night and we considered hopping the monorail over there, but in the end we decided we were done, as my legs no longer worked properly. As we walked through Future World to leave we noticed Spaceship Earth was still open, and pretty much empty, so we got in one last ride. The group ahead of us tried 3 different seating combinations before finally getting on, good thing there was no line! We'd noted all signs saying "Spaceship Earth is a slow moving ride" and Pat cracked up the CM loading us when he asked her if this was a fast moving ride. Her answer, between giggles, was "This is as fast as it goes." Wheeee!
Back to the bus, and goodbye to the parks. One last night's sleep at French Quarter. Tomorrow we breakfast at Boma, and fly home.
Day Five: Bye, Mickey, but first, breakfast
I'd made our PS for 9:45 at Boma. We leisurely dressed and packed our stuff into the rental car, and headed over to Animal Kingdom Lodge. For a moment I wished we'd had time for a visit to Animal Kingdom this trip, but walking around the Lodge almost made up for it. We checked in early and were told we wouldn't be seated until after our PS time (and the place appeared crowded) so we started to wander the grounds. Got about as far as one can from Boma when the pager buzzed! So we high-tailed it back to the restaurant. We each had a glass of Fru-nch, the house juice, and got a pressed pot of Kenyan coffee (very good!) The buffet has something for everyone. Pat went to the omelet station, and finally came back with three plates of food! I went for the baked goods, started with a cinnamon roll and some scrambled eggs and potatoes with peppers. I went back for more potatoes and another roll, and Pat tried one of the breakfast flat breads. I HIGHLY recommend this breakfast!
After we ate we went back to exploring. We agree it's a beautiful place but noticed a lot of balconies seem to be near where the restaurants vent. Between here and Wilderness Lodge, we'd go with the Pacific Northwest. But there are lots of artifacts and places to explore at AKL.
Finally, it was time. We had to catch a 2pm flight to NYC, so we waved goodbye to Mickey and friends, and drove off, leaving the purple road signs far behind.
Final Words:
This trip was probably our last trip to WDW for quite awhile. I think I'm actually going to miss all the planning, I feel like I've been planning non-stop for a year for the two trips (oh wait, I have been planning non-stop for a year!) And we still do have those annual passes good through next spring... But then I come back to reality. This trip was awesome. Viewing the fireworks from the California Grill was just one example of all the magic we experienced. A trip to WDW with no children is an entirely different experience from a family trip, can't really compare the two, but I definitely recommend trying it if you can.
I wanna go back!
"Are the fires of Hell a-glowing? Is the grisly reaper mowing? Who can provide the world with the answer to these pressing questions?"
"The candy man can," Rumsfeld added grimly.
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