It would be easier to leave the Magic Kingdom after the fireworks. That event, however, is more than 12 hours away and many rides later. November 26th dawned bright and beautiful here in Central Florida. Not really, but in all of our minds the on/off mist that was falling was a respite from the floods of yesterday. I think I know how Noah must have felt. It was also easy to walk to the International Gateway from our hotel and the bag check line was non-existent so that was cool. Our gang had only one ride in Epcot to get to and that was Test Track. And it was fun to be free as we made our way from World Showcase to the far side of the park. Even when we arrived at 9:10 the wait time was posted as 50 minutes, but the vast majority of this was inside and out of the weather. This was a good thing because it gave the boss a chance for her feet to dry. She wore wicker shoes. I mean, who wears shoes made of wicker? Anyway-just as we reached the doors to design our car, the ride was temporarily shut down due to weather. The delay was not huge and we were soon on our way designing our cars. I was partnered with Ethel and her only desire was that the car be fast. With that in mind we created a masterpiece that rated high on power and responsiveness but not so much on efficiency. In fact our car was so good that we scored 211 points, only 9 off of the high score of the day. Lucy, the Boss, and my dad did not score as good.
The wait for Mission Space was only 10 minutes so we went there and rode the green side. Everyone seemed to enjoy the ride and within 90 minutes or so we had ridden our remaining rides in the park. At the largest gift shop on property we spent a good 30 minutes looking at stuff. Lots of stuff. And buying stuff. But not so much stuff. I was proud of the restraint shown by my girls. We went back to eat lunch at The Land and I was willing to kill for some veggie, veggie, fruit, fruit! Instead, I landed on a cheese plate with grapes and a side of cucumber/tomato salad. It was fine, nothing special though. The girls seemed to enjoy theirs more today than earlier in the week so I consider the stop a win. It was time to depart the park for a mid-day break before heading to the Magic Kingdom. Along the way, we were greeted by blue sky!
Ethel really wanted to ride the monorail, so instead of walking 2 minutes to the bus stop at the hotel, we walked a mile back through Epcot and boarded there. It was a pleasant walk underneath sunny skies and even gave us a chance to snap a picture or two. The monorail arrived promptly and we were in the front car. We heeded the advice of the disembodied voice and stood clear of the doors-por favor. A quick train change at the TTC and we were at the Kingdom around 3:10. As we emerged from underneath the train station, the parade was in full force. We stopped and let the girls watch the show. The floats were cool but unlike in my day-the song was forgettable. I mean what I gotta do to get a catchy song nowadays?
We still had some time to kill before our fast pass so instead of taking the “quick” route up the street we ambled through the Emporium. The wait for Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor was short so we hit that show. I think it is one of the funnier shows on property. It is corny but there are enough laughs that kids and parents all have fun, even if you are “that guy”. This ride would make Walt happy I think. The ride we fast-passed-Buzz Lightyear, not so much. After the development of Toy Story Midway Mania, this area should be reimagined. It is old and a bit uneventful. With that said, wait times were high. From there we took in the Carousel of Progress. I believe that progress should be in quotes now though. The last scene in the show takes place in the 1980s of the future. At this point I was ready to be done with getting back in time and greet the world of tomorrow, from yesterday, or now. I don’t even know anymore, I just know that now is the time, the best time to take in more attractions.
I’m not sure I have ever seen the Peoplemover with a wait like it had today. But, no matter. We had nowhere to be so we waited and rode. My only regret is when our ride vehicle temporarily stopped it wasn’t in the Space Mountain portion. I could’ve had a great nap. From here, we used our next fast pass on Space Mountain. I really feel like I did a good job with this whole fast pass planning thing. We bypassed an hour long ride and had entered the queue, ridden the ride, and exited within 12 minutes. Yay, me.
After the Splash Mountain debacle of the other day, we decided to go ride it. There was no reasonable reason why the wait time was 5 minutes on the day before Thanksgiving other than the fact it was 50 degrees. No matter, at least we got to experience the full attraction with no wait- #winning. I had done some research and discovered that the Columbia Harbour House would be a good bet for dinner. The polite cast member called over her supervisor who took my order and a short 20 minutes later, I was set. My grilled salmon, broccoli (veggie, veggie), and fries were great. I even splurged and got a side of mac and cheese. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meal.
The boss mentioned earlier that we should ride the Tomorrowland Speedway or the Tea Cups. Now, was the time. How do you prefer your nausea? The fumes from the exhaust of 250 million go-carts? Perhaps, from vertigo induced by madly spinning over-sized tea cups? The cars? I suppose that is the least bad choice here. Again, the wait time was not as bad as posted and we entered our race cars. I rode with Lucy. I told her to gun it. She said “I am”. We were passed by two turtles and a snail. 40 years ago, this might have been fun. Maybe if the steering on the cars actually responded to the driver, it might still be rideable. As it is now, we all agreed it was a pass. The good that came from it is that Lucy said she never wanted her driver’s license. Tea Cups ahoy! We waited 5 minutes for this one and I decided to go all-in on the spinning. This ride was the better of the two post-dinner rides and bought us some time before riding the Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train.
Another long stand-by line bypassed and we were on. Ok, I am not a large man by any stretch. I am not that tall and my weight is proportionate to my height. This ride vehicle though was stupid small. Two fully grown adults might have trouble fitting in the same car. I rode solo this time and it was a fun ride- a tad short, but fun. My parents decided to call it a night and head on back. They departed and we went to ride the new Little Mermaid ride in New Fantasyland with a posted 15 minute wait. There was no wait. The only wait was how long it took us to walk through the queue. As for the ride-eh. With no wait it was fine. I had heard about this drink at Gaston’s Tavern called LeFou’s Brew. It is an amalgamation of frozen apple juice infused with coconut topped with a passionfruit foam. As AP Chemistry experiments go, it wasn’t half-bad. At 4 bucks the price was fairly un-Disney. Get one to split with your whole family. A little goes a long way. The time for the fireworks was coming on so we worked our way back to the front of the park. I bought some popcorn and hot chocolate and we enjoyed the fireworks from the safety of the train station. Had we been at the Hub, I may still be trying to exit the park. The fireworks were neat and made better by our decision not to deal with the bus. After almost losing Lucy on the crowded bus earlier in the week, I made an executive decision to walk to the Contemporary and cab back. 20 dollars well spent. No lines, no waiting, just us and our memories of our day together. Our day was capped off by a pleasant interaction with a nice young lady in the marketplace. Our time here is beginning to draw down, but there is still much fun to be had.
Observations
1. I have thrill-ride junkies for daughters.
2. Ma’am, the housekeeping cart is not self-service. I’m sure they will give you more washcloths if you ask.
3. A soon to be 12 year old loves to take selfies.
4. Yes, lady in Carousel of Progress, when I turn and look directly at you I mean for you to turn off your phone. I hope the rest of your day was magical.
5. There seem to be more surly cast members than in the past. There are great ones but they all seem exhausted.
6. For theme park food, it hasn’t been bad.
7. My girls are cool and make me smile.
