We had booked LL for Epcot for this morning. We’d left Epcot Extended Evening hours on Monday frustrated and miserable. We were looking forward to a “do over”. Unfortunately this turned out to be a mixed day, also. But this time it wasn’t Disney’s fault.
We started our day with a leisurely walk over to the Boardwalk Deli & had a nice breakfast then caught the boat to Epcot. We entered through the International Gateway where we stumbled upon Characterpalooza. We saw so many rare characters with no real lines or waits - Eeyore, Gipetto, and several others were all there. Our first LL was Remys Ratatouille Adventure and we were able to walk on with only a 5 minute wait. A really nice start to the day!
Then we strolled through England and Canada, stopping for an iced coffee. Eventually we ended up in what I will forever call Future World (the front of the park). We used our LL for Spaceship Earth. I was able to book another for Soarin right after so we wandered through Moana’s Journey of Water and ran into the Jammitors performing - so talented! Then we went on Soarin’. After that we stopped at Sunshine Seasons for lunch since we missed it the night before. I didn’t eat because I was nervous about our next ride (spoiler: I was right to be!) and instead of eating I took Dramamine.
So, you know where we headed next… that’s right: “Vomit Alley.” I’d been so looking forward to riding Guardians of the Galaxy and we’d bought Individual LL for it. I loved the pre show and even the backwards launch. Then things literally took a turn for the worst. I think the picture says it all. Can we say “never again?” Kevin and I were wrecked.
I had to sit on a bench in the hallway before I felt well enough to walk outside into the heat. We headed for Club Cool, where instead of trying sodas I sat on the floor and tried not to puke. Not fun. Our next LL was Figment, so we headed over to that section of the park. Before riding Figment we went to the Pixar Short Film Festival. While waiting for the show I got to meet Donald Duck. The time in the AC helped and we all enjoyed Figment. The plan was to hop over to Hollywood Studios for a late lunch/early dinner at SciFi Dine in and spend the evening there.
We took the Skyliner over. (Photo credit Dreamstime, free use with watermark) It was hot and bumpy. I would not do it again. I’d much rather spend the extra 5-10 minutes and take a nice, cool, breezy boat ride between the two parks. We got there feeling a little battered but basically okay. Lunch was fabulous- we had the Fantasmic Dining package but because I was still queasy I skipped the alcohol, had a salad and skipped dessert. Definitely didn’t get my money’s worth, but what can you do?
We tried to get in to see the new Little Mermaid show, but the line was cut off more than half an hour before the scheduled show time. We decided we needed a break, and probably a nap so we headed back to the hotel. That meant we also skipped our Individual LL for Rise of the Resistance. (Can you see why I’d never go on Guardians again? I felt sick for hours, it ruined the afternoon, a nice meal and cost me $60 in unused ILLs)
After a rest we all felt much better. I used the time to book new LL at Hollywood Studios. We’d missed Rise, but we were able to get on Mickey & Minnies Runaway Railroad and Toy Story Mania so I was felling a lot better about losing the money for Rise.
After the rides we headed over to Fantasmic. This has always been my favorite fireworks show. It hadn’t re-opened when we last visited in 2022. I’m so glad we splurged for the dining package. The seats were incredible and made me feel a lot better about the price of the package since I wasn’t able to take advantage of the full meal.
Had we not gone on Guardians this might have been the best day of our trip. As it was two of us felt sick for that afternoon and well into next day. Once again I’m glad we had LL and park hopper so we could recover from what was a huge mistake for our family. I know there is no way I could have stayed at Epcot in the heat, with nothing to do but eat and drink around the World.
