The best laid plans…
Today started out on a low note. My significant other is sick! Sick enough to go to the ED instead of the airport. He is going to be fine but can’t join us for the finale of our trip. I was not happy about this. In fact, I was downright sad. Sad enough to shed a few tears on the bus to MK. I didn’t think that was possible but I was sure I could cheer up with a little pixie dust. We were supposed to swim at the pool and then go to epcot but I changed all our FPP to MK and we skipped the pool entirely today.
DS slept in until almost 10am! GM went to epcot again (her favorite park) and watched ll the movies in the world showcase. Twice. DS and I headed to MK and saw tink for a little pixie dust. It helped some. Next, DS suggested the laugh floor to cheer us up and it was cute. I had never experienced it before. Next up Was a FPP for buzz light year. I’m still stuck at Ranger-first class. I just can’t seem to break into the pilot level. Oh well. We grabbed lunch at CHH, got our favorite souvenir (Christmas tree ornaments) and headed to the jungle cruise for our third FPP. It was as humorous as always but many of the jokes are lost on my 6 year old. I’m sure he will appreciate it more with age.
As a gesture of extreme kindness, we picked up a FPP for tomorrow land speedway and stopped for a few minutes to watch the castle show. It was brutally hot, though, so we couldn’t stay still for long. We practiced the turtle’s mantra (slow and steady- well slow and jerky is more like it) while breathing in gas fumes for a bit and then got ready for the FoF parade.
We watched from the upstairs of the railway station. GM took the monorail over to watch with us. It was spectacular. I’m not kidding. The floats are so involved and ornate. It’s way more like watching a stage show than a parade. You cannot miss this. I am so glad I changed all our plans. Plus it was nice to spend some time alone with DS. He was so sweet saying how much fun it was to do stuff together and thanking me for taking him on this trip. I almost recorded it so I could watch it in a few years when he becomes moody and sullen and no longer thinks I’m fun.
Next we did something else that was new for us, we took the monorail from MK to epcot. I can’t believe I’ve never done it before but I haven’t. That loop around epcot really is great. It was midday with no FPP and no prospects available either so what did we do? Club cool, epcot character spot, universe of energy, turtle talk and figment. There was another first in there for me- Ellen’s energy adventure. I had never set foot in that building before and I don’t think I even knew it existed until my fifth trip. It was pretty good. They keep warning you about the length but it didn’t seem that long. And it was climate controlled which was nice. DS’s obsession with soda continued and that trip to club cool was really two or three trips interspersed between the other attractions. Lucky GM (who didn’t use all her FPP up at MK) had a FPP for soarin so she did that before dinner while DS and I did something not very memorable. I seriously have no idea what we did. I think we may have just waited around for dinner which kind of explains why it felt like we waited forever.
Dinner was my all time favorite character meal: garden grill. We waited a bit extra for a booth facing out per liner recommendations and it was worth it. Although, in a pinch I would sit at a table again in a heartbeat. The food is excellent. We all loved everything and the character interaction was super. It’s a great lineup: farmer mickey, Pluto, chip and dale. There was lots of talk of acorns and growing and cooking the food for the dinner. We promised all the bones to Pluto. I just want to say again that I love the food there. And it’s not a buffet so you don’t have to get up at all during your dinner. It’s a ride, and a dinner, and a character meet and greet all in one! Seriously, book it, friends. It’s worth it.
Ok. I’m done with the used car salesperson bit. We finished just in time to catch illuminations from the UK. This was the first time we stood there (usually we stand on the bridge to France) but it was the best location I’ve ever had. There are little winding paths just past the rose and crown. Sometimes they are closed for a private event but tonight, they were largely open including the small seating area for the Yorkshire county fish place. We stood there with DS standing on the planter wall. It’s not right up on the water but the view was perfect. I highly recommend it. I was able to cancel my epcot wind down since I no longer had a date. They were great about the last minute cancellation. They rescheduled it for the next day so I could cancel that without a penalty. Some cast members know all the tricks. And sometimes you call and it’s a little like talking to a very happy, very friendly wall.
Back home after that and DS fell asleep quickly after watching our beloved Duffy story on the TV. The bed is getting a bit more crowded with all his new snugly toys (plush). We added sorcerer mickey last night and figment today.
Now, back to my bad news from the beginning. Turns out you can’t cancel a hotel package reservation on the arrival day which gave me the idea of a makeup trip! SO was thrilled with this (the only thing worse than not having him here with us is having to be the person who has to stay home) and changed the dates of his trip to December. And I get to go with him! Know what that means? I’ll be way past my ten day break even point so I can get an annual pass! And if GM and I have annual passes, then it only makes sense to upgrade DS and take a couple of short trips this year and move our summer trip a little earlier to fit them into the same annual pass year. Yippee! Talk about turning lemons into lemonade! Now I’m planning another trip. This really is the best way to not feel so bad about having to come home in a couple of days. I quick booked us into a candlelight processional dinner package (the only one left for our dates) but I’m wondering if I really need the dinner package? Any thoughts on this? Will I get seats if I don’t have it? How long will I need to stand in line? And is MVMCP worth it? Fun for just adults? I really want to go!
Tomorrow is a choice day. I already know what choice was made but you’ll have to read the next one to find out.
Thanks for writing. I’ve really been enjoying your trip reports.
Have fun!