Day 3: Chef Mickey’s and Epcot
Well, this day was mostly lovely! We bounded as Donald and Daisy, and as my birthday is February 12th, I wore a birthday button. We started the day at Chef Mickey’s, and even though the previous day at Hollywood Studios taught me a lot about how fun the character meets are, I was wholly unprepared for what was about to happen.
Once we sat down, Goofy nearly immediately dropped by for a visit. One of the cast members mentioned our bounds, and said something like “Donald might not like that you’re copying him!” with a sly grin.
Friends, allow me to tell you this: Donald Duck lost his fking MIND when he came by. He started by coming up with his arms behind his back, in that “well, well, well, what have we here” kind of pose… and then jumped up and down and was super excited about my bound, gave me the biggest hug ever, pulled me from my chair and started dancing with me.
After he left, Beth and I talked a bit about how great that was, and 2 minutes later he came back with another birthday button for me, with Donald Duck #1 written on it! Then about 5 minutes later, he came back again, and had made a sash out of receipt paper and magic marker with “Happy Birthday Tim, Donald Duck #1” on it, and put it on me. And then came back for hugs at least 2 more times. It was delightful and emotional in a way I just wasn’t expecting.
Our bounds absolutely got the most attention from people today, both staff and civilians. Just as we arrived at Epcot, Daisy walked by, which was the final character she wanted a photo with. It was extra special because she was resigned to not seeing her.
Epcot was HOT and BUSY, the latter because it was a Saturday, I assume. The tenor of the crowd was eau de douchebag, especially around the world showcase. The lines for everything were just untenable, so after hitting Cosmic Rewind, Ratatouille, Journey Into Imagination and Soarin’, and painting the mosaic wall, we decided to head back to the Contemporary for an early night. We grabbed some takeaway from Contempo Cafe and watched the fireworks from our balcony, and crashed out for an early night.
Overall, a really great day, and a lesson learned about Epcot on the weekend.