Emmersyn and I had a rough night. Still, because of our nature and close quarters, we were all up around 6:30am. We got some soda/coffee, got ready, watched a little Playhouse Disney and were off for another day of adventure in Epcot around 8:15.
Zach, the girls and I got there around 8:35. We were able to say hello to Daisy and Stitch, then make our way up a bit farther for rope drop.
As we always do when we are there at park open, we headed straight for the Character Connection. We had just a few minute wait and the girls were absolutely adorable meeting Mickey & pals. Hartley even walked up to a few of them herself, when she wasn't thinking about it! ;)
Grandpa Mike and Grandma Shelly were there shortly after we got out of Character Connection, so we were off to Test Track and Mission: Space - both with about a 5-10 minute wait, even a bit later in the morning! Because it wasn't too crowded, Emmersyn and Hartley LOVED waiting for Mike and I while we rode M:S ... playing in tubes just the right size for future astronauts!
Soarin' was next, which - as you know - is always a priority. If only the stupid line weren't so long... Even with fast passes we never get in and out in less than 45 minutes, which is kind of ridiculous. Oh so worth it though, as you know if you've ridden! Because of the girls' nap schedule trying to throw things off again, they sort of got the shaft again. Plastic bag lunch for them, before the grown-ups made their way over to Norway to eat at Kringla Bakeri og Cafe. This is one of the only counter service restaurants Zach and I had yet to try, and man were we missing out! The food was delicious, there was more of it than we could have ever eaten, and move over Panera, Ayden has a new favorite soup. I was a little leary because we couldn't really understand what the Cast Member had told us about the soup options, but it was phenomenal. Even still I can't seem to find out definitively what it was, but I'm leaning toward Jarlsburg, Potato & Leek? That sounds about right. Amazing.
The girls took their sweet time falling asleep (probably trying to score some of our delicious food while we were ignoring them... so mean!), so Zach decided to ride the monorail back with Mike, so they could stay asleep in the stroller. Shelly and I drove back to meet them and gather some things to see about playing in some fountains....
When the girls were up, we decided to check out BLT's fountain play area. It was a little chillier than we had hoped, but it actually felt quite nice in the sun and the pool area was hopping. The girls were much more apprehensive than last time (as I knew they would be), but they still cautiously enjoyed themselves for about half an hour. Long enough to get some super cute pictures, anyway!
After playing in the fountains and running back inside to warm up two freezing little girls, it was time to walk over to the Magic Kingdom. We got there just in time for the Celebrate Dreams Come True parade, and it was just dead enough for us to snag our very favorite spot (10 minutes before the parade start)!
The girls were enamored with the parade during this, their first time ever seeing it. They slept through it every single other time we've been in the MK, so I was excited to watch them take it in, what with all of their favorite characters and then some! They're cute, you know, so there was tons of fun interaction! Everyone had a good time, and as quickly as it began we found ourselves making our way through the Emporium to get ahead of it and through the hub.
Our next stop was Aloha Isle, because here we were on Day 3(.5) of our trip and I had yet to have a Dole Whip! Everyone else headed on to the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, and I caught up with them just in time to watch them ride!
Next we waited about 15 minutes for Jungle Cruise, and - for the first time - I'd say it wasn't at all worth it. I think our skipper was good. Maybe. Charismatic, anyway.... but we didn't understand a word he said. I've ridden the ride a hundred times and have heard the audio a few hundred more, so I caught about 3 words that he said. If you weren't at the same advantage, you might have caught 1. I LOVE Walt Disney World in no small part because of the diversity of its Cast Members.... but a ride like Jungle Cruise needs someone who is proficient in English. I'm just sayin'...
Last stop for the afternoon was the Enchanted Tiki Room, which my girls loved once again. We then headed back to the Botel for our date with Mickey and friends!
Dinner at Chef Mickey's, as you know, is one we never miss. The food is pretty darn good (and plentiful, of course), and you can't beat the lineup of friends that stop and say hello. In our experiences, it's also always the most superior interaction from the characters with regards to how much time they spend with you, their playful antics (as opposed to pausing for a picture and running on). Add to that the little mouse ears Oreo mousse desserts and I'm always a happy girl there.
Emmersyn and Hartley (and the rest of our party) enjoyed it, too. :)
(Oh - and if you're following along at home, we had the same screwy seating situation again, in which about 30 families were seated before us, most of whom couldn't even get their pre-dinner photo before their buzzer was going off, despite the fact that we had the earliest check in time and were among the first there. Oh, well, at least we know to expect it!).
After dinner, Shelly, Zach, the girls and I headed back for Spectromagic and Wishes. With the announcement of the Main Street Electrical Parade coming back to WDW this summer along with a new fireworks show during "Summer Nightastic" (which I'm still bummed to be missing, if you're wondering!), I'm not 100% sure of the fate of these two beloved attractions. Will they be replaced indefinitely? Just for the summer? Regardless, I wasn't taking any chances. They are almost always a must-see anyway, but this trip there was no doubt about it.
Despite significantly larger crowds (what you get when certain things only run 2-3 times a week at best. ugh.), we were able to watch both in some of our favorite spots with only a little bit of stress, and they were magical as always. The girls weren't crazy about the "Boom Booms" up close and personal, but Hartley was very brave on Daddy's shoulder and Emmersyn actually watched Wishes in its entirety, albeit clinging pretty closely to me and questioning at each break in noise whether we were "Aaaall done" :) Don't worry, from the comfort of our room, watching the Boom Booms would be one of their favorite pasttimes. They've got several years on their wimpy mother in that regard. You know, the one who cried herself to sleep every Fourth of July for who knows how many years, simply at the thought of fireworks outside her house. Yeah, that one.
No comments:
Post a Comment