So much for sleeping in! At 6, Hartley and I were awake hanging out on one bed, and by 7:00 Emmersyn and Zach joined us. Because of the aforementioned crowds (and with today being predicted the worst day of the holiday weekend), we had decided mostly to hang out at the hotel. Because we had reluctantly succumbed to the fact the weather was not going to let up before we headed north, I decided to pack up half of our things (pants, jackets, hair straightener, etc). We (successfully) did some laundry and just hung out most of the morning. Zach took the girls for a walk during their morning nap, while I listened to Fantasmic (etc) on the ipod dock and got some stuff done around the room. I figured (or so I told myself) that if I packed up as much as I could now while nothing else was going on, it wouldn't be such a sad task the day before we have to leave. You and I both know that didn't make it any easier to leave, but at least the packing was halfway done! ;)
At about 10:45 we made it to Hollywood Studios in time for lunch. Holy crap, was it CROWDED!
We ate at Backlot Express (our favorite for the once-triply cheeseburger & chicken fingers meal :)) and spent some time in the Magic of Disney Animation. We hadn't intended to wait in line for any of the characters, but the girls were crazy about Dug (from the movie Up). We decided we had nothing better to do (and the building was nice and cool), so we waited. And found out when we arrived to the front of the line that Dug had just left for a potty break. Sweet! Still, the girls enjoyed playing peekaboo with Mr. Fredricksen and Russell.
After saying goodbye, we went to Playhouse Disney Live again - this time sitting in the back, where the girls were able to see and enjoy the show much better! :)
While Emmersyn and Hartley napped, I went to the Animation Academy. I could do this 10 times each trip I think, and yet we never make it happen! Maybe in a few years we can do it as a family, which will help. :)
The girls were exhausted, so we wanted them to sleep as long as possible. We had planned to spend some time in the One Man's Dream exhibit that we've never quite finished, but they don't allow strollers (annoying). Instead, we decided to stroll through the shops, yet again. We were a little disappointed, but it didn't end up mattering. The Block Party Bash came through SO loudly and - unlike most of the parades - we weren't allowed crossing or getting anywhere to escape the chaos, even several minutes before it started. I was really annoyed, and definitely frustrated overall. We had felt "forced" to come in the parks despite the crowds because our hotel was so useless, and now this. Blech.
Anyway, the skies opened up and poured on us just to add to the chaos, and we found ourselves on the Great Movie Ride (which we love anyway), in for a pleasant surprise. We hadn't seen the Western Shootout version of this ride since our honeymoon (only runs on higher capacity days), and we were in the right place at the right time to see it! It was fun, but it definitely isn't as good as the gangster scene - so while it was a fun, nostalgic experience, I'm not too bummed that we usually miss it. Oh, and the girls got their first Mickey Bar... so it couldn't have been that bad an afternoon! ;)
Dinner at Hollywood & Vine started out extremely chaotic. The wait was over 20 minutes despite reservations, but at least we got to eat. I can't tell you how many people got turned away because of no reservations. Oh, to have traveled to WDW on SUCH a busy weekend without plans in advance :( I felt sorry for those folks, but - admittedly - was still wallowing a bit of self-pity as Hartley had the most horrendous meltdown she's had in probably a year, which made the wait seem like hours. The buffet had a really odd selection, but we all ate and really enjoyed a few of the items. It was a short meal because I had to leave with Hartley about half-way through, but I did get to shovel in some delicious warm apple crisp & vanilla sauce before heading out! ;)
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