Our next stop was the Magic Carpets, where we were just one ride away from
riding with Aladdin and Jasmine!
Then it was time to say hello to Woody and Jessie, before finally riding
Splash Mountain! Somehow I ended up riding first, despite Zach waiting years to
ride with his girls, and - while they liked it ok - it took some convincing to
get them to ride it again with him. I was a bit worried!
We had then planned
to try the Citrus Swirl after its famous return, but the machine was down - so
we settled for a dole whip ;) while we waited for Ariel and Eric to arrive.
That Ariel is one smart cookie, even pointing out Ryder's yellow outfit "just
like a little Flounder". Of course I planned it as such, but doubted anyone
else would take notice. I always knew I liked her!
A very tired Ryder and I went to Columbia Harbor House and got lunch ready
while Zach and the girls returned for their ride on Splash (which they loved).
Lunch was delicious, and it turned out one of our last "to dos" for the
morning, getting an autograph from the Fairy Godmother, wasn't happening today
because she was busy elsewhere. We'll have to find her another time!
About halfway through our trip and moving much more slowly with girls out
of a stroller, we realized that even with a 10-day vacation we'd have to miss
some favorites if we wanted much downtime. We reevaluated and reprioritized on
our way back to the hotel. We "rented" Ariel's Beginning from Community
Hall, which Emmersyn and Hartley have wanted to see for some time, and rested for a
couple of hours.
Hartley actually slept during rest, but it was Emmersyn who apparently needed to
do so. She had a huge meltdown as we were about to leave - so it was Hartley's
turn for some one-on-one time with Mama. To Epcot we went!
After riding Spaceship Earth, Hartley and I went to the Food & Wine
Festival Center for a pin and to check out the Chase Members Lounge and try to
get our wristbands for the special members-only Illuminations viewing area. We
got some free candy and soda, and learned the "rules" about the wristbands.
Namely, that we would all have to arrive before noon to get them - and
considering the next day, our other option for Illuminations, was Epcot's 30th
Birthday celebration? We knew we would not be going to another park first if we
wanted them!
Next my little shopper and I went to Mousegear to scout out some souvenirs
and buy some 30th anniversary stuff while we waited for Zach, Emmersyn and Ryder to
arrive. We watched the fountains dance, and eventually her other half made her
appearance. :)
Once we were all together, we went straight to the France pavilion - but on
this particular day of the week Belle was not meeting the last time slot of the
day. The girls were disappointed because they had wanted to show her their
beautiful new dresses, but they did very well. Dinner at Les Chefs de France,
one that we always "almost" choose but never quite makes our final list, was
outstanding! After dinner we began an Agent P mission, but didn't even get back
to the pavilion where we were to start before the worst downpour of the trip
began. We were prepared with ponchos and umbrellas but it was raining so hard -
one of those rains that is in every direction, including up from the ground -
that we were still soaked in no time at all.
By the time we made it back to the car, we literally had to strip the kids
down to practically nothing because they were saturated - and pouring rain
themselves. Blech.
The next day's forecast actually called for rain... so we were hoping it
was wrong. If these other days were supposed to be dry, we didn't want to see
what it might have in store!
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