A Salute To The Flower And Garden Festival, But Mostly The Booths
(Foreshadowing- Impressing my physical therapist with the wisdom of this... likely because of the overall foolish decision about the pace of this trip.)
By this morning, I had
double padded and heel lifted the hiking boot for the “good” right foot, as
well as the regular boot for tomorrow and the left hiking boot in The Robocop
for this day. Why do our vacations always get complicated in some weird way?
(Foreshadowing- Likely because more and more of us can list "old and broken" on our resume.)
Our
daily traditions continued, Anabelle got her duck photo and checked the pins
in the store, lobby and cafeteria. Rosa filled her mug with Sprite.
On
the bus, Anabelle looked up all the Character Times to finish up her Must Do
checklists at what could be the final opportunity based on when we hopped
tomorrow.
(Foreshadowing- It wasn’t!)
As
we entered the focal Park of this trip, for another day at EPCOT’s Flower and
Garden Festival, the family walking along side of us seemed remarkably
together. They were discussing which Lightning Lanes they’d chosen and when their
plan would allow rapidly selecting another attraction. Then one of them said,
“We don’t have Park tickets.” It is possible they were less together than we
suspected.
(Foreshadowing- They weren’t!)
Carrying
the same backpack with the same stuff in it we had all week, I got selected for
a security bag check.
(Foreshadowing- I got nothing.)
Rosa
was excited about the skirt/ shorts combos she was wearing that she really
liked, since she had found similar ones online that had pockets. However, at
that moment she realized the ones she’d been wearing for a full week ALSO had
pockets.
(Foreshadowing- Not everyone experiences Disney Dehydration and CrazyHungryLand the same way.)
Having
gotten back to continuing our usual insane schedule, we entered before the Rope Drop of the Extra
Magic Hour Half Hour and began crossing Future World, or whatever the middle
section is now called. (clomp clomp clomp) We waved to the Early Morning Free
Roaming Goofy. As we walked around the …
structure?
The glass looking thing that is where the fountain used to be that lights up, plays music and triggers Magic Bands…
That thing, whatever it is.
As we walked around it, there were Bruno and Mirabel! YAAAAAAAY!!!!
He even drew a rat next to his signature. Captain Rat Sparrow! YAY!
Anabelle responded with “Roses are red, violets are blue, I love EPCOT, and I love you.”
They were both amazed and impressed.
However, not nearly as much as Anabelle was amazed and impressed.
“I have NO IDEA where that came from.”
We continued on to World Showcase after that thrill packed meeting.
Anabelle- “Notice, there was no mention of which rides we had seen?”
YAAAY!
We
reached Norway, with me only lagging a bit behind after a week of adapting to The
Robocop. (clomp clomp… huff puff… clomp) The listed twenty five minute wait was
quite an exaggeration.
ELSA WAS FIXED!! YAAAAY!!!!! We all made Rosa’s patented rectangle hands heart for the photo. YAAAAY!!!!!
On
the near side of Norway, (clomp clomp) we joined the line for Anna and Elsa.
There was a flashback to Anabelle’s youth as we saw a young Guest perform a
quick change into the proper princess costume while on the line. We were
sandwiched between two tiny Elsas. The youngsters naturally became Instant
Disney Friends and spent most of the duration in the “Timeless Zone” bonding,
chatting and playing. Aside from enjoying watching them, Anabelle was reading a
summary of the newly released “live action” Lilo and Stitch. It turned
out that there were multiple facets that did fundamentally change the story and
characters. “Boy I hope that guy from Pixar Place is OK,” she worried.
In
the final waiting area, we met an Extra Awesome and also Happy Cast Member. She
gave us all kinds of information about wait times throughout the day, including
when Disney exaggerates and when it is accurate. Much of this we knew. (And a
fair subset of this we ignore.) She did point out that early morning is the
longest wait time for this Meet and Greet, with the times dropping mid-day,
when kids need naps. Anabelle, however, pointed out that normal trends did not
matter. This is because as soon as she gets anywhere near the Anna and Elsa
line, the wait time springs to forty-five minutes. The Cast Member also confirmed
that estimating the wait time for this meeting is difficult. (Hence its
“Timeless Zone” nature.) They understand how important it is to the kids (and
other Guests) to meet the Frozen ladies and will not rush anyone out if
they are talking to the pair from Arendelle. She did mention, if kids are
ignoring the royals and wandering about (feral children!), they may drop hints about
it being time to go. YAAAY!
It
was our turn! YAAY! Elsa saw the graduation button, congratulated Anabelle and
talked to her a bit about teaching. As in- trying to teach Olaf anything and
requesting assistance.
Queen Anna
focused more on the autograph book and the conversation went to stories, and
birds (Because of the Three Caballeros shirt.), and also telling Olaf. Anna,
because she is Anna, tends to wander off point frequently. YAAY!
We
finished in the Royal Summerhus and Anabelle shot away from us, sprinting full
speed into China based on the accurately listed character times. (Imagine
that!) The Cast Member outside the theater asked, “Looking for Mulan?” Anabelle
thought to herself as she agreed and whipped by him, “I certainly like the
China Movie but would never sprint for it.”
Mulan
was happy to see Anabelle’s guardians (The Three Caballeros) represented on her
outfit. And ours as well, once we caught up with her in the next country.
(clompclomp) Mulan pointed out hers on the sash of the dress I will finally
stop picking on. The savior of China was impressed when Anabelle recognized Cri-kee.
Turns our having a stuffed one in my car for the past two decades had a purpose
after all. YAAY! We ignored the kid on line who said, “Mulan is in China? I
thought she was in Japan.”
‘Murica!
With
this meeting, the side quest of meeting EVERY PRINCESS was complete!!!
YAAAAAAAY!!!! It’s amazing what can be accomplished when the App is not
useless.
This
morning we performed a kind of Pendulum EPCOT Death March, with much back and
forth on the lower half of World Showcase. We reversed course to Mexico for
Mariachi Donald’s meeting area. (clomp clomp clomp) The woman in front of us
made what Anabelle called an “astounding” duck noise, stopping Donald in his
tracks. He then pointed out that she swore. Gotta love that duck’s ability to
mime.
With
us wearing three different varieties of Three Caballeros shirts, Donald was off
the wall thrilled. There were dances, hugs, all manner of happy duck motions
and an “Ole!” PhotoPass pose. When he saw the three were also on Anabelle’s
EPCOT ears, he did the “we’re not worthy” thing. As always, meeting the
sombreroed version of Donald was a high point.
YAAAY!
Behind
us was that family who thought they didn’t have tickets on the way in. They
made it! YAY!! The Mom had a Three Caballeros shirt AND bag, which initiated
comparison to us…
Until Donald saw the Mickey Mouse keychain hanging from her bag.
He was SO SAD!!!
Anabelle
pointed out in complete surprise, “Oh look…
The Three Caballeros ride is RIGHT HERE!”
Inside
the pavilion, a small boy yelled, “I’m going to climb that.” (Indicating the
pyramid.)
His clearly experienced Mother did not break stride or look down as she flatly proclaimed, “No.”
We rode our ride and had a wonderful time once more. YAAAAAAAY!!
We also had a interesting discussion as I realized Anabelle had no idea Panchito was a rooster.
Continuing
the EPCOT Death March Pendulum, we crossed the base of World Showcase over to
the right side. (clomp clomp clomp) There was a Flower and Garden Festival ice
cream booth called “Swirled Showcase.” The name, however, could have equally
applied to the rest room across from it. Standing by the entry port of the
facilities, was a supremely Awesome and Happy Cast Member issuing out hilarious
welcomes and farewells to all users of the facilities, as if it was a permanent
residence.
“Hope you enjoyed your stay!”
We worked our way around (clomp clomp clomp) into England for Alice in Wonderland’s scheduled appearance. She did not appear. One vendor Cast Member nearby pointed out Alice was always late. While this is on brand for the character, it was highly unusual for the location with the non-useless App. Rosa snuck around to the Pooh meeting place and was told, in spite of the listing, that Alice would not appear today. Anabelle tucked away the book with that character’s picture on it, and lamented this was the third bad Alice experience in a row. Alas. (Aliss?)
We
looked around the excellent gardens in this location again. A small girl was
totally locked in on finding Spike the Bee, while her Dad was, we thought
incorrectly, telling her Mission Space had Buzz Lightyear.
(Foreshadowing- He meant the topiary. Fortunately, the urge to correct the clueless in Disney World was held at bay this time.)
With France next door, Rosa suggested the Ratatouille single rider line. This option is a HUGE boon! This hike (clomp clomp clomp) was not expected. I feel Rosa has a new attraction on her favorites list. YAAAY! She happily made Instant Disney Friends on her ride. I ran into a teenager who CLEARLY did not want to share with a single rider- “This seats two.” Anabelle was in her own little world...I mean, her own little rat.
On
this day of no Table Service in EPCOT we ended up waiting in the Patisserie
line.
(Foreshadowing- This always happens. I have no idea why.)
The
conversation turned from snacks to lunch in the excessive time spent standing
there. Luckily, as the CrazyHungryLand alarm bells started to chime, one of
them suggested I have the lunch in Mexico I had planned on since we knew we
were going on this trip. (Likely because, both have seen me reach RAVING LUNATIC in this park.) Rosa had picked out an anti-gluten pill protected
croissant she wanted while Anabelle waffled between quiche choices. (That
phrase should be funnier than it is. I must do more research.) For other quiche
aficionados, it was between Lorraine and Florentine. She chose the latter.
I
continued my expanded EPCOT Death March Pendulum, going quickly back down the
right side of World Showcase. (clompclompclomp) While passing England, a guy
pulled his baby out of the stroller outside of the Rose and Crown Pub and
yelled,
“Cm-awn Gabe we’re gonna get drunk!!!”
I gave him a double thumbs up and said, “Excellent parenting there! I approve.”
He grinned broadly and yelled back, “AW RIGHT!”
‘Murica!
There
was an ENORMOUS line stretching out of the waterside Quick Service Mexican
place I eat at all the time but NEVER know the name of. (*checks Menu List for the eighty-seventh time while writing this* La Cantina De San
Angel, not to be confused with the fifty-eight other “San Angel” food places in
that pavilion.) A Cast Member asked if anyone wasn’t using cash, and when I
waved my Magic Band, I was brought to the front of the line. I guess the
Festival crowd has a cash only mind set. I used a snack for an oversized Coke
Zero (so I wouldn’t die) and ordered my chicken tacos with a nifty corn based
Hercules beer on the meal plan.
Up
at the counter, they brought the food and soda. When I asked about the beer,
the woman yelled over to the guy who took my order, and they had a heated
conversation in Spanish which I assume they believed the doofy looking gringo
at the counter couldn’t understand.
Only the standard Dos Equis beer came on the meal plan, not the fancier, possibly Festival connected drink I’d chosen. Since he let me order it, they let me have it. YAAY!
To
give an idea of the length and lack of speed at the Patisserie line, I was able
to walk half way around World Showcase IN A BOOT, (clomp clomp clomp) interact
with an alcohol hunting father, skip a line, order food, listen to an argument
in a foreign tongue, and find a table before they got their orders.
To
continue- “So I wouldn’t die” I stuffed one of the tacos in my face while texting
them that I had a table. They originally were going to pendulum all the way
around to where I was, but instead they decided against having their food get
cold and eat across the bridge in England. The speed of my taco inhaling (which
did not alter my enjoyment) continued, and I finished well before they did.
For
this portion of the EPCOT Pendulum Death March, back to England, (clomp clomp
clomp) I masqueraded as a typical EPCOT festival goer and travelled with the
remainder of my fancy beer. It greatly enhanced the walk. I met them as
they were leaving their table. Anabelle wasn’t going to finish the oversized
lemonade she had, and got a lesson in how all plastic containers are being made
thinner and thinner. A slight squeeze resulted in a Pirates of the Caribbean
style hosing before she threw the cup away.
Another
Pendulum Reversal brought us to Canada for our first viewing of the
Circlevision movie there in YEARS. That Food and Wine Festival is far too long.
The movie used many of the images going back to its initial run. Eugene Levy
and Catherine O’Hara also got started in Second City, but Martin Short’s
narration was far funnier- by design, I believe.
Since
this was the “Future World Day” we went there. (Yes, a bit after lunch. See we
don’t program every minute. So there.)
Rosa
and I sat down in the viewing area for the Encanto show, with her bag of
gummies.
(Foreshadowing- The snack kind, not the other ones. We’re insane enough in Disney, thank you.)
Anabelle didn’t care as much about the show, and went into the Character Spot, to find nearly no line.
Her
report-
I literally walked right into Mickey but there was a party of THIRTEEN ahead of me. lmao
They’re so funny,
And of course, I am next, and they all went on break.
Typical 🙄
The handler and PhotoPass people for Mickey went crazy for my ears.
(Foreshadowing- The custom EPCOT ears for those ignoring the planning section with the various Grids showcased, or the earlier Donald meeting.)
Goofy also went crazy over her ears. Then he showed her all the sights in his back drop.
(YAAY!)
Even Minnie, who was really out of it, was excited over the ears too.
The wait was short enough that Anabelle made it back before the show. (YAY!)
(Foreshadowing- It wasn’t!)
(Foreshadowing- They weren’t!)
(Foreshadowing- I got nothing.)
(Foreshadowing- Not everyone experiences Disney Dehydration and CrazyHungryLand the same way.)
structure?
The glass looking thing that is where the fountain used to be that lights up, plays music and triggers Magic Bands…
That thing, whatever it is.
As we walked around it, there were Bruno and Mirabel! YAAAAAAAY!!!!
He even drew a rat next to his signature. Captain Rat Sparrow! YAY!
Anabelle responded with “Roses are red, violets are blue, I love EPCOT, and I love you.”
They were both amazed and impressed.
However, not nearly as much as Anabelle was amazed and impressed.
“I have NO IDEA where that came from.”
We continued on to World Showcase after that thrill packed meeting.
Anabelle- “Notice, there was no mention of which rides we had seen?”
YAAAY!
ELSA WAS FIXED!! YAAAAY!!!!! We all made Rosa’s patented rectangle hands heart for the photo. YAAAAY!!!!!
‘Murica!
YAAAY!
Until Donald saw the Mickey Mouse keychain hanging from her bag.
He was SO SAD!!!
The Three Caballeros ride is RIGHT HERE!”
His clearly experienced Mother did not break stride or look down as she flatly proclaimed, “No.”
We rode our ride and had a wonderful time once more. YAAAAAAAY!!
We also had a interesting discussion as I realized Anabelle had no idea Panchito was a rooster.
“Hope you enjoyed your stay!”
We worked our way around (clomp clomp clomp) into England for Alice in Wonderland’s scheduled appearance. She did not appear. One vendor Cast Member nearby pointed out Alice was always late. While this is on brand for the character, it was highly unusual for the location with the non-useless App. Rosa snuck around to the Pooh meeting place and was told, in spite of the listing, that Alice would not appear today. Anabelle tucked away the book with that character’s picture on it, and lamented this was the third bad Alice experience in a row. Alas. (Aliss?)
(Foreshadowing- He meant the topiary. Fortunately, the urge to correct the clueless in Disney World was held at bay this time.)
With France next door, Rosa suggested the Ratatouille single rider line. This option is a HUGE boon! This hike (clomp clomp clomp) was not expected. I feel Rosa has a new attraction on her favorites list. YAAAY! She happily made Instant Disney Friends on her ride. I ran into a teenager who CLEARLY did not want to share with a single rider- “This seats two.” Anabelle was in her own little world...I mean, her own little rat.
(Foreshadowing- This always happens. I have no idea why.)
“Cm-awn Gabe we’re gonna get drunk!!!”
I gave him a double thumbs up and said, “Excellent parenting there! I approve.”
He grinned broadly and yelled back, “AW RIGHT!”
‘Murica!
Only the standard Dos Equis beer came on the meal plan, not the fancier, possibly Festival connected drink I’d chosen. Since he let me order it, they let me have it. YAAY!
(Foreshadowing- The snack kind, not the other ones. We’re insane enough in Disney, thank you.)
Anabelle didn’t care as much about the show, and went into the Character Spot, to find nearly no line.
I literally walked right into Mickey but there was a party of THIRTEEN ahead of me. lmao
They’re so funny,
And of course, I am next, and they all went on break.
Typical 🙄
The handler and PhotoPass people for Mickey went crazy for my ears.
(Foreshadowing- The custom EPCOT ears for those ignoring the planning section with the various Grids showcased, or the earlier Donald meeting.)
(YAAY!)
Even Minnie, who was really out of it, was excited over the ears too.
The wait was short enough that Anabelle made it back before the show. (YAY!)
(Foreshadowing- Why the heck are those parenthetical "YAY!"s. I seriously need to learn consistency... and what foreshadowing means.)
This
split illustrates something about our family. There are three major categories
at Disney World: Rides, Shows and Characters. I was raised (when the Shows were
worse, and the Characters were sparse) to focus on Rides. Anabelle has always
had the Characters as her favorite experience. Rosa likes Shows more than the
other two of us. We all like all of them, and usually find balance. I’ve
reached the age where I’d rather enjoy being in Disney with my family than any
particular experience. Its just something that hit me while we were waiting and
may explain some of our behavior.
(Foreshadowing- No one cares! Back to the trip.)
The
Encanto show “¡Celebración
Encanto!” featured two crazy excited, Latin, narrator women telling the story
of the movie and sprinkling in trivia questions and Spanish lessons while
encouraging participation, singing and dancing. It was a hoot. YAAY! Anabelle
sat down on the AstroTurf, tossing the trivia answers to Rosa, who would yell
them out.
At
the start, they couldn’t get the crowd watching to start dancing in the center
section, even with the show’s dancers heading out there. The tall skinny guy
was TRULY giving it his all.
Rosa was dancing on the border of the umbrella covered AstroTurf we sat on to wait.
I mused- “I think it’s too hot out for the white people to dance.”
Her reply- “Every day is too hot for white people to dance.”
They
had cool activities for each song. They brought up several kids to act out the
roles in “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” The little boy with the dead fish took a
bit but got into it. One young woman truly grabbed hold of the spirit, dancing energetically
along with the hosts.
Each
song had different things to do. For “Surface Pressure” they had boxes for kids
to come up and muscle pose. The guy travelling with the woman who really got
into the “Bruno” number ended the song with an epic flex. YAAY!
The
finale was “Colombia, Mi Encanto.” Mirabel and Bruno showed up. YAAY! Them,
plus the dancers got a large amount of the crowd up and dancing. (Not “boot boy”
here, however.) Even Anabelle joined in. Mirabel recognized them from the
morning, and danced over, “You made it! You came back!!!!” Another of
Anabelle’s, “This is the best day of my life!” moments. Those abound in Disney
World. YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!
Because
the line wobbled a bit but stayed short. Rosa and I went into the Character Spot right next to us. (clomp) Mickey went on break for an extended pee when we
entered, but only Mickey. Since one line hit all three characters it caused a
weird pause, leaving Goofy to tap dance alone for a bit and kill time.
Minnie
loved Rosa’s bow and nails themed to her.
Goofy was a fan of my pirate gear.
Mickey was kind of laid back and relaxed. Maybe the long whiz took too much out
of him.
Anabelle
thought about seeing Moana, but the Island Princess was on break and the heat
had returned to insane levels. Instead, she followed her Disney tradition of
sitting in the air conditioned Nemo store next to the soda cooler when waiting
for family members.
We
had discussed going through the Moana attraction, but decided getting soaked
right before the air-conditioned Living Seas was poor planning.
We
saw fish!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!! (We did do the ride first. Anabelle sat with me,
because she’s not a fan of it. But still. FISSHHH!!!!!) Anabelle is also not
the greatest fan of the big tank room but does enjoy it at a distance. 
It’s sad
(for us, happy for them since they’re in a more fitting environment) that the
dolphins are gone. However, we did see a cool mess of fish, including the ever
popular tarpon (“Cyberman fish” – Rosa) a spotted eagle ray, a hiding turtle
and the relatively new hammerhead shark.
There was also a mess of divers. I
guess the “scuba in the Living Seas” program has returned. YAY! (For them.)
There is always upstairs and downstairs time for the manatee tank, and we met
the new denizens. Anabelle and I tag teamed having a conversation with strangers
(now Instant Disney Friends) about the flamboyant cuttlefish, Anabelle supplied
general information, including that they are poisonous, and my contribution was
about how they are color blind but “see” with their skin to adapt to the
environment. We’re very educational to have around. Anabelle proved her educationalness further by acing the shark quiz once again.
We
did not have to be hilarious this time, however, as a couple of women were
having a vaudeville level comedy routine chat about an “anemone” in the little
tanks room. We all love the little tanks room! Cute fish! YAY!
(Foreshadowing- No one cares! Back to the trip.)
Rosa was dancing on the border of the umbrella covered AstroTurf we sat on to wait.
I mused- “I think it’s too hot out for the white people to dance.”
Her reply- “Every day is too hot for white people to dance.”
[“Who’s we?” –
Anabelle
“Must you poop on my fish time?” – Me
“Yes.” -Anabelle.]
Keeping
with the water theme, we returned to the new Moana attraction out in the
blistering heat. The laminar spouting “Spring” is supposed to rise up and juuuuust
touch your hand. When I raised my hand over it. It shot off like a rocket and I got hosed
completely, while my family laughed at me. (again) Anabelle stood on a squirter
and got nailed looking at another one. (again) To complete the “Accidental Cooldown
Trifecta” Rosa tried to catch the jumping water arcing over us in her hand, and
it landed square on her head. YAAY!
This
kept us cool on our trek up the right side of Future World. (Or “World
Whatevertheheckitscallednow West”) The return to the Imagination Pavilion on
Future World day (really, shut up) was inevitable. (clomp clomp clomp) All
those doors in the waiting area have funny audio clips playing. It is one place
I wish the line was longer so we could hear them. As we reached the boarding
area of that ride, the family in front of us turned around and left because
they had to go to a Lightning Lane.
(Foreshadowing- I’m pretty sure that isn’t how that system is supposed to work.)
Rosa
took a short nap on this one, at least until the explosion. Oh- the Magic Band
also lit up in the sound demonstration. I wonder why I didn’t notice before.
Maybe, because I was paying attention to the FIGMENT RIDE!
That
one computer in the row hiding the “Room o’ Figments” was still down. Alas.
I
did a quick musical Figment conduct for Dad, and then hung around the
Imageworks. I mostly spent time trying to take a picture of the image of Bing
Bong as he appeared and vanished on the wall near Joy’s old meeting spot.
(Foreshadowing- “How do you keep an idiot busy- Master Class.”)
We
joined the line in second place for the last Figment meeting of the day. The
second “Tiny Elsa” was ahead of us, now transformed - yet again - into “Tiny
Moana.” She was VERY excited about having met the Wayfinding Princess. She was
also about to pass out in the stroller, as her Mom stated “We started the day
with you and we’re ending the day with you.” YAAY!
(Foreshadowing- We were NOWHERE NEAR ending our day.)
“Must you poop on my fish time?” – Me
“Yes.” -Anabelle.]
(Foreshadowing- I’m pretty sure that isn’t how that system is supposed to work.)
(Foreshadowing- “How do you keep an idiot busy- Master Class.”)
(Foreshadowing- We were NOWHERE NEAR ending our day.)
The meeting with Figment went the same as the first time. There were the same excited reactions to our gear from him, and the same excitement from us about him. YAAAAAAAAAY!!
(Foreshadowing- Yes, these continue to be less and less foreshadowy. A trend that will remain.)
(Foreshadowing- It was not Stitch.)
YAAAY!
Anabelle- “PLUTO!!!!!!”
*Pluto reaches for a hug, Minnie sags a little*
Anabelle- *pretending to just be able to see her* “AND MINNIE!”
Me- *Whispered* “Nice save.”
Anabelle- *Also whispered* “Thank you.”
Actually, Anabelle and I found it the previous night in this Park, but we finally remembered to tell Rosa where it is…
No one cares.
Ahem…
Next door we found the new Club Cool. It was now a full on Coca Cola store featuring the weird sodas on one side. With no Inca Kola, Rosa left immediately. I tried the Korean Apple one. It was tasty! I am a sucker for fake apple flavors.
(Foreshadowing- Aurora agrees this is the only explanation.)
(Foreshadowing- We didn’t buy any.)
Rosa and I sat together. She said, “Where was the camera, I didn’t see it,” * FLASH*
(Foreshadowing- Then she saw it.)
Anabelle chose French thinking it was only the “Your Future” thing at the end, but she heard the entire ride in French.
Her future selections were work themed, as those were the French words her Duolingo has covered.
A) She picked space instead of underwater.
B) She said the destination is more important and I said the journey was.
(Foreshadowing- We did not need the Big Ball in order to know the about compatibility, or where we differ on journeys.)
(Foreshadowing- Very little.)
Sadly, this time the picture didn’t work at all.
Hey, the little newspaper boy wasn’t missing, he was poorly lit. And facing the other way.
(Foreshadowing- He has been facing the other way for EIGHTEEN YEARS. Sometimes, even the Where Will We Go Next Guy forgets things. The reason he was moved: guests kept touching him. WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!?!
‘Murica!)
(Foreshadowing- Two outta three ain’t bad.)
(Foreshadowing- I do.)
(Foreshadowing- It is because I piss and moan about the Kitchen Kabaret during the wait every time, isn’t it?)
I know… No one cares.
(Foreshadowing- It is because I piss and moan about the Kitchen Kabaret during the wait every time, isn’t it?)
The ride finished, we were rested and happy, but hungry!
(Foreshadowing- “Historically” means less and less in Disney World these days.)
Unfortunately, Sunshine Seasons stopped serving dinner sometime after the last time we ate there. It was bad.
(Foreshadowing- Yes, it was bad.)
Rosa becomes willing to cancel plans at the drop of a hat (or ears) while Anabelle reaches problematic levels of indecisiveness.
Connections was the only Counter Service nearby and it reached the point where I was about to order pizza… in Florida.
Fortunately, that brush with horribleness snapped me out of the cursed RAVING LUNATIC mental state briefly. We talked about having our usual nighttime EPCOT Death March, Anabelle remembered a tempting dish at a booth near the entrance to World Showcase, and I remembered seeing a substantial looking snack item at the booth next door.
(Foreshadowing- They did! YAAAAAAY!!!!)
…
Oh, he’s done. That was terrifying.”
Anabelle- “Shania Twain is Canadian?”
Second educational moment- when Rosa replied, “YES!” In a tone implying it was common knowledge while dancing.
Anabelle- “Mami is a raging Shania Twain fan?”
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!
and me taking a picture of it.
(Foreshadowing- It is possible we do more than a human mind can contain in these Parks… hence my notes!)
Italy
and Germany continued the “our family had a sweet time together” portion of the
evening. YAAY!!
Here and there throughout the Night EPCOT Death March were more “Disney Leaves” on the ground…
The mystery continued.
(Foreshadowing- And remained unresolved. Alas.)
Anabelle
and I needed to add the second snack to secure our complete freedom from
CrazyHungryLand. I stopped at the African Outpost and had one of my top small meals
of the trip. An “impossible” Jamaican beef patty with papaya syrup. I munched a
little while catching up to them in China. (clomp clomp clomp…I had to slow down to prevent dropping
my food) Anabelle was leaving the stand there and having an excellent time with
the Satay Beef Bao bun, filled with vegetables and peanut sauce. 
My text asking
her to get something for me didn’t go through, meaning I hopped on the same
line as she got off, complimenting my impossible thing with a very possible
“Dragon Dynasty” two rum, fruit syrup and Pina Colada mixture. That had nothing
to do with CrazyHungryLand but did help numb my foot so I could finish the The
Robocop clad high speed, night EPCOT Death March. (clompclompclomp)
Norway…
was there. (clompclomp…ooh! grass roof!...clomp)
We
arrived in Mexico. Once more the three of us looked around here and there since
Anabelle had to use online checks and the process of elimination to get the
Spike the Bee answer for this pavilion. We’re pretty sure they took him down
for construction before our arrival, as the end of the Festival was in sight. Alas.
Since we were there-
GRAND FIESTA TOUR!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!
With
ten minutes to go before the fireworks we ran out of World Showcase, concerned
if we’d make it to the bus before the crowds. (clmpclmpclmp)
(Foreshadowing- We did! YAAY! But not before we got to see the torches light up that everyone in my family forgets about. Also, YAAY!)
We
did stop for a nighttime Ball PhotoPass… just as they turned off the lights on
it for Luminous. Alas.
Also, the photographer was new, and her forced smile showed she was done for the day.
(Foreshadowing- She did an excellent Awesome Happy job anyway! YAY!)
We
sped out of the Park. (clompclompclomp) With us were others trying to avoid the
fireworks crowd. A guy in a “Disney Dad” shirt with a barcode was listening to
his little girl list off all the things she wanted to do there, stating, “We’ll
need to come for two weeks next time.” I pointed to Anabelle with Rosa ahead of
me, because they were usually ahead of me, (clomp clomp clomp) and said- “Look
at the bright side, if you do it right, she’ll want to keep coming with you
when she’s that big.” We chatted a bit more until we split for our separate
busses. Instant Disney Dad Friends! YAAY!
At
our stop, the bus was there! YAAAAAAY! And only partially filled! YAAAAAAY! The
bus driver understood his mission and instead of waiting for a full load,
closed the door when he didn’t see anyone else in immediate proximity and took
off like a getaway car before the fireworks crowd started to think about
leaving. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
Another
Instant Disney Dad Friend helped me stand up on my Death Marched Boot when the
bus stopped. YAY!
Once
again, carrying them in the backpack allowed a “Standing Mug Run” on arrival in
the End Zone Food court, where we downed our needed beverages, and filled them
up again for the morning. The date the mugs would still work until appeared
every time we filled them. (June first)
(Foreshadowing- It’s always sad when realizing our mugs could enjoy Disney longer than we could.)
On
the way to the room, Anabelle took her last Point Five on the tennis court.
(Alas) This time it was with Donald himself. (YAY!)
Anabelle
presented Rosa and I with the present she got us in France while we wasted time
on the Patisserie line.
(Foreshadowing- Not exactly wasted, as the frustration that built up led Rosa to REALLY enjoy that Funnel Cake.)
It was a beautiful, rotating Belle and the Beast ornament. Awwwwwww.
(Foreshadowing- It is possible we do more than a human mind can contain in these Parks… hence my notes!)
Here and there throughout the Night EPCOT Death March were more “Disney Leaves” on the ground…
The mystery continued.
(Foreshadowing- And remained unresolved. Alas.)
Since we were there-
GRAND FIESTA TOUR!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!
(Foreshadowing- We did! YAAY! But not before we got to see the torches light up that everyone in my family forgets about. Also, YAAY!)
Also, the photographer was new, and her forced smile showed she was done for the day.
(Foreshadowing- She did an excellent Awesome Happy job anyway! YAY!)
(Foreshadowing- It’s always sad when realizing our mugs could enjoy Disney longer than we could.)
(Foreshadowing- Not exactly wasted, as the frustration that built up led Rosa to REALLY enjoy that Funnel Cake.)
It was a beautiful, rotating Belle and the Beast ornament. Awwwwwww.
With the Robocop's time done, the hiking boot that lived in it, and was destroyed by all of that clomping, hit the trash. Alas. The other hiking boot would do the same at home but needed to balance out the regular isolation boot for one last insane day. 
Rosa
did most of the packing, because Anabelle and I would screw up her system. (Yet another color of the spectrum.) We
helped where it wouldn’t be a hinderance. 
Once
settled in, we watched the penultimate episode of Ncuti Gatwa’s second season
of Doctor Who. We all passed out thinking, “I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!”
24484
steps , 9.4
miles
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