Sunday, June 3
EPCOT
After meeting back up with my family, who were still finishing up at the Umbrella, Jacqueline decided she wanted to ride Mission Space. The wait was something like 25 minutes. Since this was our first time, we chose the green mission. I am a fan of the much-too-short-lived Fox series Firefly, so you can imagine my joy when I saw Gina Torres (aka Zoey Washburn) giving the video mission briefing. After it ended, a castmember came in and informed us of a malfunction (!) and that we would be moved to another pod. Oh well, at least I got to watch the mission briefing again. I wasn't sure at all what to expect, but it was a pretty cool experience. I'll have to try the orange one if we ever come back. I wish I had known sooner about the activity room they had for those unable to ride. There were things to do for all ages. Julie and Jordan could have hung out in there while waiting for us.
After Mickey Waffles and chocolate milk, it was time to head to Epcot. I had had an early fastpass for Mission Space, but as I said, if I could get on Soarin' for less than a 30 minute wait, I wouldn't worry about MS. The wait was closer to 40 minutes, but I knew it would only get longer, and despite numerous attempts, I could never get a fastpass for it. Julie wasn't sure if she could handle the ride even if she had been game to wait that long, so she said she would do some looking around while I rode it. The boy didn't want to wait in Standby, but the girl decided to go for it. Soarin' is an amazing ride, totally worth the wait.
Our next fastpass wasn't until noon, Spaceship Earth. This was our second time on this classic ride. Great sets and animatronics as before. The ride got stuck briefly (ride malfunctions seemed to be dogging us a lot during this trip!) but then moved on.
Then it was lunchtime. I had asserted ever since planning began almost three years ago that I would be eating at Yorkshire County Fish & Chips, even if no one else wanted to. So Julie took the kids to the Electric Umbrella while I struck out on my own toward World Showcase. The menu is limited at the Yorkshire County fish place, but the line was short - a true rarity at Disney these days. I got my food and found a place to sit near the lagoon. The meal was delicious, better than Captain D on his best day. While eating, I was hit by one of those famous impromptu Orlando showers, although it was just a light sprinkle and didn't last long. I was also visited by three ducks, no doubt expecting some crumbs to fall. I gave them each a piece of "chip" (French fries) and they went on their way.
After walking around and passing a group of talented drummers, we decided to give Journey Into Imagination a try. I had heard mixed reviews of this ride, but the wait was relatively short. The queue was interesting, with paintings and PA announcements referencing scientists from Disney films, like Phillip Brainard (Flubber,) Wayne Szalinsky (the "Honey I..." movies,) and Merlin Jones (The Monkey's Uncle.) I half expected to hear, "Attention, Professor Dexter Riley, you left your tennis shoes in the computer room." But maybe that reference would have been too obscure. The ride was weird but fun. And of course, there's never a wrong time or place to see Eric Idle.
After the "Journey" had ended, we had plenty of time until our next and final fastpass, Frozen Ever After, but we decided to make our way toward Norway anyway. As we passed through Mexico, we watched a few minutes of a really good Mariachi band. I tried to record it, but I could not find the footage later when moving it all to my computer.
We arrived at Frozen Ever After about 20 minutes early. Sometimes they will go ahead and let you in, but no such luck this time. We just had to find a nearby place to sit and wait. The time passed quickly, and we got on board. Being sort of a closet fan of the movie, I really enjoyed the ride. I expected it to be another dark boat ride like Under the Sea, but there were some thrilling moments to it, like when Elsa blows you backward. Jacqueline was a happy girl; she had been waiting to ride this for three years, even though she was now no longer quite as "into" Frozen as she was in 2015. We were definitely ready to head back to the condo after this, partly because we had other plans that evening.
Date Night
I ordered a pizza for the kids and the Kids Nite Out sitter while we rested up at the condo. After a mix-up at the Windsor Hills security gate, Teresa arrived from KNO and was pleased to meet Jacqueline. Unlike Cary from three years ago, Teresa had not had supper yet and was glad to know we had ordered enough pizza for her to share. We signed a waiver for Jordan since he was over 12 and not in need of their services. Then the wife and I headed back to Epcot. We headed straight for World Showcase, Morocco specifically. It was dinnertime at Restaurant Marrakesh.
We ordered an appetizer consisting of crispy bread and goat cheese, which was quite good. We both ordered couscous meals, mine being the Cousous M'Rouzia. It was wonderful. During the meal, we were treated to a belly dancing show.
After dinner we explored World Showcase, which is a much nicer experience when you don't have to worry about the kids getting bored. It had come a shower just a few minutes before we arrived, so the air was still cool. This made the weather perfect for walking through the park. We really liked looking through the Japanese store. The tiny train track town in Germany was really cool too. Julie stopped in Mexico and got a Margarita. As 9pm drew closer, we had to decide where we wanted to have dessert. She really wasn't feeling ice cream. So we went to France in search of pastries. Les Halles turned out to be the perfect place. She got a cookie and some kind of muffin, and I got the creme brulee. Before we had finished, they had started making announcements that Illuminations was about to begin. On our way out, we decided to find a spot and watch the show. It was amazing. Part of it was blocked by a tree, which would explain why this spot hadn't already been taken, but I'm still glad we stayed to watch it.
Back at the condo, the kids were fine, and Teresa had no trouble with either of them. We bade her farewell and went to bed.
