Sittin' Side-Saddle in a Tea Cup- Day 3
Just to recap previous reports, me, my boyfriend Samuel, and our best friend Keith are AP holders! The three of us (and normally one other friend) go on trips relatively frequently, but I felt the need to write this one up because it was easily the best trip to date. Disney in early December is the way to go! So far, I have posted Day 1 and Day 2, and this is Day 3 in EPCOT where we had planned for the Candlelight Processional! Thanks for sticking with me! :thumbsup:
Day 3 of our trip was to be spent at EPCOT, which is my favorite of the parks. We got up at a reasonable hour, rolling into the park at about 10:30. The weather was deceptively cool, claiming to be about 60 degrees, but it SURELY did not feel like it. Even in jeans, a light sweater, and a scarf, I knew I would need my jacket before too long! Every day that we go, we pack a small back pack that is big enough to fit waters, all of our tickets/money, and any extra clothes. We've realized that the small inconvenience of going through a bag check (ESPECIALLY the cavity-search that they call a bag check in EPCOT), is far more convenient than spending $50 on water and hanging onto extra jackets. Speaking of EPCOT's bag check, has anyone else noticed how much more in-depth it is than in other parks? We wondered whether or not it had to do with the high amounts of alcohol consumed in this park compared to others… Does anyone know?
Anywho! We were off to grab a FastPass for Test Track when we were stopped by one of the Disney data collectors, who wanted to send me a survey (which I completed INCREDIBLY thoroughly later) about our time in EPCOT. After we snagged our Fast Passes for around 3:15pm, we headed to JIYI, ready to ride Figment for the last time. In our group, there is some disagreement about how monuments this occasion was: Keith and I, who went to Disney as kids, are very upset that Figment is (probably) going away. The nostalgia of it and all... However, it was interesting to me that Samuel was not overly upset. He made a good point in mentioning that to newer guests like him who did not grow up with Figment, Figment wasn't that… great. He said that he applauds Disney for noticing something that may not be as relevant anymore and making way for something new in the future. I suppose he has a point… But still. I have always loved me some Figment. :figment:
Realizing that we had a good bit of time to kill, we decided to hop over to Animal Kingdom to see if we could get around to FotLK and EE before our Test Track Fast Passes expired. Luckily, we had waited the necessary amount of time to grab another Fast Pass for Everest, and went to catch FotLK. Getting to the line just as the doors opened, we managed a middle of the section seat with the Giraffes! FotLK is what made a lover of shows out of Keith and Samuel on our first trip, and we always return to it each time. Without a doubt, this is the BEST show in WDW, and I hope that when it reopens that they do not change it too terribly much. Who doesn't love tumble monkeys, or tear up a bit when they do the montage of all of the Lion King songs at the end?! Maybe I'm a Lion King sap- I have a Simba tattoo to prove it- BUT there is no way to NOT enjoy this show! :samba:
We managed to slowly traipse back toward Asia (holy cow, I hate how spread out that park is), stopping to see the monkeys along the way! They always draw a huge crowd, and I've never known why… Until I watched them. The monkey's right around the corner in Asia are HILARIOUS to watch. They are so playful and they have so much spirit! We watched those guys for a while and then essentially walked onto Everest with our Fast Passes. I'm happy to say that there were no technical difficulties with the ride this time, because it's one of Samuel's favorites!
After the FORTY MINUTE transit back to EPCOT (it's easy to forget how long park hopping can take when you rely on buses…), we managed to make it back to Test Track… To find that the stupid thing was down for technical difficulties. Having been the third time this has happened to this trip, we were very well-aware that our Fast Passes were now good for the rest of the day! So we went around to Living with the Land and Mission:Space before heading to World Showcase! And side-note: Mission:Space hurts. I don't know why, seeing as how I have always ridden it and never had any problems, but the past few times that I have made the decision to ride, that sucker feels more and more intense. Either I'm getting too old to physically enjoy it, or I'm going crazy. :sick:
It was getting a little bit later and we had a 5:00 reservation at Rose & Crown Pub for our Candlelight Processional package. I cannot speak highly enough of R&CP. If you have never eaten there, PLEASE take the time to make a reservation for your next trip. World Showcase restaurants always have the best service, and oftentimes the best food. From being seated THIRTY minutes early, to having a spectacular waitress, to having phenomenal food- it did not matter that it felt like it was 40 degrees and I was sitting outside. It was an all-around wonderful experience. I had the seared scallop appetizer, the steak and fish dinner (which was NY Strip steak, a piece of fried fish, Yorkshire pudding, and mashed potatoes), and the sticky toffee pudding for dessert. I did not have a single complaint about any aspect of the meal, and I was happy that we opted for the package as we were walking through World Showcase to see that the line for the 6:30 show was back into France. :drama:
After dinner, we checked the app on our phone to see that Test Track was back up and running. We designed our cars and hopped on, only to find that the entire ride up until the outdoor portion was incredibly glitchy. It was relatively disappointing that we waited for that ride all day, and it still was not really working like it should. A few minutes after we got off the ride, it went back down again and did not re-open. I don't remember the old version of Test Track having so many issues! And don't get me wrong, I enjoy the new version- but it is ALWAYS down. This is the one ride that I feel REALLY needs some work. :/
We went to go get in line for our CP time about 45 minutes early. At this time, our line was only stretched back to Morocco, but by the time the boys stopped in line and I wandered over to France for a crepe the line grew immensely! Also, the crepe stand in France is one of my favorite snack locations! The guys in there are super nice, and joked around with me the whole time about what I should order if I "wanted to be French". So I took their word for it and ordered the sugar crepe! I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was, and joined the boys back in line!
Somehow, we managed a front row seat for the CP (though it would have been better 2 or 3 rows back), and it was FANTASTIC. Dennis Haysbert was our narrator and it was his last performance. It was moving to see him get a little teary-eyed at the end, and to see how important that show was to him. It was worth the (pricey) package to see from a seat, and we will definitely be doing that again! Not to mention, the viewing for IllumiNations (this time free of yelling people!) was spectacular as well! We left EPCOT that night, feeling satisfied with another relatively slow-moving day in the World. :)
Up last: DHS … AND MK Day 4! Last day of the trip! :(
