Fest 3 of 4 complete! Getting Artsy FARTSy Day 2
My first full day, and it was going to be a long one! EPCOT in the morning and After Hours at the MK that night.
I got up and got myself in the Guardians VQ and bought the LL. I feel like this ride is super worth the extra cost of the LL! I ventured out around 8:15 to the Skyliner and the line was insanely long and moving slowly. It took nearly an hour to arrive at the International Gateway, the hub at CB was so full they were using overflow queues. Once I got through the gate it was time to report in at Guardians for the LL time I bought so I went straight there and had a great ride (September) and then browsed around some of the FOTA booths. I was in need of breakfast and pre-COVID I remembered Sunshine Seasons had an excellent breakfast menu. Well post-COVID they do not, lol! My only choices were cold grab and go fruit or overnight oats and overpriced granola bars or a sad overpriced ham, egg, and cheese sandwich. I should have just gone somewhere else but I wanted to stay at the front of the park to do the color by number mural and be close by when my Guardians VQ was called. Since Connections isn't open for breakfast, it seems like the only decent counter service option now is Le Halles in France.
Crowded today! Ride wait times were pretty high for rope drop, and by 10 the wait for Soarin' was over an hour, Spaceship Earth was 30 minutes, LL's for Test Track, Frozen, and Remy were all gone. I didn't get G+ this day but usually pay attention to LL availability as an indication of how busy it would be. Either Disney has reduced the number of LL's available during this time, or it really was as busy as it looked all week. I know there were South American student groups visiting on their summer break and the dance/cheer competitions happening. The teams were very easy to spot and avoid because teens and young adults travel in packs. They weren't disruptive or rude at all, just took up lots of space, hahah!! It was also chilly and windy but sunny off and on. Around 10:45 the line for getting paint for the mural was forming so I stood there for a few minutes and then painted my squares. I love the unique activities and art for this festival! After my second Guardians ride (One Way or Another) I started to mosey out of the park toward the IG picking up festival booth food along the way as a progressive lunch. I got the Wellington, which was delicious, a beer from a local brewery here in NY (sum of all colors IPA from Ommegang), the Hummingbird cake, and something else I can't remember so it must not have been that great.
Around 1:30 I got back to POP and took a nap/rested in the room until about 5. It was raining on and off and the wind had really picked up making the temperatures feel even chillier. I bundled up and headed up to the MK to do a progressive dinner around monorail resorts before going to MK After Hours. Well, the resort monorail was moving as slowly as the Skyliner was earlier in the day and I wasn't feeling all that hungry so I decided to ride over to the Grand and treat myself to The Enchanted Rose. There was no wait to get in and I had a seat with a beautiful sunset view in the main lounge area. I had their signature Tropical Rose cocktail, a flatbread, and espresso martini for dessert. It was the perfect light dinner and I knew I would take advantage of the snacks included with After Hours later. A short monorail ride to the main gate, a quick scan into the park at 7:45, and then I got a lovely spot on Main St. between Casey's and Plaza Ice Cream to watch Happily Ever After. It was still raining off and on and the wind was really whipping the flags so I wasn't surprised when at 8:05 the announcement came on that the show was delayed for weather. It was already obvious Tink wouldn't fly but about 15 minutes later the show started. It was so windy the castle wasn't visible through the ash and smoke at times.
After HEA it was pandemonium. You had people trying to leave the park, others wanting to go left to Adventureland but the CMs had it blocked off, which created a bottleneck at the entrances to Tomorrowland with people trying to take advantage of the 90 minutes left of park time for day guests and After Hours guests trying to get a jump on low wait time rides. Yeesh. I made it through and got on Peoplemover, Carousel of Progress, Philharmagic, and grabbed a hot chocolate before the After Hours began. The chilly damp weather I think drove a lot of day guests out earlier than closing because I bopped over to Jungle Cruise and nearly had a boat to myself at 10 p.m. sharp. From there I had about 50 minutes to make my way through as many rides as possible before Enchantment at 11. I did JC, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Small World, and Pooh. Stopped for a Mickey Bar, popcorn, and drinks. Really enjoyed Enchantment! I think I liked it better than HEA, actually. Still no Tink flying, it was still windy but the rain finally left and we had a much clearer view of the Castle. The viewing from the hub and Main St. were clutch. After Hours is 1,000% worth it, fully and completely. I could put my arms out and spin around in circles in the hub at fireworks time and not hit a single soul. I then waited about 20 minutes for Mine Train, and ended the evening riding TRON with a 5 minute wait before doing some shopping on my way out. Luckily, the POP bus stop is quite close to the exit so I didn't have far to go and a bus was there waiting for me. I got back to POP and fell into bed at 1:30. A very successful and very enjoyable After Hours event and I will absolutely be back for these next year, hopefully to also done one in Studios.
