After a long hiatus, I went back! - Trip 1 - Day 1
(Me) - Former quasi-Disney expert, just past 50 years old.
(Dad) - Loves travel & adventure still, just past 80 years old. (P.S. Still rides rollercoasters) <= Okay, I admit that part worried me too.
Resort:
Disney's Yacht Club
Dates:
September 5-10th
You know the classic commercial ... I'm too excited to sleep! That was me, so when my alarm clock went off, I was happy to stop pretending. In a short time, we were driving to the airport. Dad had a surprise of his own & he upgraded our flights to 1st Class on the trip down! Wow, that was so sweet of him. It was last minute, sadly we didn't get to sit with each other - but we both had nice seat mates, so all went well. It was my 1st time as a passenger in the forward cabin, so I had to push the buttons, examine the seat, well just act like a kid for the few moments before the other passengers started boarding. Since my dad was over 80, he & I got to board the plane early. As he was scurrying down the jetway, I told him that he was moving too fast for anyone to believe his age. He laughed and said they can "card" him. Dad had extra pep in his step because I got wheelchair assistance ride for him so that he would not wear himself out walking the new terminal at the airport. He hated riding in the wheelchair, but he admitted that it would have taken him a lot longer on foot. I was glad that I had been walking a lot, jogging was more like it the transport people are super friendly and they really hustle.
We were wined and dined (well we had all the orange juice we could drink) I had blueberry blintzes & Dad had pancakes with berry compote. It was the best breakfast I had at 40,000 feet. I always wondered what it was like on the other side of the curtain when I flew coach, lol. Funny thing, when my meal came, I knew how to get my tray up and opened. My dad did not fiddle with the mechanisms though. I saw him looking frustrated when his food came, but his seatmate helped him out. Whew! 3 hours later, we landed safe & sound.
Another speedy wheelchair driver whisked dad and I away to the luggage carousel at MCO. Magical Express had just become Mears, Driven by Sunshine - thankfully I read a part about having to get your own luggage. The shuttle had sent us an upgrade, so we were put on a small shuttle instead of the big bus. In no time we saw the purple signs. After a few stops at other resorts, we were home at Disney's Yacht Club. It was too early for our room to be ready, so we did all those other little important tasks. Dad got his scooter. He protested that it was only for getting to the parks and said he was going to park it and walk as much as he wanted to walk. I agreed with him. We picked up a quick lunch at the Ale & Compass Market Place, since we were getting hungry again. The Cuban Sandwiches and house made chips are great! I also had to get my Annual Pass validated before we could check into the Resort properly. Then we went to the back entrance of Epcot to get that done. Then we went back to YC, found our room. It was a bit upgraded from what I had reserved (a garden view). It was actually a corner room with a window and a balcony so if you angled your line of sight just right, you could see the water, Yipee!
Now it was time to actually enter a theme park and Epcot was out destination. My dad likes Epcot the absolute best. My favorite keeps changing as I discover new things about each park. We had seen them before when validating my Annual Pass, but wow, the Gondolas were quite I sight! Love them! I thought about how we would be riding them on day six & I could not wait! Alas, but I am getting ahead of myself. We wondered around Epcot enjoying the sights, smells and attractions. The Food and Wine Festival was going on, but we had early reservations for Teppan Edo for dinner - we did not want to spoil our appetite.
Teppan Edo has traditionally become our 1sit down meal at Disney World on our trips there. It was weird at first sitting at the steaming grill on the end, without my mom. I think we both got a little quiet contemplating how our lives have changed. The good thing is that it is such a noisy and joyous dinner & "show" that you can't stay nostalgic long. Each chef brings a little extra nuance to the experience that makes it interesting. Besides that, I am learning to speak Japanese too; it was fun speaking and ordering in Japanese. The lady next to me asked what did you say a few times? Hee-hee! Diner was fantastic especially considering that both dad and I have seafood allergies and eating at hibachis back at home can be challenging. Disney goes the extra step to keep us safe. Also, just a note there was also a person with a sesame allergy at our table and he was accommodated as well!
After all that eating, we strolled the 11-country world showcase. We visited the little chef in the Ratatouille ride. That had so much detail and I felt like I was in the movie. Dad never saw the movie, afterwards I asked him how he like it. He said it was good, we were following the little mice. Close enough! :) We eventually got school bread and almond pretzels from Norway for dessert, yum. It was not quite crowded in Epcot, but definitely very festive with lots of people scurrying about. The lights were gorgeous on Spaceship Earth. After a complete loop, we returned to our room before the fireworks because we were tired from a long day. Also, we knew that we would be back on Day 5.
Next: Day 2 - Disney's Hollywood Studios
