Fest 1 of 4 done! A week of food, wine and walking. Days 5, 6, & 7

[BriarRose0708]

Day 5 was a travel day home for Husband and a transition to the conference day for me. But, before we left property we had one more magical experience - breakfast a la arte at Topolino's Terrace! I had wanted to do this meal since it debuted and I had not visited the Riviera yet. I was so excited to snag this ressie at the 60-day mark.

We packed up the room and left our bags with bell services before getting on the Skyliner. I love this mode of transportation! We got off at the Riviera and we had a little time so we walked around the gorgeous grounds. The mosaics by the fountain are stunning, the recreation areas by the pool are beautiful, the lobby is beautiful, and I loved the library with artifacts from Walt and Lillian's travels around Europe. The artwork all around the resort is beautiful, too, and I seriously considered getting a print to take home. After getting serious DVC jealousy by walking around and envisioning ourselves staying here (fat chance), we rode the elevator up to the top floor and checked in to Topolino's. We were seated at a window table looking toward EPCOT. It was a beautiful morning without a cloud in the sky, sunny and not too warm for once.

We ordered our dishes - I got the quiche and Husband ordered the smoked salmon - and enjoyed the house made pastries. We were visited by all 4 characters throughout the meal with all of them stopping for interactions and pictures once and then stopping for a quick interaction or a wave a second time. We had a lovely breakfast, the food was delicious, we could tell most everything was made fresh in house and the portions were huge. Even Husband couldn't finish his bagel. We asked if we could get multiple dishes or something as a side like the waffle without bacon or sausage and our server politely informed us that the restaurant no longer did that. When she came by again to check on how we were doing I said everything was so good and we didn't need the extra food she said this is why they stopped doing more than one entree there because of the amount of food waste. I understand wanting to get more food for the price point, but honestly the food quality at Topolino's is so much higher than Chef Mickey's or even O'hana breakfast.

After we ate we spent some time on the terrace enjoying the nice weather before heading back to POP to pick up our bags and ordered an Uber to the airport. I said good-bye to Husband and picked up my rental car. The conference was at Rosen Shingle Creek, about 10 minutes away. I ran some other errands, stopped at Publix for snacks and to-go meals (conference center food is expensive and my per diem never comes close to reimburse), took a spin around Target and bought some Christmas stuff for next trip. That night I had the conference opening session and reception, and then crashed hard! I had considered going back to a park but I really needed that day off!

Day 6 - I got up and decided to try my luck at the TRON virtual queue just in case it worked out that I could sneak away to the MK later that day. I got a pretty high group (maybe 70?) so I thought that boded well. All morning during conference sessions I kept checking the app and it seemed like I wouldn't get called until the afternoon. Perfect! I finished at 1ish, got changed quickly, hopped in the car and the traffic deities were on my side because I-4 was clear! I made it to the TTC in no time, got a great parking spot in the Hook lot, a tram was there waiting for me, a monorail was there waiting for me, and before I realized it I was walking down Main St. USA! The weather was again pristine and it was a party day so the wait times weren't terrible but I was really just there to ride TRON and do one or two other things before I needed to get back to Rosen for a dinner. At some point while I was on 4 my boarding group was called so I went straight to TRON. I must have hit the queue at just the right time because I only waited about 15 minutes to get digitized and then another 10 or so to get on the light cycle.

After TRON, I saw the wait for Space was 20 minutes and since we didn't get to ride it earlier in the week I got in line. I waited more like 10 minutes! While I was in line for Space I ordered a snack from Cosmic Ray's, the Stitch mousse cake. It was cute but didn't have a ton of flavor, which is par for the course for most Disney pastries especially at quick service. I ate my snack while enjoying Sunny's show. After that I got on PeopleMover and tried to FT Husband from it because he didn't get to do it. He was busy so I sent him a video. I didn't have time for much else but I did meet Mickey on my way out around 3:30 p.m. I was the only one in line to meet him! We had a lovely interaction and then I headed back to the TTC. The MNSSP guests were corralled at the turnstyles just itching to get let in so I figured I got out at just the right time. A quick drive back to Rosen and dinner, and then bed.

Day 7 - I had the morning free so I planned to return to the MK to do one more ride on TRON and take advantage of rope dropping Adventureland and Frontierland. Well, I-4. had other ideas. Even though I hit the road at 7 a.m., a bus caught fire right by the outlets and traffic slowed to a snail's pace. I didn't get to the TTC until nearly 7:55, I walked to the monorail station because a tram had just left, and then the monorail was suuuuper packed when it pulled in the station. I scanned in at the park about 8:05 and noticed 7DMT was 35 minutes in the app so I decided to chance it. I had group 33 for TRON but the closest return time I could get a 7D if I bought it was after when I needed to leave and return to the conference center. To my luck, it took 20 minutes to get on the ride! I got a cold brew at Friar's Nook and then liesurely strolled to Liberty Square and walked on almost every ride on the left side of the park. Mansion, BTMRR, Pirates, and Jungle Cruise. While I was on Pirates my TRON group was called so I went there after watching some of the castle show. I had hoped to do one more attraction in Tomorrowland after TRON but it took me nearly an hour this time to get through it and I had to go. That afternoon I went to conference sessions until the end of the day and then changed again to head to EPCOT for the evening!

I got to EPCOT around 5 p.m. That morning I booked an ILL for Guardians in the evening but I still had a few hours before that return time. I got on Soarin', Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, and ate some more around the world to complete my cheese crawl. The watermelon hibiscus lager from Refreshment Port was DELICIOUS, I wish that was an option all year round. I rode Guardians, got my finisher prize at Shimmering Sips, and got a fantastic spot about 30 minutes before the show to watch EPCOT Forever. That show is so great, just for the punch in the feels for the nostalgia! Tears were shed when the Tapestry of Nations music started. Due to the construction I had to walk the extra long way around to the exit and then to the car. I wound up going over 24,000 steps this day!

One day more to come!

[BriarRose0708]

I forgot to mention Journey of Water! I was lucky to get a spot in the Journey of Water soft open virtual queue and made my way through at a speedier pace than I'd like but I had a galaxy to save. Friends, Journey of Water is the nighttime attraction you didn't know you needed in EPCOT. She is STUNNING. Highly recommend going after sunset if you can.

[PopPhan]

Thanks for your reports. I am 'living vicariously' through others as it may be a while before I can get back down to visit.

[faline]

I was surprised how fast you got through Tron - each time I've done it, it has taken at least 45 minutes to get through the line and onto the ride - your second ride seemed more typical of what I've experienced.

We did the Moana walk through during the passholder preview and did it in the daytime. While it was interesting, I can' see this becoming a "must do". I would think kids, in particular, will like this during hot and humid days.

Somehow I got your reports out of order and read your last report before this one.