Day 7: Drinking (Partially) Around the World
I tried to sleep in the day after the marathon, I really did. But, it wasn't in the cards, so I got up and showered. Everyone was still asleep so I went down to the cafeteria and got some food.
Our original plan was to take the boat down to Disney Springs, maybe have some lunch down there and then I'd join in Drinking Around the World. Instead, I finished breakfast and no one was stirring in the room. Hannah and the girls had gone to Disney Springs earlier in the trip, had a pretty lame time and didn't have any desire to go back. I did want to check out DS since some changes have been made since we were last down there (I think it was still Downtown Disney), but Epcot sounded more appealing.
So, I grabbed my camera gear, said goodbye to Hannah (who was barely awake) and headed to Epcot. I think I got there a little bit after rope drop and with time to spare before the 11 a.m. start of DATW in Mexico.
When I got in, there was nothing I was really dying to do. I grabbed a Sprite to burn a snack credit (I still had approximately 50 million left) and then went into Art of Disney. I checked out the medal/photo frames and was eyeing the 3-medal one, but didn't buy anything. I'd still like a new medal rack, maybe one specifically for my Disney medals, but maybe that can be a father's day gift down the road.
After checking out another gift shop (Mouse Works?), I decided to get in line for Test Track. Despite having gone to Disney four times in the last 10 years or so, I'd never ridden it. Tough to do with kids who can't ride it and a wife who isn't interested, I suppose.
I hopped in the single rider line and waited maybe 15-20 minutes. Not that I minded, there was nowhere I needed to be.
Ultimately, the ride was ... fine, but nothing special (Sorry Test Track fans!). I guess I don't see the hype, but I also don't go to Epcot for the rides. It's much more of an ambiance, stroll around peacefully sort of park for me with a couple of decent attractions. This is not me dumping on Epcot, it's my second favorite park, I just love it for totally different reasons than MK.
350444174 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
Cool pic, huh?
After Test Track it was close enough to head over to World Showcase. I got to Mexico and wasn't sure where the exact meeting place was or if I'd see anyone I recognized. Fortunately, as I walked by whatever counter service restaurant is right at the beginning of the pavilion, I spotted
@jennamfeo at a table. I went in, said hi and grabbed a drink (frozen margarita, I think?) from the counter.
From there, I chatted a bit with
@Keels, who excitedly told me about her near worst-finish for the marathon and Dopey. Next time, I think you've got it, Keels.
I sat down and talked with
@Novatrix and another couple for a while about jobs, races, etc. It was a gorgeous morning and great to just sit, relax and have a couple of drinks.
After a bit, we moved to Norway and Hannah texted me they were finally up and heading to Epcot before too long. In Epcot, I grabbed another drink (beer) and talked with a few folks for a while, including
@garneska and
@PrincessMickey. Hannah and the girls eventually found me and we went to grab lunch with me planning to jump back into DATW later.
We went to the America pavilion and got lunch at Liberty Inn. I got the fried shrimp basket. Call me crazy (or just poor white trash, both fit), but I freaking love the fried shrimp at Disney. I'm sure it's bagged, frozen and just deep fried into oblivion, but it always tastes really good. I also grabbed a frozen drink at a nearby stand, I think it was lemonade and bourbon. Pretty tasty, but not particularly strong.
We ate lunch at a relaxing pace and when we were done, Hannah and the girls were going to go do a couple of rides while I did a little more DATW. We went our ways and I ran into the group as they were posing for a group pic in Italy. I was able to get in on the pic, but I got cut off when it loaded. Bummer, but I'll live.
Unfortunately, almost everyone had a reservation for lunch, so I grabbed another frozen drink in Italy and chatted for a while with garneska, Bert and
@camaker. It was a really nice day, though a little chilly in the shade. Still, I can't complain about any Monday spent outdoors drinking.
After a while, those of us chatting split up for food and other plans. I was going to meet the family around 3 for a Soarin' Fastpass, but first I stopped to take some medals photos. After I got set up, some dude who also ran Dopey complimented that it was a great idea (I'm pretty sure I stole it from
@rteetz or someone else) and asked if he could take a pic of my medals. Sure thing, dude.
DSC_3397 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
I should have done a better job and got SSE in the photo, but honestly, sometimes after a week of lugging around photo gear and running races, you just stop caring as much.
After I took my photos and made my way around World Showcase toward The Land pavilion, but I first stopped in Japan for a sake slushie or something like that. A bunch of it fell all over the place, but it was still pretty good.
I found Hannah and the girls around 3 and we did Soarin' followed by Living with the Land (I think?). After that, I noted it'd been a while since we had a failed family photo (not really), so we stopped to take some family pics.
350222950 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
Only 40 percent of us with our eyes closed, not bad! There were others, but honestly, I look kind of fat in them and don't feel like sharing.
After photos, we made our way to the entrance and grabbed a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge for our 5 p.m. reservation at Boma. I'd been excited about this one for a while and I wasn't alone. The menu looked really appealing and we've never been to AKL before, so I was eager to check that out a bit.
We got to AKL a little early and were able to check things out just a bit before the restaurant opened at 5. Then we were quickly seated, gave our drink orders (I'm counting that as drinking in Africa for DATW) and started digging in.
If you haven't eaten at Boma DROP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND GO THERE NOW. It was seriously really, really good. In the case of this trip, it topped Ohana. I had two bowls of the seafood gumbo over some rice which was probably the best thing I ate the entire trip. I also had a bowl of sausage stew, some chicken, prime rib, ribs, salads, mashed potatoes and some desserts. The highlight was truly the seafood gumbo. I would go back to Boma just for that. We also ran into another family from Iowa City. I didn't know them, but that's pretty random.
Once we were sufficiently stuffed, we went back to Epcot. I wanted photos in front of SSE. These ended up turning out okay, IMO. Might even frame the family one.
PhotoPass_Visiting_EPCOT_415351943996 (1) by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
PhotoPass_Visiting_EPCOT_415351945982 (1) by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
I'm not sure if we did any more rides, but we did do meet and greets with Anna and Elsa ...
PhotoPass_Visiting_EPCOT_415352073585 (1) by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
And Maya met Snow White ...
PhotoPass_Visiting_EPCOT_415352419335 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
After the meet and greet, I grabbed a grapefruit beer in Germany since it was supposed to be pretty awesome, but it was just okay. At that point, I was ready to stake out a spot for IllumiNations. Two years earlier, I shot IllumiNations from Italy and LOVED what I got. Here's a sample...
IllumiNations 3 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
This time around, I wanted something different. The Torii gate seemed like a good idea. Tom Bricker recommends shooting from the second story of the department store in Japan and, lo and behold, there was plenty of space to set up there, so that's where I went. Hannah and the girls sat down by the fence to get a good view since they weren't worried about photos.
It was pretty chilly by this point and the wind was blowing a bit. I thought about grabbing a drink to check Japan off my list, but my camera and tripod were set up and I didn't want to lose them or my spot, so I gutted it out and waited for the show.
I actually saw IllumiNations for the first time after the 2017 marathon and fell in love with the show (having a great view doesn't hurt) and I was really excited to see it again. Unfortunately, while my viewing experience was terrific this time around, my photos don't really bear that out. Out of focus and just kind of meh, but I went through some effort (mostly just carrying gear all dang day) for these shots, so I'll share a few here:
DSC_3419 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
DSC_3420 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
DSC_3426 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
DSC_3430 by
Lee Hermiston, on Flickr
You can't win them all. I really can't complain, I had TERRIFIC luck (thanks to a healthy amount of planning) with fireworks locations and photos this trip. All told, it was my best Disney fireworks vacation yet (though I've had better overall photo trips, albeit with *significantly* more shooting and less running).
After IllumiNations, we headed out. That was it for the parks this trip.
Next up: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and a universal disappointment