I could nev. . .Happy Bir. . .*Beep!Beep!* - A Solo/Birthday Feb. '14 TR *Update: 10/25*

[Neverland Girl]

Chapter 8 - Around the World (and to the Future) in Just One Day:
Part 1​

The morning of 2/25 found me waking up at 7 am. I had bit of trouble falling asleep the night before though.

First of all it seemed like my shower was dripping. I figured if it was still doing it when I woke up that I would let maintenance know. In the mean time though, closing the bathroom door did just find to muffle the sound. Secondly, my upstairs neighbors were being kind of rowdy. I'm not sure though if I just got used to it and fell asleep or the quickly realized they were loud and quieted down.

Anywho, once I was ready I was out of the room around 8:40 which was ahead of schedule. (If you're thinking "Wow! Almost two hours to get ready?" Just know that I like to take my time and not rush around like a mad woman.)

Here you can see one of my bows that I bought from Magical Ribbons. Perhaps, it will give you a hint as to where I was headed this morning. (Unless, you read my PTR, in which case you already know where I am going.)

There was no need for me to eat breakfast before I left because I had special plans for today at EPCOT. (Hint #2)

Needless to say, the bus seemed like it took forever to get to the bus stop. I wasn't able to get on the first bus that showed up because the entire queue was filled at this point. It wasn't too long till another one showed up. Plus, I got a seat!

I finally got to the park shortly after it opened.

It was so nice seeing these flowering trees. Obviously, my view at home would be much different.

I stopped for some quick Photopass pictures once I got inside.

I actually had to make a quick stop in Mouse Gears to buy a new pair of sunglasses because I some how managed to break my other pair the night before. They were so cute with Minnie Mouse bows on the temples but sadly those broke after I got home.

Remember to always look up when you're at Disney!

Now I was making my way over to World Showcase for my breakfast ADR. If you haven't guessed by now, I was dining with the princesses at Akersus.

They were already beginning to get set up for the Flower and Garden Festival. These booths were dotted through out the whole Showcase.

I love being here before it opens at 11. Everything is so serene.

I checked in for my ADR I couple minutes late but I didn't actually have to wait too long. In the mean time, I snapped some pics. This one is my favorite. The reason I had booked this meal in all honesty was to see all of the new princess dresses. Cinderella, who was the first to get her makeover, premiered her new look a few months after my family's trip back in 2012. So I was super excited!

Once my name was called, I was ushered in to await my audience with Belle.

She was so lovely. Right away, Belle made a comment about my bow looking exactly like her dress. Before I was lead to my table, she told me that she would have Lumiere light a birthday candle for me.

This was the view from in front of me and to the right. My view to the left was just a pole.

I started off by going and grabbing some fruit from the cold buffet in front of me. There were a couple of princess parades before the princesses started making their way into the room that I was in. In the mean time, Ingrid, my waitress, brought out the hot platter. It had bacon, sausage, eggs, and the most incredible potato casserole. As I was eating, I noticed the really pretty wood details that were all around the room. I especially liked the tables.

The first princess that came to my table was Cinderella. She was so kind and was nice enough to have her character attendant take our picture.

Aurora was the next princess to come to the table. When I mentioned how lovely her new dress was, she told me that she had the choice of whether it should be pink or blue. She obviously chose pink but if Merryweather had asked her to pick a color, Aurora would have chosen blue. She then pointed out that if that had happened then we would both be wearing blue. Our photo this time I took with my phone.

I forgot to have us look at the camera on my phone. Oops! The princesses took a quick tea break and then came back to where they left off.

Snow White was my next visitor and she was amazing! Everything was perfect about her. She told me that today was also Grumpy's Birthday. She baked him a pie that morning and put a candle in it for him so that he could make a wish for something. Snow White had hoped that he had wished for a handkerchief because that's what she got him. It was so cute! Again, the attendant took our picture.

Before Ariel came to my table, Ingrid brought out a special surprise for me.

Well, Belle pulled some strings with Lumiere after all. There was also a birthday card that was signed by all of the princesses and Ingrid.

Ariel came by afterwards. Her dress is by far my favorite. She did a twirl and everything! I initially mentioned that the cupcake icing matched her dress but we both agreed that on further inspection, it was obviously an Elsa cupcake. It had sprinkles on it that looked quite snowflake-esque. Here's our "shellfie" as Ariel calls it. I also made sure to point out where the camera was on my phone this time.

After an amazing meal with incredible service provided by Ingrid and amazing meetings with the Disney Princesses, I was headed back out into the park.

Con't in next post

 

[hokieinpa]

Ah, so behind!

Wow - you caught 3 shows in HS that I've never seen! I know I'll see at least one during our trip in November and after seeing your pictures from Beauty and the Beast, that will be on my list for a future trip!

Love all of your pins - the Princess Cameo ones are my favorites!

Love the details and pictures from Akershus! I'm not sure I'll ever get the chance to do a princess meal with 3 boys. I've been thinking of doing one on my solo trip but I was nervous about the interactions by myself. But it seems like all of the princesses were lovely!

Oh, and I love the bows/ears from Magical Ribbons! I stumbled upon her site a few months ago and ordered some bows for our next trip! Love everything she does!

 

[Neverland Girl]

Chapter 8 - Around the World (and to the Future) in Just One Day:
Part 1 continued​

At this point, I was headed over to The Land Pavilion to use my upcoming FP+ for Soarin'. As I strolled on over to my first attraction of the day I started noticing something. The booths weren't the only signs of the Flower and Garden Festival that were out in the park. That's right: TOPIARIES!!!

Again, it's nice of Disney to give these obscure characters some attention. I thought both of these were well done. It never ceases to amaze me the way they create all of these topiaries. Here's some more siblings.

Oh look, more flowers!

By the time I got here:

I had a good chunk of time to kill before my Soarin' FP+ was good so, I headed towards my other favorite Land's Pavilion attraction.

Living with the Land only had a 20 minute stand-by wait but as I was waiting in line it jumped to 30. That's fine though because the line was steadily moving. Soon, I was heading into one of my happy places.

"Do you want to build a sandman?"

I remember the Mickey one but is the Minnie new?

There is something so serene about this ride. Especially if the sun is out the greenhouse part is so wonderful. The smells today were especially fantastic. It was like a sneak peak of the height of Spring in the middle of winter. I so needed it after the winter we were having back home.

After my leisurely ride through this mini heaven on earth, I had a glider to catch a ride on.

I hopped in the fast pass line and waited. And waited. And waited. Soon I heard an announcement saying that they were experiencing some technical difficulties but it should be up shortly. If those who had fast passes didn't feel like waiting, expired fast passes would be honored at a later time. Geeze! You would have thought the announcement said something incredibly insulting. There were so many people who started grumbling and complaining while storming out of the line. I, on the other hand, decided to wait it out a bit more. It was probably only five or so minutes till the ride was up and going again. I feel like my total wait in line since when I first got in it was only 25 minutes.

Okay, story time! The first time I ever rode this ride was actually out in California when my family did a quick whirlwind tour of the west coast parks back when I was in elementary school. Well when it got to the part where you dip down over the ocean I kind of screamed and quickly picked my feet up so that they wouldn't get wet. My family thought it was so cute and funny that I did that. Fast forward to out trip in 2012 and guess what? Yep, I did the same thing. Now obviously when I went this year, I knew it was coming and I kept telling my self not to pick my feet up. Did it work? Nope! I just can't help it.

After my trip over California, I took a quick break outside The Land to call home. I told my mom how I had picked my feet up again and she just laughed. Oh, I also took this time to update my bow.

That would be my World Showcase bow and I love it!!!

From the land to the sea is where I journeyed next. I had to find Chico! Or was it Fabio?

Oh right! NEMO!

I really do love this queue!

Grab shell! Well a clam shell that is!

Now that I had "In the Big Blue World" running through my head, I figured I would look around at some of the critter living in that world. As I was getting off of the conveyor from the ride, the heel of my show kind of got sucked down with the belt. I was worried my shoe got messed up but I got lucky and everything was fine. On to the fishies!

"BUBBLES! My bubbles!"

I found Dory!

I heard the call of space. Spaceship Earth that is!

 

[RejoyceoverDisney]

Ok Question on the bows and headband. I find that those style headbands hurt behind my ears after wearing them awhile. Are these headbands different? Are you able to wear it all day?
I like the interchangeable bow idea, but I just hesitate to spend the money and end up with a headache.

 

[SarahDisney]

Breakfast at Akershus sounds like it was great. I love that Lumiere got you a birthday cupcake and candle. And your pictures with the princesses all look beautiful!

We saw some of the F&W topiaries up when we were there the week before you. It's nice that they had them up early for us to enjoy!

I love the story about lifting your feet up on Soarin'! I think everyone has strange things that they do... not wanting your feet to get wet isn't really that strange!

Sounds like a great start to the day - I can't wait to read about the rest of the day!

 

[RejoyceoverDisney]

I'm so bumming. Having a very challenging day and came looking for another trip report to cheer me up.
I'm disappointed. pout pout

 

[Neverland Girl]

Ah, so behind!

Wow - you caught 3 shows in HS that I've never seen! I know I'll see at least one during our trip in November and after seeing your pictures from Beauty and the Beast, that will be on my list for a future trip!

Love all of your pins - the Princess Cameo ones are my favorites!

Love the details and pictures from Akershus! I'm not sure I'll ever get the chance to do a princess meal with 3 boys. I've been thinking of doing one on my solo trip but I was nervous about the interactions by myself. But it seems like all of the princesses were lovely!

Oh, and I love the bows/ears from Magical Ribbons! I stumbled upon her site a few months ago and ordered some bows for our next trip! Love everything she does!

For a super cut of Beauty and the Beast, the show at Hollywood Studios really is wonderful. Everyone is so talented in it and for doing the amount of shows that they do in a day, they never seem to be bored or tired.

The Princess Cameos were also some of my faves from the day.

If you ever do a solo trip, do not dismiss Akersus! The food was amazing and all of the CMs were lovely. I had conversation starters in the back of my mind for the princesses just in case but I didn't need them at all. Every single one of the princesses were incredibly engaging and so nice to this solo traveler.

Haley really does do an amazing job with the bows. I told my sister about her site in case she wanted to get some bows for our upcoming trip. Well, needless to say my sister is having a super hard time figuring out which ones she should get. Ha!

 

[Neverland Girl]

Ok Question on the bows and headband. I find that those style headbands hurt behind my ears after wearing them awhile. Are these headbands different? Are you able to wear it all day?
I like the interchangeable bow idea, but I just hesitate to spend the money and end up with a headache.

Part of the reason I got the "fluffy" ears in the first place was so that there was a bit more cushion. The ears I have are the ones that they sell in the parks and I actually got them on my 2012 family trip. I just altered them so that I could switch out the bows. Although, I haven't actually tried on the sparkly ones so I don't really know what the feel like on my head. However, I usually wear some sort of headband multiple times a week so my head is kind of used to it. Plus, I always took the ears off when I got on the rides so that I wouldn't block the view of anyone who was behind me. This gave my head a break from the head band too. I'm pretty sure that Haley has regular headbands in her shop with out the ears which have a lot more give to them than the one's with ears and she's wonderful with customization so perhaps you could do an ear-less headband that you can switch out bows with.

I'm so bumming. Having a very challenging day and came looking for another trip report to cheer me up.
I'm disappointed. pout pout

Oh my goodness! I am so sorry to hear about your day. Hopefully this next update isn't too little too late.

Here, have this video. It never fails to make me smile and giggle.

 

[Neverland Girl]

Breakfast at Akershus sounds like it was great. I love that Lumiere got you a birthday cupcake and candle. And your pictures with the princesses all look beautiful!

We saw some of the F&W topiaries up when we were there the week before you. It's nice that they had them up early for us to enjoy!

I love the story about lifting your feet up on Soarin'! I think everyone has strange things that they do... not wanting your feet to get wet isn't really that strange!

Sounds like a great start to the day - I can't wait to read about the rest of the day!

Akersus really was a wonderful experience. It was obviously a bit pricey but I felt that it was worth it for me. The feet thing has become a running joke in my family. The fact that the topiaries were out already, really made my day all the more better.

The rest of my day had a few bumps along the way but. . . well, you'll see.

 

[N8sgirl12]

I obviously get Duffy but I'm not sure what CM the other one is supposed to represent? This one I definitely need help with figuring out. Either way, I'll probably be trading these.

The Mickey ears pin with the blue uniform looks like the Soarin' uniform to me...could be wrong, but that's what I immediately thought of.

Enjoying your TR! I have annual passes this year and my kids and I have already visited WDW 3 times with one more trip planned for January '16. I am dreaming of sneaking in a solo trip in November, but not sure if I can justify it. I feel like I've been quite the Disney addict this year!

 

[Neverland Girl]

Chapter 9 - Around the World (and to the Future) in Just One Day: Part 2​

Space. The Final Frontier. These are. . . the words from the wrong space franchise. Oops! Sorry about that.

I already noticed that I had begun to fall into the category of "hurry up and wait." It was about 15 minutes before my Spaceship Earth FP+ was good to use. So, I wandered into Innoventions which I've never really done before.

I didn't really do any of the activities in there I just sort of wandered around.

How cute is this pig?

I had to take this picture for my dad who used to be a volunteer firefighter. He still always gets super excited when ever he sees or hears a fire truck coming.

Yet again, I had found another art shop nearby. Who boy! There was more in this one that I wanted than the store I was in yesterday.

I'll take one of each please!

For my dad again.

So now it was time to catch my shuttle to the space/future and off I went.

I found these cuties singing away outside the ride.

I scanned my magic band and was in.

I love this mural so much! Dame Judy Dench, take it away!

After this I decided to pay a visit to Ellen and Bill Nye!

I spotted these cuties on my way over and nearly lost my mind!

If you're thinking, "Um, Becky? That's not the right building," you would be correct! I made the mistake of not consulting my map before starting my trek which resulted in me heading in the opposite direction of where I wanted to go.

So, I made a u-turn and corrected course. By now the sun was starting to make an appearance and it was beginning to warm up.

Finally, I made it to me intended destination.

I grabbed a spot on one of the benches inside and waited in the cool air till the next show started.

My thoughts after doing this for the first time? Meh! I didn't love it and don't have a strong desire to revisit.

Upon exiting I saw what time it was and decided I was ready for World Showcase. I made a quick photopass stop behind Spaceship Earth. Boy, did the photographer hook me up with magic shots!

Continued in the next post

 

[RejoyceoverDisney]

Becky you are great. Can't wait for the next post.
I smiled about the video. Life happens so I might have to keep coming back.
I think I can say I officially have my husband hooked on Disney and DIS podcasts. LOL
We'll see what adventures he does on his 3 day solo time before I get there.
Work has our vacations overlapping so we both get some solo days. I don't know if I'm more excited about his chance to do solo, our time together or my solo adventures. LOL

 

[Neverland Girl]

Chapter 9 - Around the World (and to the Future) in Just One Day - Part 2 continued​

As I was heading into the World Showcase, I started to notice just how warm I was getting with the sun being out. It wasn't too bad just yet though so into Mexico I went.

I always enjoy this pavilion. I just think that the interior is just so pretty!

While inside though, I was recruited to help find Donald Duck who was missing. Panchito and Jose told us that they had a concert tonight but they had no idea where their third caballero was.

We found him! Now I could feel better about moving on to Norway.

It was at this point that my day started taking a turn. I was regretting checking out Ellen's Energy yada yada because I was beginning to feel rushed to get everything done that I wanted to do in the World Showcase. There were M&Gs that I wanted to do and most of them only had one set left for the day. But I decided to just keep going at the pace I was (which may or may not be a good thing.) Did I mention that I was also getting really warm?

You are now entering Norway.

I didn't feel the need to spend too much time here because of having breakfast there that morning. Onward!

My next stop was obviously China. Mulan was one of the characters I had yet to meet and she had another set coming up soon. So, I decided it was something I wanted to do. I first went to where she had been when I was there in 2012. Nope. That area was no way that was right. There was no sign of a line anywhere near there and considering Mulan's set was starting soon, I knew it was moved somewhere else.

I made my way further into the pavilion to see if I could find the line.

I found the line. It was just out of frame to the left in this shot. It was also very long. Cue my frustration meter creeping up again. Welp! I would just have to settle for this.

I did, however, notice few details that I quite liked.

I mean, just look at this adorable baby!

While I was close by, I went in to see Reflections of China. For those of you who read my PTR, you may remember that seeing all of the World Showcase films was on my list of things that I really wanted to do.

Was I a fan? Not really. It kind of gave you a cool moving sensation every once and while that I thought was neat but that's all I liked.

Once I was done, I kept on plowing through the pavilions while I was getting all the more hot and cranky. My day was beginning to go down hill. I was starting to feel super rushed as well.

Before I was taking at least a dozen pictures in the pavilions.

Germany: 6 pictures

My favorite one

I took this between Germany and Italy.

Italy: 4 Pictures

Another one of my favorite topiaries.

America: 2 pictures. Seriously! Just 2. I was seriously burning out and fast.

I made the decision to find a shady spot to sit in Japan to relax for a bit.

For some reason it seemed like every single person visiting the park was in this pavilion and I was not in the mood. At this point I wasn't having any fun what so ever.

Upon leaving Japan, I saw my salvation. There was a food/drink stand right at the boundary between Japan and Morocco. So I bought a bottle of water from an extremely nice CM and found a shady spot to sit. It was pure and utter bliss! I took my time sipping my water while people watching. As my bottle became more and more empty, I started feeling more and more like myself again. This was the view from my spot of serenity.

I checked my times guide while I was relaxing and saw that Jasmine's last M&G time was soon approaching. As I was walking in to Morocco, I noticed that the outside location for her M&G was completely in the sun. Luckily, I actually knew where her inside location was so that's where I was off to. Yet again, the line was well out of the door. Strike two for characters. My time in Morocco though was well spent because I managed to get some of my favorite pictures from the day during this time.

These two pictures perfectly capture my mood at the time. I continued my trek around the globe by venturing into France.

It seemed like the characters were super popular right now because Belle's line was also crazy long. So, over the bridge to England I went. Upon setting eyes on this pavilion my heart nearly leaped out of my chest. I saw the familiar white and red dress of one British nanny in her Jolly Holiday apparel but she wasn't alone. Nope. She was with one Mr. Penguin! Combine that with the fact that her line was actually reasonable, I knew I just had to stop. While the family in front of me was visiting, I quietly got the character attendant's attention and asked if she could take some pictures with my phone. "Sure thing!"

Mary Poppins was so lovely. She asked Mr. Penguin if he would mind making me a cake for my birthday. He told me that it would be his pleasure. After he gave me kiss on the hand we took some pics, I said my thank you's and good bye's to everyone (including the character attendant) and was on my way.

After this, I quickly checked out the pictures on my phone while accidentally getting in line to meet Alice. Someone asked if I was waiting to which I replied that I wasn't. I figured I could catch her at Magic Kingdom later in the week. (Spoiler Alert: I never did.)

At this point, after not having eaten anything since breakfast, I decided that I should probably grab dinner. (I know, I know. That's probably another reason why I was super grouchy earlier.) When last I was there in 2012, my sister and I had grabbed the most amazing sandwiches from the Boulangerie in France. Well, I was kind of worried that it wouldn't be there anymore since they renovated that dining location since then.

On my way back across the bridge, I noticed another Photopass photographer was out in the spot of one of my all time favorite World Showcase views. Plus, I got more magic shots.

There was a gorgeous breeze blowing and yet again, the weather was beginning to be the stuff of dreams.

It's obvious from my photos that my mood had completely changed because I was snapping pictures like crazy.

Oh, Morocco! How much I adore you for providing me a much needed break.

World Showcase bow, meet the World Showcase!

France was filled with topiaries and, of course, I was loving it!

Thanks for that photo bomb lady.

In the next update you'll find out if I lucked out with my dinner craving and we wrap up the night at EPCOT.

 

[Neverland Girl]

Becky you are great. Can't wait for the next post.
I smiled about the video. Life happens so I might have to keep coming back.
I think I can say I officially have my husband hooked on Disney and DIS podcasts. LOL
We'll see what adventures he does on his 3 day solo time before I get there.
Work has our vacations overlapping so we both get some solo days. I don't know if I'm more excited about his chance to do solo, our time together or my solo adventures. LOL

You will always be more than welcome here! I'm loving the fact that your husband is getting hooked on Disney. I think I would be equally excited for solo time in the parks as well as time spent with someone else.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Getting to the breakfast at Akershus is very neat as the rest of World Showcase is still asleep ... though our last trip we were running a bit late so the image of me hurriedly pushing a double stroller probably broke up the serene image. oops, sorry!

The breakfast potato casserole thing is super yummy though! Glad you had a nice meal there.

I really like your World Showcase bow!

I remember the Mickey one but is the Minnie new?

I certainly don't remember ever seeing the Minnie one!

Now obviously when I went this year, I knew it was coming and I kept telling my self not to pick my feet up. Did it work? Nope! I just can't help it.

It's funny how some things just cause a reaction even if you are telling yourself you don't need to worry - happens a lot with ducking for things you don't really need to

The princesses in EPCOT just seem to be so popular there are always lines for them. Generally we have found that the lines "close" even before the set begins and best bet is to get in line well before the set starts.

Sometimes a little rest and cold water can make a huge difference! Glad you were getting so many magic shots - very cool!

 

[RejoyceoverDisney]

The suspense!
I totally get the crabby. I was that way today myself as today was a very warm day for September. I just could not get my energy and motivation. A friend told me about a few "money earning" sites that she uses to get free money for her vacations. (target gift card to buy Disney gift cards and so on) so I was playing with those too. It's not really free as it has been another time suck.

But anyway, I had to come check in on the adventures. Glad I did. Infact I almost missed it as I didn't see it at first.

 

[Neverland Girl]

Chapter 10 - Around the World (and to the Future) in Just One Day: Part 3​

When last we met, I had recovered from a not-so-pretty afternoon. Dinner time was approaching and I was trying to recreate an amazing meal I had in France back in 2012.

I wandered into the new-to-me Boulangerie and hopped in line to order. Upon perusing the menu, I realized that the sandwich I got last time wasn't there anymore. Don't despair though friends! They had just switched the sandwich up a bit. I got the Croissant Jambon Fromage. It was ham, cheese, and bechemel inside a croissant. When I say inside, I mean inside. Unlike last time, the croissant fully encased the meat and cheese. It was different from what I was hoping for but still very tasty!

Upon posting this picture, I realized that they must have still been using cups from Halloween.

I obviously couldn't pass up getting a super yummy dessert there. So, I decided on getting the Duo. It was a mousse cake that had both white and dark chocolate. I accidentally smashed my wallet into the other side of it as I was carrying it to my table so here's its good side.

I was slowly turning into a magpie as I was eating because of how fascinated I was by the shiny gold trays they had there. During dinner, I also made a promise to myself that I wasn't going to have a repeat of today during the rest of my trip. This involved me making sure I was staying hydrated and had snacks every once and a while.

Belle's last M&G was happening when I finished up but sadly her line was already closed. So, I decided to head back into England.

The weather was amazing at the moment and the sunset was making the sky look incredible. Yet again, I was in Disney Heaven.

My bucket list includes visiting the UK someday so obviously I spent a lot of time in this pavilion.
(The following pictures may be from earlier but I'm not 100% sure.)

I decided to duck into the shops to see what all they had to offer. I was loving all of the Downton Abbey and Doctor Who items that they had.

I saw this shirt that I thought was cool but I passed. This, however, I could not resist buying.

For those unfamiliar, this is the Tardis from the British Sci-fi show Doctor Who. If you like sci-fi and need a new show to get sucked into this is for you. I promise you won't be disappointed.

When I went to go pay for the poster and that's when something great happened. The guy who was at the register immediately noticed my World Showcase bow. He loved it and started looking for his flag on it. Well it wasn't on the front so, I took my ears off to check out the back. Nope. Not there either. Well, gosh darn it! Where is it? It turns out that it was wedged in the folds of the bow. By now there was another CM at the counter and both of them were acting completely offended by the fact that their countries flag was were it was. Obviously they were joking but it was still an amazing experience. I paid for my poster and was on my way to Canada.

The next picture is another one of my favorites from the day.

I was headed back to see the film for Canada.

My thoughts on this film? I LOVED IT!!! Before the movie started, the CM did the spiel about how, despite the room remaining still at all times, it may feel like you are moving. Well no sooner did the film start then a lady in front of me said, "Nope!" and was out of there in a heart beat. It was kind of funny. I felt bad for her but I was loving the sensation it was giving me. Upon exiting, it looked a little something like this.

It was probably only 45 minutes or so till Illuminations began so, I decided I would stop for a few more photopass pictures in front of Spaceship Earth.

I didn't really have any other plans for the night. So, I decided I would stake out a spot for Illuminations a while. Before doing so though, I grabbed an iced tea and sugar cookie from the Joffrey's stand at the front of World Showcase. The booths for the Flower & Garden festival were kind of foiling my plans for a nice viewing spot. My day was beginning to hit me and the tiredness started to sink in. Therefore, I didn't want to wander too far into the Showcase to claim a spot. Finally, I found a spot a little bit before entering Mexico and sat down against the fence. Here was my view across the lagoon.

At this point, the wind really started picking up. Earlier in the day, I was wishing I had worn shorts again instead of just rolling up my regular jeans so that they were more like capris. Well, now I was glad that I was able to roll down my pants. In fact, the shivers were kicking in. It wasn't too much longer though before I heard the drumbeats start and any coldness I felt went completely out of my mind. I turned my camera on and then it died. Ugh! Really?! So I quickly shoved my camera away and whipped out my phone.

Needless to say, I was seriously loving the way my new phone's camera was working out. Through out the show, the wind kept changing directions and occasionally some of the firework debris would blow in my face. It was a smidge bothersome but it usually didn't last long.

My spot worked out nicely because I managed to be one of the first ones at my bus stop. Plus, it was only five minutes or so till a bus came. There were enough people ahead of me though that I had to stand on the bus.

The bus driver accidentally turned into All-Star Sports first but before he could even correct course, people started getting all worked up and telling him that this wasn't the right resort. Seriously, people?! Our resort is right next door. Before you know it, we'll be where we need to be. It isn't like we were in the complete opposite direction of where we needed to be.

I had a towel flower on my bed when I got back to my room. Plus, my mousekeeper had added the Minnie Mouse bow that was originally attached to my ears onto another mouse towel animal. It was my own little Minnie Mouse towel animal. I loved it. I turned some Mickey Mouse Cartoons on and got ready for bed but not before I noticed a blister developing from my ankle brace. I would do something to remedy that tomorrow. Sleep was much needed and I had a rope drop to make the next morning at the Magic Kingdom.

 

[hokieinpa]

I agree that Living with the Land is a very relaxing ride - I love the sights and smells!

Glad you stuck it out and got a ride on Soarin'!

I'm sorry that your afternoon in World Showcase started off badly! Heat, dehydration, and crowds are not a good combination. It seems like you found a great spot to recharge!

Great meet with Mary Poppins! Love the pictures!

Beautiful evening pictures of the World Showcase - perfection!

 

[hokieinpa]

Ah, we posted at the same time!

That sandwich does sound delicious. There are so many great options in World Showcase that I have a hard time choosing and I end up snacking all afternoon!

I've heard the Canada movie is amazing. I've never seen any of the WS movies actually.. . Seeing all of the movies and just soaking up WS atmosphere is my #1 goal during my solo trip.

You had a great spot for Illuminations! And being one of the first ones out of the park and to the bus stop, bonus! Excited to read about your morning at MK!

 

[SarahDisney]

The combination of weather + lack of time is never a good thing. I really hate Epcot in the heat, especially because some of the character lines get hot and long! It's definitely important to stay hydrated - you can always get a cup of ice water for free at quick service locations (just go up and ask them), which is really a lifesaver on a hot day at Epcot.

I'm glad to hear you were able to turn it around and it sounds like the night ended well!
The cell phone pictures from Illuminations came out great!