Our loitering outside of the Muppets building completed, Wingnut and I went back around to the entrance, said our "Hi again's" to the CM, and went inside, to where the pre-show was just beginning.
Okay, I know pre-shows are generally pretty lame (Captain EO, anyone?), but the Muppets one is fantastic! A classic! Pure, unparalleled genius!
Yes, I am that person laughing uproariously in the middle of the mostly-quiet preshow area, why do you ask?
"Rat, schmat. They're tourists, what do they know?"
Not walking while wearing our 3D glasses.
While I do appreciate the room, it does make me sad that the Muppets don't get the same rope-drop crowd rush that, say, TSM does.
Yeah, I'm not holding out for that either.
A blurry photo of my favorite scene. Well, one of them. How could I choose?
My two favorite hecklers.
Muppets over, Wingnut and I perused the store for a bit. This is the moment of my life I regret not purchasing the Beaker hat. Ah, sad. I also checked out the Phineas and Ferb merchandise. I love that they are getting more exposure. If there was a Phineas and Ferb meet and greet, I would be first on that line, asking them where Perry is.
Because they wouldn't be asked that 6,000 times a day.
It's alright, I still think I'm clever.
Have I mentioned recently how cold it was during this trip? The jackets were still on, Wingnut had just purchased gloves (you know it's cold when he does that), and I convinced him to go into One Man's Dream. Yeah, very cold.
I love One Man's Dream (and I am not a museum fan, at all). It's filled with fun facts and nuggets of history. Check it out if you're interested (or, like Wingnut, cold). It's pretty cool. They let me help open the Magic Kingdom.
(I'm not sure if photos are actually allowed, it did feel a bit rules-breaky doing this.)
We then rolled on.
Speaking of which...The DHS edition of While In A Wheelchair
(passenger's perspective):
Pros: Wide pathways around the Streets of America. Mostly flat layout. Easy to find stroller/wheelchair parking.
Cons: Strange park layout, we got easily turned around and lost. A few little hilly walkways.
(Driver's (or as Wingnut puts it, Professional Wheeled Sitting Apparatus Operator) perspective)
According to Wingnut, nothing of note stands out to him. Fair enough.
I mentioned the cold, correct? It was so cold that a few of the attractions weren't operating (the Backlot Tour, for one) because of hydraulics issues. For Indiana Jones, they said that they were only running an abbreviated version of the show, again, hydraulics issues.
Dutifully, Wingnut, I, and enough people to fill the entire auditorium went in and sat down on the freezing cold bleachers. And then I took a picture.
They explained that they were unable to move any of the sets because of the cold, so we'd only get to see the first scene. Alright, we're here already, we'll stay.
The first scene played out, with a few issues (again, the do-no-gooder of the moment, hydraulics), but it was still fun to see. Us and the 6,000 other people then dutifully filed out of the theater.
Pretty cold at that point, we decided to (what else) make our way to Epcot. The Friendship boat was briefly considered, but it wasn't there. We then went over to the bus area, where a bus to Epcot was waiting.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh warm.
(I never thought I'd be trying to escape the cold in Florida. I feel a tad misled.)
Time for another round of me thinking "why are the bus stops so far away from Epcot?"
We made our usual route through Future World, pondering what we should do for lunch. What followed was
our only truly unfortunate dining experience during the trip.
Rule of thumb: Boulangerie Patisserie should never be an afterthought.
Our view from either France or the International Gateway. I'm a bit confused.
We were wished a magical day. Why doesn't this happen more often at home? (And by more often, I mean ever, save for if you are planning a Disney trip and are on the phone with Reservations.)
When we entered the Yacht Club, we saw a bride and various other wedding-attending-looking people around the lobby. "A Disney bride! A Disney bride!" I exclaimed as quietly as I could muster (probably not very). Wingnut shushed me, and we headed upstairs...
...to our view of the Wedding Gazebo being set up!
No, I didn't stalk their wedding, I didn't want to be a creepy person in the background of their photos staring down at them.
Also, it was nap time.