Chapter Four: Epcot: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!
A man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry.
- ECCLESIASTES 8:15
On our way over to Roaring Fork, I make a stop at the concierge desk to inquire about the availability of participating in the
Flag Family ceremony. (Your family gets to wake up ridiculously early and raise the flags on the roof of the Lodge.) Ive read that the view is spectacular and that it is one of those little-known Disney World experiences that one can enjoy if one only knows to ask.
It isnt
that little known, apparently, because the entire week of our stay was reserved already! Oh well!
I do believe that I misspoke about us setting off to grab a quick sandwich. I had forgotten that there is no such thing as a quick meal for our little group when said group includes Aunt Rae. When this sweet lady is with us, the lightest counter service fare necessitates at least an hour and a half to negotiate.
Billy practically inhales his food; its actually part of his spectrum of autistic behaviors. He tends to overstuff his mouth because he is under-sensitive orally. Hes trying to feel the food in his mouth and cant do so unless his mouth is really full. We have to prompt him continuously to put his fork down or to just stop to take a breath or two! I would say that Ed and Tricia eat at a fairly normal pace and that I tend to be the slowest of us four. (Probably because Im either talking or getting up and down from the table several times to help the kids.)
But Aunt Rae is an excruciatingly slow eater.
First, she must wash her hands properly. A quick swish with wet-wipe will not do. She must wash her hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least five minutes, then dry her hands thoroughly before she will eat. If she is hard-pressed to find running water, she will settle for five minutes of antibacterial wiping. This is what she does during Mass on Sundays. There is a point during Mass prior to taking Communion where we shake hands with those around us. Aunt Rae will shake hands, but the antibacterial wet-wipes come out immediately and she will sit in the pew discretely washing her hands until Communion-time.
The dining plan is a great value and I love using it. But it can be a two-edged sword. While we love sweets in our house, we normally dont eat dessert with lunch. With the dining plan, a dessert is included in
both the daily counter service and table service meals. If we can get a cookie or a brownie that can be wrapped up for later, we usually do just that. Well, we try to, but Aunt Rae cannot seem to grasp the concept of grab n go.
At home, we go out to eat with her at least once a week and Im certainly accustomed to her habits. She is a tiny lady, but she loves food and loves to eat. Unfortunately she eats every bite s-l-o-w-l-y and very c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y. It never irritates me
except when were at Disney! We ate some tasty sandwiches and chicken strips at the Roaring Fork (Billy devoured chicken nuggets and two sides of fries), and then tucked our desserts in our bags for later.
The kids were fidgety and I have to admit, so was I! Epcot was waiting! But Aunt Rae was still chewing. And chewing. And chewing.
I took a deep breath and tried to relax. Hakuna Matata, I told myself, Hakuna Matata. Ed took Billy to the rest room and that passed a little time. They returned and AR was still eating. And I felt bad
she was really enjoying her meal and I was glad of it, but arrrgh! This was taking forever. Billy was getting antsy and we kept telling him, Just a few more minutes, Billy. Aunt Raes almost done, honey. I think she was finally starting to realize that we were all waiting for her, so she decided to take her little bowl of fruit that she had chosen for dessert with her
to the park. Ed gently suggested that she just leave it, but she is from the generation that does not waste food, ever. So, the fruit bowl came with us in a plastic grocery bag that she just happened to have with her in the little baggallini.
But not quite yet.
She needed a rest room stop first.
That was another 20 minutes. Tricia and I were in and out and then stood outside waiting for her. I passed the time by calling about our rooms. They werent ready yet, but it was still early so what could you expect? Technically check-in for DVC villas is supposed to be after 3pm (but sometimes you get lucky.) Finally Ed took the kids out to wander around the lobby and they threw some more pennies in the stream while I lingered behind waiting for AR. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally mustered the troops and headed back out the main entrance and over to the bus stop for Epcot. It was just about 2pm.
It had really turned out to be a gorgeous day! There wasnt a cloud in the sky and it was just so delightfully warm and sunny. The bus came quickly, (Yay! Our first Disney bus of the week!), and we easily found seats. It was about a 10-minute ride to Epcot and I enjoyed the new thematic music that accompanied it. The haunting flute melody that portrayed the Wilderness Lodge gave way to the Figment theme from Imagination as we pulled through the EPCOT gates.
We disembarked and the first order of business was to find a locker. Ed had been unwilling to leave the portable DVD player and his new laptop in our unlocked luggage at Bell Services, so he had been carrying them around in his backpack. We stopped by the lockers that were closest to the bus stops and watched as Ed fed coins into a slot. He closed the door and turned the key. We could hear the money fall down, but the key would not come out! He tried a different locker and after thoroughly consulting the directions posted behind the locker door, closed the door and turned the key. Again, the locker ate the money but would not spit out the key!
Disgusted and out of change, Ed sent Tricia over to the change machine. She was back in a few seconds
she couldnt work the machine.
This was becoming an exercise in frustration!
I ran over and got change. After a third attempt, we had a winner! Now it was on to bag check.
Perhaps because it was mid-afternoon, there were only two security agents checking bags and the lines moved slowly. We shuffled through the process and queued up again at the ticket window. (Well, AR and I stood in the queue; Ed and the kids plopped down on a bench to wait.) One of the windows became available and the CM motioned to AR. Now remember, I told her, you want an eight day park-hopper ticket. She walked up to the window and I was called to the next one. I renewed the annual passes that Ed and I had from last year and bought two APs for the kids. Wed get this trip, plus the Marathon Weekend, plus the ten-day family trip we have planned in August out of them, so I swallowed hard and handed over my Visa card. After the DVC discount was applied, I left the window feeling that we would certainly be getting our moneys worth this year!
We joined the others and I distributed everyones tickets so we could go through the turnstiles. We made it through, although the CM had to help AR with the finger scan, and after a moment to put away our precious passes, we were on our way!
Everyone was too antsy to stop for a group photo, so I just took an oblique shot by the photo spot!
Remy takes a starring role...
Our next stop was Guest Relations, where we picked up the
GAC, or Guest Assistance Card for Billy. We simply showed the CM our GAC from the previous year and she made out a new one with the same accommodations. After we did that, we headed further into the park.
A simply gorgeous day!
We all felt we really needed a quick shot of Disney Magic, so we delayed our tour of World Showcase just a bit longer so that we could ride a hang glider over California! We must have been so excited that we were walking very quickly toward the Land pavilion and it was only when we reached the doors that Ed and I noticed that AR seemed to be having some shortness of breath. We all stopped before entering the pavilion so she could catch her breath. Im okay, Im okay, she insisted, despite the fact that she was pursing her lips to breathe. Soarin is her absolute favorite and she was anxious to get there. Ed scolded her, You cant fool us, he said, and we waited for a few minutes before continuing on inside.
We all waited expectantly in the queue. Darn! Were on row #3, Tricia noted as we filled in our assigned spots on the floor. She always hopes for the top row so she doesnt see all the feet dangling, but I dont care. I think its an awesome ride no matter where you sit! The introductory film clip was rolling and I was amazed to hear Billy
reading the place names as they came on the screen. (San Francisco, Palm Springs, etc.) And he sounded out the words fairly well, too! Thats definitely a development that Im pleased with
he tries to read signs and menus and just about anything that is presented to him.
Patrick appeared on the screen to give us our flight instructions and AR quipped, Oooh, I wish I could take Patrick home with me as a souvenir, hes so handsome!
We all burst out laughing because it was so uncharacteristic of her! Aunt Rae has a crush on Kronk! Tricia giggled. The attendant began to usher us inside and Billy began saying, Soarin, Hooray! Soarin, Hooray! over and over.
We strapped in and took off into the clouds. I absolutely love this ride! The scenery, the scented breezes, the powerful score
its a fantastic combination. Billy laughed and chuckled the entire time and kicked his legs wildly. We all clapped and cheered when it was over. Now
that's the way to start a Disney vacation! I told the others, and they all enthusiastically agreed. We would definitely go back for more later in the week. Once is just not enough, Aunt Rae exclaimed as we moved slowly up the inclined exit. We had just begun touring and already I noticed that her endurance level had diminished quite a bit from last year. Ed suggested a wheelchair and was shot down, so we took an easy stroll over to World Showcase where guests were celebrating the last Saturday of the F&WF.
Oh my heavens, it was crowded! The difference between FW and WS was like night and day. Ed held onto Billys hand and AR gripped my arm as we blended into the crowd. Tricia was given strict instructions to stay within our sight. We were being pressed on all sides and did our best to move through the fray. I knew when I was drawing up our itinerary that with the kids and AR, we probably would not be able to enjoy the festival to its fullest, but it had worked out that this would be the best time for us to visit WS so we soldiered on. My goal was to try to catch some of the live entertainment acts that we had missed over the past years, and perhaps some of the special acts that were performing during the festival. The first of these we came across was an exhibition of dancing from
Peru.
I would have liked to have stayed and watched the entire performance, but the foot traffic around us was horrendous, so we decided to move on. The walkways were congested, but the lagoon looked calm and serene.
We began walking counter-clockwise around the lagoon and we suddenly caught a whiff of the cinnamon-dusted roasted almonds that Ed loves. I insisted upon lining up at the little kiosk so I could get him a few bags. (Last year, we passed them by and when Ed really wanted them, we had a hard time finding them!) I was not going to let that happen again! After standing on line for quite some time, I returned to the group with the treats and offered some to Ed, but he declined. I had also picked up some water and the kids and I shared a bottle as we maneuvered our way through the ever-thickening crowds.
Boy, was I ever glad we had an ADR for dinner that night!
Tricia wanted to stop and do Maelstrom, but I really wanted to see Voices of Liberty and the Fife and Drummers at 4pm and it was getting close. Wouldnt you know it, though, we got caught in a huge crowd near the Outpost as the bridge was being raised to let the barges for Illuminations into the lagoon!
Doh!
Tricia was being pesky about going back for Maelstrom, but I told her that she had been on Maelstrom many times and that I really wanted us to concentrate on doing things in WS that were new experiences for us. She rolled her eyes and we stood waiting for the bridge, unable to move forward or backward even if we wanted to!
Eventually, the bridge was lowered and the crowds from the opposite sides of the bridge surged forward and hit each other like two rams fighting. This is crazy! Ed snorted, and he moved us to the side until the worst of the battle was done and the traffic resumed to a mere swarm.
We passed several food kiosks and the aromas were delectable, but the lines were just too prohibitive.
We worked our way slowly around to the America pavilion and I inquired of a CM where the VOL and Fife & Drum would be performing. Oh, theyre usually anywhere right about here, she exclaimed, waving her arm to indicate an area in the brick courtyard in front of the American Experience. We found some seats on a low brick wall at the base of a shady tree and waited for the show to begin. Tricia drifted to a nearby pin kiosk and I kept an eye on her as she browsed.
Suddenly, the rat-a-tat-tat of the drums and the whistling of the flute drew our attention, but the show was not where the CM had indicated it would be! Instead, the brightly costumed musicians set up to the right of the AA theater. They drew a crowd quickly and we were unable to get a good view. Drat!
Oh well, we certainly could hear them just fine. I crept up and managed to take a few quick shots, then returned to the others under the tree.
There was no Voices of Liberty performance tonight, even though it was listed in the Times Guide. I was a bit disappointed, but happy that we at least were able to have seen the Fife & Drum performance. Our next stop was the
Pearville Fair, a cute little country fair-themed area just to the left of the AA theater. This was a very good area for kids
there were colorful placards with various pear characters painted on them and holes cut out so a child could put his face in the cutout and have his picture taken as a pirate pear or a princess pear. There were pear topiaries and pear-themed midway games and these funhouse mirrors, which Billy enjoyed immensely!
Who's that handsome boy?
He stood there looking at himself for about ten minutes while Ed munched on a
what else?
a juicy pear. We rested here awhile since it was not so crowded, and then moved on toward France, where I hoped to see Serveur Amusant, the comic waiter/balance act at 4:40. I was so glad that our dinner ADR was for 5:30! I was starting to get hungry and the crab cakes from one of the kiosks in America smelled so, so good!
We inched our way through Japan and Morocco and arrived in France.
The line for the kiosk that sold French champagne was so long, I couldn't get them all in the shot!
This time, the directions I received from a CM were spot-on and we scored front row spots for the comic waiter show! One of the performers even invited Billy to participate, but we had to decline, naturally. It just goes to show that he looks completely normal to the casual observer, but in reality, he has a lot of challenges both physical and mental.
Oblivious to the fact that he could have been in the show, he nevertheless enjoyed it very much and clapped enthusiastically when it was done.
The performer even asked Billy if he had liked the show, and Billy surprised us all with a very loud and resounding, YES!
It was about 5pm and we were all getting pretty hungry. Since we were so close to our restaurant, I suggested we try to get seated before our ADR. Let me see, close to France... I wonder if you can guess where we would be eating??
(No fair going back in the PTR to check my itinerary!!!)
Kathy
Thanks
After 3 hours of this, he was frazzled and definitely feeling Grumpy. And Billy wasn’t too happy being restrained, either. Live and learn.
We piled into the mini-van and soon we were off to the Wonderful World of Disney!
Ed took care of checking our luggage with Bell Services while I stood on a short line for check-in. It was only about 11:45, so I knew our rooms would not be ready, but I wanted to let them know we were here and make sure there were no problems with our reservation. I had a moment of regret that I had forgotten to make a quick call to Member Services yesterday to confirm and it turned out to be prophetic. 
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