We had decided that we wanted to spend our last night on land at the Studios where I knew we would be treated to an incredible showing of Fantasmic. DH and I had seen, and had been wowed by, Fantasmic on our last vacation to Disney World nine years ago, and, since I had been prepping The Big with
YouTube highlights for months, I knew that it was going to be a huge hit. Also, DH desperately wanted to ride the Rockin Rollercoaster since I had refused to ride it during our last trip. At this point, since we were getting so Disney-transportation savvy, we decided to brave the busses to the Studios.
When we got to the Studios, it was wall-to-wall people. FastPasses for Rockin Rollercoaster were long gone and the standby line was 60 minutes. But, in an effort to show my appreciation to DH for his laundry washing, I told him to get in line and that The Big and I would find something to entertain ourselves.
I had actually seen on my way in that the Beauty And The Beast show was beginning soon, so The Big and I were all set. I calculated that if DH was in line for 60 minutes at RR that that would leave us ample time to get a good seat for Fantastmic. So, The Big and I made our way to the BATB theater. We actually scored some good seats on the second tier, right in the middle with a good view of the stage. About that time, we got treated to a wonderful pre-show: The Harlem Gospel Choir. Well, about 15 minutes in, it became clear that the Choir *was* the show. Although I'm not a fan of organized religion, I am a music lover, and these folks really wowed me with their fabulous voices, which were all the more incredible because of their faith. The Big really enjoyed the concert as well, although Im not sure that the way she was shaking her booty to the music was appropriate. Oh well, shes three.
Anyway, the show ended a little before 6:00 p.m., which meant that DH should be getting out of RR any minute. So, The Big and I waited, and waited, and waited. DH finally made it to our designated meeting spot at about 6:15 p.m. and, by that point, I was DONE with the crowds at the Studios, and I also knew that wed have a hard time finding a decent seat at Fantasmic at that point. So we left, but not without my extracting a promise from DH that we would definitely come to The World for at least 7 days next year so we could have ample time to do everything we missed this go around. Oh, by the way, DH said that the RR was worth every minute of wait time. He said that its the best ride hes ever been on. Anyway, after debating about what we were going to do, we decided that MK (and Wishes) would be a great way to end our trip.
During this trip, we really had to pick our battles as far as parks and events. Believe me, this is the biggest drawback about doing the Land/Sea package. There just doesnt seem to be enough time to really do the parks, which leaves you feeling really lacking. For example, since we had always planned on doing Fantasmic, we skipped viewing Wishes at MK and instead compromised and viewed it at the Poly beach. Anyway, viewing Wishes at Poly was cool, but it was nothing compared to viewing it at MK.
MK didnt feel as busy at the Studios, and we were able to do a few things before Wishes: Barnstormer (a few times), Pirates (since DH missed out that morning), and BTMR. We ended up on the Frontierland bridge for Wishes which, even though its a good place, definitely reveals that the fireworks dont go off exactly behind the castle. Im so glad that we did Wishes that night, though. It was like a little slice of heaven with the three of us all holding hands, listening to that sweet song, and viewing the awesome fireworks. Even though we were sad that it was our last day at the parks, it was a wonderful way to end that portion of our trip
.until I decided that we should stop by Main Street Bakery on our way out to get some coffee. Along with 8 billion of my closest friends.
It was probably only really bad for about 10 minutes, but I felt myself starting to go over the edge because we literally could NOT MOVE! YIKES!

Of course, we eventually made it to the Bakery and ordered our coffees and treats. A word of caution - - if you are a Starbucks drinker, DO NOT think that a cappuccino from the Main Street Bakery will resemble a Starbucks cappuccino. Dont even waste your money. Blech.
Well, guys, this concludes the Land portion of our trip (finally, right?

). For us, three days just wasnt enough time at the parks, and DH and I walked away feeling like we missed a lot of the must dos because there just wasnt enough time. I guess what Im trying to say is even though this type of package looks good on paper (i.e., the best of both worlds), in reality we found that we were just way too rushed.
Now, onto our Sea portion.

Thanks very much to everyone who has hung in there with me this far - I hope that my next installments won't disappoint!!