Meeko's Walt Disney World Trip December 2003
After a mornig in MK and an afternoon at EPCOT, the visit was starting to wind down to its final evening and morning.
The next stop for the day would be the Germany Pavilion. Again not too much entertainment here either. Looked around some of the shops and such before heading on to Mexico. The Three Kings were just finishing their show so I stayed to watch the last of it. After that, I went inside the pavilion to check out the marketplace and listen to the Mariachis perform a few numbers. Next, it was back to Norway to see a bit of Jullesisians Holiday storytelling. After that, I checked the Times Guide and noticed that the Disney Characters on Holiday Bus would arrive in Showcase Plaza in about five minutes, so I headed that way.
As I was walking past Mexico, the Character Bus came out and I followed it to Showcase Plaza. Tons of characters were onboard making the area a character bonanza! First, I met to Pluto who, surprisingly, I had never gotten an autograph of before. Since hes such a popular character, I cant believe I had never gotten his autograph prior to that. Next, I continued to meet lots of other characters including Max, Robin Hood, Pinocchio, Geppetto, Gideon, Baloo, Dale, and Rafiki before the bus had to leave. Not a bad line up really. After the bus left, I spent a little time looking around at the Towers shops.
Next stop would be a return to Canada to check out the Roots shop and the Victoria Gardens. I also spent some time watching Papa Noels spiel and listening to some of Off Kilters numbers. After that, I headed over to the UK to check out their pin cart. Got a nice pin of Minnie all dressed up like Belle to add to my collection. It was getting close in time to the tree lighting show at Showcase Plaza, so I took the long way going along the path from the Plaza to the to Imagination and then heading through the Lights of Winter to get a good spot for the show. Crowds didnt seem outrageous, so grabbing a spot close to the stage was no trouble at all.
The new Tree Lighting Treat show was wonderful. Adding the characters into the show was very cute and made the show a lot of fun. The American Vybe singers who also performed in the show were great as well. And, of course, the lighting of the Lights of Winter and the tree was still as good as ever. After the show, it was back to France. When I got there, Pere Noel was starting his show, so I sat down on a bench and listened. I've seen these shows with all the storytellers so many times over the years I could probably do them myslef! After that, I went back to where I had met Belle and Beast earlier to see if any of the Hunchback character were out doing meet-and-greets. No luck, though; Only the Beast was out. Since I had met him earlier, I just moved on. I went to Les Chefs de France to see if it was possiblt to get a table now even though it wasn't quite the time I had a PS for. The answer turned out to be yes and I headed inside for dinner. What a wonderful restaurant! I had their chicken dish and it was excellent. The atmosphere was wonderful as well. This is defiantly one of my favorites at EPCOT, if not my favorite. The dinner was relaxing and very enjoyable- a wonderful way to end a very long and busy day.
After dinner, it was time for the long walk from World Showcase to the bus stop to the Wilderness Lodge. On the way, I made sure to walk through the Lights of Winter again. Theyre all so festive and beautiful. Before leaving the park, I made a quick stop at MouseGears and then one at the Pin Shop to pick up a limited edition Oliver and Company pin. Then, it was over to the bus stop and, after a bit of a wait, onto a bus. After a stop at Fort Wilderness, the bus brought me back to the Wilderness Lodge- my only bus ride of the trip. I returned to my room to get some sleep.
After a good night sleep, it was time to get up head home. Before I left, I just had to do a little sightseeing around the resort. Looked around the courtyard area by the Silver Creek Falls and then headed down to the docks to watch the Fire Rock Geyser erupt. Always like to check this out when Im at the Lodge. Its one of those special extras that make Disney Resorts so much fun to stay at.
Next, it was on to the Roaring Fork for a quick breakfast. The last time I had been to the Lodge, the Roaring Fork had been a fast food restaurant/ arcade, which made the whole restaurant very crowded and loud with not many tables. Since then, the arcade was moved next door to the gift shop and the area that used to be the arcade became much-needed seating for the restaurant. Very nice and much more pleasant than before. Had a huge pecan-covered cinnamon bun and a fruit salad for breakfast, both of which were very good (just cant resist anything with pecans
). After breakfast, I headed on to the lobby to give one last look at the gift shop and pin stand. I thought about trying to return the pen I bought the day before that stopped working less than 5 hours into the day, but decided not to mess with all that. I was enjoying myself too much to ruin it all by going through so much hassle to return it. Took one last look around the lobby, took a few pictures, and returned to the room to get my bags. It had been a wonderful visit, but it was time for this trip to come to an end.
Well, that's the end of my quick adventure in WDW this December. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to read my reports, and a very special thank you to everyone who responded to them as well. Again, I hope you've enjoyed them and Happy New Year everyone. 
Thanks again!
