I hadnt done too much research into the Wilderness Lodge beyond reading that it had spectacular Christmas decorations. This was probably one of my biggest regrets. Bear is Cherokee and thus the Wilderness Lodge Christmas decorations (a lot of various Native American motifs mashed together) didnt really appeal to him. Normally it wouldnt be a huge deal but by this point, after a partly gnarly parking situation outside the Wilderness Lodge we were both in rotten moods.
Not that the Wilderness Lodges decorations are poorly done, its just that they are not the most sensitive, I suppose. The Christmas decorations are beautiful and everything, we just arent the right family to appreciate them for what they are.
Additionally, Whispering Canyon Café has that cowboysnIndians theme going on which was even
more awkward. Id love to go back and just watch us that night because we were just SO miserable during that dinner. Thank goodness for our waitress. She took
such good care of us and kept us isolated from all of the Whispering Canyon Café shenanigans.
She was also incredibly tactful Im pretty sure I started crying at one point during dinner since I was utterly convinced I had ruined our entire vacation by talking Bear into WCC and she was incredibly nice about everything. Also, we got this monster-size piece of cake for dessert, which was much appreciated!
Some good food, an understanding waitress, and a change of scenery worked wonders for the both of us. We were supposed to meet my friend at Haunted Mansion and it was so relaxing and wonderful to get back into the Magic Kingdom. It was objectively more crowded than MGM had been all day but we knew what we were doing! We didnt need maps! There were plenty of rides to go on! Lines werent obnoxious!
We finally remembered a photo of the row where we parked the car. We finally learned our lesson!
So of course, the first thing we did after stealing my friend away from her parents was head to Big Thunder Mountain. Only the worst queue in the entire Magic Kingdom. The line that goes achingly slow if youre in the standby queue.
But we were optimistic that the line wasnt
that long and the three of us headed in.
Only to be stuck there
for hours. If you ever want a nice place, not too loud, to catch up with a friend you havent seen for over a year, the Big Thunder Mountain queue is the place to do it.
These barrels were the only interesting thing I saw. Im pretty sure we were in there for
years.
But we did have a really great gossip (I have a good memory for inane details of peoples lives so I am an ideal gossip) while we waited. It was nice that Bear was there too, because it gave us an excuse to rehash undergrad experiences to the minutest details all to catch him up.
We easily spent a third of the EMH in that Big Thunder Mountain queue. It was worth it, in retrospect; I love Big Thunder at night and it really forced Bear and I to slow down and get a second wind.
It was universally agreed that we would choose much shorter lines from here on out, and we went on a whirlwind tour of Magic Kingdom, hitting up pretty much everything in between Frontierland and Tomorrowland.
Our goal was the Peoplemover a mutually agreed favorite but it was closed by the time we got to Tomorrowland. Apparently it doesnt run during nighttime Extra Magic Hours?
So we did the next best thing Space Mountain before choosing our final ride of the night. My friend assured us that Monsters Inc. was a good time so we moseyed over to check out wait times. The last show of the night just about to start so it was a no-brainer to head into the theater.
I am told that it was an excellent show funny, witty, nicely paced. I apparently dozed off as soon as we sat down. It was late Extra Magic Hours! Im not used to saying up to close to 3AM. At least they woke me up before they left and the person next to us was kind enough to grab my bag after I forgot it.
My touring companions took pity on me and we headed out of the park. There were a surprising number of people there for a 3AM close; Space Mountain still had a decent line as we left the park.
We followed the flow of the crowd down Main Street, including stopping for a few final Photopass pictures in front of the castle. It was a good walk, we were all nicely tired and content with everything we had gotten done.
We convinced my friend to let us drop her off at Caribbean Beach; it certainly wasnt fair of us to let her wait around for a bus while our rental car was waiting in the parking lot. Id always wanted to see the resort; 3AM isnt the best time to ogle the hotel but it gave me a good idea of the size (large).
Finally finally, on the day that would never end we pulled back in Port Orleans and pretty much just fell into bed. It was our last full day in Disney and we still had multiple DVC visit fastpasses to use when we woke up.
But really, I blame August. Possibly the worst month ever to be invented (second worst is February). I've just been so tired today for no reason! And yesterday I was SO productive and now all I can do is marathon Gravity Falls. I make terrific life choices, everyone should emulate me (but seriously, Gravity Falls is a terrific new show, Disney seems to doing to be great with their new cartoons!).
Our December Disneyland trip is still on (at the moment) but if graduation/thesis defenses/school stuff lines up appropriately, then it's a no go. So disappointing. You should come to Disneyland instead and see all the lights on It's a Small World! Looking at our menu choices, between the two of us we've picked out enough food for three. 
