The Walking Dead - our March 2016 Trip Report (update 4/11)

[slp87]

History: We like to go to WDW about every 2 years. My dad and mom joined DVC in 2000 and since my mom passed, my dad has just been one other time with my brother. Hubs and I decided we would take him along on our trip this year since he graciously lets us use his DVC. So the trip was...
Dad - 78, been to WDW & DL at least 20 times. Our family went to WDW in '75 and we were hooked!
Hubs - 48, WDW/DL 9 times. He married into it and has surprisingly grown to enjoy our trips.
Me - 47, WDW/DL about 22 times. Counting the days till we can retire and move to Orlando to work at the parks!!

Backstory: I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in my lung 1 1/2 years ago. The upper lobe of my right lung was removed and I underwent chemo (again). I continue to take maintenance treatments every 3 weeks. Well, the 3 weeks before the trip I had been sick, allergies, general crud that I could not shake. When I went in for treatment the day before our trip I was running a low grade fever. The dr. pumped me full of meds and took all kinds of samples. It didn't matter, I was going to WDW come hell or high water.

Hubs suffers from cluster migraines every few years and they decided to make a reappearance this year. He was struggling with that as well when we left, so we also packed all kinds of supplies to keep him moving.

Wednesday, March 9th
We were flying out of Dallas Love which is about a 5 hour drive. We left the house at 5 am to make our 1 pm flight. Everything went well, airport wasn't crowded and we were on our way! Except we weren't. Our flight was a little late leaving and due to storms we flew up over Nashville and then back down making the flight late.

Our arrival was about 5:30. Due to the late afternoon arrival, I find it easier just to claim our bags before boarding DME. We walked to the carousel, and the bags were already out. Walked over to DME, boarded our bus for Villas at Wilderness Lodge, and we were on our way. We made stops at Poly & Grand Flo before our stop. I think we were at the lodge in about an hour. Great timing! We had checked in online and received our text so we went straight to the room.

This was our first stay at VWL and I was tempted to try something else due to all the construction, but we decided to stick it out. We were on the 4th floor, near the elevators with a view of.....dirt. We really didn't mind and we could see the lake. It was actually quite interesting to look at everything going on.

We caught the boat over to the Contemporary to eat at the Contempo Café. I think we all had the roast and it was so good! Everyone really enjoyed the food. We headed up to the Top of the World Lounge, actually just to the outdoor area to watch Wishes at 9:00. It was neat to look around and see the fireworks. After that we were worn out and went back to the room. We did catch the Electric Water Pageant which is an old favorite. Seriously, has it changed at all since it started?? Love it all the same!

Next up...Magic Kingdom, Liberty Tree Tavern

 

[Shir Kahn]

Following along! For some reason, out of all the trips we've done to WDW, we've never once seen the Electrical Water Parade.

 

[slp87]

Forgot to include a pic of us.

 

[slp87]

Thursday, March 10th

After a rough night of Hubs having a migraine and me not feeling well, we dragged ourselves to the Magic Kingdom still feeling like the "Walking Dead".

We decided to take the bus rather than the boat since the bus stop is so close to the villas. We were through bag check just before the Welcome Show. We headed straight to Splash and BTMRR. Then worked our way around to Pirates, Tiki Room, riverboat, Haunted Mansion and Hall of Presidents. We were able to get all done with no more than 5 minute waits. We even had a little extra time to look through some shops in the area.

Our lunch reservation was for 12:15 at Liberty Tree Tavern. We were seated after a few minutes. Hubs got the turkey & dressing and Dad and I decided to split the same dish. It was delicious! LTT is great because the choices are different from other places.

We went back to the room after lunch to rest. I was really dragging and needed a nap.

We headed back to MK about 5:30 after a good rest. We hopped the train around to the Fantasyland station and over to the Peoplemover. Right as we were over the Speedway the ride stopped. We were there about 10 minutes and got a good laugh watching the drivers. The ride started back up and just as we entered Space Mountain it stopped again. The lights came on and we were evacuated off. We were each given a fastpass good through March 31st. It couldn't be used on the mine train or for parade/fireworks viewing. Buzz was supposed to be closed, but I noticed it was running without FP. Dad and Hubs went to ride it while I used our FP+ for Space. It was a little disappointing because the lights from the Peoplemover were still on and it wasn’t completely dark. After getting off Dad and I rode Buzz again.

Afterwards I stopped at The Lunching Pad for a pretzel and Dad and Hubs got food from Cosmic Rays.

We walked through Fantasyland and walked on to IASW and onto Frontierland for MSEP. Country Bears was about to start and I have to see it every trip. It's a nostalgia thing. After the show we grabbed our seats in front of Country Bears to watch MSEP. I love MSEP. I remember sitting on Main Street as a child in about ’78 across from the Penny Arcade and watching it. We have the album, I have the CD. I could listen to the music over and over. Hubs…not so much. The music drives him nuts. Again, nostalgia.

We went over to BTMRR for our FP+ nighttime ride. I think this ride is great to experience during the day and night. We snaked our way through Adventureland and the shops on Main Street to head back to the villas. We passed on Wishes since we had FP+ later in the trip. Whew!

Next up: Epcot, Via Napoli

Stuck on the Peoplemover.

 

[Disneylvr]

Following along! We love LTT too at lunch time.

 

[mpdej8]

Planning a trip to Wilderness Lodge for Oct 2016. Was wondering how the construction was?

 

[slp87]

Planning a trip to Wilderness Lodge for Oct 2016. Was wondering how the construction was?

The view from from the villas wasn't great, but we didn't hear any construction noise. Bus service was wonderful and I figured it was due to conversion of some of the main lodge to DVC and not being at capacity. So construction wasn't a problem at all for us.

 

[frostymojo]

Following along...

 

[slp87]

Friday, March 11th

We headed to the bus stop to arrive at Epcot before opening and we were the only people on the bus! Bag check wasn’t too bad and it was a few minutes before 9:00.

Since Soarin’ was closed and we had FP+ for Test Track, there was no big rush to be anywhere. We decided to go the Character Spot for quick easy pics with some of our favs. After that we went back up to Spaceship Earth and then near Innoventions to see the Jammitors. These guys are great and very entertaining! This is what I love about Epcot. If you haven’t seen their performance, make some time to catch it. Lots of fun! We had a FP+ for the Seas, not that we needed it, but not a lot of options at Epcot. After the ride we stopped to see Turtle Talk with Crush. This is always funny. I teach 2nd grade and know how unpredictable kids can be.

We were getting hungry so we went over to Sunshine Seasons. I love the turkey sandwich here! It was only about 11:00 so we definitely beat the lunch rush. We took time to ride Living with the Land. Hubs is in agriculture, so we always like to check it out. We took the Behind the Seeds tour a few years ago and he even had a hydroponic garden in our backyard. We were wearing out so we headed back to the villas.

We were doing a split stay, so I really wanted to go to the pool on our last day at WL. After being there just about 15 minutes, it was too hot and I realized I still wasn’t feeling well enough to be out there. Back to the room for a nap!

We had FP+ for TT at 5:00, so I’m guessing we headed back about 4:30. We went straight to TT and our car got 1st place! I have to admit, I think the car design stuff appeals to guys. Maybe I’m wrong and there are some gals that like it, but just not my thing. I let Dad and Hubs take the reins on that.

I did stop to buy the map for the Easter Egg hunt. We had never been to WDW near Easter so there were many things we got to enjoy. I started the search as we entered WS and only found the egg at China. It was hard!

We had a 6:20 reservation at Via Napoli. We are big pizza eaters and LOVE this place. On our last trip, Hubs and I ate there 3 times in 10 days. It was a beautiful evening so I asked for an outdoor table. We enjoyed the salad and a pepperoni and mushroom pizza. Very delicious!

We walked over to the American Gardens Theater where Starship was playing. We heard them 4 years ago, so we just grabbed an outdoor table at the Liberty Inn to listen for a while. After the set we watched the American Adventure. Another favorite. My brother found a youtube video a while back that talks a lot about how the theater works and show how the audioanimatroics have been updated. It also shows all three versions of Golden Dreams, check it out…very interesting.

We stopped in Germany to get some of the AMAZING caramel corn. That stuff is the bomb! But Hubs insists on eating it all because he thinks the humidity makes it soggy. Excuses, excuses.

We usually stay at the Beach Club, so we watch IllumiNations from one of the countries. Because we needed to go to the bus stop we went on around past Mexico. We discovered that everyone must do that because it was so crowded! We eventually stood up near the Odyssey restrooms. I think IllumiNations is great to watch from different locations. I recommend seeing it more than once.

We made it to the bus stop and were on our way to the villas quickly. We were able to see the Electric Water Pageant again from our room. We were really running low on steam so we decided not to be at the studios for opening. We would also be switching to Boardwalk Villas and needed to pack up.

Next Up: Studios, Boardwalk Villas
Hubs hydroponic garden

 

[slp87]

Saturday, March 12th

Today we were moving to Boardwalk Villas and already wearing thin since Hubs and I had been under the weather, so we slept in a little. Our FP+ for Toy Story was 10:15.

We left about 10:00 and when we arrived at the Studios, the bag check line was OUTRAGEOUS! I saw another thread on this topic and it really was crazy. Some lines seemed to be moving faster, but of course mine was slower. As we got close I realized that the faster lines we’re splitting to each side of the bag check counter where my line was just feeding one side. It was a mess. Hubs and Dad didn’t have bags so they were through immediately and waited a few minutes when I sent them on to meet Chewbacca. The wait for Chewbacca was 20 minutes, but I told them to go ahead. When I was finally though I hoofed it to Chewbacca and they were next in line. It’s a little frustrating to have one little purse and be stuck behind people with massive backpacks and multiple bags. I waited close to 20 minutes.

As we headed toward TSMM, the line for Buzz and Woody was manageable so we stopped in. The FP+ line went fairly quick for TSMM and we decided to check the Great Movie Ride. Standby was really long so we went to get a bite to eat.

Dad and I went over to Starring Rolls while Hubs got some popcorn. The turkey sandwich looked good so Dad and I split that and a cream cheese pastry. We also took some time to look through the shops and I finally found an Orange Bird t-shirt! I have always been a fan of the Orange Bird and have a pic of me with him in about ’83. I need to dig it up.

Next we went over to Indiana Jones. In the past years there has been prelims for a cheer competition in the arena, so this was our first time to see the show in 16 years. Of course it’s exactly the same since I saw it in ’89, but enough time had passed that it was enjoyable.

Hubs was hungry so he got a corn dog and Dad went along since neither wanted to ride Star Tours. To be honest, I miss the classic with Pee Wee Herman as the pilot.

We went back to see the Muppets then killed some time in the air conditioning of the Writer’s Stop. We typically would be headed back for naps and swimming at this time but we were hanging around waiting for our room to be ready.

We finally boarded the boat about 2:30 to the Boardwalk. We walked through the shops trying to kill more time. Right as we entered the lobby about 4:00, I got the text that the room was ready. We had a Boardwalk view and I had requested near the elevators and high floor. We got 4th floor, but we were above the Crest o’ the Wave section which is about as far from the elevators as you can get. Not great, but the view was AMAZING!!

We rested for a while and headed back to the studios about 6:00. Dad was really wanting to do the GMR, so we sent him on while I rode Tower of Terror. Hubs is not a fan so he waited on a bench. I tried RNR single rider line, but they had shut it down. No Aerosmith for us.

We went over to the Backlot Express for supper and it was very uncrowded. We still had about 30 minutes before the Star Wars fireworks and we found a spot near the Frozen Sing Along aka American Idol Experience aka Superstar Television. The fireworks were so great! Loved them!! We took the boat back to BWV getting off at S/D to save time and catch some of the Boardwalk entertainment, then off to bed.

Up Next: Blizzard Beach, Disney Springs

My Dad's cuter than your Dad!

Our Boardwalk view!

 

[Disneylvr]

What a beautiful view!!!

 

[slp87]

Sunday, March 13th

We were very disappointed to learn that Typhoon Lagoon’s rehab was being extended one week and we would miss it. We had bought the water parks & more option with the intent of going to TL 3 days. We really enjoy the atmosphere and the wave pool. After our last trip we had decided not to go to Blizzard Beach anymore because we don’t care for the wave pool (our local water park has the same one) and we don’t like having to climb all those stairs!! But since we had the WP&M option already paid for we headed off to BB.

We weren’t there for opening, I think it was around 10:30. We got a spot on the wooden deck in front of the wave pool. We rode Downhill Double Dipper first, which is really lots of fun.

We went over to the Runoff Slides. I did the enclosed slide. And while it is also fun, I just can’t climb all those stairs carrying a tube, especially after all I been through and not being able to work out.

We took the lazy river around to the ski lift and the family raft ride. The ski lift wasn’t running (people were on it), but we got in line anyway thinking it wouldn’t be too long. Many of the people ahead of us gave up so when it did start running we were close to the front. We rode the family raft ride with a couple of teenage girls who screamed the whole time. We didn’t mind, we enjoyed their enjoyment.

We rode the lazy river the rest of the way around and were getting hungry for lunch. We grabbed some food from Lottawatta Lodge, then back to float in the wave pool. After some discussion we agreed that we were ready to go.

We went back to the room for our naps before heading to Disney Springs.

About 5:00, we took the boat, then the bus to Port Orleans Riverside to eat. I think POR has one of the best food courts. We all had great food, then caught the boat to DS. The boat ride is also something I really enjoy and it gave Dad a chance to check out the Treehouse Villas.

I’m really not a big fan of DS, especially with all the construction. It is so crowded! We went in the Co-op and I bought an Orange Bird mug then we went to the World of Disney store to see if there was anything we couldn’t live without. (there wasn’t) I was in search of something to bring back for my students, but with 40 kids I wasn’t having much luck finding something in my budget.

We walked on around to the Harley store for Hubs, then took the new bridge over to the bus stop.

Just not convinced that DS is something I have to do on my Disney vacations….

Next up: Magic Kingdom, Be Our Guest

Dad enjoying himself at BB! (we're not sure why one shoe is off)

 

[slp87]

Monday, March 14th

We headed back to MK today to focus on Fantasyland. We started at Peter Pan with about a 10 minute wait. We didn’t FP+ because we wanted to experience the interactive queue. It was fun with some neat stuff.

We used our FP+ for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Cute ride and a little more intense than I thought it would be, well, relative to Fantasyland. Hubs wasn’t feeling well so he sat out Winnie the Pooh and Little Mermaid. We saw PhilharMagic and it was about 10:30.

Our Be Our Guest reservation wasn’t till 11:15, so we just passed the time at a table in the area. Once our time arrived we were seated very quickly for lunch and found a table in the main dining room. As others have said, I highly recommend preordering. It saves so much time! Dad and Hubs both got the pork and I had French onion soup. Mine was okay, but the pork was so good! I don’t think we’ll take the time or spend the money to eat here again. It was more of a “been there, done that” experience for us.

When we finished we were ready to leave the park, but I noticed Mr. & Mrs. Easter Bunny so Dad and I had our picture made. Hubs caught the bus back to BWV and Dad and I decided to ride the monorail to Epcot and walk back. I like to take a trip from the TTC to Epcot each trip. I just enjoy the ride over the park.

We had a nice leisurely walk and I stopped to get a Cronut. They are amazing!! We were able to catch the boat at the International Gateway. I don’t normally ride the boat from Epcot, but since BW is the first stop, and our room was nearly at the S/D, we rode it. Hubs was already at the pool so I met him down there for about an hour. Time for our daily naps then we were ready to head back to MK.

Today was the first day I noticed how crowded the park was. There were lots of school groups, in fact the band from the district I teach at was there.

We went toward Tomorrowland and tried Monsters Laugh Floor but it wasn’t working. We moved on to Buzz, then gave the Peoplemover another shot. Thankfully we made it around without any problems. We saw the Carousel of Progress and unfortunately we had to sit through the final scene twice due to some type of problem.

We went over to Columbia Harbour House for supper and it was packed to the gills. I had never seen so many people.

We decided to go back and gives Monsters a chance. It was working and Hubs and I both sent in jokes. As we got in the theater, I was secretly hoping they would pick Hubs for something. He’s very shy and it would be hilarious. Well….guess who got picked, ME! It was at the part where he reads your mind. So embarrassing!

We walked around near the Plaza restaurant to wait for Wishes. We had FP+, which I wouldn’t do for any other fireworks or parades, but I was glad we did since it was so crowded. We took the new backstage exit and were out of the park in no time.

Next Up: Kona Café, Yachtsman Steakhouse, Epcot

It's the Easter Bunnies!

My embarrassing moment at Monsters Laugh Floor.

 

[slp87]

Tuesday, March 15th

The original plan was to spend another day at Typhoon Lagoon after breakfast at Kona Café. We didn’t really want to go back to Blizzard Beach, so we just decided to wing it.

We went to our breakfast at Kona via bus to MK and monorail to Poly. We’ve only eaten supper here in the past, so it was nice to enjoy breakfast. Afterwards, we walked around the grounds and over to the TTC to take the monorail to Epcot.

Hubs went on ahead to go to the pool and Dad and I decided to linger through Epcot. We stopped in the Butterfly Garden and went over to Imagination. The wait was 30 minutes and we decided it wasn’t worth it. (Original version, yes! New version, no!) We did catch the Pixar short film festival.

We made our way back to the International Gateway taking lots of pictures of the Flower & Garden Festival. We were lucky again and caught the boat right as it arrived. We took our usual swim & nap, then got ready for supper at Yachtsman’s Steakhouse.

We took the boat to Y&BC and took a few pictures around the resort. This is our big splurge of the trip and always such a great meal. We thought about dessert, but once the meal was finished we couldn’t squeeze in another bite.

This evening I planned for us to see The British Invasion. This is one of my favorite things to do, they’re so fun and entertaining. We caught the 7:00 show, then walked around to La Isla Fresca to get some Tres Leches.

We walked on to Mexico to ride Gran Fiesta Tour, then back to the UK to catch the 8:00 performance.

We went over to Boulangerie Patisserie les Halles for some treats. I finally found another Easter Egg! This was much harder than I thought it would be. We stayed around the fountain in France till time for IllumiNations. We walked up to the shoreline once it started and had a good view. We again caught the boat and went back for the night.

Next Up: Epcot, Biergarten, Twining’s Tea Tour

Beautiful greenery at the Poly!

Love the theming and atmosphere of the Beach Club

 

[slp87]

Wednesday, March 16th

Today was our day to sleep in and arrive at World Showcase just before 11:00. We got there about 10:45 and waited outside The Tea Caddy so we could sign up for the Twining’s Tea Tour. I had read it was offered at three different times, but it was only offered at 3:00 & 5:30, so we opted for 5:30.

I was determined to work on finding the Easter Eggs today so I got a hint in the store. I was told all were outside and to look way up high. I found it and was on a mission! We walked back to Canada and found it there.

The guys were eating at Biergarten at 12:15, this gave us an opportunity to look through some of the shops. As we entered France, the smell of the onion tart at the Fleur de Lys booth was very enticing and I got one. It was good.

We walked through the Morocco shops (I found the egg!) and Mitsukoshi Department store. We stopped in the Kawaii exhibit and I located the egg in Japan. Dad and I share some frushi from the Hanami stand.

We went to the American Adventure to listen to the Voices of Liberty. They are so wonderful! We walked on to Italy and Dad spotted the egg, then we stopped for a photo shoot on the bridge.

I sent Dad and Hubs on to their lunch at Biergarten and I was on a mission to find the Easter eggs. I backtracked to America. I was searching and searching along with many others. I accidentally overhead someone say the area it was in and I found it. As I went back toward Italy, a bunch of characters came out the path by the Liberty Inn. There was Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, Captain Hook, Rafiki, and Gideon from Pinocchio. Hardly anyone had seen them come out so I caught all of them and continued on my way.

The egg in Germany was easy to find as well as the one at the outpost. I had found the one in China, so on to Norway and Mexico. Both were easy to find. I think I had finally figured it out…now that I was finished.

I went to get my prize eggs and since I had bought 3, I was able to get Mickey, Minnie, and Cheshire Cat. I stopped to take some pictures of the floral quilt, Spaceship Earth, and the monorail. I continued on my way and back to the resort.

Dad and Hubs had fun at Biergarten and we took time to rest before heading back for the tour. Hubs sat the tour out, but Dad and I had a good time and really enjoyed it and how often is something free?? We also got a sample and some different tea bags.

We met up at the Smokehouse at the American pavilion. We each tried a different main dish and I got the chocolate cake. I did not think the cake was good at all.

We went around to see the Acrobats in China and leisurely walked through the countries. We stopped in Canada to watch the film, then Hubs headed back to the room. Dad and I stayed to watch IllumiNations from the steps of Canada. This is my favorite place to watch. Thankfully, the wind was not blowing in our direction.

We stopped in the World Traveler store to buy some cookies. I decided to give the kids character cookies and some of the free stickers the DVC workers hand out. Once we got back to BWV, we were able to watch the Star Wars fireworks from the pool and the Wishes fireworks from our balcony.

Up next: Grand Floridian Café, Whispering Canyon Café, Magic Kingdom

 

[slp87]

Thursday, March 17th

Original plan was to go to Typhoon one more time, so we came up with a new plan. While Hubs is good about our trips to WDW, he sometimes gets a little stir crazy and needs some time off. Today he rented a car and drove out to The Villages. On our last trip we sat next to a couple during a concert who live out there. They told us all about it, so he went to check it out. We would love to move to Florida after retirement.

Dad and I decided to go to the Grand Floridian for breakfast and check out DVC. We arrived via bus to MK and monorail. We walked through the DVC lobby and the grounds. We were unable to see a room, but I told Dad there are plenty of pictures on the internet.

Our breakfast at GFC was good then we took some time to check out the Easter Eggs in the main lobby. They were really neat and very elaborate!

We rode the monorail again to Epcot to walk back to the resort. I can never get enough of Epcot.

After the usual swimming and napping. We went back to Wilderness Lodge for supper at Whispering Canyons. Hubs says he starves himself all day to do this meal justice. I was so excited to hear they had sweet tea, and not the Gold Peak stuff, I told the waiter not to mess with one of those little mason jars, bring me the big one!! It was great, and so was the barbecue.

We went back to MK. A family from my school was at MK this evening, so I texted to see where they were. We were headed to Buzz and they were eating at the Tomorrowland Terrace. After Buzz we met up with them to visit for a little bit. They have 4 boys 10 and under and drove down. It’s got to be close to 30 hours. Whew!

We had FP+ for one more nighttime ride of BTMRR and FP+ for Splash. When we got to Splash, nothing was running. We walked around to see what was going on and they couldn’t give us much info. After BTMRR, we saw some logs coming down the flume. We asked again and were told they had to cycle all the log through and it would open. We waited about 10 minutes and it was open.

We went back through Adventureland and the shops on Main Street to leave for the night.

Next Up: Epcot, DestiNations Discovered Tour, Via Napoli

 

[slp87]

Love me some sweet tea!

Some of my precious students

 

[Disneylvr]

That's a lot of sweet tea! What a sweet photo with your students.

 

[Mainemama]

I am enjoying reading about your trip! 40 2nd graders? Yikes! (Says a former 2nd grade teacher.) I have 22 4th graders and I didn't bring them souvenirs from my last trip. You are very nice! We are looking forward to experiencing BW for the first time this summer. Just 1 night, then onto YC. It looks like you enjoyed travelling from MK through Epcot to BW. I thought this might be a fun alternative to the bus! My DH is prone to migraines, sorry to hear yours is too. We were just discussing our next trip needing a napping plan!

 

[slp87]

Thursday, March 18th

Today we had the World Showcase: DestiNations Discovered Tour scheduled. We met in Innovention for the 9:30 tour and were given a headset, bottle of water and nametag.

Hubs and I did the Undiscovered Future World Tour last trip and all 3 of us have done Keys to the Kingdom at some point. There were 9 in our group and we started at the Fountain of Nations.

We stopped at the World Showcase Lagoon, then over to Canada. There were lots of interesting facts given at each country. At Canada we went backstage, then came back out in UK. We went backstage again at France and briefly at the Outpost.

We had lunch at Restaurant Marrakesh in Morocco. I was a little leery about this option at first, but in the end was glad we experienced it. The food was okay, but the experience was fun. Will we go back? No, but we learned a lot about some of their traditions.

One of the highlights was actually our tour guide, Mayu. She is originally from Japan. She started in housekeeping, then became a friend of Mickey, and now her current position. She was fun to talk to and gave us lots of information at the Japan pavilion, pointing out a few things that don’t exactly follow Japanese tradition. She also pointed out some differences between Japanese and Chinese cultures.

The tour ended about 2:30 and we were wiped out! It got really hot and crowded. I think it would have been better if the tour had started at 8:00 for a couple of reasons. It would have been a little cooler, World Showcase wouldn’t be as crowded, and it wouldn’t have to include lunch. As I mentioned, I liked the lunch all right, but I’m sure that was part of why the tour was so expensive.

After a rest we went back to Epcot about 5:15 for our Test Track FP+ at 5:00. We took a few pics of Mater and Lightning McQueen before going on the ride.

Next, was our return meal at Via Napoli at 6:15. We were seated by the back wall. We had not sat in this area before. We always seem to be to the right of the check in area. We got the same meal and it was just as good.

We walked over to the American Gardens Theater to listen to Little River Band. After hearing, Lonesome Loser, Hubs was tired and went back to the room. Dad and I wanted to go over to MK for one last evening. We left before IllumiNations to beat the crowd.

Once we got to MK we went to the FP kiosk between Adventureland and Frontierland to see what was available. We got a FP+ for Pooh at 10:30.

We rode Haunted Mansion with no wait. Dad had been wanting a funnel cake, so I went to Sleepy Hollow while he sat at a table between Columbia Harbour House and the Hall of Presidents.

Wishes started so we watched from there. One of the things we learned on our tour was that sprinklers run on top of some buildings to keep them from catching fire. Well, we noticed sprinklers running on top of CHH and some other buildings in the area during Wishes.

We went to Pooh for our FP+, but it wasn’t working. We went over to Buzz and used our FP we were given when the Peoplemover broke down. Then I used the last one to ride Space. I was front seat and it was pitch dark….AWESOME!!

We went back over to Pooh and it was working again. It was 11:30 and we were ready to call it a night. I looked back at the castle one last time as we headed under the train station.

Next Up: Airport, Final Thoughts

Never bothered to look up and notice the amazing artwork in China