After our late night night, the plan for the morning after the after party was to sleep in. That plan was almost interrupted by housekeeping at 8:45am; I literally rolled out of bed, snuck the "do not disturb" sign onto the door handle behind the housekeeper's back, and returned to slumber. Crisis averted.
ELIZABETH: My brain, of course, decided that I needed to wake up every 20 minutes or so from about 8am on, because apparently that is my punishment for forcing it to stay up til the wee hours. At least the curtains in our window blocked the vast majority of the light.
We got up for real around 10:15am, and I ate some leftover race snacks while Elizabeth showered. We dressed, ran out the door, and caught a bus to the Animal Kingdom.
Having not had the luxury of post-race snacks, Elizabeth needed sustenance, so we stopped by Flame Tree Barbecue for ribs. They came with cornbread and beans and she let me try whatever. I found the ribs to be acceptable but the cornbread was really good, enhanced with cheese and jalapenos. Nice.
ELIZABETH: I was so hungry, everything tasted amazing. My only complaint is that Disney generally provides portions that are a bit too large for little old me to completely finish, and we were surrounded by some very hopeful ducks who would be HAPPY to help us, but of course you're not supposed to feed them. Sigh.
ELIZABETH: While I think they did an excellent job trimming down the story to fit within the (I think 40-minute?) time frame, I'm a little sad that they cut out the part with the whale-speak. "COME BAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!"
After the show we were in the neighborhood, so why not check out the Expedition Everest single rider line? I think it posted a wait of something like 10 minutes, but we were on a train in less time than that. "Is this your first time on the ride?" the girl next to me asked. HA!
Also in the area: Maharajah Jungle Trek. Time for some tiger-spotting!
ELIZABETH: We got a surprisingly good view of them, too, considering that it was the hottest part of the day. Tigers are awesome. :)
ELIZABETH: Can anyone eat frozen bananas without thinking of Arrested Development anymore? I know I can't.
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*insert inappropriate giggles here* |
It was then time for our Rock 'n Roller Coaster FP+, and we were glad to have it - the posted wait if I remember correctly was at least 90 minutes if not longer. As we passed into the "recording studio" waiting area, we had an amusing conversation with the CMs about their autopilot spiels. "Go ahead and scan your band. I'm going to forget you did and ask you to do it again in like two minutes; make sure you tell me no." Forget the first song we got, but the ride ended with "Love in an Elevator" and that made me happy. LIVING IT UP AS YOU'RE GOING DOW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OWWWWWWN
ELIZABETH: I just want to take a moment to gripe about how I seem to be getting more sensitive to 3D motion-simulation rides as I get older. Most rides don't bother my AT ALL (see: roller coasters), but recent years, I find myself getting a headache after Star Tours-type rides, and then I have to take it easy or risk feeling extremely ill. Curse you, biology!! (End rant)
Backing up to the hub, we were frowning studiously at the 40 minute posted wait time for the Great Movie Ride when a familiar figure called out to us: it was Kim! We talked to her a bit about her experiences during the race and other topics, during which it was revealed that Kim, your husband is HILARIOUS. After swapping a couple stories they headed off to the Indy Stunt Show while Elizabeth and I considered our next move.
Plans to see Beauty and the Beast were thwarted by a capacity crowd (has it always been that popular?). Instead, we picked up a Fantasmic FP+ and then put our names down for a table in the Brown Derby Lounge. More on this in a separate review, but let it be known it was a very enjoyable experience.
After that I was not quite sated, for I had been unable all day to kick my craving for a carrot cake cookie for the Writer's Stop, a delicious, frosting-filled item I had not had in YEARS. This trip, I succumbed - the CMs let me slip through the Osborne Lights blockage just to grab my treat. It was huge and sugary and terrible and wonderful and I regret nothing. ALL THE FROSTING ALL THE TIME!
ELIZABETH: And I got to have some of it, wheee!
We caught the 7pm showing of Fantasmic next - and here I must admit to being annoyed. We were admittedly at the end of the time slot for return, but we still made it. How is it that pretty much the entire stadium was already filled up? Oh, sure, there was room at the far end, but I knew how that ended after the show: in a crush of humanity, all of whom walk at quarter speed. FP+ for shows, why do you even exist?
The bleachers had a nice view if not a close one, happily, so we just settled there. The rather loud family next to us was a trifle annoying, but eventually they settled down and we were able to enjoy the show. Being as we were already up top, we were also able to book most of the way out of the stadium before getting caught up in the crowds. Altogether a primarily successful venture.
ELIZABETH: I also find Fantasmic one of the more interesting light shows to watch, since it has more of the story line than the others. Just once, I want Mickey's power of imagination to NOT BE ENOUGH, though...
And then it was time: time for my final turn through the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. I had thought that by timing it after the first Fantasmic, the larger portion of people would be heading out of the park and we'd have space, but I was wrong - it was v. crowded. Also not as many bars and things as last year? But still beautiful and wonderful and I'm going to miss it SO MUCH.
On the way out the Great Movie Ride listed a 30 minute wait, but as I was curious to see the TCM changes we decided to take a chance on it. We did get in a bit earlier, as they had room for two groups of two - but something when the CM pulled us forward, Elizabeth missed it? I got to the loading station and turned around and she was gone. Happy ending: the CM went back in and grabbed her and we were reunited thusly. In the front row, no less!
ELIZABETH: Hey, I was watching Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall on the preview screen. You try and pay attention to anything else at the same time!
After that we headed out of the park and caught the bus to Pop. Once back in our room I readied my running clothes for a morning run before typing up my notes and uploading pictures and such. Elizabeth found Mulan on ABC Family and we watched that glorious, glorious movie for a bit before drifting off to sleep.
Up next: the last day. :/
Don't forget, you can follow us on Twitter @fairestrunofall. To see how our training is going, check out Jenn's dailymile here and Moon's dailymile here. If you have any questions for us, leave a comment or email us at fairestrunofall@gmail.com. See ya real soon!
OH MY GAWD WE'RE FAMOUS!!!!!! By the way, said Mr. Hilarious found a BAR right around the back corner form the lights! OH YES, YES HE DID!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI KNEW there had to be one somewhere! I completely missed it!
DeleteI'm embarrassed to say that was the SECOND bar I didn't know existed! I'm so afraid my Dork card is going to get pulled!
ReplyDelete