DAY 16
THURS 26th OCT 2000
We
wake up at 8:15. Oh no! This is our last full day so we had
better get a move on. By a miracle we have eaten, got ready and
are out the door by 9:00. We walk across to Epcot on a lovely
sunny morning and enter through the International Gateway. It is
a pleasant start to the day strolling through World Showcase
almost alone.
We head for Journey Into Your Imagination and are the only people
in the building. There have been no changes since we rode in
January, still too many dark areas.
Into Honey I Shrunk The Audience. Tammy enjoys the True Colours
pre-show as usual. I can't understand how old Wayne Szlinski
(sp?) keeps winning the Inventor of the Year when all his
creations seem to go wrong.
Over at the Land we do the boat ride which is always interesting,
you always seem to find something that you have never seen
before. This time it is 9 lb lemons. As she likes this ride so
much I am trying to persuade Tam to work in the labs here while I
drive monorails all day.
The girls then get taught how to make Toll House Cookies. This
seems a good idea at the time but, after they have been given a
chefs hat with their name on it, we wait for nearly half an hour
while enough children are rounded up to complete the group. Not
the best use of our time on our last day. In the end it takes
about ¾ of an hour for the whole thing. At the end they get
given a Mickey Mouse shaped cookie that must be nearly an inch
thick and crammed full of chocolate chips. It tastes divine.
Unfortunately it tastes so good that the children only let us
have a little bit. (Mutter, mutter, selfish little pigs, mutter.)
Tam and I have to console ourselves with a Fajita Chicken Baked
Potato which is very good. Tam decides that ¾ of an hour is a
small price to pay for a cookie of this quality. She would
probably camp out overnight to ensure she got a free cookie.
On to Spaceship Earth again. We have to ride this at least twice
every trip.
As we exit we see the Art of Disney opposite. We are after the
Animal Kingdom poster so in we go. We end up buying both this and
a poster of Pooh and Piglet fishing by a pond. This is the old
style classic drawing prior to Disneyfication and is very pretty.
Both of these will be hung in our newly decorated bedroom.
Round to Test Track where we pick up Fast Passes for a 4:30 -
5:30 return before moving on to Norway to ride Maelstrom. Another
short but sweet ride. After this we decide to leave the park so
the girls can have a final swim. On the way out both India and
Georgia get a Kaki-Gori, which has become a firm favourite with
them.
Back to the main pool which is a bit crowded so we end up in the
quiet pool. This always seems to be lovely and relaxing with only
about a dozen people about.
With typical timing we start up a conversation with a couple from
Wales just as they are getting ready to go to the airport. So, if
by any chance you get to read this Debbie, I hope you had a good
trip home and enjoy your holiday next year. They are at the
Boardwalk using their DVC membership for the first time the same
as us and wished that they had joined earlier. There you go all
you potential new DVC members, take the plunge.
After showers we return to Epcot at 4:45 and head straight to
Test Track to use our Fast Passes. This is one occasion when Fast
is not the word to describe this Pass as it takes us 40 minutes
to get on the ride. I think that the regular technical
difficulties experienced at this attraction tend to mess up the
Fast Pass system somewhat.
As we make our way across to watch the 6:00 Off Kilter show it
starts to rain quite heavily. Out come the brollies for the first
time. Tammy reckons you can tell the Brits because they all have
brollies as well as a resigned expression on their faces. Luckily
the rain only lasts for 10 minutes.
Off Kilter is cancelled so a couple of beers (Labatts Blue Lite)
is followed by fish and chips from the UK, excellent as usual. We
walk on round to Morocco and have the Lamb Kabsa again as
everyone enjoyed it so much last time. A cherry and apple funnel
cake as dessert and we are all full and happy.
As this is our last night we decide to find a good place to watch
Reflections of Earth and sit by the fence just before the stave
church in Norway as it gave us such a great view on Tuesday. The
other advantage of this spot is that you are close to the parade
route for Tapestry of Nations and so get a fine view of that as
well.
As we are waiting for the parade we get talking to a lady from
Canada called Ingrid who has two little girls as well. We pass
the time discussing all things Disney. Strange how we have talked
to practically no one for the whole of the holiday and then on
the last day we get into conversation with two different people.
Must be the Disney gods ensuring that we are aware of the lovely
folk that come to WDW in order to facilitate our swift return.
Reflections of Earth is stunning as usual, one day my face will
fix in a permanent grin after this show as I just can't stop
smiling as I watch. One thing that I notice is that they turn off
the lights on top of the Swan and Dolphin to ensure that you can
see only darkness at the start of the show. Just another small
Disney touch.
5 minutes after the show finishes another firework display begins
somewhere over by the Boardwalk. We had noticed tables being set
up on the beach in front of the Yacht and Beach Club earlier on
and so presume it is coming from there.
We walk back towards the fountain to watch one last time as it is
so beautiful at night. When this finishes it is finally time to
walk back to the International Gateway.
We get the boat back and as we step onto the dock at the
Boardwalk another firework display begins in the Magic Kingdom
area. This one is absolutely huge. I think perhaps it may be the
American Pyrotechnics Association convention as I recall reading
somewhere that it was going to be sometime around now. Whatever
it is, it's certainly spectacular and just seems to go on and on.
Not bad for our last night, 3 firework displays. India says she
thinks that it has been especially put on by Disney to tempt us
back again next year. No problem there then.
After a slice of pizza from Spoodles and a cake from Seashore
Sweets it is time to return to the room. We do so as slowly as
possible, stealing last looks across the Boardwalk as we go.
Another wonderful trip finished apart from the boring flight
home.