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Day 9, The last day?

Cast:

Bill, 38, Police firearms instructor, husband to Susan, father to Olivia, driver and carrier of heavy things.

Susan, 40-something, Diplomatic Historian, Wife to Bill, mum to Olivia, purchaser of heavy things for Bill to carry.

Olivia, not quite 3, sweetness and light personified

Dates Sept. 13-23


We arise at 7:30, to a gorgeous morning. And to a child that is positively full of beans! Olivia appears to have fully recovered. Susan and I are happy and relieved, but no one seems happier than Olivia is.

After breakfast, during the drive to Epcot, We had a discussion about the fact that we were glad we would be getting one more day in the parks so that Olivia could finish the trip on a positive note. We wanted to see and do a few more things, and get some goodies for tomorrow's (sat. 9/22) long drive home.

As we were passing Downtown Disney, I said: "y'know… maybe we ought to stay one more day. What d'you think?" Susan smiled and said she thought it might be a good idea… we were decided! That was easy! We're staying an extra day! Woo Hoo!

We got to Epcot, and parked in "Journey #9"… the lot was nearly empty. We boarded the Monorail for the Magic Kingdom, where I once again heard the magic phrase: "Please stand clear of the doors… Por favor mantengan se allejados de las puertas" as usual, I couldn't help smiling when I heard that.

The Magic Kingdom seemed to be more crowded than it had been during the pre-illness phase of our trip. What that means is that the place wasn't deserted like it had been before. The park was by no means crowded. Naturally, I stopped to check out the pins at the pin station right at the bottom of Main Street before we did anything else. We ambled into Frontierland and Olivia said that she wanted "to ride the boat!" So we took a ride on the Jungle Cruise… Olivia really enjoyed it and so did we. I think that the key to having a really good time on the Jungle Cruise is having a CM that appears to be enjoying his/her job.

Next up was "Small World." Some of you, no doubt, have noticed the number of times we went on this ride. All I can say is that Olivia enjoys it (we do too) and after the first couple of times, that bloody song doesn't even drive me nuts anymore.
Next was a double dose of the "Tomorrowland Transportation Authority." This year was my first time ever going on this particular attraction, and it now ranks among my favorites. Not only does it give a good view of Tomorrowland, it also gives an opportunity for some great photos (got a few great shots of the Castle). We rode through it twice so Olivia could have a wee break… we didn't want to wear her out after her illness, but to tell the truth, she was rarin' to go! After TTA, we did Buzz Lightyear again. We didn't score so well on Buzz, since this time, we let Olivia steer the car for part of the time. I'll tell you something… I never expected to have nearly as much fun on Buzz as I wound up having… it really is fun! I think Susan likes it even more than I do J Olivia really liked it too, even though she is so small, there are lots of neat sounds, lights, and things to look at.

After Buzz, we finally got to do what I have been waiting for since we arrived in Florida!
We went to the "Carousel of Progress" Woo Hoo! Does anyone love the COP more tham me? I don't think so! I am saddened to think that some day, probably soon, the Carousel of Progress will be deemed too old, too expensive, not fast or thrilling enough, and disappear, only to be replaced by another bloody roller-coaster! It would be a great shame, and a complete disservice to Walt Disney's legacy and vision. I am tempted, at this point, to break into song, but I will refrain.

During our visit, we also did the "Country Bears Jamboree" this was another first for me (sue me, I'm a creature of habit!). While we were waiting for this attraction, I noticed a young woman wearing a T-shirt bearing the logo for "The Dis," which is one of many Disney forums I participate in. I spoke with her and her companion for a bit, and she told me that they had just come from a breakfast meet with some other forum participants. I thought that was kind of neat. The Jamboree was fun, but truthfully, I was just glad to sit down with the cool air blowing, and close my eyes for a few moments.

By this time, I was getting hungry, and a hungry Bill can be a cranky Bill, so we went to lunch. We decided to eat at the "Robin Hood" burger place. I'm not really sure that is the proper name for it, but it is the sit-down counter service, right next to Small World. Anyway, the food was good enough, but it still isn't as much fun as Cosmic Ray's. Ah well, to each his own, eh?

After lunch, we did some more shopping (are you getting the feeling that we did more shopping than anything else?) at Sir Mickey's and at Tinkerbell's, where Susan bought a lacy, frilly, dress for you-know-who.

We were planning to go back to Epcot, so we strolled down Mainstreet, pin hunting all the way. By the time we got finished and to the Monorail, she-who-must-be-obeyed had gone to sleep in her stroller.

We arrived at Epcot, with no particular plans besides having dinner that evening at Marrakesh, so we did what we like to do best at Epcot (no, not have a Margarita… that was later): We took a stroll… a promenade, if you will, around the World Showcase. We stopped in this store, looked at the things in that store. We bought Tapestry of Nations T-shirts, which were being sold at the ridiculous price of $9.99!

We circled WS twice before our 7:15 seating at Marrakesh. The restaurant was nice. It wasn't terribly crowded. So we were seated near the place that the musicians and the belly dancer performed. The musicians were great, as was the service. My food was perfect! I had the Lemon Chicken, which was perfectly done. It was mildly spiced and was delicious with the lemon preserve that it was basted with. Susan had the vegetable Couscous. She had so much, I wound up eating some of it too! It was wonderful. Olivia had a great time watching the musicians and the belly dancer. After dinner (which was quite reasonably priced) we walked through the Moroccan market, where I bought a fez. Go ahead and laugh, but I look pretty good in it!

Apparently, a thunderstorm had passed through the area while we were having dinner, because there was LOTS of water on the ground when we came out of Marrakesh. We walked back in the direction of the International Gate, since it was time to go back to our hotel. We passed Chefs De France, and promised ourselves that we would eat there on our next trip.

As we walked around towards the main exit of the park, we noted how eerily quiet the place was. Oh, there were plenty of people about, but they were all being fairly quiet too, as they staked out places to watch Illuminations. They needn't have bothered… there wasn't a bad spot in the house that night.

There was a nice breeze blowing that held the smell of the storm that had just gone by. There was lightning flashing in the distance, and the thunder rumbled far away, letting us all know that it was someone else's turn to get wet. Right about then, I was experiencing one of many Disney Magic moments for this trip. We were finishing a very full, but wonderful day, we had eaten a great meal with fine entertainment, we were together in our very favorite place, and all was right in our world.

We left Epcot at 8:20, went home and got cleaned up. Olivia went off to bed, while Susan and I briefly sorted through all of the stuff we had bought that day. We added today's pile of new treasure to the huge pile that had already accumulated… we really had a lot of stuff!

We sat down to read, and naturally, Susan fell asleep right away. I read for a while before going to bed.

Tomorrow: Bonus Day!