[RocklandRVers]

DAY 4 (Tuesday. December 21) EPCOT & ANIMAL KINGDOM


We decided to sleep a bit late today since we had lots of activities on our first two days and nights since arriving. After breakfast at the campsite & showers at the comfort station, we headed out to EPCOT by 10:30. When we arrived it was nice and sunny which warmed things up a bit. Still when you got into the shade it was chilly.

Our plan was to focus on World Showcase and catch the things we had missed or just glossed over on previous trips. Since we had time to kill before the 11:00 opening we went into Mickey Gear and browsed around. We bought a couple of presents for family and friends and I got myself a patriotic themed WDW cap that caught my eye. Our shopping ended just about 11:00 so we headed over the WS starting with Mexico. We really wanted to get on Maelstrom in Norway since it always had long waits causing us to pass it up on previous trips. Since we were some of the first in WS and crowds light, we figured we had a good chance at getting on right away. We made our way to the entrance and saw no line, but then saw that people were being turned away. As we got there the CM told us the Boat Ride was experiencing technical difficulties and would be down for an hour or more. OUCH! We will try it later or another time.

We made our way past China and lingered a bit longer in Africa watching a wood carver work on a very ornate walking stick and looking over some of the other beautiful carved pieces he had for sale.

Next was Germany where a cute outdoor miniature railroad display was running. We loved looking at all the detail. We also went into a few of the shops. DS wondered if I wanted one of the huge beer steins he found. I passed on it even though it was a work of art in itself. We did like the clocks and thought that we might get one someday once our new house is built hopefully by next summer.

We skipped past Italy and went on the American Adventure where the show was just about to begin. Our luck was not good today. AA was down due to technical difficulties. DS had been talking about the funnel cakes since the last time we had them there in July. Since it had been a while since breakfast, we got 2. He ate one himself while DW and I shared along with a hot chocolate. We sat on the stone benches outside Japan where we got a lot of sun and could people watch, which we do enjoy so much.

We went on to Morocco which we had skipped over exploring previously. We made our way back onto the streets and were once again struck with the detail and how we really got the feeling we had traveled to Marrakech. Back out on the main path, my son reminded me of the hidden Mickey made out of brass plates on the door of the Moroccan vendor’s tent.

On we trekked to France and finally got in to see the movie. This is something Disney does best: the wide screen movies that really give you the feeling as if you are part of the action. It was a great way to get acquainted with the gorgeous scenery of France.
We had seen Great Britain and Canada in more detail previously so we headed on past them and back toward Norway. DS suggested we might want to eat lunch in Mexico. As we got closer though, we saw that the Cantina was packed and all the tables were full. It also appeared as though a throng of people had moved on to Norway as well. It looked like Maelstrom was off the agenda again today.

We turned around and headed back to the WS entrance and saw that Epcot’s Vibe show at the Christmas tree was to start in about 5 minutes so we found a nice place to sit in the sun and watch. Good thing because as we got settled we were joined by a fairly large crowd. This is a great group of performers who sing and dance to up tempo versions of some Christmas classics strummed out on a bass violin. It was a fun 15-minute show that got everyone clapping and singing along.

Next on the plan was to head back to camp and take care of our dog, Shamrock. We always try and remember that it’s his vacation too. While we were there, we grabbed a quick sandwich for lunch and afterward headed over to Animal Kingdom.

We had never been to AK except during the mornings and most always got there at opening. It was different to find the parking lot so full. Once parked and inside the gates we saw AK packed for the first time ever. Our big must see was the parade, which we never saw except of TV. DS had wanted to go on Kali Rapids, but it was just too chilly to get wet today so we agreed to try and get on Kiliminjaro Safaris. The standby wait was way too long and would mean we would miss the parade and FPs were gone. Even the FP line was long. As we passed the line, a very nice gentleman with a child who was obviously tired and cranky asked if we wanted his 2 FPs that were for 2:00-3:00. At first my DS said no since he had only 2, but I quickly grabbed them. DW said she would just sit this one out and I told her no that we would try to get all of us on. Just then the CM canvassed the FP line again for early FP holders and I shuffled DW and DS up to the front and the CM waved us through. Hey what difference would one extra person make. We agreed that if they gave us a problem about having only 2 FPs, that we wouldn’t make a fuss. When we got to the front of the FP line I handed the FPs to the CM who took them and didn’t bother to count. He just asked how many and I said 3. We moved ahead and were seated fairly quickly.

I like this ride even though the story is kind of hokey. Its cool to ride out onto the very realistic savannah and see the animals. I guess since it was chilly and maybe since it was late in the day that we didn’t see a lot of wildlife. In fact none of the giraffes that are usually feeding were visible. I was just glad we could save the baby elephant from the poachers again.

Once off the ride we made our way to try and find a spot to see the parade since it began near KS entrance. Already the street was getting filled and we found a spot at the end of a rope line. DS felt he had just enough time to get some popcorn, but after waiting in line for a couple of minutes he heard the CMs warning people the parade was about to start and that once it began they could not cross the street so he decided to skip the popcorn.

The holiday version of the parade was great. It was a high energy show with neat floats and performers on stilts from the Lion King show. We really enjoyed it.

After the parade we joined the hoards of people headed out of the park that inched along behind the tail end of the parade. Of course it meant that we kept getting separated. We just told each other to meet up at the entrance. We inched along and finally made it out of the park where we hooked up together and headed on to the car. WHEW! This was the biggest crowd we experienced yet in all our visits to WDW parks and we survived. If we could handle this and have fun, there should be no problem the rest of the stay as it gets busier at the other parks.

We headed back to camp. DS takes a ride on his bike and of course calls NY to speak to one of his friends that just happen to be a girl. DW and I give Shamrock a nice long walk along the canal and then make sure he had food and fresh water in the motorhome. DS makes his way back to the site where we discuss dinner plans. We decided that we would pass on Cracker Barrel as originally planned and go to Crockett’s Tavern for pizza and wings. It is a great place to sit and relax without having to drive outside the campground. Its also never crowded when we have gone and to food isn’t bad. We order a pizza and DS has his hot wings while DW and I share some chicken quesadillas. We box up half the pizza and take it back to camp.

Tonight we want to see the campfire show again so we head over with our blankets. DW and I cuddle up in the bleachers and enjoy Sundee’s sing along. Chip came over and gives DW a hug. DS is embarrassed that we act like kids. I told him to get over it. LOL

Tonight’s movie is Toy Story II. We watch for about 45 minutes and I remind them that we have an early morning planned, so we head for camp. We had left the heat on and were glad we did. It had gotten quite chilly. As we snuggle in our warm blankets we watch the weather on TV. We can expect a warming trend over the next few days! Great!