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[ilovedisney247]

Originally Posted by zacksmom_1993

Sha- I'm LOVING reading about how much you get done in short periods of time. I may have even created a P-Sha speed calculation to help with December's plans. I think we'll be OK, even though I got a little worried when that one podcast said that those who've been successful on the UMK plan have tended to be marathon runners. Ummm, the only time I run is when someone is chasing me!

Can't wait to read the rest (especially because when this TR ends, the next one can begin!)

Can you run a marathon in flip flops? I'm not sure that you can, but I'm busy breaking in my UMK flops--I'm down to walking under a 13 minute mile--any faster and I'd be jogging--I don't jog.

I'm more than ready for the next TRIP to start!!! Except I haven't quite finished with the glue gun yet . . .

[janicelovesmickey]

as always LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUR PHOTOS,
wow you got a TON of candy, we didnt trick or treat at all

[mom2twingirlies]

Yay, I had the right answer.... ok not until after the hint, but I'm still claiming that I got it.

[PrincessSharon]

Originally Posted by Caldercup

Hey! You mean ME, don't you?!

Oh, well... at least **I** knew the answer right away!
Eileen

Umm... maybe.

[PrincessSharon]

Day Three – Monday, October 26
Le Cellier without an ADR

I was up earlier than I expected. I considered heading to AK for EMH, but decided to make it a leisurely morning instead. I packed up and got ready, then stored my bags. I walked over to Epcot and straight to the Land pavilion.

Even though it was after opening, the line for Soarin’ hadn’t built up too much yet. I used the standby line and waited about 15 minutes before riding. I was assigned to the third row, so I asked the CM if I could wait for the front. I didn’t even need the middle section, just row 1 somewhere. I waited for it with a large group (they got the middle section, I was to the right). I do love Soarin’!

I wanted to see what had changed in the Living with the Land ride, so I did that next. For the record, I couldn’t spot anything new or different, but I admit I’m not really all that familiar with every detail of the ride. I took a few pictures and managed to spot a Hidden Mickey. It was a tricky one, so I won’t tell you which picture has the Hidden Mickey.














I went to the Seas next. There was nobody in the queue, so I walked right into my own clammobile. When I boarded, I got to see the wheelchair accessible clammobile, which is like a double-wide clammobile. I thought it was really cool! At one point during the ride, we slowed down enough that I was able to get a couple of decent photos.













After finding Nemo, I had a look around in the tank. I visited the manatees first, which are a favorite.



















And then I watched a dolphin presentation for a while. It was pretty cool. They were working with the dolphins to determine how they locate stuff. There were two sets of squares and they’d arrange them in the same pattern. One set was empty and one set had Mickey heads in the center. A CM would hold a Mickey head in one of the empty squares and the dolphin would go to the other set and “point” to the same square.



We had to make sure he got it right before we could clap. The dolphin got it right only about half the time, and sometimes he needed a hint. To help him out, they'd remove the Mickey heads from the wrong squares and leave the one in the correct square. It was really fascinating to watch.



I decided that since I’d struck out trying to find Goofy the night before, I’d head over to the Character Connection and hopefully the line wouldn’t be too bad. On the way I ran into Maria! We chatted for a bit and then I went to check out the queue. It looked longer than I felt like waiting, so I decided to skip it.

I remembered the new ride Sum of all Thrills had opened up, so I headed into Innoventions figuring I’d try it out. Of course, I didn’t remember which Innoventions it was (and even if I knew east or west, I don’t actually know which one’s east and which one’s west). I was in the wrong one anyway, so that was that!

I decided to do Spaceship Earth. The line was short, but the ride was slightly disappointing. I made a face, but you couldn’t really see it in my photo, and the video was kind of dull. Also, by a strange coincidence, the couple sitting in front of me had the exact same video. They must’ve made the exact same choices. It was a little freaky! I spent more time watching both screens to see whether they’d differ at all.

After SE, I did a little shopping, but I didn’t make any more purchases. I was in search of a new FP holder (my old one had broken), but they don’t seem to sell them anymore.

I was hungry by this time, and more importantly, WS was open, so it was time to hit the F&WF!



I walked over and decided to start in San Juan, Puerto Rico.


Ham Croquette/Croquettas de Jamon, $3.25

That was tasty. When I was looking for a spot to sit and eat it, who should I see but Maria again! We decided to team up, since we’d both agreed to meet Molly and em later (if you’re thinking to yourself, “self, who’s this Molly and em that she’s talking about?”, well you need to read Maria’s TR to find out). Of course, you could just keep reading this one and find out, but then you’d be missing out on Maria’s side of the story (and Ben's, but I’m getting away from the point).

Maria was enjoying the rock shrimp ceviche she’d gotten from Santiago, Chile. We were both puzzled because it was served with popcorn on top of it. Random, right? Well, I decided to head over to the Chile booth myself and get something. I wanted an arepa, but it wasn’t ready yet. I waited the few minutes and while I did, I got to enjoy the puzzled look of every single guest who got the shrimp ceviche with popcorn on top of it. Because I had to wait (and really, it was only about 5 minutes), a CM gave me the dulce de leche cookies for free. And I hadn’t even said a word about it! My food was ready shortly thereafter and I joined Maria on the bench and dug in.


Corn and Cheese Arepa, $3.00


Alfajores (Dulce de Leche Cookie), $2.25

The arepa was delish! The cookie was delish, too. I shared one with Maria, and she agreed it was yummy.

We hit Canada next. I think Maria got the salmon? I don’t remember. I know I had the spicy chicken sausage. It actually looked… slightly unappealing. But it was gooo-oood!


Spicy Chicken Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta, $3.75

It was indeed spicy, though! The polenta was a perfect balance and cooled down my mouth nicely. That was one of my favorites (I had a lot of favorites ).

Maria had to stop for a bio break, and like my BFF Eileen, she has her favorites, so we walked over to the UK. While I waited for her, I sent a text to Molly to let her know where we were. She said they were over by PR, I think, so when Maria rejoined me, we walked over to meet Molly and em (and Maria, I am using that forever, so to you, or Ben, I guess, who thought it up).

We found Molly (wvugrrrl), her DH Travis (doctorhead) and BFF Joey (ThatGuy), Matt (MattUGA) and his DW Bethany (Figment Fan) around Canada. They all had matching t-shirts on, and of course I did not, but Joey had some stickers with the logo on them so I could pretend I was drinking my way around WS, too.

Molly and em had an ADR for Le Cellier and Molly offered to see if they could add 2 more people. I was sure they couldn’t, but figured I’d let her try. We walked over and Maria and I waited outside (being ADR-less ) while the others went inside. Much to our surprise, Molly came out a couple of minutes later saying we were in! WTG, Molly, and your super duper Le-Cellier-CM-mojo.

We were seated almost immediately, and I checked out the menu. I’d already sampled quite a few items outside, so I decided to skip a starter (unless you consider a Torontopolitan a starter ). For my main course, I settled on a Caesar salad. I sipped my cocktail, munched on the yummy breadsticks and laughed at Molly’s hilarious recount of their antics thus far.

After a good while (the service was slow, and I didn’t have an appetizer), the main courses finally arrived (well, Molly had to wait a little longer for hers, so I suppose her super duper Le-Cellier-CM-mojo only works on the CMs out front. ).


Caesar Salad with Chicken

It was very good, if a bit salty for my taste. The best part of the meal was the conversation, for sure. For dessert, I had the maple crème brulee. I was slightly disappointed, though, because it was more like maple custard. Barely bruleed at all. I’m going to start ordering my crème brulee well done!


Maple Crème Brulee

I rarely even try for an ADR at Le Cellier, not because I don’t like it, but rather because I’m not the biggest fan of steak. This meal, while acceptable, didn’t make me feel like I’ve been missing out. I definitely have had better meals there.

Molly and em continued their bar crawl, stopping to get something in the UK. I guess whatever it was wasn’t really good, since it took Molly a while to finish it. I didn’t plan to drink much, since I had to fly home (and also, it was hot, and I don’t feel like drinking much when it’s really hot). But I wanted to have one FAB. When we got to France, Molly treated me to my FAB. A red one (which just happens to be my favorite color).


Parisien Cosmo Slush, $8.50

Molly had one too. It was good (and red), but not good enough to make it into the top 5 at Epcot. We stopped to talk (and I think wait for Matt, who was still in line getting a grey goose slush ). I admired Molly’s ability to multitask.




The twinkle in her eye cracks me up! Everyone but me decided to do the beer tasting, and we spent a good while there, talking. We also noticed quite a few characters, none of the Disney variety. There were your average characters – drunks, people in odd clothing, etc. Then there were a few standouts. The guy with the tail (see Molly and Matt’s TR for a photo) and the don’t-even-know-how-to-describe-them grannies, older ladies (like in their 60s) with long dreadlocks, loads of piercings, tattoos, tie dye shirts, and wearing clothes that I normally associate with 14-year-old skateboarders. Check out M&M’s TR for photos of them too.

I started to get a little bummed that I had to leave, so I wasn’t quite myself. guys! All too soon, it was time for me to say my goodbyes and head back to the BC to catch DME. And I’d waited so long, I no longer had time to visit Seashore Sweets to get DM some fudge. She still hasn’t completely forgiven me.

Back at the BC, I collected my luggage, filled my mug one last time and went out to wait for the bus. It arrived within about 5 minutes and I was on my way home. The ride was uneventful (we stopped at the BW and then CSR before heading to MCO).

There weren’t long lines, so I was able to check my bag and make it through security quickly. Then I bought a bottle of water and settled in at my gate. My flight was going to be 20 minutes late, but I think it’s because the flight ahead of mine was running late.

The flight was completely full, but the good news is after a smooth flight, we landed right on time, making up that 20 minutes. I collected my suitcases and headed home.

Up Next: Final Thoughts and Ramblings

[Jillybean]

You certainly made the most of your time at Epcot! How cool that Molly was able to wield her magic wand and get you into Le Cellier with em ()! Sorry that your creme brulee was bruleed enough though.

And no wonder you weren't yourself - - you had to leave right in the middle of the fun. You even made me depressed! Glad that you had a good flight home though!

Jill

[lindawdw]

What a fun last day you had Sharon! Glad you were able to have lunch with Maria, Molly and em and enjoy some FB's too! I loved your pics of The Living Seas area. Once again I really enjoyed reading another Sharon TR! You're just the most entertaining TR writer and I look forward to every update Can't wait to hear your final thoughts.

[lauriep]

Great last day! I've enjoyed the report so much. Has anyone posted a pic of the popcorn-topped shrimp? How very odd!

I meant to comment after your night at MNSSHP that I think you probably DID see Goofy. He was just in costume and you didn't recognize him!

[KMB733]

Sounds like a wonderful last day!

[Caldercup]

Sigh.... I hate the words "I packed up and stored my bags." It makes for a very melancholy update.

But it looks like you had a good time, even if you didn't hook up with Goofy.

I love the twinkle you captured in Molly's eye -- and I love her hair cut! (Last time I saw her, her hair was long!)

So sad you're now home, but... looking at my countdown, it's not too long 'til you'll be back.
Eileen

[Mauimouse]

What a fantastic last day that you had over at Epcot. I agree that sausage from Canada looks a little strange, but glad to hear that it was good.

[rhinohunter]

Great last day. I am envious of the amount of stuff you can cram into a short period of time. Glad you made it home safely. Looking forward to your final thoughts.

[lazanya]

Great last day!

[wvugrrrl]

Oh P-Sha. Why do you think we were drinking so much towards the end? It wasn't because we were trying to break World Showcase records. We were drinking away the pain of you leaving! (Seriously! We were so bummed after you left ...until we got too drunk , and then we sort of forgot ...but then we were kind of glad that you weren't there to have to put up with our ridiculous shenanigans! )

You and Maria were hilarious at the check-in stand at Le Cellier - when I came out to tell you that they were going to make a table for us, Maria's comment of, "We were waiting outside so we wouldn't be disappointed if you guys got in and we didn't." tickled me to death. And for the record, it wasn't my charm that got us those extra seats; it probably had something to do with the fact that I "slurred" to the host, "Either my friends get in or NO ONE DOES! All for one and one for ALL!" (or something like that )

That sausage/polenta thing was what Joey got as an app at LC (although his didn't look as...phallic? on the plate as yours did! ). He raved about how good it was (and I'm not 100% on this, but I'm pretty sure there was a brief bit of plate licking going on ). Speaking of LC, I feel the same way you do about it - which is why we only go at lunch time, and we only get the Prime Rib sandwiches.

Also, I'd just like to clarify - this is not my "I'm twinkling mischievously" look:

It's more like, "I DARE you to say I might have an alcohol problem. TRIPLE-DOG DARE!"

Originally Posted by Caldercup

I love the twinkle you captured in Molly's eye -- and I love her hair cut! (Last time I saw her, her hair was long!)

Thanks for the compliment, Eileen (but seriously, my hair was so gross and sweaty that day! I promise it'll look better for pseudo-Mousefest!)

[Colexis Mom]

That was a great last day Sharon! Some great eats, with some great friends! Looking forward to your final thoughts, and I'm sure there must be another pre-trip report in the near future!