Disney Vacation - Part 3

Go read part one first.
Then go read part two.

Wednesday
We started the day around 7:15 and, after shaking off the cobwebs, got everything organized and went for breakfast in the dining hall. After the previous day's mistake, we hopped on the bus waiting outside the hotel lobby and were dropped right in front of the entrance to Animal Kingdom. Much better idea.

Now, β₀ had 2 things on her agenda for the day. Meet characters and see animals. In that order of priority. We, being the logical yet silly adults, decided to hike out to Africa to jump on the Safari ride before the lines got insane. It was a perfectly reasonable plan, but not one readily accepted by a 6 year old who wanted her picture taken with Mickey and Donald. However, due to lack of insight, the adults' decision stood and, for the second day in a row, we had a very unhappy little princess. Of course, β1 was ecstatic on the ride. Hippos, rhinos, giraffes, nile crocs, okapi, lions, a cheetah, and elephants. And those were just the ones she loved the most. β₀ was trying very hard to maintain a foul disposition, but it wasn't quite working. Until the ride was over and she saw the webkinz for sale. Nothing that we couldn't find outside of Disney, mind you, just right there. And jacked up 20% over retail. This was one of those times during parenthood that you really need to pick your battles. Would $16 save the day? From that perspective, we did what we needed to do and bought her the damn koala. Oops, the little one wanted a leopard now, too. If this one gets unhappy, it's going to be a lot louder than a grumpy pout session. Another $16. Ship it.

Girls happy now? Check. Let's get the hell out of Africa before they find another reason and we have to cut the vacation short for lack of funds. Off to Camp Minnie-Mickey to visit Mickey and Donald. Thankfully, we didn't need to wait in the Minnie and Goofy lines since they came to us at dinner the previous night. It's the small things, right? Anyway, the weather is frightfully frigid for Florida, even in January. The night before was the coldest in Orlando in 5 years. So while ε, her mom, and the β's wait for pictures, I go with her dad in search of coffee. 10 minutes to the nearest stand, 20 minutes in line, and another 10 minutes back but at least I'm drinking something hot. Timing was good, though, as they were just finishing with Mickey (Donald only took like 10 minutes) and we decided it was time for a hot lunch.

Well, evidently, the food at the one restaurant there with indoor seating is really bad so we picked up some fairly tasty barbecue and ate on picnic tables. That was tolerable as long as the blasted wind wasn't kicking up. After we finished up, it was off to Dino Land. β₀ could dig for dinosaur bones and play in the rope netting while β₁ was riding some rides.

It didn't take too long before they were bored there, so we continued along to Asia. ε and I really wanted to ride Expedition Everest, but the line was around 2 hours long and they were no longer offering any Fast Passes. Sigh. Our consolation prize was that we got to see the bird show. Yeah yeah, smart birds doing tricks. But I got to sit down for a half hour, so that's something. Following the show, we decided to head back to the resort to relax for an hour before dinner, so we caught the bus and made it back around 4:30.

Our dinner reservations were for 7:20 at Le Cellier Steakhouse in Epcot's version of Canada. Not knowing how long it would take to get there, we got on the bus at 6:00 and were deposited at Epcot's front gate by 6:30. 15 minutes later, we were standing in front of the restaurant with 35 minutes to kill. So we meandered into the World Showcase for a little bit and arrived back just in time to be seated immediately, even though the dining room was packed. They must have their reservation system down to a science. I was happy to find they had Moosehead Pale Ale on the menu, as it is not that easy to find in the U.S. When we were on our cruise to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia a few years ago, we toured the brewery and got to sample some of the wares. The Pale Ale is very tasty so I had a couple with dinner. My selections were the Prince Edward Island Mussels, served chowder style with applewood smoked bacon and potatoes, and Sauteed Shrimp and Bay Scallops, served with a rich lobster cream sauce, linguini and spinach, finished with lobster oil. Mmmmm. ε had the Mixed Field Greens with crumbled bleu cheese and pecan-shallot vinaigrette and Le Cellier Mushroom Filet Mignon with baby bella wild mushroom risotto, white truffle and herb butter sauce, topped with parsnips. I kept it simple for dessert and went with the creme brulee. Dessert was the least satisfying part of the meal and it was still pretty darn tasty. Overall, probably my favorite meal of the trip, but not by much. Stay tuned.

By the time dinner was over it was almost 9:00, everyone was exhausted, and the kids couldn't even walk to the bus. I will say that carrying almost 50 pounds of tired child halfway across Epcot was the exact antithesis of what I really needed at the time, but what could I do? Buck up, get to the bus, back to the room, and pass out.

Next... Day 4, Sea World