After wandering around Epcot on a full stomach from both lunch and the food and wine festival, we managed to get onto a few attractions. My wife and I love going on the boat ride through Mexico and love the part at the end where the street merchants follow us down the river trying to âÂÂsellâ us something. We got some really neat pictures from different angles of Spaceship Earth and we used fast pass for Test Track.
We went back to Dixie Landings via bus and had a really cool driver (Robert) this time. We found out that Robert was going home for 3 days off after our drop-off, which explained his good demeanor. We walked around the resort and checked out Old Man Island (the main water recreation part of Dixie Landings). It was nice to be able to go at a slow pace and notice the little things that I missed when I was rushing around with the family in September. One of the things was the leaf imprints in the sidewalks around the island. I also noticed the woodwork, inside the main lobby of the resort, near the ceiling had distinct Micky shapes all the way around. We then went for a âÂÂrestâ (and I use that term loosely) at our room.
Hopping aboard another squealing Disney Bus, we made our way to Wilderness Lodge. We were going to depart for a Magic Kingdom Fireworks Cruise and were told to be there for 7:30. By this time, the weather started to turn and we found out that Mother Nature had a funny sense of humor. The temperature had dropped to around 50 and it started to drizzle. There was a young lady named Shari, who was a CM at the boat dock, with whom we struck up a conversation. She was one of the nicest people we could have met and took the time to make us feel at home. We chatted about many things and found that her and my wife has a lot of things in common. She also introduced us to a young lady named Angie who would be our boat captain for the evening cruise.
Angie. Young, pretty, did I mention young already? She introduced herself with the following words â Hi, IâÂÂm Angie and IâÂÂll be your boat driver for tonightâÂÂs cruise. By the way, I wanted to let you know ahead of time that this will be my very first night cruise!â AAAHHHHHHHHHHH! We made our way to the boat and cuddled up in the back seat (me and my wife, that is) with a blanket and a bottle of âÂÂalcohol freeâ wine. Angie would get in trouble if she were to allow someone to bring alcohol onto a boat, thatâÂÂs why we brought âÂÂalcohol freeâ wine. It seemed the boat motor would cut out when Angie tried to put it in reverse which lead me to rethink if I really wanted to go on this cruise or not. Temperature at 50 degrees, drizzling, very windy. Not the most desirable conditions to say the least. After Angie figured out that someone left the choke out on the motor, we were finally water-bound and headed for 7 Seas Lagoon. Surprisingly, Angie turned out to be a most sea-worthy soul. She maneuvered the boat while explaining how the different bodies of water came to be and how the âÂÂWater Bridgeâ was built. (thatâÂÂs the small tunnel you go under if you go to the Magic Kingdom by bus) She also told us of a wave machine, built across the lagoon from the Poly that was no longer in use due to the fact that it created beach erosion at the Poly at a substantial rate.
We arrived at our destination across from CindyâÂÂs Castle and there were about 4 other boats out there with us. The wind really picked up and caused the boat to drift at a pretty good clip but Angie was up to the task and kept us in a very good viewing area. Tink didnâÂÂt fly that night because of the wind but it probably would have been very hard to see her from our vantage point anyway. The fireworks were absolutely gorgeous against the beautiful changing color of the Castle and the wind was coming in our direction so we could hear the music from the Magic Kingdom. I couldnâÂÂt think of a more romantic spot to be than cuddled up with my honey under a blanket watching fireworks at DisneyWorld. After the 15-minute show, Angie took the long way back to dock to show and explain to us other parts of the âÂÂWorldâÂÂ. All in all the Terror on 7 Seas Lagoon turned out to be my premature imagination. When we got back to Wilderness Lodge, it was decorated so beautifully I couldnâÂÂt help to stop and admire the main lobby and tree. All I can say is WOW. I also noticed the bear and deer prints in the sidewalks at the Lodge. Well, itâÂÂs back to Dixie and a night of rest. I did have visions of Pleasure Island that night but those quickly faded as I realized IâÂÂm not as young as I used to be.
Next part (3) will feature Monday of Magic
Adam aka Big Dude
We went back to Dixie Landings via bus and had a really cool driver (Robert) this time. We found out that Robert was going home for 3 days off after our drop-off, which explained his good demeanor. We walked around the resort and checked out Old Man Island (the main water recreation part of Dixie Landings). It was nice to be able to go at a slow pace and notice the little things that I missed when I was rushing around with the family in September. One of the things was the leaf imprints in the sidewalks around the island. I also noticed the woodwork, inside the main lobby of the resort, near the ceiling had distinct Micky shapes all the way around. We then went for a âÂÂrestâ (and I use that term loosely) at our room.
Hopping aboard another squealing Disney Bus, we made our way to Wilderness Lodge. We were going to depart for a Magic Kingdom Fireworks Cruise and were told to be there for 7:30. By this time, the weather started to turn and we found out that Mother Nature had a funny sense of humor. The temperature had dropped to around 50 and it started to drizzle. There was a young lady named Shari, who was a CM at the boat dock, with whom we struck up a conversation. She was one of the nicest people we could have met and took the time to make us feel at home. We chatted about many things and found that her and my wife has a lot of things in common. She also introduced us to a young lady named Angie who would be our boat captain for the evening cruise.
Angie. Young, pretty, did I mention young already? She introduced herself with the following words â Hi, IâÂÂm Angie and IâÂÂll be your boat driver for tonightâÂÂs cruise. By the way, I wanted to let you know ahead of time that this will be my very first night cruise!â AAAHHHHHHHHHHH! We made our way to the boat and cuddled up in the back seat (me and my wife, that is) with a blanket and a bottle of âÂÂalcohol freeâ wine. Angie would get in trouble if she were to allow someone to bring alcohol onto a boat, thatâÂÂs why we brought âÂÂalcohol freeâ wine. It seemed the boat motor would cut out when Angie tried to put it in reverse which lead me to rethink if I really wanted to go on this cruise or not. Temperature at 50 degrees, drizzling, very windy. Not the most desirable conditions to say the least. After Angie figured out that someone left the choke out on the motor, we were finally water-bound and headed for 7 Seas Lagoon. Surprisingly, Angie turned out to be a most sea-worthy soul. She maneuvered the boat while explaining how the different bodies of water came to be and how the âÂÂWater Bridgeâ was built. (thatâÂÂs the small tunnel you go under if you go to the Magic Kingdom by bus) She also told us of a wave machine, built across the lagoon from the Poly that was no longer in use due to the fact that it created beach erosion at the Poly at a substantial rate.
We arrived at our destination across from CindyâÂÂs Castle and there were about 4 other boats out there with us. The wind really picked up and caused the boat to drift at a pretty good clip but Angie was up to the task and kept us in a very good viewing area. Tink didnâÂÂt fly that night because of the wind but it probably would have been very hard to see her from our vantage point anyway. The fireworks were absolutely gorgeous against the beautiful changing color of the Castle and the wind was coming in our direction so we could hear the music from the Magic Kingdom. I couldnâÂÂt think of a more romantic spot to be than cuddled up with my honey under a blanket watching fireworks at DisneyWorld. After the 15-minute show, Angie took the long way back to dock to show and explain to us other parts of the âÂÂWorldâÂÂ. All in all the Terror on 7 Seas Lagoon turned out to be my premature imagination. When we got back to Wilderness Lodge, it was decorated so beautifully I couldnâÂÂt help to stop and admire the main lobby and tree. All I can say is WOW. I also noticed the bear and deer prints in the sidewalks at the Lodge. Well, itâÂÂs back to Dixie and a night of rest. I did have visions of Pleasure Island that night but those quickly faded as I realized IâÂÂm not as young as I used to be.
Next part (3) will feature Monday of Magic
Adam aka Big Dude