Part 1 of this day is located HERE
We took the nap took the nap took the nap…until around 2:30. Then the phone rang, and we about fell out of the bed. I heard the Lodge ringtone and guessed it was ncligs on the caller ID. YEP! His flight had already arrived, and he was on the road down to Vero Beach. He asked how our trip had been going, and I asked if he was ready for Cindy to be around 24/7 (okay, not really, but I did ask if they were excited about her being down there full time). We talked for a couple more minutes and then let each other go. We'll meet up sometime Nick!
Sheri still had the adrenaline going from the phone ringing…she had already showered and was dressed and ready to go. That meant one thing:
I had better get my butt in gear and get dressed too!
I fill the ice bucket up with ice and throw the champagne (from Pat) in there to start chilling for when we got back tonight. We walk down to the bus stop and SNAP the Epcot bus to our stop (less than 2 minutes).
Over to Golfballland in a few minutes, and we immediately head for the tip board to see if there's a shot at Soarin….75 minutes…nope! No problem…we can look at some more of the World Showcase. We pop into the UK first to see if Mary Poppins was around. Nope. We then go to France so I could see if Belle was around. Nope. Hey…how about the wine tasting? Nope…line's waaay too long. Gray Goose Slushie Thingy? YEP!!!! It would have been perfect had I not spilled about 20% of it when I picked it up. Over to Morocco for Jasmine!!! Nope. Sheri takes a picture of a camel, and I try to convince her to take a picture of one of his feet for a joke pic to send to the Lodge Guys. She thinks about it for a second and then pulls about 20 hairs out of my arm.
WAIT…I see a flash of cyan near the water…it's Jasmine! WOOHOO!
Sorry, gals, it wasn't the John Stamos Aladdin from the 2005 trip report. Looking back, however, I think that may have been the Lodge's favorite Aladdin, so they're still probably cheering over there for him.
I look over and notice the bridge is up…here comes the globe.
We get to the American Adventure about ten minutes before the Voices of Liberty are to perform, so we grab some floor just under the rotunda. My first dream job at WDW would be a Dapper Dan. My second (a very close second), however, would be with this group. Some of it stems from the fact that, when I was with the Protestant Cadet Choir at the Air Force Academy and on trips, we would open up the concerts with Golden Dream, which I think is done at the attraction there (still have yet to see it). Having seen the sheet music with the 4 parts broken out (6 at the end of the song), and having sung the bass part, I have a strong respect for this group. Disney songs ain't easy to sing, and that has got to be one of the hardest. The crescendo at the end of that song, coupled with the 2- and 3-measure holds…it takes your breath away singing it, but bringing the audience to their feet on the first song is so worth it. Click here just in case you need a fix of the song. Needless to say, they did not disappoint at all, and it's hard not to feel at least a little patriotism after they get done singing.
I'm sorry I went on about that…it brought back some good memories, and I just let the fingers go. It could be worse…I could be talking about the flight back in this detail.
We have to hold the actual attraction for a later date as we have to hoof it over to Canada for our last table service dinner of the vacation…Le Cellier. We get there a few minutes early, but we're seated immediately. The guy seating us tells us we're going to his favorite table in "the Northwest Territory." It's kind of tucked away behind everything else, and it is perfect! Sheri got a chardonnay, and I went with a Moosehead. Usually, we agree to get different things to sample…this time, however, the mushroom filet came so highly recommended from several sources that we had to both get our own. When it comes to food, I'm not afraid to use my silverware as weapons to guard it. We both ordered the mushroom filet (mine medium, Sheri's dead and buried), and we also both got the highly touted cheddar soup. Our server recommended dipping the pretzel bread into the soup. I'm not a pretzel fan, but that was worth the price of the meal right there. You know how dogs are when they try to get every last piece of food in their bowl? That was me getting every last drip of that soup. Soup's gone, and so is the beer, so I switched to a Labatt Blue.
Then the filets came.
Oooohhhhhhhhh….that's about all I can say.
You almost didn't need a knife with this cut. The tenderness and the flavor were perfect. I think Sheri gave Jiko a slight edge as the best restaurant, but Le Cellier is right up there with it in my book. Oh, and the Labatt's gone now, so I went out on a limb and took the server's advice on trying a unibroue: the Maudite. I really liked it, but I can't really describe it. It's something that you have to taste for yourself, I think. Oh, and, if you're at Le Cellier, ask about the story behind the name and the label.
We decide to split on the dessert…I'm selfish and order the maple/vanilla crème brulee sampler (just added on the menu), while wifey orders the whiskey-soaked chocolate cake. I nearly had to use my silverware against my spouse for the maple crème brulee (I was like a dog getting that last morsel of food again).
As we head out of Le Cellier, I notice a billboard with a question on it…if I know the answer, I should tell the host/hostess. CathyCanada, you'll be happy to know that I became an honourary Canadian for a day (I even included that 'u' in honourary for the occasion).
Time to say "Goodbye" to Epcot and head to MK for the last night. On our way to the entrance, we hit the Beauty and the Beast topiary and get some photopass pics there. One of the poses would have been funny, had it been pulled off correctly…I'm supposed to be ferocious and growling, while Sheri is supposed to take some pose like a maiden with her arm up in the air. We were too busy laughing to get the pic to turn out. Gotta give credit to the Photopass dudette for originality.
We walk underneath Spaceship Earth and past the Peter Pan topiaries for the last time, with the ambient pirate singing from the movie in the background. See ya Epcot…it was really nice getting to know you finally!
Up the monorail ramp and SNAP, here it comes. We hop on and relax on the ride to the TTC. Down the ramp and up the ramp and SNAP, here it comes. We decided to take the resort monorail to see the Poly and the Grand Floridian one more time. Off the monorail, through bag check, through the turnstiles, assault Photopass guy, and we're on Main Street. We head over to grab FPs for Buzz and head over towards Fantasyland. Yet again, Sheri asks if I want to ride Dumbo, though I deserved it this time as I whined about the hotness that is Alice not being out by the teacups this time. We get in to do Philharmagic again…I cannot wait to bring Eric to this to see his reaction to the 3-D. If he's anything like his brother (and he is), he'll be reaching out to try to grab them. I watch the crowd almost as much as I do the screen…the kids having fun…the parents having fun. We both catch even more things in this viewing.
We head out and walk back to Tomorrowland for Buzz. There was a Dream Team CM talking to the folks in front of us…she talked to them the entire queue line. It was great as she showed genuine interest in their background (girl's in college…here with boyfriend I think). I hope their dreams did come true.
Game on! I miss the 100K target in the first room, but I nail the volcano a number of times for over 150K. Sheri tries shooting me (she's such a bad sport).
We decide to head over to Adventureland next for another ride on POC. There was a large group behind us…probably 12-15 people…having a good time in the queue. This wait was about 15 minutes…still not bad at all. After POC (the conveyor belt is still broken after it blew up back on day 2), we sneak through the crowds forming for Spectromagic and head over to Frontierland. Sheri comments on how dark Tom Sawyer's island is, and I ask if she's thinking of wanting to have a little "rendezvous" over there.
The response: more hair out of my arms.
We go past Splash Mountain and over to BTMRR. I rode this at night in Anaheim and wanted Sheri to experience how different the ride is at night. As we walk up, the CM sizes me up and reaches for a red card.
I'm now fully indoctrinated into WDW life (well, not fully…still waiting for a kiss from a princess). I get to do a red card!!!! The CM seemed relieved that he didn't have to explain what it was to me. The only reason I knew what they were for is because I think Mark (Mare's DH) did the red card for just about every attraction we went on. The posted time when we got there was 20 minutes. My goal is to get that changed!! As fast as we go through the queue, I don't think we'll have a problem getting it lowered.
VERY fun ride at night. I had my hands up, and Sheri tried, but she kept bringing them back down when we got into a tunnel. She liked the ride at night too!
We walk out and check the posted wait time.
10 minutes.
I almost started doing a celebration dance.
Part 3 (the end (FINALLY) of the report) is located HERE
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