Trying to Get On-Track (Day 2 - 3/6)

We were too tired to try and wake-up in time for our first Fast-Pass at Hollywood Studios and Dave's friend Jackie wanted us to meet her at Epcot.  So, we drug ourselves out of bed just for Toy Story Midway Mania, Owens favorite ride last time.  Our plan was to hit that ride and then head over to Epcot.  Unfortunately, we got there just in time for the ride to break-down!!!  The good news is that they trade out your fast-pass in that case for a "universal" one that works on any ride in that particular park that you want at any time you want that day.  So, we walked over and hit the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, another first time for all of us.  It was great, not sure why we've never done that one before!!  The bad news is we were never able to get back on the ride.  The wait time was over an hour both additional trips we made to Hollywood Studios.

Then it was off to Epcot.  Doesn't Liv crack you up, she looked like a little old lady sitting across from us on the bus...she's so independent!!  She also refused to wear shorts which kind of cracked me up.

It really cracked me up that Liv was so bundled up.  It wasn't exactly hot, but, we were all comfortable in shorts and a tank top today for sure.  She so had to be dying!

We did eventually get her into shorts, so, I took a quick picture to commemorate it!  Hahaha!  After that, she didn't wear pants again while we were there.  Of course, each day was hotter than the one before, so, that kind of fixed the issue!

At Epcot Jacquie told us her girls' favorite ride was the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros (and Donald Duck of course!), so, we did that first and then had an amazing lunch at La Cantina de San Angel, also in Mexico.  Owen and I both had the Empanadas con Queso (Fried flour tortillas filled with cheese and served with Mexican slaw.)  Dave had nachos that were loaded high and especially good and Olivia had the very festive chicken tenders, haha.  Jacquie's girls were both pretty sleepy when we met up with them the night before, so, there wasn't much interaction.  But, this morning, Liv and Anika (almost 3) really hit it off.  They really would have liked to just play than ride any of the rides or walk around the park.  They also realized right off that they both had Little Mermaid shirts on, totally unplanned!

Then we were off to hit the Seas with Nemo and Friends before Jacquie and her family had to head home.  We jumped on the hotel bus ourselves and headed back to the hotel for a much needed nap.

We had a surprise for Owen scheduled that night!  We had to head over to the Contemporary Hotel for the Pirates and Pals Fireworks Cruise.  It was a lot of fun and we got to meet Captain Hook, Smee, and Peter Pan.  Definitely glad we did it!!

When you first check in, you are given a handkerchief that you are supposed to wear so that they can clearly tell that you belong on the cruise.  It was kind of cute, I read somewhere that these are such a collector's item, you can actually sell them on eBay for more than the cruise purchase price.

In typical Disney fashion, they think of everything.  So, while you wait for everyone to arrive, they have pictures and crayons out to keep the littlest ones busy.  Afterwards, you go into a conference room where Smee and Captain Hook are waiting to take pictures with you.  In the meantime, there are snacks of all kinds, cotton candy, ice cream including Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwiches and chocolate dipped ice cream bars, drinks, and of course, chocolate doubloons (totally didn't know it was spelled that way)!!

So, after everyone is all sugared up, it's off to the boats...you are on one of two boats, either Captain Hook's or Smee's.  But, neither character actually joins you, they just wave goodbye from the dock.  Instead, you are appointed a new captain, Patch or his twin brother Patch who made appearances earlier in the night.  On the way out to the appointed spot on the water, Patch leads up sing-alongs and works the crowd with jokes.  

He also goes through and asks where each family is from.  We were by far the farthest from home and one of only a few families not from Texas...  He also asks some Disney trivia and hands out prizes to the kids that answer correctly.  With a little help from his dad, Owen got the name of the parrot in Aladdin...Iago and was rewarded with a sword and eye patch.  Those that didn't answer any questions still got a prize as they exited the boat, a hook which Liv couldn't have been happier about!

The fireworks were great and it was a good view as well as being a unique one.  But, unfortunately, we were stuck on the wrong side of the boat, so, we had heads in our way.  It would have been nice if they'd at least turned the boat half-way through to give both sides a good view.  We also didn't get to see the water electrical parade that apparently is often a part of the tour if the timing is right.  I'd definitely ask more questions in the future if we were to choose to do this again!!

After departing the boat, you get to meet Peter Pan!!  I was excited about this trip mostly because these three characters are not typically available in the parks.  So, it was definitely an added bonus to get to meet them.  Olivia was so funny about Hook and Smee though.  She told us they were naughty and didn't want to meet them initially, hahaha.  She has a point!

Our hotel room is in the "Martinique" portion of the complex.  This place is HUGE!  We are the third bus stop of 7!!!  The buildings are all only 2 stories tall and each island is a differnent color and has its own pool, laundry facility, and picnic area.  It's really a beautiful complex.



High:  75
Low:  55

Steps Walked: 27,257
Miles: 11.74