DAY 22
TUES 18th JAN 2000
After our
late night we sleep in until 9:00. We could probably stay
in bed a little longer but this is our last full day
(sniff, sniff) so we have to get up to make full use of
it.
We are going to Epcot but get the bus to the Magic
Kingdom to try and ride the front of the monorail for the
first time. Goodness knows we have tried many times on
this and previous trips.
We ride the resort monorail to the TTC and then have to
wait for the second train before the front is free.
Unfortunately only 4 can ride but Grandma is very
gracious and sits in the main compartment. The rest of us
pile in alongside the driver and off we go. I really
enjoy this up front view a lot and video most of the
journey over to Epcot. You really do get a different
perspective up there.
So now we are all sorted. I am going to be a monorail
driver, Tammy is going to be a seamstress in the costume
department and Grandma is going to help out in the
gardens. (She might do a bit of night work as a dancer at
Mannequins as well.)
In Epcot we go straight to Test Track and pick up a
fastpass then stroll over to Honey I Shrunk The Audience.
Tammy gets all misty eyed at True Colours as usual. The
mice don't work for me or Tammy, I'm not sure if the
effect comes from the seat in front of you or under your
own seat. We both have bags in front of our legs but I
always thought that it comes from behind you.
On to the Millennium Village to ride Journey to
Jerusalem. This is a very tame simulator, but at least it
adds something rather than just watching a film.
The whole Millennium Village is somewhat similar to the
Tardis in Dr Who, it is deceptively big inside.
Over to Test Track to use our fastpasses. We all think
this is a great ride, just the right amount of thrill. I
used to enjoy World of Motion but this is a worthy
successor.
It is now about 3:00 and a late lunch is called for. We
leave through the International Gateway and walk to
Beaches and Cream in the Yacht and Beach Club, another
first for us. We have 2 Grand Slams and an order of onion
rings between 4 of us while India has the chicken noodle
soup. The waiter divides the 2 burgers onto 4 plates and
it is still too much for us. These things are huge,
triple decker burgers with cheese.
We follow this up with a Milky Way Sundae which again is
massive but , with all of us attacking it, we manage to
eat it all. You can practically feel the arteries
clogging.
We take a SLOW walk back to Epcot and Canada where we
watch O Canada. This is always a favourite, not least
because of the music.
Back to ride Spaceship Earth. This is only the second
time that I have ridden on this trip, practically a sin.
Into Innoventions where we send a video postcard. Hardly
worth it really as we are going home tomorrow. (sob!)
We want to make a CD to include the music from Spaceship
Earth and so we trot across to the Image Works in the
Imagination pavilion. As we pass there is no line for
Journey Into Your Imagination so we go in. Second time
round I appreciate a couple of the clever illusions like
the butterfly in the cage and the explosion at the end,
if they had made the whole ride to this standard then it
would have been very good. As it is they need to revamp
quickly.
In the Image Works we are disappointed by the limited
selection to choose from to make a CD so we don't bother.
We walk around World Showcase sampling a Beaver Tail and
a Funnel Cake, after all our cholesterol level has
probably dropped below the critical level, a couple of
fried products are just what we need.
We stake out a place in front of Germany and watch
Tapestry of Nations for the 4th time with a large Becks
and it is soon time for Reflections of Earth. It seems
that no matter how many times I see this show it never
fails to move and amaze me. How do they detonate those
large shells so perfectly in time with the music? It is a
bitter sweet moment as it finishes, knowing that it is
the last major event of the holiday.
A walk around World Showcase is followed by some MORE
last minute shopping, although this time Tammy is not
entirely at fault as I manage to buy the Tarzan CD and
WDW screensaver.
We all walk out of Epcot for the last time, pausing at
the entrance to turn around for a last farewell to
Spaceship Earth. As I look something strikes me about the
Leave a Legacy blocks. They really are not bad looking if
you stand in the centre of the entrance. They actually do
what they are designed to do, which is to provide a
visual lead in and framework to highlight Spaceship
Earth. The problem is that the majority of people enter
from one side or the other and this makes the whole thing
look lopsided and a bit of a mess.
Anyway, it is now 10:30 and the buses are supposed to
have stopped 30 minutes ago but, Disney being Disney,
they sort out transport back to Dixie Landings. The only
people on the bus are us and a family going to Port
Orleans. Well, you have to make full use of your last
night, don't you?
Trip report notes are written and we are all in bed with
heavy hearts at 11:30.