The first part said like Buddy the Elf says smiling is my favorite. Epcot truly is the best. They have many princesses, they have alcohol, they have themed countries and delicious food, they have Soarin... I mean. Need I go on?
Okay I will: Spaceship Earth. A ride as nostalgic as time. Just seeing Michelangelo under the ceiling in Rome and I'm all oh shucks. It's been that way for forever and a day and it's just the way it should be.
Other than Spaceship Earth we hit up Nemo and Friends, we met Mulan and Aurora and Winnie the Pooh, we rode Soarin, which was Letty's first time, the champ, and of course in between margaritas we took the kids to the Gran Fiesta Tour. David was the most adorable human being when it came to Princess Aurora. He was quite shy upon first meeting her but then warmed up and informed her that she was beautiful to which she responded with a hug and a kiss that made him practically burst and he was blushing and everything. And then he wouldn't let her go. Stage. Five. Clinger. We spent a little bit of time with my grandma's best friend, Aunt Wilma, which is always nice. And of course there was a lot of wine, as it was the Food and Wine Festival happening. Our dinner was at Via Napoli, which we normally quite enjoy but this time it was a bit much. Note to self for next time: make dining reservations for earlier than six. Dominic had had enough and the service was a tad on the slow side so I decided to leave early to take him back to the resort... which begins a tale as old as time. The tale of me getting on the wrong bus.
I left the Italy pavilion and started walking with a squirmy and fussy Dominic and headed the entire way around the World Showcase and through Future World with him on my hip. I should have put him in the Boba wrap before leaving but he had been screaming for so long in the restaurant I just wanted relief. I finally got to the bus stop and briefly looked at the board and saw: Downtown Disney Area Hotels, to which I discovered did not mean Saratoga Springs, that is walking distance from Downtown Disney. Just so we are clear this is stupid. Anyways still carrying this twenty pounds of fun I walked back and forth and was sweating and checked the sign out again and saw the word "springs" and headed to that station. I saw a bus waiting and I jumped on last minute and I sat down with a huge sigh of relief. I texted Matt and my dad the bus stop number and secretly cursed the full bus because that meant I had no room to nurse Dominic to calm him down. Then Matt called. I was on the bus for Coronado Springs, not Saratoga Springs. With a fussy baby. I kept the tears at bay while several kind couples around me went through various scenarios and what was the best option for me. People can be just so good sometimes and it was a pleasure to actually see it happening in real life. They offered to hold Dom, to carry my bag, to get me a taxi, to wait with me, to walk me to the lobby of the wrong resort, and so on. I decided I would wait for Matt to get to our resort and get the van and then come and get me and I settled in on a bench in the lobby. At this point I asked a Disney employee a question about the bus schedule that led to an explanation of my dilemma to which she responded by giving me a taxi voucher for free to my actual resort. And that's when I started crying. After all of that I made it to the resort before the rest of my group and had Dominic asleep and the big kid's pajamas all set to go. After that mess. Thank you, kind Disney employee at Coronado Springs on Wednesday evening a few weeks ago who dealt with a crying idiot mother who got on the wrong bus... you and all those nice bus people restored my faith in humanity.
And read the label on the bus next time how about it Laur??
And even though the day necessitated more drinking of wine, I still do love thee Epcot. I sure do.
