DAY 2 – Tuesday 10/25/22
Who: Sue (63), DVC Member
SB (65), my husband

Plan: Epcot/Food & Wine

Actual: It was very comfortable sleeping last night but I was awake off and on pretty much every hour or less. That’s not completely unusual for me, so it’s no big deal. When I got up at 4:30 SB was already awake and on his computer. From the master bedroom we have a view of Conch Flats (the main area at the resort) – maybe when the sun comes up I can get a picture.

Around 6:30 I got up to get ready for the day and then cooked some breakfast for us. SB had a sausage and egg sandwich, while I had a slice of bacon and an English muffin. I’d had my cappuccino earlier and he drank some of the lemonade I’d made last night (from powder). I checked my phone and saw it was 7:01 and of course the virtual queue was already full. No big deal – it will be here for years to come.

We had breakfast and shortly after 7:30 headed around the corner to the bus stop. An Epcot bus had just left the bus stop (was driving through our parking lot to get back out) so we figured we’d have a long wait, but as soon as we got to the bus stop another Epcot bus pulled in! Since it was so close to the previous one there was only 1 other couple on the bus. We stopped at the final stop and headed out of the resort. We’re the 4th of 5 bus stops, so not bad when heading TO the parks.

At Epcot it was still before 8 but they were letting people in. The ones who were not resort guests were held at a rope near Spaceship Earth until 8:30. The Disney resort guests bypassed that to the right and were free to enjoy the attractions. We went to the Land first, wanting to do Soarin’.

Soarin’ had a 10-minute wait posted and it only seemed to be that long because they only had one theater loading. We were seated across the aisle from the center section, in the 2nd row. There was some distortion but not too bad. It’s such a pretty film, although I could do without all the abrupt scene changes.

Next, we walked onto Living with the Land and enjoyed our boat ride through the greenhouses. They’ve got signs scattered throughout naming an ingredient and listing which food item and festival booth where it’s available. As we came upstairs there was 1 minute until the next showing of the movie Awesome Planet and since SB really likes that we ducked in there. We enjoyed it, then headed back outside.

The Seas w/Nemo was right next door and had a 5-minute wait posted so we went there and rode our clam mobile before wandering around looking at the various fish, dolphin and manatees for a little while. Before going in Test Track had a 20-minute wait time but it was up to 60 minutes by the time we came back outside so we skipped that. Spaceship Earth and Figment were both not operating, so there really wasn’t anything else we wanted to do – and it was not even 10am!

We went over by the Creations shop and I browsed inside while SB sat on a bench with some popcorn and lemonade. I saw a shirt I liked but they didn’t have anything smaller than size small and it looked massive, so no luck. I rejoined SB and we walked out to World Showcase, heading to Mexico.

The boat ride in Mexico had a 5-minute wait so we rode that. On the way in we saw people standing in line waiting for the Cantina to open. Coming back outside it was now after 10 and a handful of guests were out there drinking beer or margaritas. We joined them – sharing a lime margarita at a table by the water, then SB went back up to get himself a mango one. It was very pleasant out there, and not crowded like it would be later in the day.

We got up to continue walking, stopping again at a shady table across from where they have the African drums. Once he finished his margarita we walked over to Spain, where he had the shrimp & sausage paella and I tried their white wine. Both were very good.

From there it was a short walk to Hops & Barley in America, where I grabbed a shady picnic table and SB got the Chesapeake crab slider, hot beef sandwich and a beer flight. I don’t like seafood but took a couple bites of the beef sandwich. He liked them both, but said the crab was the winner. I ended up getting the Longevity chardonnay and was surprised that I actually liked it. I doubt I’d buy a bottle, but I’d get it here again.

Once he was finished we continued over to Greece, where he secured a shady bench and I got the lamb gyro. The gyro was good, but could have been hotter. It was a good size, but thankfully not full-sized. We got to chatting with a couple next to us – she’s from Massachusetts and he’s from Italy, while they were also eating from the Greece booth. I offered SB a bite, but he said he doesn’t eat lamb. I asked how he knew it was lamb, lol – but he’d seen it on the sign.

Once the gyro was gone we said goodbye to the other couple and continued walking. The exit (front entrance) was a long ways off, and SB wasn’t feeling good about that. He actually suggested he walk to Beach Club and I pick him up there. Instead I proposed we take the Skyliner to the Studios and then take an OKW bus from there. He liked that idea, so that’s what we did.

The Skyliner was wonderful – no wait, comfortable, quiet, and just nice. At the Studios we stood at the bus stop and after about 10-12 minutes the bus arrived. Just before it did, a lady on a scooter rolled up, and a young couple with 2 kids (2 separate parties). So, we waited for the scooter to get loaded and then were able to board. Almost immediately the family’s little boy (toddler) began screaming at the top of his lungs – he wanted apple juice. He was clearly over tired and to her credit the mom was trying everything possible to calm him but he screamed and yelled about apple juice, and flailed around in her arms the entire trip back to OKW. He even bit her at one point! SB said he has to admire a man who knows what he wants (apple juice), and everyone laughed.

At OKW I got off at the first stop – so did scooter lady and the family. Scooter lady was headed to the main area (the final stop) but just wanted to get off the bus as quickly as possible, lol! I told SB to get off at the 4th stop and I walked back to the villa. I changed into a swimsuit, headed to the pool and ran into SB coming back from the bus. He’d decided to skip the pool so I went over solo and sat on a chaise lounge for almost an hour. It was very hot in the sun! After that I sat in the shade to cool down a bit before returning to catch the end of General Hospital.

A work issue had come up so I was on the phone about that, then around 3:15 went in to take my shower. I wasn’t surprised when after my shower I asked SB what he was ready to do and he responded with staying here while I go to Food & Wine. Once he lays down it’s almost impossible to get him moving again. I didn’t feel like driving over to get to Epcot – had we been at Boardwalk or Beach Club I absolutely would have walked over there and made at least a couple loops around the countries.. But, I wasn’t really hungry either – and felt it made sense to eat some of the cheese & crackers I’d brought. SB wanted food. The Olivia’s menu is pitiful – 6 choices. Thankfully he didn’t want that, although if he did I would have made him a reservation for a party of 1. The Goods to Go Menu looked better for him, and I wouldn’t mind sitting out there with him since I wouldn’t have to get anything.

Then an idea struck me – since we’re going over to the Hospitality House area, why not take the boat ride over to Disney Springs. Even if he didn’t want to do anything there we could hop back on to ride back to the resort. We went to the bus stop and got on the next bus to arrive, then got off at the next stop (Hospitality House). When we walked back to the dock the boat was sitting there, so we boarded and found seats. Soon the captain pulled away from the dock and we had a nice relaxing ride to Disney Springs.

They’re still only using the boat docks by the Marketplace, but that was fine with us since we had no destination in mind. Once we got off the boat SB announces he wants to eat here. He has no idea what’s here, but he’ll find something. He’d been talking about Earl of Sandwich for 2 days, and it was right around the corner but he didn’t want that. He suggested we get a drink at Rainforest, so I told him we’d do the Lava Lounge.

He had no idea what that was, and had never noticed it before. It’s an outside bar that’s part of Rainforest Café. There’s a bar and several tables – all on a dock down over the lake. The seating areas were pretty much in the sun, except for 2 seats at the end of the bar – so that’s where we sat.

We started with a planter’s punch for him and ordered the pinot grigio for me. They were out of the wine, so I switched to the sauvignon blanc. He liked his drink but wasn’t crazy about it – later he had a pina colada, which he liked much better. For food we ordered the chicken strips and when the server said we could make it a basket with fries SB said yes. I ordered the coconut curry dipping sauce to go with it, which is so good! There was a lot of food on the plate, and since I didn’t want to eat a lot that left 90% of it to SB. He really enjoyed it though, and agreed the dipping sauce was excellent. Overall the Lave Lounge was a great choice and he’d love to come back here again.

After settling the check we walked back to the boat dock, where we had a bit of a wait for the next OKW boat. Finally it arrived and we were on our way back. SB sat on a bench while I looked in the Conch Flats store. A light fleece DVC member spirit jersey with sparklies caught my eye. It was so pretty, and I couldn’t believe I’d never seen it online or anywhere. I checked the price tag and nearly choked - $119.99. I walked away, shaking my head.

Good thinking on the skyliner to Studios and boat to Disney Springs. I
didn't realize you have a home in Ft Myers. I hope Ian didn't damage it!

Steve S.

On Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 8:19:32 AM UTC-4, Steve Soares wrote:
> Good thinking on the skyliner to Studios and boat to Disney Springs. I
> didn't realize you have a home in Ft Myers. I hope Ian didn't damage it!
>
> Steve S.
Very minor damage to my specific home, but we're a 30-unit homeowner's association and about a third of the homes had significant damage, along with some of the common areas. The association is working through all of that now, and the assessment for uncovered damage will come later. People lost roofs, exterior walls, etc - but we didn't flood even though we're .5 miles from the water. For whatever reason our little street is above flood plain so we were the only dry spot for miles.

Sue/WDW1972

On Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 6:56:12 PM UTC-5, Sue/WDW1972 wrote:
> On Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 8:19:32 AM UTC-4, Steve Soares wrote:
> > Good thinking on the skyliner to Studios and boat to Disney Springs. I
> > didn't realize you have a home in Ft Myers. I hope Ian didn't damage it!
> >
> > Steve S.
> Very minor damage to my specific home, but we're a 30-unit homeowner's association and about a third of the homes had significant damage, along with some of the common areas. The association is working through all of that now, and the assessment for uncovered damage will come later. People lost roofs, exterior walls, etc - but we didn't flood even though we're .5 miles from the water. For whatever reason our little street is above flood plain so we were the only dry spot for miles.
>
> Sue/WDW1972

Abandoned/lose boats in your area?

On 10/26/2022 7:56 PM, Sue/WDW1972 wrote:
> On Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 8:19:32 AM UTC-4, Steve Soares wrote:
>> Good thinking on the skyliner to Studios and boat to Disney Springs. I
>> didn't realize you have a home in Ft Myers. I hope Ian didn't damage it!
>>
>> Steve S.
> Very minor damage to my specific home, but we're a 30-unit homeowner's association and about a third of the homes had significant damage, along with some of the common areas. The association is working through all of that now, and the assessment for uncovered damage will come later. People lost roofs, exterior walls, etc - but we didn't flood even though we're .5 miles from the water. For whatever reason our little street is above flood plain so we were the only dry spot for miles.
>
> Sue/WDW1972

Lucky!

Steve S.

On Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 8:15:19 PM UTC-5, JG wrote:
> On Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 6:56:12 PM UTC-5, Sue/WDW1972 wrote:
> > On Wednesday, October 26, 2022 at 8:19:32 AM UTC-4, Steve Soares wrote:
> > > Good thinking on the skyliner to Studios and boat to Disney Springs. I
> > > didn't realize you have a home in Ft Myers. I hope Ian didn't damage it!
> > >
> > > Steve S.
> > Very minor damage to my specific home, but we're a 30-unit homeowner's association and about a third of the homes had significant damage, along with some of the common areas. The association is working through all of that now, and the assessment for uncovered damage will come later. People lost roofs, exterior walls, etc - but we didn't flood even though we're .5 miles from the water. For whatever reason our little street is above flood plain so we were the only dry spot for miles.
> >
> > Sue/WDW1972
> Abandoned/lose boats in your area?

Oops, you lose a boat. A loose boat floats away.