Figaro's Festive Frolics part 10
Wednesday 10th December
We wake up early and set off to Celebration. Mikki had contacted a company that offers Segway” rides and who thought they might even be able to let Andrew use one!! We find the units they operate in closed until later. We wander around a bit and then have breakfast at the Market Street Café. Mikki has eggs benedict with smoked salmon and Andrew has an omelette. Both were very satisfactory.
At 9.00am, we go into the Post Office and post our Christmas cards to US addresses. Mikki resists the temptation to make Andrew buy her a Mickey Mouse gift box.
We take a few pictures (where’s Figaro not quite in Walt Disney World?). The Segway people are still not here so we leave.
We then drive back to the collectables shop near Wal-Mart on Sand Lake Road. My Mikki wants the “Mickey Reigns” (with umbrella) figurine from the Mickey InspEARations series. This should be enough for this trip.
Next it’s back to Downtoun Disney for some last purchases of things we have been looking at all trip but not bought yet. Of course, now we can’t find them. In desperation, we ask at the Information Desk in World of Disney. My humans have never had much help here. Today, they offer some possible places to try that send us from one end of the Marketplace to the other without success. One item only costs $4, so Mikki thinks of “Mickey’s Market”: success. Another item is a pin set (Tink and her 4 fairy friends) so we go to the Pin Traders. “No, never seen any of the fairies”, says the person we ask. We look a couple of yards further. Mikki thinks it is helpful to take one back to her so she knows what fairies are next time anyone asks. Disney has some absolutely wonderful cast members – but also some I wonder why they bother paying. Now there is only one item we have not found: a book.
We go back to OKW to prepare for the evening. Mikki has made a reservation so tonight we can dine properly in Epcot: at Chefs de France.
The food is excellent as usual – and the service is also excellent. Mikki has Cassoulet and Andrew has the French Menu with a main course of chicken. Andrew comments the chicken is large (and very tasty). Come on, Andrew, haven’t you seen the size of the mice round here? My humans share the desert on Andrew’s menu: crème brulee. It is delightfully light: just what we Europeans think a crème brulee should be although we have American friends who prefer it differently. Oh, and it is also large enough to share.
Our real purpose of being in Epcot today is to see and hear at least a bit of the Candlelight Processional. Tonight is the first of three nights when the narrator is Marlee Matlin. We thought we may have to wait for a later performance but we arrive at the American Adventure as the choirs are singing the last piece (Hallelujah). Mikki is just able to see Miss Matlin signing her farewell words. We are able to hear her say, “Thank you. Merry Christmas. God Bless America.” We later learn that was all she said with her own voice the entire evening. We feel privileged. Her thanks to her interpreter were as justified as they were heartfelt.
Housekeeping have been. They have replaced all our cushions. Yes, you realise the old ones were a bit flat when you see the nice, plump, new ones.
Thursday 11th December
We wake early again and decide to take advantage of it by going to the Magic Kingdom for Magic Hours. Our monorail arrives as we hear the cast counting down to opening.
We make good use of the hour. We ride Peter Pan twice and Snow White once. We then move on to Tomorrowland and Buzz Lightyear. Obviously, Mikki competes with herself on this ride. On our first ride, Andrew notices he has reached 800 while Mikki is already over 215,000. Mikki is not at all pleased when on the second ride there is about a second when they are both on 800. A third ride is necessary and Mikki reaches the “Space Ace” threshold of 300,000 in the first room. She is content with her final score of somewhere in the 400,000s. Just one ride on the TTA and it is 9 o’clock.
It is now starting to rain so we stop at the Main Street Bakery. Andrew sits at a table on the street (but under cover) while Mikki waits in line. While waiting, Andrew is fascinated by the cast member who comes up and stands next to him examining the window. It turns out he is the artist in lettering. He is checking for imperfections that need work. He explains the lettering has real gold leaf and real mother of pearl. He estimates there is about $5.000 worth of materials in the Bakery window alone. “What’s the green?” asks another guest. “Green paint.”
Mikki gets Andrew a cappuccino and apple charlotte while she has a cheese croissant and orange juice. I spoil these humans! And they allege it’s just me they spoil.
We chat to some cast members in the Emporium. How does the conversation get round to Minnie Mouse and the way she tried to steal Andrew at the breakfasts they used to have at “Hollywood & Vine”? Perhaps she thought he was the right size”, offers the “trainer”. Congratulations! That humour worked. It may be remembered as well as the breakfasts.
The rain has stopped so it’s time to go to the monorail and check out Christmas decorations (and photo opportunities) at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian resorts. The rain is now heavy and we are glad to be in the hotels and monorail trains. While in the Polynesian we run into Blythe and Dan (OK, Dan spots us) but they are heading for the MVMCP. Our last destination is the Contemporary and the opening meeting of Mega MouseFest.
We have a reservation for lunch at “The Wave”. The greeter who takes us to our table recognises us from our visits to Concourse Grill and teases us about being here so long without visiting them in their new home. The food is still good. Mikki has crab cake and a salad and Andrew has an appetiser salad and a cheeseburger. They both test out the smoothies (They must be good. Mikki has two – one of each).
The only – slight – sour note is when the server asks, twice, if everything is “perfect”. She wouldn’t know about my humans’ bad experience of that word on their one Disney cruise – but that’s another story. Come on, Disney. You have many remarkable cast members: several of whom we have met in this restaurant’s predecessor. But “Perfect” is a heck of a standard to set even for them. My male human has a precise (picky) legal mind.
We take a few more pictures. I have been in some unusual places and poses today. Oh, the indignities we stars suffer for our art.
As planned, we have now been at the Contemporary until the rain stopped. We go back to the car in sunshine and return to OKW to rest before the evening.
Mikki manages to drive all the way to Port Orleans French Quarter to meet a number of folks – some she knew well and some it was the first time meeting but we all got to know each other from Intercot. The party got quite big by the time my humans left. Some of them stroked me and one gave me a beautiful little decoration she had made!
Back in our room, we go out to watch Epcot fireworks again. The (slight) wind must be in the right direction. We can hear the music and words from Epcot as well as seeing the larger fireworks. About 9.30 we even hear another lot of fireworks off to the right a bit: it must be Holiday Wishes.
