I had an unplanned vacation to Florida last month.
It wasn't that the vacation itself was unplanned. We had a vacation planned for New Orleans. We were two days from leaving when a tropical storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico. We were one day from leaving when it turned into a hurricane and set a path straight for New Orleans.
I did think to myself when I planned that vacation, "Oh, that's still in hurricane season. There could be a hurricane," and then concluded that thought with, "Naaaaaahhh. What are the chances?"
Apparently good enough.
After we learned of the tropical storm turned hurricane headed straight for our vacation destination, Mike got home from work with a humorous question.
"You always say that category one hurricanes aren't that bad. Could we just go anyway?"
Yeah, they're not that bad if you get stuck in one, but you don't PLAN to go to a hurricane on purpose!
Especially not when the location set to be hit is below sea level.
I struck down that idea. We now had fewer than 24 hours to reroute our vacation.
Several phone calls later we had a new idea. We would go to Florida and to Disney. I've been to Disney so many times I don't actually need a map, and don't remember needing one. Planning a whole new trip at the last minute was rather stressful, so a destination that wouldn't require a whole lot of thought made for a very welcome plan.
We ended up booking all of our tickets the night before and morning of our departure, and worked in a visit to my parents (who helped us with the panicked reroute as well). After visiting with them for a day, we made our way to Disney, to our hotel, and then to Epcot.
Day One: Epcot's Food and Wine Festival
We ended up arriving at Epcot in the middle of one of their special events which I have actually never been to before: The Food and Wine Festival. Our sudden vacation turn became an experiment.
The Food and Wine Festival features booths with foods from all over the world, sold in sample size portions. The back portion of Epcot is a large circle around a lake, lined with buildings designed to represent a number of countries (and I believe that the park works with the country to decide what will be featured). This section is always there, and features restaurants, shops, shows, and several rides. During the Food and Wine Festival, additional booths are added and food and drink from all over the world sold every few steps.
Mike and I spent hours going from booth to booth choosing food and drink in small portions from all over the world. We got to try foods and drinks I have never tried before, and in some cases that I have never heard of before. We tried food from India, Japan, Brazil, the Caribbean (all islands grouped at one booth), Patagonia, Canada, Italy, Belgium, and a variety of foods from the States. We passed a number of booths.
The portions were small, but not as expensive as I would have thought they would be. Prices ranged from $3.50 to $10.00 (for some drinks), and averaged on the lower end. We decided to buy one of everything we purchased to split so that we could try more foods and drinks without getting too full.
We spent the first part of our day (about 11:00 AM until perhaps 2:00 PM) in the front half of the park, riding our favorite rides there. Afterwards, we went to the back of the park (the World Showcase) where the food festival was going on, and spend the afternoon wandering around from booth to booth, watching shows and eating food. It was a beautiful afternoon, and very leisurely despite the crowds. No lines in the World Showcase were terribly long, despite the fact that it was a special event, a Sunday, and a long weekend.
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| A rainbow over the World Showcase |
The Food and Wine Festival features booths with foods from all over the world, sold in sample size portions. The back portion of Epcot is a large circle around a lake, lined with buildings designed to represent a number of countries (and I believe that the park works with the country to decide what will be featured). This section is always there, and features restaurants, shops, shows, and several rides. During the Food and Wine Festival, additional booths are added and food and drink from all over the world sold every few steps.
Mike and I spent hours going from booth to booth choosing food and drink in small portions from all over the world. We got to try foods and drinks I have never tried before, and in some cases that I have never heard of before. We tried food from India, Japan, Brazil, the Caribbean (all islands grouped at one booth), Patagonia, Canada, Italy, Belgium, and a variety of foods from the States. We passed a number of booths.
The portions were small, but not as expensive as I would have thought they would be. Prices ranged from $3.50 to $10.00 (for some drinks), and averaged on the lower end. We decided to buy one of everything we purchased to split so that we could try more foods and drinks without getting too full.
We spent the first part of our day (about 11:00 AM until perhaps 2:00 PM) in the front half of the park, riding our favorite rides there. Afterwards, we went to the back of the park (the World Showcase) where the food festival was going on, and spend the afternoon wandering around from booth to booth, watching shows and eating food. It was a beautiful afternoon, and very leisurely despite the crowds. No lines in the World Showcase were terribly long, despite the fact that it was a special event, a Sunday, and a long weekend.
Total Cost: The cost of the park ticket, plus the cost of any food you buy. We had a two day park ticket, which is a slight discount from a one day park ticket. I think this ended up being about the same price as getting a nice dinner in the parks or at one of the hotels.
We did finally manage to get a bus, and we did get into the park at 8:20, and we did rush over to Pandora, along with everyone else who got in early. The line was wrapping around all of the park section, outside Pandora's boundaries and into another section of the park by the time we got there (apparently it just wasn't very condensed, because later in the day the wait time was longer and the line shorter). Because the line wrapped all over Pandora, we ended up getting a nice slow tour and look at all the scenery.
The rest of the day went much as a normal theme park day might, and I have little to add. There was a second ride in Pandora, a boat ride...don't wait for that more than an hour unless you need to go on every ride (like I do). We waited in line for 90 minutes only to discover that it wasn't what we thought it would be. I thought I was going to see robotic, 3D Pandora creatures. Instead, there were only one or two major, impressive animatronic elements, and a lot of screens playing video. There were other ornate decorations, but someone in our boat decided to try to take flash photos of the ride, which sort of ruined the dark ride element because...you know...it's supposed to be dark. I think it would have been pretty, if it had been dark, but not so impressive that you should wait in line for 90 minutes for it. One hour, sure.
We stopped off at one of the stores there so I could get a hat. I forgot my sunglasses and am prone to glare headaches, which would not be a positive addition to a day at a theme park. You know the Banshees in Avatar? If you don't, they're the flying dragon creature in Avatar that is featured in Flight of Passage. I want one to fly around on. I can't have one because they are not real. But I did get a hat with a Banshee on it.
Have any suggestions for me or ideas you want tested? I have a new suggestion box, and you can use it to send me a message about what sort of projects you think I should try!
Was it worth it?
I would say yes. The Food and Wine Festival was a similar experience to another food festival I have been too, but it felt less overwhelming. I would go back again regularly if I could. I've been to two other Disney special events, and several other theme park special events, and I think that this was my favorite one.
Day Two: Animal Kingdom and it's new rides
Day two was rather different than day one, in that it was much more of a typical theme park day. Intense theme park style. A new section opened this year at Animal Kingdom, and because we were staying at a Disney hotel we had "Extra Magic Hours" to get in to the park early. We aimed to get into the park by 8:00 AM so that we could run straight to Pandora, modeled after the Avatar movie (the blue people one, not the element bending one). The main ride there has been regularly ending up with 3-4 hours wait times, and we wanted to try to beat that.
We grabbed cereal bars and ran (walked somewhat quickly) to our bus, which we got to right as one was loading...and it was too full to get on. We missed it by four people. And then we were told another bus would come quickly...and it was half an hour before we got another one. We were the last stop at our hotel, and the bus kept filling before it got to us.
So much for that plan.
We did finally manage to get a bus, and we did get into the park at 8:20, and we did rush over to Pandora, along with everyone else who got in early. The line was wrapping around all of the park section, outside Pandora's boundaries and into another section of the park by the time we got there (apparently it just wasn't very condensed, because later in the day the wait time was longer and the line shorter). Because the line wrapped all over Pandora, we ended up getting a nice slow tour and look at all the scenery.
I think it was the most intricately decorated section of a park that I have ever seen.
We ended up standing in that line for 2.5 hours, all of which I would say were totally worth it for the new ride. I'd wait longer. I just talked to a kid who said he waited for 3 hours and would gladly have waited longer. I'll leave it at that. It was the best or second best ride I have been on. I have been on a lot of theme park rides. I had no idea what to expect going into it, and I think that was for the best.
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| The floating mountains |
The rest of the day went much as a normal theme park day might, and I have little to add. There was a second ride in Pandora, a boat ride...don't wait for that more than an hour unless you need to go on every ride (like I do). We waited in line for 90 minutes only to discover that it wasn't what we thought it would be. I thought I was going to see robotic, 3D Pandora creatures. Instead, there were only one or two major, impressive animatronic elements, and a lot of screens playing video. There were other ornate decorations, but someone in our boat decided to try to take flash photos of the ride, which sort of ruined the dark ride element because...you know...it's supposed to be dark. I think it would have been pretty, if it had been dark, but not so impressive that you should wait in line for 90 minutes for it. One hour, sure.
Spend those 90 minutes in line for the Flight of Passage instead if you don't have a family obligation to go on every new ride.
We stopped off at one of the stores there so I could get a hat. I forgot my sunglasses and am prone to glare headaches, which would not be a positive addition to a day at a theme park. You know the Banshees in Avatar? If you don't, they're the flying dragon creature in Avatar that is featured in Flight of Passage. I want one to fly around on. I can't have one because they are not real. But I did get a hat with a Banshee on it.
In other Animal Kingdom related news, I've always heard that its best to go on the safari in the morning, which I have done a few times. If you can't get on in the morning, though, go in the early evening, when it starts to cool off. We jumped on board this trip so late that we could only get a fast pass for the evening, and ended up going at dusk. I thought we might not see anything, but it turns out the animals were very active. We may have not seen them well, but they were everywhere, including laying in the middle of the road at one point.
We wrapped up that day late, walking over 8 miles and not heading back to our hotel until about 9:00 PM. That was all! The next day we headed home.
The Conclusion of the Vacation Reroute
I was planning, originally, to tell you all about our trip to New Orleans and the places we went that were delightful and budget friendly. The hurricane destroyed that plan, but our rerouted spontaneous vacation was an overwhelming success. Disney's a splurge, I know. I'm thinking of it all as a much needed break and reward! You have to treat yourself to something every so often.
Happy vacationing, and we'll be back soon with the DIY projects that are underway right now.
Happy vacationing, and we'll be back soon with the DIY projects that are underway right now.
Have any suggestions for me or ideas you want tested? I have a new suggestion box, and you can use it to send me a message about what sort of projects you think I should try!
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