We decided that today was the day we would hopefully get to do Slinky Dog in the dark, Polly’s main request. The original plan was to have a resort morning then head over to Hollywood Studios later in the day. However, we decided that Polly’s eating around the world plan was too good night to use, so instead decided to hit Hollywood Studios in the morning, head back to the hotel for a break then head over to Epcot for food before finishing off back at Hollywood Studios for the elusive ride on Slinky.
We’ve always found jet lag easier to deal with if we get back to a more normal routine before we head home, so the plan was to start waking the girls (and Steve) a bit earlier in the lead up to going home, so a rope-drop HS seemed like the perfect plan. We were up and out of the door pretty quickly. The queue for the bus was huge but we somehow all fit onto it, and we were in and through the turnstiles as the park opened for early hours. We didn’t really go in with a plan but managed to get on Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Steve & Winnie went on Smugglers Run (this was the longest queue and jumped from 15 minutes to 85 minutes just as they started queuing, but they were off in just under an hour).
We had no plans for food, but I suggested Trattoria al Forno, which we knew we could easily get to, and we always loved as a character meal. Polly’s eyes lit up at the idea of steak and eggs, so we booked the latest time we could on the app (11.20am) and hoped we’d be done in the park and across to Boardwalk in time. The girls were really hoping to see Donald & Daisy together, and luckily, they were there as we went to leave the park. The girls loved their distanced, silent conversation, and left happy. The fact that a boat was waiting in the dock as we got there made us all even happier, and we were quickly on our way to Boardwalk.
Now, whenever we stayed at Yacht Club we always tend to walk to and from the studios, but that tends to be in January temperatures and not the blazing, August heat, so even though the speed of the boat and the time it takes on the numerous stops stresses me out, it was definitely the best option today.We arrived at Trattoria al Forno a bit early and it was manic in the waiting area. Still, we were seated not much past our reservation time. The poor server had been given 4 tables at once, one of which was a massive double table with loads of small children, so she was rushed off her feet. She did a great job of juggling everyone though. The food was absolutely delicious. Three of us had steak and eggs and Winnie had the children’s eggs with sausage and bacon. We almost chose Cape May buffet breakfast instead but we’re so glad we went with this choice. Whilst we may have got more food at Cape May, the quality of our meals here was fabulous, and as it was almost lunch time, we knew we wouldn’t really need to eat much for the rest of the day which was perfect as we only planned to snack around World Showcase at teatime.
We got an Uber back to Port Orleans ($7) from Boardwalk and the girls headed straight for the pool to join in the trivia, games, and pool party which they’ve really enjoyed at French Quarter.
After a few hours we got ready to head to Epcot, packing a few more bits up as we went along. A few clouds had started to gather so we were hopeful it may have cooled down a little. Unsurprisingly, we were wrong! We were already melting after the 2-minute walk to the bus stop, and as we saw the Epcot bus pulling away decided to get an Uber instead of waiting for the next. We got to the park quickly as the driver was clearly training to take over from Lewis Hamilton and walked straight onto Spaceship Earth. Winnie has a skill for taking the perfect photo on this ride every time, whereas Steve ended up with an invisible head! Maybe snoozing on the ride deactivates the camera?!
As we got off Polly tripped over a curb and cut two of her toes, but luckily our industrial sized park-based first aid kit (not to be confused with the equally large hotel-based kit, or slightly smaller plane kit!) saved the day. We then set off to eat our body weight in snacks.
Now, if you do plan on the World Showcase food-a-thon on a hot, muggy August evening, I’d strongly suggest not starting with an item that contains chilli when you have a mild intolerance to them that causes your body to overheat. I had the reddest face until we got back to the hotel 3 hours later! The barbecue pork rinds and dip were good though!! We also ate in Mexico, Norway, China, and Belgium (the fruity beer in the flight from Belgium was delicious) before we had to call it a day as we were equal parts boiling and full. It was starting to get dark, so we decided to take the indirect Skyliner route to Hollywood Studios (you have to change at Caribbean Beach) as Polly now loves it. It was really pretty travelling at sunset, and by the time we got to the park, everything was lit up. I just love Hollywood Studios at night. It suits the style of the park perfectly (the only time I love it more is at Christmas at night when it is pure perfection!)
Anyway, we headed for Toy Story land and got in the queue for Slinky, hopping on just as darkness properly fell, with the girls giggle-screaming their way around. We did debate jumping across to Magic Kingdom for fireworks afterwards, but it would have been a crazy rush and there was no guarantee we’d make it, so decided to call it a night and get a bus back to the hotel, which was luckily pulling in as we got to the stop. A few more wishes in the French Quarter fountain and we were headed off to bed, ready for an early start to pack up and head over to Universal for a few nights tomorrow.
Doodle & Peg Do Disney 