Hah – just finished writing the NYE entry (which got posted, thankfully, in time to say it was Jan 1). So I figured, Steph’s still up, Judi’s still up, and Elsa’s sawing logs – I might as well write up about “today.”

We slept in some this morning. Well, we would have slept in more, but Elsa thought we said 7:30 instead of 8:30. We had breakfast again in the hotel and I got the thick French toast and Canadian bacon with milk. Actually had to pay for breakfast today and thus $10 magically disappeared. I then cornered the morning manager and actually got my $16 back. YAY! Then it was time to head for EPCOT and then MGM.

We decided to take the scenic route to MGM via the Ferry. So it was into EPCOT, off to the UK, and then to the Ferry place. We were the first to get onto the ferry when it arrived and got to see several of the (rather ugly looking) resorts on the lagoon before we got into port. It was nearly 11am when we arrived.

I was last at MGM in 1996 and remembered NOTHING about the layout of the place. I didn’t recognize anything except the Star Wars ride and Muppet 3D areas. Our first order of business was the lockers (our daily tradition). Then we headed to the Tower of Terror to get Fastpass tix. Judi, Steph, and I could do Fastpass between 1:30 and 2:30pm. (Elsa opted out – her knee’s been getting better and she feared that jarring it in a ride could mess it back up again.)

We then looked for a visor for Judi. She found one entitled “Bad Attitude” with a picture of Grumpy on it. We all thought it ideal for her. Steph bought a pair of Mickey sunglasses – rhinestone Mickey and all. Then it was off to Star Wars!

I loved the Star Wars ride and the Muppets 4D ride when I was first at MGM and this trip was no exception. After Star Wars, we went to Muppets (which is no longer called 4D but 3D Vision or something – same movie, however). Then Steph and I shopped in the Muppet Shop. I spent more of my birthday money on a Bunsen & Beaker t-shirt and magnet and Steph bought the Swinetrek set. We had them put the bags together and sent them onto the Package Pickup.

We found the others and then headed off to get some ice cream before the Tower of Terror. I needed something in me food-ish and Steph needed some carbination to settle her stomach (it was the Star Wars ride, see… just enough virtual motion to get us a little motion sick). I got mint chocolate chip ice cream, and Judi & Elsa got cookies & cream. Both ice creams were very yummy and the chocolate pieces in my ice cream were quality chocolate.

While we sat and vegged after our snack, I decided to get Fastpass tix for Judi, Steph and I for the Rock and Rollercoaster. However, when I got there, the tickets were for 6:55-7:55. We were going to leave the park at 6pm, so no go there. Back with the girls, we found a nice bench to seat Elsa, left our water bottles with her, and headed off to The Tower of Terror.

I enjoyed that ride the first time I went to MGM, and this time was no exception. Judi loved the ride, but unfortunately, it was too intense for Steph and she died. So we left her corpse with Elsa and stood in line (90 minute wait, where we got to see some famous celebrity that we didn’t know – but the Brazillians in front of us went gaga over) for the Rock & Rollercoaster. Indeed, the wait was 90 minutes. But after the 90 minute wait was a 90 second ride that was incredibly intense. It was a coaster in the dark with a loop the loop and curlie cues and all that good stuff. Worth the wait (though Judi felt it too short…)

We joined up with Elsa to find that Steph was feeling much better now. In line with last night’s Miracle of the Hats (which I forgot to write about – Steph found yet another hat while out exploring and then we later discovered that it was really *two* hats – and then we found that Elsa & Judi’s hats were also *two* hats – so we gave the extras to the Brits next to us) we had a ressurection. We’re just a bunch of miracle gurls, I guess. We went to Starring Rolls for some pastries – I got a mini cheesecake (with a sliced strawberry, some blueberries, and a mandarin orange) and a croissant, Judi got cheese danish, Elsa a chocolate chocolate chip muffin, and Steph a cinnamon roll. Tasty, tasty, and enough to tide us over until supper at Medieval Times.

We left MGM around 6pm and took the bus back to EPCOT. Then we sat and waited for our 7pm bus back to the hotel. Once there, I saw about getting us a cab or some other transport to Medieval Times while the girls went up to the room. Unfortunately, Mario was too busy, so County Transportation took the job. I changed into jeans and got my jacket and the girls and I waited for the transport. He finally arrived and said the roundtrip price was $30 (which was less than we’d’ve gotten from Mario – yay!) We all paid Elsa $7.50 each and she gave the $30 to the driver. He gave us the ticket for our return and then we were at the dinner theatre.

Back when I was a junior in HS, our band went to Florida to march at Disney and go to Epcot and have dinner at Medieval Times. I loved the experience, and tonight (heh, last night?) was no exception. We got to root for the Green Knight, who was the rotter of the lot and fought dirty. And that was fun. We ate with our fingers and used our Medieval paper napkins to wipe our fingers off (not to mention the Medieval Pepsi that we drank). And the production was fun and loud and tasty and still no blood – what’s up with that? Alas, our knight didn’t win. But we still had a blast. YAY!

Then we called our transport and had 20 minutes to kill, so we took photos of the knights and the establishment. And then he arrived – a different driver, but same vehicle – and regaled us with stories about his high school practical jokes. He was quite a story teller. When we got back, we went to the bar – our favorite barmaid was there and Judi got her favorite mudslide. And I decided to try something radical – a strawberry daiquerie but with vodka instead of rum. And Judi paid – yay!

So we took our drinks to the room and Judi gave me her birthday present. (Elsa’s is sitting at my home, too big to pack – see, I’ve yet to talk about our gift exchange the first night of our vacation – perhaps in another post.) It was The Vicar of Dibley – The Divine Collection on DVD. YAY! Dawn French! I love her stuff. And then I sat down to write up my LJ and that’s where I’ve been ever since.