Dad was frustrated with the scooter. Mom was even more frustrated. When we got back to the hotel from Animal Kingdom, we were getting into the elevator. I think I was with my parents while John and Anna walked up the stairs. There was room for two scooters in the elevators. Dad went in first and then Marge. I told her she had some room so to move up so the doors would close. She gunned it and then hit the wall of the elevator and promptly started to cry.
I’m not a very patient person, and I was at my wits end with her and the scooter. I really wanted to slap her and tell her to snap out of it, but I pulled myself together. I gave her a hug and told her I was proud of her. It obviously wasn’t easy to drive the scooter, I told her, and I certainly wouldn’t have done as well as she was doing. That seemed to help.
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| resting before heading to Epcot |
When we got to our rooms, I told them that we should meet at the bus stop at 4:15 because we were headed for Epcot for dinner. Dad freaked out because he couldn’t remember how to get to the bus stop and when I tried to give him directions, he shut down. So I told them to be outside their door in their scooters at 4.
They were. We were able to get to the bus stop and were able to get on a bus. There had been a glut of busses for the other parks, and a bus was re-routed to take us to Epcot.
The bus driver was…shall we say…interesting. At first I thought he was joking around, but he really was Captain Safety. He got out of his seat, opened up the rear door where the ramp was and started yelling, “Ramp coming out. Ramp coming out.” Seriously. He just kept saying it until the ramp was up. Then he went about this elaborate, time taking way of getting my parents and their scooters on the bus. He talked about every step and got their permission to proceed before he did everything. I thought my head was going to explode.
Once everyone was belted in and the other passengers were allowed to get on, the kids climbed up onto the scooters with their grandparents. Captain Safety lost it. He yelled at us, in a friendly way, but he was still yelling. I’m pretty sure I told him to just relax, we’d move the kids. It wasn’t a big deal. Then he had to explain that it was a safety issue and why exactly it was a safety issue. The other bus drivers were just so much more relaxed. I don’t think they were less safe, just less rigid.
Then the guy got on the intercom and started to talk to us. He explained to us that he was usually a driver to another place, but that he had been re-routed. He just kept talking about it, too. I seriously thought about winging my shoe at him, but honestly my aim isn’t that good.Besides which, it seemed like too much effort to get my shoe off and then just have to get up and put it back on again.
Getting off the bus was just as bad. “Ramp coming down!” I thought I would die. I thought my dad would die. I thought the world was going to end.
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| Walking toward The Biergarten |
We got to Epcot, and I was in my happy space. Despite Captain Safety, we were had some time. We took our time and walked slowly toward Germany where we were going to have dinner. I made everyone stop and get out of their scooters and stroller so that we could take a lot of pictures as we went along.
Jack has always loved to figure out how things work. I've tried to instill some magic into everyday events, but he always wants to know why things happen and how things happen. Since he had been so fascinated with the giant globe, the night before, John wanted to show it to him during the day so he would understand how it worked. We found where they parked the big globe during the day and showed it to Jack figuring that he would be really excited. Not so much this time. This one time he preferred the magic to the reality, and we ruined it for him. Oh well. I kind of hate that we burst his bubble, even though we were trying to get him information he would normally be interested in. I think, though, that we'll all live.
Just as we were about to arrive at Germany, John realized that he didn’t have the back pack. He took it off for one of the pictures I made us all stop for and never put it back on. He had to hoof it all the way back to the front of the park to get it at guest services. Fortunately, someone had found it and given it to guest services.
We checked in at the Biergarten. This was interesting. OK. Interesting is my "polite" word. It was frustrating. I just wanted to slap my mother and the cute German kid who was checking us in because he was aiding and abetting her. My mother caused some confusion over whether or not she would be bringing in the scooters. She said she needed to, so they found us a table that she could drive her scooter to. But then she said she didn't want to bring it in. And so she would say something, and I would have to tell the German guy because he didn't understand what she was saying. Then he would say something, but she couldn't understand him. Dad just stayed out of it. The Disney staff handled it well.
Our table was ready before John had come back from the front gate, and they wouldn't seat us without him. Yet again, we were waiting for a table because we couldn't get our collective act together. But once we sat down, it was OK.
If you've never been, the restaurant is set up as if it is at an outdoor, German beer fest. There is a stage and a band. Kids get up to dance. The food is a buffet. The tables are set up for parties of 8, so about half way through our meal, a couple came and sat with us. My mother started talking to them about the size of the husband's beer. I was wishing I had gotten a beer that size.
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| polka band |
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| too much dessert |
Anna got up to dance to the polka band. Jack ate a lot of dessert. My mother talked loudly about how they liked to tip a little extra, only to have the waitress come back and ask how my parents would like to pay the balance on the gratuity. That was John’s favorite part of the day. I do think my parents meant to pay extra up front and the waitress didn’t understand and thought that they were trying to stiff her out of a tip. It was just kind of funny.
We left the restaurant and walked toward the exit. We hit up the Giant Golf Ball one more time on our way out. Anna actually agreed to sit with her dad. Jack was glued to my dad, which made them both happy. So my mom was my date, and happy to be so. That made me happy, because I wasn’t really the nicest daughter all day.
We went back to the hotel. Fortunately, Captain Safety was not our bus driver on the way home because I certainly would have winged him in the head with my shoe this time. Since we were only going back to our rooms, I wouldn't need to put my shoe back on.
We watched the fireworks on the balcony with my parents, and then I met my sisters (among which is Geri) at the pool bar. Over a very rummy drink, I shared the exploits of our parents. I then bought a very rummy drink to bring to my much deserving husband who had put the kids to bed.
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