Day 1c: Finally in Florida!

Meanwhile back at the room: we just realized that we had not really eaten in several hours, and seeing as we both have food-related issues, decided that remedying this situation would be better than the alternative, dying, so we decided to make our way down to the Boardwalk.

It was cold. It was very cold. Now, I can ordinarily handle temperatures that would make a penguin chatter, but for some reason, the wind was blowing right through me.

We had decided that counter service would be our best bet since time was of the essence for us in this particular instance. We passed the Flying Fish Cafe and the ice cream/candy store before arriving at the Spoodles take-out window. We both ordered a slice and a drink, mine being a cheese slice and Lauren's being pepperoni. When I went to use my Disney ID for a discount, I was rebuffed and informed that they did not give a cast discount here. This would set the tone for the remainder of the trip, where not only would the discount not always be applied, but the amount of the discount, depending on the venue and even individual cast member, would vary greatly. Whatever. 

After we finished our delicious (and full-priced) meal we remained seated outside and debated where our plans would take us next. We had decided that we did not want to try and do a park in the first hours after we arrived, since it would be dark and I did not think that it would be the best introduction to the parks for Lauren. Of course, this was a decision concocted far away from Florida, and here was Epcot, sitting a mere moment's walk away. Suffice it to say, we decided to "only take a walk to look at it from outside the gates." Suffice it to say that we did NOT only look at it from the outside. When one is not paying for one's own admission, it makes one much more cavalier about the use of admission media.

Once we had entered the International Gateway, we began the clockwise loop of World Showcase. We didn't actually go into any of the shops or restaurants or anything like that. Just took a few pictures and a power walk to basically get our bearings for this part of the park, as we would be headed here tomorrow. In addition, I figured I would pull the ever popular move of letting Lauren experience it very very superficially in the hopes that she would gain a tremendous sense of anticipation for the following day. It worked.

Once we returned to the International Gateway, we waved goodbye to Epcot, double-checked the Early Entry time for the following day and returned to our villa, where a warm bath in a jacuzzi tub and a nice warm bed awaited us.