Stitch, Spooks, and Smiles: Updated 12/13! About This Page:

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On to the Land and Living With the Land. Unfortunately, the standby line for this attraction was over 25 minutes by itself! If you have been on this attraction, then you know how close you get to your neighbors as you make your way through the queue- so this definitely was a GAC time. Again, the CM’s were gracious and friendly about it- we were sent through the FastPass line.

Pretty soon, we were on a boat and had Alisa as our guide- Kevan and I agreed she was also perfect for the Jungle Cruise- funny, outgoing, excellent voice and lots of bad jokes! The kids enjoyed this- Kevin is very focused and interested on the weather, so he loves the beginning part with the storms.


That's some pumpkin!

One thing Alisa pointed out that was brand new to me was the hidden Mickey in the hydroponic lettuce:




After we finished up in the Land, we headed over to the Living Seas. I already knew this was closed but at least wanted Emily to be able to see the Nemo friends outside. She was so disappointed about not being able to go inside, but recovered in good time. I let Emmy and Matty play along the “reef” as long as they wanted- they visited with the whole Nemo gang for a good 20 minutes before they announced they were ready to move on.



Emily noticed some writing on the wall and asked, “Mom, what does that say?” I had to snicker before I responded- in a loud voice replying, “This area is being refurbished for your future enjoyment.” All of a sudden, she got a completely blank look on her face and responded “ What does THAT mean?” Kevan, Beverly and I broke into hysterics. So Kevan told her it was Mickey’s way of saying he was making the ride better.

Kevin had been so good and patient in waiting for his favorite ride, Test Track. We convinced Katie on to that one, alas another use for the GAC. As you have probably surmised, the GAC didn’t present us any problems in using it and Test Track was no exception. Katie was a little taken aback by the roundabout on the track but otherwise did fine.


Playing it cool in the queue at Test Track

Another one of Kevin’s focuses is on cars. (Sidenotes: One of the hallmarks of Asperger’s is fascination or fixation on certain things. Kevin has been interested in a whole bunch of stuff through the years but at least his current points of focus worked well with WDW and EPCOT in particular) He can tell you just about any model or color it comes in, manufacturer. As we made our way into the post-show area, a/k/a the giant GM showroom- I thought the child was going to go into cardiac arrest! I let him have the run of the place- we went to every model and he spouted off features (which all were 100% correct because I read the sticker on the car as he told me- he’s amazing). This is the happiest I have seen this child in months- he smiled and laughed and was truly in his own slice of heaven. Pictures tell the story well:




After I managed to get him out of the showroom, he headed for the store- in which he spent about 75% of the Disney Dollars he earned. Matthew picked up a Test Track Mickey, even though he doesn’t care to ride. Kevin and Matthew really put their heads together to figure out ( with just a little bit of help) that if they agreed to share a toy, they could split the cost, thereby using less of their own money. Dad was HIGHLY skeptical about the success of the plan- but I thought it was worth a try. ( Turns out, it worked fine!) So Matthew and Kevin became the joint owners of an electronic Hummer H3 with all the trimmings (bells, whistles, etc).

After the kids were done shopping, we all were starving- and Katie was getting cranky. Aaron spotted the Pizza place near Test Track and we got that for all the kids. I parked all of them on the bench and they practically inhaled it- including Katie, who barely eats more than a slice and a half at home.

Kevan, Beverly and I did not want pizza at all so we had to sort something else out. Kevan suggested Cantina De San Angel. We walked towards Mexico and the boys asked to ride El Rio del Tiempo ( one of my favorites!) but we asked them to let us eat first. I chose what I thought were good tables until Kevin and Katie spotted the numerous cranes- which freaked them out. Katie was pretty upset and agitated I think from being worn out- so lunch was not exactly the calm, relaxed meal I had hoped for. It’s okay- it’s just part of life with autistic kids. Food at Cantina was okay but nothing I would write home about. Beverly had gotten a taco salad that I ended up regretting not getting. It looked very good.

We decided to go ahead with Rio del Tiempo which everyone loved, and Katie calmed down considerably for. Then we went ahead on into Norway and rode Maelstrom- which completely freaked Emily out- she came off that attraction in tears. I think it was the combination of the trolls, Vikings and the loud noises. The Norwegian cast members in the stores were so sweet to her- one even offered her a tissue and stroked her back as I was looking in the perfumery. They also showered her with stickers.


Norway Pavillion

Given the state of our youngest child, we decided it was time to call it quits for the afternoon. Aaron wanted to go to Mitsokoshi in Japan for Yu-Gi-Oh stuff, so we pointed him and Beverly in the right direction.

We headed for the exit. Matthew asked to ride on Spaceship Earth, which everyone agreed on and a rather sedate way to end our morning. Nice as always and Emily really enjoyed Michaelangelo, just as Matthew did on his first trip.

We were on the monorail in no time and ready to head back to the Polynesian for a much needed rest. Or at least we thought a rest!