As we walked across the Epcot parking lot today a man exiting with his sun asked my husband and I if we'd like two Fast Passes for Soarin' later that evening. We actually had plans to leave the park prior to the 8:15 PM time stamped on the pass, but said we would gladly pay it forward to another group of two.
We did exactly that. First, we headed straight to the American Gardens Theater to see Little Queen - The Music of Heart as part of the Epcot Sounds Like Summer series. A good show although I only recognized a few of the songs.
Next, we were starving so we popped into the American pavilion's Liberty Inn. What a mess that was. First the cashier did not follow line protocol (by alternating order to his left and right). 5 people were let to order ahead of that should not have.
Next, our order was "lost". It took FOREVER. I blame it on the servers. Instead of calling out order numbers (which would eliminate any confusion) they simply yelled out "chili cheese dog" or "chicken nuggets" and people in line would simply grab one and take off. People didn't even care that they were getting the wrong sides (apples vs fries) or sometimes servers were throwing both on the tray because of the mass confusion.
It was impossible to get anyone's attention. We had a large drink with our order, but none of the trays were coming out that way. Finally, I was able to convince one of the servers that our order was lost (our large drink had been sitting on the counter melting). A male server snorted that it was probably the one he already called out 10 minutes ago that no one claimed (it wasn't). After realizing we were wronged, she at least offered to give us a fresh drink since the one on the counter had obviously been there a very long time.
After we cooled off (literally and figuratively), we sat for a few minutes and took in the collection of flags that hang at Liberty Inn.
Last, but not least, we headed over to The Land in search of couple disappointed that the Soarin' Fast Passes had all been distributed for the day and the stand-by line was way too log. We found such a couple who were very happy to have the tickets. The experience of making someone's day made up for the less-than-Disney experience we had at Liberty Inn.