The trams still aren’t running at Epcot and last time we were there for the Food & Wine Festival, we swore we wouldn’t visit again until they were running or we were staying onsite. It’s just too much for us these days. But… we were enticed to try again for the Festival of the Arts.

This time our parking spot was closer than last time so this seemed to bode well. The crowds were down, too, at least in the morning, which always makes a difference. And the weather was perfect.

We also had a ressie at San Angel – it’s my go-to- restaurant – the one that says “we’re here” and we hadn’t been since we moved back to Florida. So the plan was to stop in at a couple of booths/studios (Italy and Germany) we’d checked out online and then head off to lunch.

On the way to World Showcase, we stopped in at Creations for our Annual Passholder Dumbo magnets (so cute!) and when we first arrived in World Showcase, we saw Deco Delights was open. We couldn’t resist the Espresso Martini and the “Decadent Valrhona Chocolate with dark chocolate mousse, chocolate brownie, and cassis mousse. Rich got us one of each and I found a table and we shared them. Yum, yum, yum!

Then we headed towards Italy via Remy in France – we haven’t seen this area upclose since we’ve been back. Some day we might actually ride it and grab a snack.

Then on to Italy where we got the “Mozzarella Fritta: Flash-fried breaded fresh mozzarella with artist palette condiments” with a glass of Prosecco for me and the Lemoncello margarita for Rich. Have we mentioned he loves his Lemoncello?

Very tasty!

Then a stop in Germany where we got the “Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib with parsnip purée, broccolini, baby tomatoes, and aged balsamic” – Oh my goodness! Why have I never had parsnip purée before? It was totally amazing! And the above and beyond delicious “Black Forest Cake: Chocolate Mousse with morello cherries and Chantilly cream.”

It was getting close to our San Angel reservation so we hoofed it over there and when we saw the “3 Caballeros” ride was a walk-on, we had just enough time to ride it. We might have been 2 minutes late for our ressie, but that’s not a biggie.

We were seated in the middle of the room, but Rich asked for a water view table for 2, which we were granted. I got the Ribeye Tacos: “Ribeye, thinly sliced, with Poblano peppers, red onions, bacon and Monterey Jack cheese served with corn tortillas and plantains, topped with crema Mexicana and cotija cheese” and Rich got the Baja Fish Tacos: “Beer-battered fried Cod, Shredded Cabbage, Chipotle-Lime Aioli and Pineapple Relish in flour tortillas.” We each ordered a Blood Orange Margarita.

We were concerned we wouldn’t be able to have a couple of food festival tastings and still have room for lunch and it was really close. We were absolutely stuffed. And halfway in with the Margarita, I started feeling really ill. I didn’t know if I was going to pass out or puke. We settled our bill and got outside for some fresh air as fast as we could. I started to feel much better.

We hiked back out to the car and drove home with a stop at Tasty Treat for an ice cream cone since we’d forgotten to pick up some cold water before we left Epcot.

It was a fun day but once, again, it was just too much. The 70- to 90-minute drive, the 10,000 steps, Espresso Martini and dessert before eating anything savory. Was it the drive, the walk, the blood sugar dip from the sugar and/or the alcohol or all of the above? I don’t know but each trip to Epcot from where we live without the trams running just seems like too much these days. We used to do a similar trip when we lived in Tampa Bay but we were 19 years younger – lol!

We’re planning an on-site trip in March to test out a new pet sitter, so we’ll let you know if our park experience is any better. Or is it time to sit those out and focus on the resorts and Disney Springs?