addot
06-26-2002, 11:15 PM
In case you missed day 1, here is a recap: I traveled with wife (DW), son 15 (DS), daughter 14 (DD1), daughter 10 (DD2), and sister-in-law (DSIL). Stayed off site (Residence Inn, LBV) and drove our own car (1300 miles in two days). The WDW part of the trip lasted from Tuesday, June 11 to Saturday, June 15. This is our second trip to WDW. The last visit was five years ago. Day 1 was AK with Dinner at Boma and evening at Fantasmic.
Day 2: On Wednesday, we headed to Epcot for the 9:00 opening. There didn?t seem to be nearly as many people there as were at the AK on Tuesday. They opened the turn styles at 8:45 but didn?t drop the rope until 9:00. We got in the TT dash, but took our time as we aren?t ones to run from attraction to attraction. I was hoping to talk some our group into trying this one, but was only able to convince DD1 to go. There was already a long stand-by line and even more people in the FP line. We decided to get two fast passes and would come back later with DD1 to ride. We then headed over to the HISTA movie at Imagination. We were able to walk right in to see the pre-show and movie. This was a lot of fun ? we all seem to like 3D movies, but most thought they like ITTBAB at AK better. After the film we walked into the new JII ride (with enhanced Figment). I saw the old version 5 years ago before the much maligned rehab and was anxious to see the recent upgrade. I was not overly impressed with this ride, although DD2 was thrilled. It was her favorite attraction of the week. It was time for DD1 and I to go back to TT to cash in our FP. The rest of our group really wanted to see the Living Seas, so we agreed to meet them there. Test Track was very fun and DD1 loved it. She doesn?t mind speed, but she does hate ?air time?, that is drops. I got here the picture they take of you as you accelerate into the wall. We walked through Living Seas looking for the rest of the group and then went to ride Spaceship Earth (15 minute wait). This is one ride that everyone always seems to enjoy. We then headed over to the Life Pavilion to see Cranium Command. I had read that this was a very funny show. It probably wasn?t the best thing I?ve seen at WDW, but it was certainly worthwhile. Except for TT, we were had little or no wait for any attractions that morning. The park seemed much less crowded than AK, but it also seemed very stark in comparison ? a lot of walking, not much shade, and not so interesting architecture. It was getting close to our 1:00 PS at Akershus in Norway so we headed toward the World Showcase. We got FP for the Norway ride before being seated. We very much enjoyed the buffet at Norway. Many complain that it is heavily fish-oriented, but I didn?t find it to be so, but then again, I like fish. The selection was much more modest than Boma, but for lunch, it was more than enough. The service was great. When our son complained about the Coke being flat, our server brought him a glass of everything they had, and when these were also flat (they were having problems with their CO2 tanks), he ran across the street to the bakery to get him a good one. As it turns out, it was also our son?s birthday, so all the servers came out together singing a Norwegian birthday song and gave us a complimentary cake. Very special! My only complaint was that the service was a bit too leisurely. We were anxious to get back to the park and see more. After lunch, we took the boat ride in Norway. My wife and I just love this one! Then DSIL went on her own to browse WS at her own pace. The rest of us went over to Mexico the catch the Mariachi band play inside (excellent). We took to boat over to the other side to see Italy and Mexico and caught a boat back to see the band Off Kilter play in Canada, where we had arranged to meet up with DSIL. Off Kilter was fun, but there was little shade and the sun was brutal, so after the show we headed back to the hotel for some R&R. On the way out of the park we stopped at the Ice Station for those free samples of Coke products from around the world. This turned out to be one of our favorite attractions, probably because we were very much in need of some refreshement. DSIL had not felt very well all day so she decided to take the rest of the day off. We had hoped to go back to a park after dinner, but the storm clouds looked pretty bad, so we decided to just hang out at the hotel pool, do some laundry, and go to the Olive Garden for dinner (DS's choice for birthday dinner). Not a bad choice either - one of the best meals you can get for under $10, I think. The bottom line for Day2: Epcot has something for everyone, but needs more shade and more in-park transportation. Everyone likes Spaceship Earth. Get to Test Track early. Ride the Maelstrom (Baak, Baak, over de falls!)
Day 2: On Wednesday, we headed to Epcot for the 9:00 opening. There didn?t seem to be nearly as many people there as were at the AK on Tuesday. They opened the turn styles at 8:45 but didn?t drop the rope until 9:00. We got in the TT dash, but took our time as we aren?t ones to run from attraction to attraction. I was hoping to talk some our group into trying this one, but was only able to convince DD1 to go. There was already a long stand-by line and even more people in the FP line. We decided to get two fast passes and would come back later with DD1 to ride. We then headed over to the HISTA movie at Imagination. We were able to walk right in to see the pre-show and movie. This was a lot of fun ? we all seem to like 3D movies, but most thought they like ITTBAB at AK better. After the film we walked into the new JII ride (with enhanced Figment). I saw the old version 5 years ago before the much maligned rehab and was anxious to see the recent upgrade. I was not overly impressed with this ride, although DD2 was thrilled. It was her favorite attraction of the week. It was time for DD1 and I to go back to TT to cash in our FP. The rest of our group really wanted to see the Living Seas, so we agreed to meet them there. Test Track was very fun and DD1 loved it. She doesn?t mind speed, but she does hate ?air time?, that is drops. I got here the picture they take of you as you accelerate into the wall. We walked through Living Seas looking for the rest of the group and then went to ride Spaceship Earth (15 minute wait). This is one ride that everyone always seems to enjoy. We then headed over to the Life Pavilion to see Cranium Command. I had read that this was a very funny show. It probably wasn?t the best thing I?ve seen at WDW, but it was certainly worthwhile. Except for TT, we were had little or no wait for any attractions that morning. The park seemed much less crowded than AK, but it also seemed very stark in comparison ? a lot of walking, not much shade, and not so interesting architecture. It was getting close to our 1:00 PS at Akershus in Norway so we headed toward the World Showcase. We got FP for the Norway ride before being seated. We very much enjoyed the buffet at Norway. Many complain that it is heavily fish-oriented, but I didn?t find it to be so, but then again, I like fish. The selection was much more modest than Boma, but for lunch, it was more than enough. The service was great. When our son complained about the Coke being flat, our server brought him a glass of everything they had, and when these were also flat (they were having problems with their CO2 tanks), he ran across the street to the bakery to get him a good one. As it turns out, it was also our son?s birthday, so all the servers came out together singing a Norwegian birthday song and gave us a complimentary cake. Very special! My only complaint was that the service was a bit too leisurely. We were anxious to get back to the park and see more. After lunch, we took the boat ride in Norway. My wife and I just love this one! Then DSIL went on her own to browse WS at her own pace. The rest of us went over to Mexico the catch the Mariachi band play inside (excellent). We took to boat over to the other side to see Italy and Mexico and caught a boat back to see the band Off Kilter play in Canada, where we had arranged to meet up with DSIL. Off Kilter was fun, but there was little shade and the sun was brutal, so after the show we headed back to the hotel for some R&R. On the way out of the park we stopped at the Ice Station for those free samples of Coke products from around the world. This turned out to be one of our favorite attractions, probably because we were very much in need of some refreshement. DSIL had not felt very well all day so she decided to take the rest of the day off. We had hoped to go back to a park after dinner, but the storm clouds looked pretty bad, so we decided to just hang out at the hotel pool, do some laundry, and go to the Olive Garden for dinner (DS's choice for birthday dinner). Not a bad choice either - one of the best meals you can get for under $10, I think. The bottom line for Day2: Epcot has something for everyone, but needs more shade and more in-park transportation. Everyone likes Spaceship Earth. Get to Test Track early. Ride the Maelstrom (Baak, Baak, over de falls!)