So now we make it to Epcot and just excited to be here at Christmas time.
We enter the park and now the big golf ball draws us in with its tractor beam. This is a fear of mine because as we all know, we can't start with this ride as we need to get to the more popular/busier ones. If we get stuck in line here, it could kill the whole day.
This is Bill Gates car at his house, while he was in the garage.
The line moves fairly quick. We are now on the ride 2 by 2 and all of us are really enjoying it. The history of communication entertains the kids much more than I think. Then the best part happens when they use the picture of each rider in showing off your future.
We had a real blast on this. It was fun to see our heads in all of the different scenes.
We didn't stay long after the ride because we wanted to move along to the other things to do.
Next we moved onto Innoventions. We have done this before, but they added some things to it. We also are Disney Visa cardholders and there is a special photo op with characters just for having your card. So we waited in line for about 20 minutes. They allow one family in at a time to meet with the characters. It worked out great. We had Mickey, Minnie and Goofy. They spent a lot of time playing with the kids and posing for pictures. They give us a free 5x7 for being cardholders, plus the photopass guy took extra shots that we got as well.
(Goofy was signing the autograph while standing on one leg.)
Now my DS5 can be scared of his own shadow. On our last WDW trip he was in a stroller. We were with no stroller on this trip and weren't too sure how he was going to hold up. He didn't have that security of his own stroller, he had to walk everywhere, and we wanted him to go on all kinds of rides. Up next: Mission Space
DW, DD10 and I all think he will chicken out and not do the ride. All 4 of us get in the queue and our wait is probably 30 minutes. Now its our turn to move up to the part where we get our final instructions before we go into the ride to have a seat. DW is getting real nervous. She has heard things about the intensity (even though we were on the easy version). She asks a cast member how she can exit the ride now and he shows her the way. So the 2 kids and I head into the ride. DW exits stage left. DS9 and DD10 love the ride and have a great time. DS5 had no idea that Mom wasn't on the ride. I had to convince him afterward. Both kids really had fun on it and then proceed to tell Mom all about it.
Test Track is crazy today so we shoot over to the Land. It is time for Living with the Land. We always love this ride. It is neat to see the different hydroponically grown plants.
(Hot Peppers)
(Hidden Mickey in the shrimp tank.)
So after this we know that Soarin is not an option today. So we head over to the Seas. The Nemo ride is great and we are prepared for a long wait like usual. We get to the queue and there is no one in line. We walk through the whole queue and get right on. Things are going our way today.
After the ride we check out the sea life in the tanks. The rays were awesome. They were coming up to glass of the tank and showing their under body constantly as they were cleaning the glass. It was entertaining because it looks like they are smiling at you. We hung out here for a little while as we waited for the show with Crush.
This show always impresses me. Those Imagineers really have it all together. So DS5 and DD10 take a seat in the front with all the kids. Late in the show Crush asks the kids if they have any questions. DS5 asks, "Do you have a girlfriend?" To which Crush responds, "Yes, her name is Shelley." He loved it.
Then it is time to hang out with Chum, Bruce and Anchor
We have reservations for dinner at Coral Reef Restaurant. (PS We are on the dining plan.) This is a good place to relax after flying in early in the AM, bussing it around, and walking around the park. We waited about 10 minutes to get seated. We had a great meal. DD10 is an adult according to Disney. So she got to order her first adult meal on the plan. She ordered the seared Chicken Breast. It is served over spaetzle finished with Applewood smoked bacon in a chicken broth. She has raved about it ever since. It was a perfect dinner for her. I had the salmon. It was excellent. DW had the Beef Short Rib. She enjoyed it but couldn't finish. DS5 had his first of many Mac N Cheese meals. The kids meals come with an appetizer. DS5 wasn't going to eat Lbster soup or Celery and Carrots. We ordered the Lobster Soup and shared it. It worked great as a dip for the bread we had. Desserts were good. They weren't too much on top of the big meal. Service could not have been better and we were in no way whatsoever rushed. There were lots of people taking a scuba diving tour in the tank while we were having dinner. It was great to see them in there. We saw some decent sized sharks in there too.
(I had a cheesecake dessert with berries and phyllo)
(DS5 had a sundae)
(DW had Creme Brulee)
(DD10 had Almond Gelato - with granola-marshmallow cookie, peaches, and passion fruit sauce)
That was it for Day 1. We made our way back to OKW (bus service). The bus came just as we made it to the bus stop. How perfect! The only thing that could be better about OKW and our busses is when we get dropped off. We are the 5th (and final) stop in OKW. They seem to travel in circles as they weave in and out of the different areas in the resort to make it to every stop. (20 minutes long)
Next day is Hollywood Studios.