Thursday, cont'd
In Epcot, we found ourselves in (what we considered to be) huge crowds, and more heat than the previous day -- and it was only about 10:30am. Oh, to not be so spoiled by low seasons!
We made our way through Tinkerbell's Fairy Garden, and took in the gorgeous roses (and other flowers, of course) throughout the park. We enjoyed the "Art in the Garden" display, and the various other exhibits set up for the Flower & Garden Festival. Finally, we made our way to Future World
After getting fastpasses for Soarin' (the soundtrack of which, interestingly enough, is playing on Radio Buena Vista as I type), we went to Sunshine Seasons for lunch. It was about 10:50, so we beat the crowds there... but not by much. Even that early, the lines were quite long as we were finding a seat. We absolutely LOVE this counter service. Kyle had a pork chop and vegetables, I had rotisserie chicken and potatoes. We had Butterfinger cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse cake for dessert, and rolled our stuffed selves toward Circle of Life.
{Hmm.... definitely hate when I can't read my notes to save my life }
We hadn't seen the Circle of Life attraction in several years, so it was enjoyable. I vaguely remember getting choked up at one part of it, but couldn't tell you where. I'm such a sap.
Living with the Land boasted a 20-minute wait, which turned out to be only 5 minutes. We absolutely LOVE this ride
Before and during our ride, and while wandering through The Land pavilion, we answered some Passporter Treasure Hunts questions -- I have to again recommend this book. We have had so much fun bringing this on our last couple of trips. We don't ever set out to do a "scavenger hunt", but always have it on us and answer questions here and there. In my opinion, it was MORE than worth whatever I paid for it (which I don't think was much)!
When we walked into The Seas, I was sure I was being stalked by a Dream Team CM. He was everywhere! I was so tempted to stalk him in return, but, alas, I had some willpower. Sadly, I never saw him grant any dreams. He must have just been enjoying the pavilion
We still love the Seas with Nemo and Friends, and can't get enough of "The Big Blue World"
We waited about 20 minutes for the ride, which actually gave Kyle time to admire the details in the queue. Really, Disney Imagineers were - as usual - brilliant in their development of this queue. The barnacles getting higher as we descend deeper under the sea, the hand rails changing with the change in depth, Circular air vents to blend in with the bubbles.... Really, check it out next time! It's rather impressive!
On our way back to The Land to ride Soarin', I was stopped by two Dream Team CMs!
Apparently, he just wanted to chat, and make sure we were enjoying our trip. What, did we have to BEG for something?! (No, don't start. We weren't feeling entitled to anything or remotely upset that we didn't "win" a dream ... it was just very funny how many near misses we would have throughout the trip!
) I must say, the gentleman was very nice, and we WERE thoroughly enjoying our trip. I told him if he could do something about the heat we would really be pleased. He admitted that he could not, and that he (and apparently all of Florida) was surprised and annoyed at how much hotter it had been than they were expecting. Yeah, yeah....
Our ride on Soarin' was, as always, spectacular. We went to the Imagination Pavilion and walked right on Journey...., which is also always fun. We experienced Honey I Shrunk the Audience for the first time since December 2005. I'd say this is probably my least favorite 3-D attraction at WDW, but it's still fairly cute. I mostly love watching the people in the rows in front of me react to ... well, you know. The effects
After the Imagination Pavilion, we went to Innoventions West for our Disney Visa character meet & greet. We waited absolutely FOREVER, without the photo line moving an inch. There was talk of not letting any of the rest of us in (because the time had passed), but someone behind me protested that we had got in line at least 30 minutes prior, so we moved forward. Probably needless to say, each group didn't get a whole lot of time with the characters, but hey - it's free!
We didn't have much time to play in Innoventions, but did get to try out the Nintendo Wii. We are very much a Nintendo family, and it's quite remarkable that it had taken us this long to experience the newest gaming system. Heck, we literally have all 4 previous Nintendo Entertainment Systems hooked up, and still play with all of them on occasion.
The Wii is really unique. I would really have to see what games were available and how they would work before I can say that I love it, but it was cool. Kyle, on the other hand, wanted to purchase one while still on our trip, and take it home with us so he'd have it right away when we got back. No, he didn't win.
At about 5:30pm, we made our way to Coral Reef for our dinner reservations. Our waitress, Jenny, was absolutely wonderful. We both got specialty drinks (non-alcoholic, smoothie type drinks) that were delicious! I was somewhat disappointed to be seated at the very back, with virtually no chance of getting good views of the fish (and TRULY no chance of identifying any!), but the atmosphere was still a pleasant one. And the food! The food was to die for! Our meal here, despite what others might think, was one of the best we have had in a Disney park. I had Mahi Mahi, and Kyle chose a New York Strip. The Mahi Mahi was served with roasted vegetables, couscous and a honey soy sauce that was just amazing. Yum!
(Yippee, my banana's back!)
so I wasn't all that willing to rearrange our schedule if we missed it. 
- it just looks so doggone crappy compared to the effort Disney puts into its other nighttime events. Just my opinion, but a strong one. We figured out last time, that if only they would use better technology on the globe where you could actually make out was happening without hurting yourself, it might be much better. While they hadn't appeared to change the technology just yet (I think that is coming soon, finally!), at least they replaced some freaking bulbs, and the color was much better. Thank you, Siemens! 
) and meeting a few characters. One of my favorite, often overlooked attractions in the entire Animal Kingdom is "Song of the Rainforest". If you haven't experienced it, be sure to make it a date on your next trip! 
