4 Parks + 5 Staples in the Baby's Head = 9 Magical Days!! (9/17 The Last Hurrah!)
- Thread starter thecapells
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thecapells
Disney Dad
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Next set is Animal Kingdom. The generic “family in front of the Tree of Life” shots weren’t that great but the “magic” Simba ones were cute:
I got a great couple with little X:
Since the kids kept squinting, I cropped out me and Mom for a nice one on the bridge:
Last stop was Character’s Landing with the Hundred Acre Wood Gang.
These are similar to the ones I posted except you get to add the signatures to these.
First was Pooh...
The family ones came out pretty good:
Next was Eeyore
Last was Tigger
As we headed out, we finally got a nice family Animal Kingdom shot
Then some one-on-ones with Simba...
I was even able to get one with X! The photographer wasn’t sure but I asked him try:
And since I was wearing my Lion King shirt, the CM made me do one as well:
Okay, now that we’re caught up, I’ll mix in the Photopass pictures with the rest of the trip report.
Next up is Day Four and Soarin’!!
Until then, let’s hear from all you lurkers out there!!
Is everyone still with us or did you all get bored and wander off?
I got a great couple with little X:
Since the kids kept squinting, I cropped out me and Mom for a nice one on the bridge:
Last stop was Character’s Landing with the Hundred Acre Wood Gang.
These are similar to the ones I posted except you get to add the signatures to these.
First was Pooh...
The family ones came out pretty good:
Next was Eeyore
Last was Tigger
As we headed out, we finally got a nice family Animal Kingdom shot
Then some one-on-ones with Simba...
I was even able to get one with X! The photographer wasn’t sure but I asked him try:
And since I was wearing my Lion King shirt, the CM made me do one as well:
Okay, now that we’re caught up, I’ll mix in the Photopass pictures with the rest of the trip report.
Next up is Day Four and Soarin’!!
Until then, let’s hear from all you lurkers out there!!
Is everyone still with us or did you all get bored and wander off?
No you pay one price for as many pictures as you want and you create from what they took.
thecapells
Disney Dad
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- Mar 3, 2008
- Messages
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Ok I have heard of people saying they pre ordered their photopass. Did you do that? and 633 picswas that expensive?
Yeah, I pre-ordered but we actually "pre-ordered" once we got home. (I forgot to do it before we left).
As long as you apply for the deal before you claim your pics, it works.
And we got the special combo deal. For $150, we pre-ordered the photocd and the professional photobook. Should total about $200.
Mom is working on the photobook.
Right, we actually had about 300-something pictures.
After all my edits and graphics were added, the total is 633.
The pre-order price covers all the pictures no matter how many CD's you end up filling up.
thecapells
Disney Dad
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Good luck with the move Luckylady (I hate them - I told my family after the last one 3 years ago, we're here until the kids go to college).
As for the next segment, I'm working on uploading Day 4 pictures now.
I hope to sit down and write it up in the next day or two.
Angelia'sthree
Mouseketeer
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- Jan 24, 2008
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Finally caught up~! You have some wonderful pics~!!
thecapells
Disney Dad
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Thanks and welcome aboard Angelia'sthree!
jmskinner
DIS Veteran
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- Apr 15, 2006
- Messages
- 4,267
Oh, I love Photopass pics. I think I am going to pre-order the CD. We have my folks coming for Christmas, and then the husbands folks (incl his Dad, Stepmom, and Mom who get along) and they all want to go to Disneyworld so I thought Photopass would be great to get pics of everyone. And then give them as a gift.
X with Simba is just great. I want a Captain Hook one.
Looking forward to more!
X with Simba is just great. I want a Captain Hook one.
Looking forward to more!
thecapells
Disney Dad
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- Mar 3, 2008
- Messages
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I highly recommend Photopass.
The nice thing about deciding ahead of time is you are on the lookout for the photographers everywhere.
And you usually get nice shots of the family rather than having one person always missing since they are taking the picture.
As for the Captain Hook shot, it is right to the right of the entrance to Pirates of the Caribbean.
Just look for the tripod right outside the giftshop - it's definitely one of my favorites and I was searching out the photographer to make sure we got it!
thecapells
Disney Dad
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- Mar 3, 2008
- Messages
- 3,837
Loving your report!! the photos are fabulous!! I'm wondering if when "Mom" pops back in, if she could share a few of her favorite eBay Disney sellers. I love those Minnie ears pigtail holders! I'd love to do some shopping before our May trip!
thecapells
Disney Dad
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- Mar 3, 2008
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AUTHORS NOTE: I apologize ahead of time but this segment is a bit light on pictures as we were otherwise occupied with awesomeness.
Now back to your irregularly scheduled trip report
Early morning at EPCOT means one thing everyones going Soarin!
Weve heard of this ride, seen the commercials, and everyone was looking forward to trying it for the first time (except Mom).
I had convinced myself it was no different than Star Tours (which I love) or a big swing set so I was willing to give it a try.
DS was very excited after hearing and seeing all about it on the planning videos and travel channel shows.
DD decided she wanted to try it (albeit very tentatively) which I hadnt planned on.
At her 4 year check-up a couple of weeks before, she measured 39.5 inches without shoes so I prepared her by telling her they might not let her on.
So, after our Stitch wake-up call, we put on our EPCOT clothes and headed out. Yes, we have EPCOT clothes.
Ive never done rope drop at EPCOT before so I was not sure what to expect.
When we arrived around 7:45, lines stretched from the gate all the way back to the bag check and the entrance wasnt even open yet.
DS needed a restroom stop and I figured we had plenty of time judging by the line.
When we got back, Mom and crew were almost at the gate as the line moved very fast.
We caught up and headed into the park to the tune of A Very Merry UnBirthday once again.
I think the kids will forever associate EPCOT with Alice in Wonderland.
Anyway, I handed all the tickets to Mom, grabbed the kids and headed off.
Morning assignments were as follows:
Mom had X in the stroller and could continue at her own pace to The Land to get fastpasses for Soarin.
(I expected we would all like it and want to go on again and Mom had no interest in going on herself.)
My job was to get the kids on line as fast as we could.
By the time we rounded Innoventions going at a good clip, DD broke down and said she couldnt go on.
I picked her up (much to the annoyance of DS) and continued on.
At the entrance to the Land, DS was really complaining so I put down DD and we headed (with the crowd) to Soarin.
Now, the moment of truth.
The CM stopped DD and checked her out. From my vantage point, she was literally AT THE 40 LINE.
I kept thinking "I should have gotten her taller shoes!" In the end, the CM let her pass.
For the entire time on line (about 10 minutes), DD was SO EXCITED that she made the cutoff she was beeming and retelling the story over and over.
I was JUST tall enough! I cant believe it! Thats because Im 4 now!
I think she viewed this as a sign of getting older and this was the prize.
I got several hugs and just general elation at the fact that she was tall enough.
DS spent the time reading signs and checking out the gliders hanging from the ceiling.
We got to the next CM, and headed down the aisle to get our seat assignments.
We were on the last glider, Row One, the last 3 seats.
Standing in line waiting for the pre-show, DD started to get very nervous (as you can see on her face)
Dad, Im not too sure about this.
I told her Id be next to her and it would be okay (but I thought: this was my first time so what did I know?)
She listened intently to the pre-show and heard the part about smaller aviators so I explained that meant big kids like her.
I think having specific instructions for her alleviated some of the nervousness.
We got into our seats (me in the middle) and I buckled both with the center strap for smaller aviators and we waited.
DD made sure I got this part right because of the pre-show instructions and she was starting to get very worried.
Everyone was buckled in, the lights dimmed and we started to move.
As we rose from the floor, my stomach dropped and I starting wondering what the frick I was thinking.
But from there, awesomeness ensued.
The next 5 minutes were a chorus of weeeeee interspersed with squeals of delight and giggles.
We dangled our feet, enjoyed the breeze, and took in the smells. What a great ride!
Thanks to DIS, I knew of some Hidden Mickeys so I found the one on the golf ball and the one in the fireworks.
The kids were elated when we saw Disneyland and DS squealed even louder when she saw Tink and was able to fly after her.
When we landed and I asked what everyone thought, there was only one word from each. AWESOME.
Without a doubt, everyones new favorite ride in EPCOT was Soarin.
For comparison sake, heres a picture on the way out compare the expressions on the kids faces with the photo above.
Rather than a tentative walk, the kids were now skipping down the hallways.
Upon exit, we found Mom trying to hold onto X who was just busting to run around and not hang out anymore.
Mom had grabbed Fastpasses for everyone for 9:30:
She was curious how it went and got nothing but choruses of "awesome" from the kids. I told her she could handle it.
Honestly, other than take-off and the one rise over the mountain peak, I never got that funny motion feeling in your stomach.
Surprisingly, Mom was intrigued enough to want to try it with the fastpasses.
I think she was genuinely surprised at how much everyone liked it.
The Seas with Nemo was next on the schedule, but I figured this was our only opportunity to ride this again and I hear the lines get insane.
So, I punted on Nemo knowing we had time this afternoon and had an even better idea.
I suggested we baby swap next time so the kids could go THREE times.
The kids were not so sure so I said well see.
Sunshine Seasons was the next stop as we needed food.
But on the way, we detoured to Living with the Land.
Mom and I always liked this leisurely boat ride and I captured the kids interest by telling them to look for Hidden Mickeys.
(I knew they usually have melons and pumpkins in familiar shapes).
X was unsure at first but liked all the animals and environments at the beginning.
DS even enjoyed pointing them out to him.
The Aquacell was neat as the kids got to see all the fish and we told DD this is where the shrimp she had at Coral Reef came from.
However, the kids starting getting bored in the greenhouse and we didnt see any Mickey-shaped fruit or veggies.
We did catch the Cinderella pumpkin which DD really liked but this one did not make the kids favorite lists.
At this point, everyone was getting grumpy and needed food before meltdowns ensued so we headed to Sunshine Seasons.
I figured wed use one meal here (since Mom wanted to skip a meal later, we could use her meal now) and pay cash for the rest.
Mom had a better idea so we grabbed a breakfast platter and then lots of snacks.
It turns out that strawberries & cream, chocolate milk, and oatmeal all counted as snacks.
It worked out perfectly since we hadnt used many snacks so far.
After a surprisingly good breakfast and long restroom stops, we headed back to Soarin.
Mom took the plunge and said shed try it so we grabbed a rider swap pass and off they went.
Mom will tell it better but what I heard was this:
They sat in the 3rd row and DD had to assure Mom it would be okay even holding her hand and telling her not to worry. Hows that for adorable?
I spent the time countin fastpass machines and entertaining the CMs. Literally.
Holding X in my arms, we went from one machine to the other and I read the numbers on them as he pointed to them.
Onnnnne, Twoooooo, Threeeee I counted as we moved from machine to machine.
The CMs smiled once they realized what we were doing.
The customers must have thought we either were trying to cut in line or were just insane.
X had a blast he loves counting.
Once we (by we I mean me) got bored, I tried to sit and X climbed all over me.
Luckily, there was another toddler sitting next to us so that entertained him.
After flirting a bit, X began to lose his patience so we were back to counting FP machines.
Then Mom finally appeared. Survey says? Thumbs up!
The kids were so excited again, they decided that they wanted to go on a THIRD time.
So off we went with the rider swap pass.
DS was excited that we got Row 2 so now we rode in all the spots.
Row 2 (and 3 I imagine) is funny because you can see feet dangling above you (both with and without shoes).
The ride was awesome once again and I tried to get a couple of pics this time around of us as the ride started.
Heres DS concentrating on the ride
And DD just having a ball:
So, 3 Soarin rides, a boat ride, and breakfast later, we finally ended our long (but ***AWESOME***) morning in The Land...
Now back to your irregularly scheduled trip report
Early morning at EPCOT means one thing everyones going Soarin!
Weve heard of this ride, seen the commercials, and everyone was looking forward to trying it for the first time (except Mom).
I had convinced myself it was no different than Star Tours (which I love) or a big swing set so I was willing to give it a try.
DS was very excited after hearing and seeing all about it on the planning videos and travel channel shows.
DD decided she wanted to try it (albeit very tentatively) which I hadnt planned on.
At her 4 year check-up a couple of weeks before, she measured 39.5 inches without shoes so I prepared her by telling her they might not let her on.
So, after our Stitch wake-up call, we put on our EPCOT clothes and headed out. Yes, we have EPCOT clothes.
Ive never done rope drop at EPCOT before so I was not sure what to expect.
When we arrived around 7:45, lines stretched from the gate all the way back to the bag check and the entrance wasnt even open yet.
DS needed a restroom stop and I figured we had plenty of time judging by the line.
When we got back, Mom and crew were almost at the gate as the line moved very fast.
We caught up and headed into the park to the tune of A Very Merry UnBirthday once again.
I think the kids will forever associate EPCOT with Alice in Wonderland.
Anyway, I handed all the tickets to Mom, grabbed the kids and headed off.
Morning assignments were as follows:
Mom had X in the stroller and could continue at her own pace to The Land to get fastpasses for Soarin.
(I expected we would all like it and want to go on again and Mom had no interest in going on herself.)
My job was to get the kids on line as fast as we could.
By the time we rounded Innoventions going at a good clip, DD broke down and said she couldnt go on.
I picked her up (much to the annoyance of DS) and continued on.
At the entrance to the Land, DS was really complaining so I put down DD and we headed (with the crowd) to Soarin.
Now, the moment of truth.
The CM stopped DD and checked her out. From my vantage point, she was literally AT THE 40 LINE.
I kept thinking "I should have gotten her taller shoes!" In the end, the CM let her pass.
For the entire time on line (about 10 minutes), DD was SO EXCITED that she made the cutoff she was beeming and retelling the story over and over.
I was JUST tall enough! I cant believe it! Thats because Im 4 now!
I think she viewed this as a sign of getting older and this was the prize.
I got several hugs and just general elation at the fact that she was tall enough.
DS spent the time reading signs and checking out the gliders hanging from the ceiling.
We got to the next CM, and headed down the aisle to get our seat assignments.
We were on the last glider, Row One, the last 3 seats.
Standing in line waiting for the pre-show, DD started to get very nervous (as you can see on her face)
Dad, Im not too sure about this.
I told her Id be next to her and it would be okay (but I thought: this was my first time so what did I know?)
She listened intently to the pre-show and heard the part about smaller aviators so I explained that meant big kids like her.
I think having specific instructions for her alleviated some of the nervousness.
We got into our seats (me in the middle) and I buckled both with the center strap for smaller aviators and we waited.
DD made sure I got this part right because of the pre-show instructions and she was starting to get very worried.
Everyone was buckled in, the lights dimmed and we started to move.
As we rose from the floor, my stomach dropped and I starting wondering what the frick I was thinking.
But from there, awesomeness ensued.
The next 5 minutes were a chorus of weeeeee interspersed with squeals of delight and giggles.
We dangled our feet, enjoyed the breeze, and took in the smells. What a great ride!
Thanks to DIS, I knew of some Hidden Mickeys so I found the one on the golf ball and the one in the fireworks.
The kids were elated when we saw Disneyland and DS squealed even louder when she saw Tink and was able to fly after her.
When we landed and I asked what everyone thought, there was only one word from each. AWESOME.
Without a doubt, everyones new favorite ride in EPCOT was Soarin.
For comparison sake, heres a picture on the way out compare the expressions on the kids faces with the photo above.
Rather than a tentative walk, the kids were now skipping down the hallways.
Upon exit, we found Mom trying to hold onto X who was just busting to run around and not hang out anymore.
Mom had grabbed Fastpasses for everyone for 9:30:
She was curious how it went and got nothing but choruses of "awesome" from the kids. I told her she could handle it.
Honestly, other than take-off and the one rise over the mountain peak, I never got that funny motion feeling in your stomach.
Surprisingly, Mom was intrigued enough to want to try it with the fastpasses.
I think she was genuinely surprised at how much everyone liked it.
The Seas with Nemo was next on the schedule, but I figured this was our only opportunity to ride this again and I hear the lines get insane.
So, I punted on Nemo knowing we had time this afternoon and had an even better idea.
I suggested we baby swap next time so the kids could go THREE times.
The kids were not so sure so I said well see.
Sunshine Seasons was the next stop as we needed food.
But on the way, we detoured to Living with the Land.
Mom and I always liked this leisurely boat ride and I captured the kids interest by telling them to look for Hidden Mickeys.
(I knew they usually have melons and pumpkins in familiar shapes).
X was unsure at first but liked all the animals and environments at the beginning.
DS even enjoyed pointing them out to him.
The Aquacell was neat as the kids got to see all the fish and we told DD this is where the shrimp she had at Coral Reef came from.
However, the kids starting getting bored in the greenhouse and we didnt see any Mickey-shaped fruit or veggies.
We did catch the Cinderella pumpkin which DD really liked but this one did not make the kids favorite lists.
At this point, everyone was getting grumpy and needed food before meltdowns ensued so we headed to Sunshine Seasons.
I figured wed use one meal here (since Mom wanted to skip a meal later, we could use her meal now) and pay cash for the rest.
Mom had a better idea so we grabbed a breakfast platter and then lots of snacks.
It turns out that strawberries & cream, chocolate milk, and oatmeal all counted as snacks.
It worked out perfectly since we hadnt used many snacks so far.
After a surprisingly good breakfast and long restroom stops, we headed back to Soarin.
Mom took the plunge and said shed try it so we grabbed a rider swap pass and off they went.
Mom will tell it better but what I heard was this:
They sat in the 3rd row and DD had to assure Mom it would be okay even holding her hand and telling her not to worry. Hows that for adorable?
I spent the time countin fastpass machines and entertaining the CMs. Literally.
Holding X in my arms, we went from one machine to the other and I read the numbers on them as he pointed to them.
Onnnnne, Twoooooo, Threeeee I counted as we moved from machine to machine.
The CMs smiled once they realized what we were doing.
The customers must have thought we either were trying to cut in line or were just insane.
X had a blast he loves counting.
Once we (by we I mean me) got bored, I tried to sit and X climbed all over me.
Luckily, there was another toddler sitting next to us so that entertained him.
After flirting a bit, X began to lose his patience so we were back to counting FP machines.
Then Mom finally appeared. Survey says? Thumbs up!
The kids were so excited again, they decided that they wanted to go on a THIRD time.
So off we went with the rider swap pass.
DS was excited that we got Row 2 so now we rode in all the spots.
Row 2 (and 3 I imagine) is funny because you can see feet dangling above you (both with and without shoes).
The ride was awesome once again and I tried to get a couple of pics this time around of us as the ride started.
Heres DS concentrating on the ride
And DD just having a ball:
So, 3 Soarin rides, a boat ride, and breakfast later, we finally ended our long (but ***AWESOME***) morning in The Land...
akayek31
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2008
- Messages
- 1,331
wow the seats look so small. I may chicken out and that is always my excuse ("sorry kids i know i need to get over my fear of heights but i am to big for the seats"). It worked really well when i came face to face with the incedible hulk at islands of adventure this past july 
thecapells
Disney Dad
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2008
- Messages
- 3,837
I think X was ready to leave The Land since he was pretty bored this morning.
Mom had a tough time sitting through that 3rd ride on Soarin with him.
It was about 10:30 and we had some time to kill as our next stop was an 11:30 ADR at San Angel Inn.
Enough time for a leisurely stroll over to Mexico with a stop at Club Cool on the way.
With everyone in great spirits, it was time for Evil Dad.
My plan was to treat everyone to several sodas from around the world.
The kids dont drink soda other than an occasional Sprite so this was a big deal.
They were excited and I simply wanted to see reactions to Beverly.
Since I knew what to expect, I set my trap trying each one and conveniently saving Beverly to the end.
DD noticed I missed one and I acted surprised. So I filled a cup of Beverly and set my camera to video:
DS was so good as he tried to avoid just spitting it everywhere.
Watch him in the background as Mom and him try to find a place to spit it out.
And try to ignore grumpy X crying that his cup was empty.
DD was the actual shocker though as she actually LIKED it and wanted more.
Like I said, this girl is weird.
Anyway, after that experience, everyone wanted snack to hide the taste.
I reminded everyone we were headed to lunch so we marched on.
We headed towards the World Showcase Lagoon so we could preview the Food & Wine booths on our way to lunch.
I took us past the Fountain of Nations and we were lucky enough to catch a show.
The kids thought it was really cool to see the dancing fountain.
Heres the tail end of the show
I just kept remembering the time I saw what I guess was the origins of Fantasmic over here back in 1994.
It was Mickey fighting an odd Dragon Skeleton with dancing fountains all around very cool show.
We found a Photopass photographer and started posing.
After, I asked where we could find the cool magic Soarin shot and he said we just took it.
I was so exicted this (along with Captain Hook) were the two I was really looking forward to:
I even cropped out the magic. Since the day was so overcast, it makes a cool shot by itself on a gray background:
At the edge of the World Showcase Lagoon, we checked out the Food & Wine booths to see which ones we wanted to come back to.
Since we were headed to lunch, it seemed silly to get a snack now.
Instead we took some fun photos showing off our wardrobe.
I really liked that EPCOT shirt I found on E-Bay and X was decked out to match his sis in Nemo clothes (for The Seas with Nemo).
Mom and DS had matching Mickey Tiki outfits which we thought were at appropriate for the ambiance in Mexico.
We arrived at our first country around 10:55 but they don't open until 11.
So we parked the stroller and Mom wrapped it in ponchos in case it rained.
While Mom fixed everything up, I took a quick pic of the kids in front of the great Mexican temple.
As we crossed the portal into the courtyard, the kids really thought it was cool how it was nighttime inside but daytime outside.
Since we had some time before our ADR, I wanted to get the administrivia done.
I headed to Kidcot and asked about the passports.
I had decided before we left that the passports would be a great way to get through the World Showcase.
We bought a couple from the gift shop and then the kids went to get it stamped.
Boy did I underestimate the power of Kidcot.
Neither DS nor DD cared about their passports until we got home.
However, DD (our budding artist) decided she wanted a mask to color and DS thought the little charm was cool.
We allowed them a little time to play and color while we alternated restroom trips.
We then had to drag them away promising them more color time later.
Kidcot quickly became a fan favorite and they were already asking when they could go to the next one.
I started to wonder if I had allotted enough time to make it through all the countries.
I hadn't envisioned spending alot of time at the Kidcot stations so we may be in trouble. But thats tomorrow.
I checked in at San Angel, grabbed a buzzer, and asked if we had time for the boat ride.
The CM said yes and that the buzzer even works on the boat.
How cool is that? The kids could not believe I was allowed to take a beeper on the ride but off we went!
I really like the new ride much better than its predecessor which always seemed like a mini-Small World.
I even made sure the kids saw Saludos Amigos and the Three Caballeros before we left so they had some context.
The tune is very catchy and the kids liked following Donald through all the screens.
I especially liked the one where there is a video screen where a pool of water should go and Donald is scuba diving under the water.
I tried to take the pic but it doesnt do it justice:
DS liked the skeletons
And both kids loved the Donald piñata:
This boat was kinda cute as well:
If anything I thought the updated ride was a little too quick.
It was hard to catch all the details and video clips on both sides of the river before we passed them.
But its a fun and relaxing ride and a neat way to see the volcano and temple up close if nothing else.
And the song seems as addictive as its a small world.
As we rounded the last turn, our beeper went off. Great timing!
So we headed over to lunch:
I requested and received a table on the river so we had a nice view of both the volcano and the pyramid.
Mexico provides some of the best scenery for eating.
I had even taken Mom here on our pre-kids Disney trip for a romantic meal.
This time it was more for entertainment and to keep the kids busy.
They spent the meal watching and waving to the people who passed by.
Unfortunately we hit a couple of snags.
The Plato Mexicano was no longer served (I was looking forward to that one).
So I asked the server for suggestions and went with his choice - the Filete a los Tres Chiles.
I don't recall what Mom had but we both had Tacos de Pato (Duck Tacos) for appetizers.
We both loved the appetizers but the filet was average at best.
The kids had quesadillas (without the chicken) and X, as usual, ate off everyones plates.
The most frustrating part of the whole meal was that our server was horrible and we barely saw him the entire time.
We had to ask our neighbors server for several things since ours was nowhere to be found.
While the food in EPCOT is usually much better, the servers definitely dont seem up to the Disney caliber.
Too bad, last time we really enjoyed it here.
I imagine well try it again as most of the other servers were around all the time we just lucked out.
Good thing we werent in a rush.
After some more restroom stops and a quick song or two from the mariachi band, we headed outside.
The kids were surprised by the daylight forgetting it was only afternoon.
On the way out, we found a Photopass photographer so we had to stop.
He got an interesting vantage point and even had DS hold out his hand.
For days I wondered what would be the "magic" character.
Simba was for Animal Kingdom, Tink was for Magic Kingdom, what was for EPCOT?
It would be awesome if it was Figment but that doesn't make sense outside Mexico.
Turns out it was Tink again. Oh well, it was still an odd angle of Mexico:
We headed back towards Future World.
The kids had requested a repeat of Spaceship Earth.
That seemed fine as it was on the way to The Seas.
The only other thing left for this afternoon before naptime was Universe of Energy.
We had figured X would sleep during that one.
We took the long way and followed the paths near the Odyssey building.
We came out between Test Track and Mission: Space (two rides we were avoiding).
After some more restroom stops, we reached Spaceship Earth but both X and DD had fallen sleep in the stroller.
With 2 out of 3 kids sleeping, what do we do now?
Tune in next time for the answer...
Mom had a tough time sitting through that 3rd ride on Soarin with him.
It was about 10:30 and we had some time to kill as our next stop was an 11:30 ADR at San Angel Inn.
Enough time for a leisurely stroll over to Mexico with a stop at Club Cool on the way.
With everyone in great spirits, it was time for Evil Dad.
My plan was to treat everyone to several sodas from around the world.
The kids dont drink soda other than an occasional Sprite so this was a big deal.
They were excited and I simply wanted to see reactions to Beverly.
Since I knew what to expect, I set my trap trying each one and conveniently saving Beverly to the end.
DD noticed I missed one and I acted surprised. So I filled a cup of Beverly and set my camera to video:
DS was so good as he tried to avoid just spitting it everywhere.
Watch him in the background as Mom and him try to find a place to spit it out.
And try to ignore grumpy X crying that his cup was empty.
DD was the actual shocker though as she actually LIKED it and wanted more.
Like I said, this girl is weird.
Anyway, after that experience, everyone wanted snack to hide the taste.
I reminded everyone we were headed to lunch so we marched on.
We headed towards the World Showcase Lagoon so we could preview the Food & Wine booths on our way to lunch.
I took us past the Fountain of Nations and we were lucky enough to catch a show.
The kids thought it was really cool to see the dancing fountain.
Heres the tail end of the show
I just kept remembering the time I saw what I guess was the origins of Fantasmic over here back in 1994.
It was Mickey fighting an odd Dragon Skeleton with dancing fountains all around very cool show.
We found a Photopass photographer and started posing.
After, I asked where we could find the cool magic Soarin shot and he said we just took it.
I was so exicted this (along with Captain Hook) were the two I was really looking forward to:
I even cropped out the magic. Since the day was so overcast, it makes a cool shot by itself on a gray background:
At the edge of the World Showcase Lagoon, we checked out the Food & Wine booths to see which ones we wanted to come back to.
Since we were headed to lunch, it seemed silly to get a snack now.
Instead we took some fun photos showing off our wardrobe.
I really liked that EPCOT shirt I found on E-Bay and X was decked out to match his sis in Nemo clothes (for The Seas with Nemo).
Mom and DS had matching Mickey Tiki outfits which we thought were at appropriate for the ambiance in Mexico.
We arrived at our first country around 10:55 but they don't open until 11.
So we parked the stroller and Mom wrapped it in ponchos in case it rained.
While Mom fixed everything up, I took a quick pic of the kids in front of the great Mexican temple.
As we crossed the portal into the courtyard, the kids really thought it was cool how it was nighttime inside but daytime outside.
Since we had some time before our ADR, I wanted to get the administrivia done.
I headed to Kidcot and asked about the passports.
I had decided before we left that the passports would be a great way to get through the World Showcase.
We bought a couple from the gift shop and then the kids went to get it stamped.
Boy did I underestimate the power of Kidcot.
Neither DS nor DD cared about their passports until we got home.
However, DD (our budding artist) decided she wanted a mask to color and DS thought the little charm was cool.
We allowed them a little time to play and color while we alternated restroom trips.
We then had to drag them away promising them more color time later.
Kidcot quickly became a fan favorite and they were already asking when they could go to the next one.
I started to wonder if I had allotted enough time to make it through all the countries.
I hadn't envisioned spending alot of time at the Kidcot stations so we may be in trouble. But thats tomorrow.
I checked in at San Angel, grabbed a buzzer, and asked if we had time for the boat ride.
The CM said yes and that the buzzer even works on the boat.
How cool is that? The kids could not believe I was allowed to take a beeper on the ride but off we went!
I really like the new ride much better than its predecessor which always seemed like a mini-Small World.
I even made sure the kids saw Saludos Amigos and the Three Caballeros before we left so they had some context.
The tune is very catchy and the kids liked following Donald through all the screens.
I especially liked the one where there is a video screen where a pool of water should go and Donald is scuba diving under the water.
I tried to take the pic but it doesnt do it justice:
DS liked the skeletons
And both kids loved the Donald piñata:
This boat was kinda cute as well:
If anything I thought the updated ride was a little too quick.
It was hard to catch all the details and video clips on both sides of the river before we passed them.
But its a fun and relaxing ride and a neat way to see the volcano and temple up close if nothing else.
And the song seems as addictive as its a small world.
As we rounded the last turn, our beeper went off. Great timing!
So we headed over to lunch:
I requested and received a table on the river so we had a nice view of both the volcano and the pyramid.
Mexico provides some of the best scenery for eating.
I had even taken Mom here on our pre-kids Disney trip for a romantic meal.
This time it was more for entertainment and to keep the kids busy.
They spent the meal watching and waving to the people who passed by.
Unfortunately we hit a couple of snags.
The Plato Mexicano was no longer served (I was looking forward to that one).
So I asked the server for suggestions and went with his choice - the Filete a los Tres Chiles.
I don't recall what Mom had but we both had Tacos de Pato (Duck Tacos) for appetizers.
We both loved the appetizers but the filet was average at best.
The kids had quesadillas (without the chicken) and X, as usual, ate off everyones plates.
The most frustrating part of the whole meal was that our server was horrible and we barely saw him the entire time.
We had to ask our neighbors server for several things since ours was nowhere to be found.
While the food in EPCOT is usually much better, the servers definitely dont seem up to the Disney caliber.
Too bad, last time we really enjoyed it here.
I imagine well try it again as most of the other servers were around all the time we just lucked out.
Good thing we werent in a rush.
After some more restroom stops and a quick song or two from the mariachi band, we headed outside.
The kids were surprised by the daylight forgetting it was only afternoon.
On the way out, we found a Photopass photographer so we had to stop.
He got an interesting vantage point and even had DS hold out his hand.
For days I wondered what would be the "magic" character.
Simba was for Animal Kingdom, Tink was for Magic Kingdom, what was for EPCOT?
It would be awesome if it was Figment but that doesn't make sense outside Mexico.
Turns out it was Tink again. Oh well, it was still an odd angle of Mexico:
We headed back towards Future World.
The kids had requested a repeat of Spaceship Earth.
That seemed fine as it was on the way to The Seas.
The only other thing left for this afternoon before naptime was Universe of Energy.
We had figured X would sleep during that one.
We took the long way and followed the paths near the Odyssey building.
We came out between Test Track and Mission: Space (two rides we were avoiding).
After some more restroom stops, we reached Spaceship Earth but both X and DD had fallen sleep in the stroller.
With 2 out of 3 kids sleeping, what do we do now?
Tune in next time for the answer...
stitchypoo
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2007
- Messages
- 88
This was DDs favorite last time (she was only 15 months old and loved the dolls).
But she was enjoying it just as much today as well:
New to your trip report and really enjoying it! I was wondering where you got those most adorable Minnie ears hair bands? Did someone make them for you? They are too, too cute.
P.S. Sorry about X's incident and needing staples, I feel for him because I had a similar incident when I was three. I'm glad he still had fun at Disney!
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