BethC1952
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2001
- Messages
- 3,949
Day 3 started early, too, with our plan to go to Epcot (the real reason for our visit at this particular time--the International Flower and Garden Show). Another food court breakfast, filled the mugs, and took the bus directly to Epcot. We were the last to arrive at the bus stop, and had to stand, but that wasn't a problem for us.
We knew that we wanted to stop at The Land (an old favorite from way back when) and at the Living Seas (it hadn't been there the last time we were). We walked right into both attractions, no waiting, and enjoyed both.
We walked around in Future World for a while, taking pictures of the Flower and Garden Exhibits. We also stopped at the sculpture garden and admired the art work.
And it was off to World Showcase. We made the decision to proceed from left to right (an arbitrary one, but you have to make some kind of a choice!). A stop in Mexico, and a ride through Mexican history, a few minutes listening to Mexican music, and some shopping, and it was back out into the sunlight again.
We worked our way through Norway, stopping along the way to admire all the Flower exhibits. At that point, we were both in urgent need of something cold to drink, and the slushee stand was a hands-down favorite stop. We sat at a table under an umbrella and watched the boats on the lake, and watched as they started setting up for Illuminations. We also watched a huge storm cloud approaching, but it looked as though it would pass right by us. I was surprised to note that one of the features in the "skyline" of world showcase was the Tower of Terror! I really didn't realize how close the two parks are!
We continued our walk. The Italy showcase is under renovation. The entire shell of the building seems to be gone, but the building is wrapped in a huge tarpaulin with a photo of the original structure on it!
And so, we approached the American Experience, just as the "Flower Power" concert was starting one of my old favorites, Gary Puckett! I probably would have sold everything I owned 35 years ago (which wouldnt have been much) for a ticket to see him! And here he was, live, in person, not fifty feet from me! Talk about Disney magic! It was a really good show, and he can still sing after all these years.
The American Experience is another favorite, and we walked in just as the show was starting. As always, it brings tears to my eyes and amazing feeling of patriotism to my heart.
As we left, I realized that the huge storm cloud was NOT going to pass us, but would, any minute, cause one of those huge downpours that I've only seen in Florida. And I was right. Within minutes, there was enough water on the sidewalk that little kids were swimming! We ducked into Japan to wait out the storm (and take some pictures of the rain, too!) Forty-five minutes later, the rain stopped as suddenly as it started, and the sun came out, so we continued our tour.
There as an announcement that the early "Tapestry of Nations" would be canceled because of the weather. So we stopped at Morocco for dinner. The Marrakesh Café was uncrowded, and we love middle-eastern food, so this was a great choice. A helpful cast member dried a table and chairs for us so we could sit outside in the courtyard and enjoy the people-watching that this spot provides. If you do stop there, don't miss the desert and coffee bar off to the left side of the main service area! Lots of yummy goodies and specialty coffees and teas are available.
By the time we were done, it was 8 PM and we still wanted to see the rest of the countries. We got as far as UK, where I wanted to stop and buy some tea. We chatted with the lovely young lady at the register for a few minutes, and headed outside just in time for Illuminations. We never did get to see Canada. Somehow, there were two prime spots to watch right in front of us! And it would have been worth waiting for!
And back to the hotel to rest our weary feet for the Magic Kingdom in the morning.
We knew that we wanted to stop at The Land (an old favorite from way back when) and at the Living Seas (it hadn't been there the last time we were). We walked right into both attractions, no waiting, and enjoyed both.
We walked around in Future World for a while, taking pictures of the Flower and Garden Exhibits. We also stopped at the sculpture garden and admired the art work.
And it was off to World Showcase. We made the decision to proceed from left to right (an arbitrary one, but you have to make some kind of a choice!). A stop in Mexico, and a ride through Mexican history, a few minutes listening to Mexican music, and some shopping, and it was back out into the sunlight again.
We worked our way through Norway, stopping along the way to admire all the Flower exhibits. At that point, we were both in urgent need of something cold to drink, and the slushee stand was a hands-down favorite stop. We sat at a table under an umbrella and watched the boats on the lake, and watched as they started setting up for Illuminations. We also watched a huge storm cloud approaching, but it looked as though it would pass right by us. I was surprised to note that one of the features in the "skyline" of world showcase was the Tower of Terror! I really didn't realize how close the two parks are!
We continued our walk. The Italy showcase is under renovation. The entire shell of the building seems to be gone, but the building is wrapped in a huge tarpaulin with a photo of the original structure on it!
And so, we approached the American Experience, just as the "Flower Power" concert was starting one of my old favorites, Gary Puckett! I probably would have sold everything I owned 35 years ago (which wouldnt have been much) for a ticket to see him! And here he was, live, in person, not fifty feet from me! Talk about Disney magic! It was a really good show, and he can still sing after all these years.
The American Experience is another favorite, and we walked in just as the show was starting. As always, it brings tears to my eyes and amazing feeling of patriotism to my heart.
As we left, I realized that the huge storm cloud was NOT going to pass us, but would, any minute, cause one of those huge downpours that I've only seen in Florida. And I was right. Within minutes, there was enough water on the sidewalk that little kids were swimming! We ducked into Japan to wait out the storm (and take some pictures of the rain, too!) Forty-five minutes later, the rain stopped as suddenly as it started, and the sun came out, so we continued our tour.
There as an announcement that the early "Tapestry of Nations" would be canceled because of the weather. So we stopped at Morocco for dinner. The Marrakesh Café was uncrowded, and we love middle-eastern food, so this was a great choice. A helpful cast member dried a table and chairs for us so we could sit outside in the courtyard and enjoy the people-watching that this spot provides. If you do stop there, don't miss the desert and coffee bar off to the left side of the main service area! Lots of yummy goodies and specialty coffees and teas are available.
By the time we were done, it was 8 PM and we still wanted to see the rest of the countries. We got as far as UK, where I wanted to stop and buy some tea. We chatted with the lovely young lady at the register for a few minutes, and headed outside just in time for Illuminations. We never did get to see Canada. Somehow, there were two prime spots to watch right in front of us! And it would have been worth waiting for!
And back to the hotel to rest our weary feet for the Magic Kingdom in the morning.
