A Restful Spring Break? - A March/April 2024 Trip Report

[IDSkinner]

Oh dear, what happened? I still need to make sure are new Magic Band pluses are attached correctly to MDE - they should be as I purchased them through my account, but I believe there is still some setup you need to do. I just want to avoid a trip to guest services if I can!

Also, in your case, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was an issue with Disney tech.

I'm happy to be along for the ride on your trip. As others have stated, you had a buffet of chaos and challenging moments going on prior to going. I was happy to hear that it was the trip you all needed in the end.

Regarding MB+/mobile check in, we were having a lot of problems getting into our room at the GF on our March trip. We ended up going to the front desk and the front desk informed us to 'always' check in at the desk upon your arrival as the tech for the bands and phones is still under development. So, they physically linked our watches and phones and we had no issues for the rest of the trip.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I'm happy to be along for the ride on your trip

Welcome!!! Glad you are here!!!

We ended up going to the front desk and the front desk informed us to 'always' check in at the desk upon your arrival as the tech for the bands and phones is still under development.

This is a very strange statement, you have been able to open room doors with magic bands forever!!! I mean I am sure there are updates they make over time. I assumed it was because our bands were old. but maybe not!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day One - First Park Day - Can we command some Water?

We headed over to BRUNCHCOT to get some breakfast. There was a few people already getting food, so we got in line and decided to share a few things from here.

Avocado Toast with Marinated Tomatoes and Plant-based cheese crumbles on Toasted Ciabatta
Avocado Toast with Marinated Tomatoes and Plant-based cheese crumbles on Toasted Ciabatta
Andy, Gwen and I shared this. Morgan does not like avacado or guacamole. She says it's a texture thing. This was good. The avocado was clearly made ahead of time, which is not surpising. Kind of tasted like Wholy-Guacamole? Which isn't terrible but I have had better. But It was about what I expected it to be.

Biscuit and Gravy with Impossible™ Chicken Fried Steak and Impossible™ Sausage Gravy
Biscuit and Gravy with Impossible™ Chicken Fried Steak and Impossible™ Sausage Gravy by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
We all had a quarter of this. Morgan LOVED this. the "sausage" gravy made this dish. Andy and Morgan said it didn't really need the chicken, it could have just been a biscuit and gravy. But we enjoyed this one.

Fried Cinnamon Roll Bites with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Bacon
Fried Cinnamon Roll Bites with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Bacon
We all got one of these as well. These were AMAZING!!! But rich! 1 was enough for me at the time. The cinnamon roll filling was super sweet and I think the candied bacon was to counter that, which it kind of did but we all agreed it didn't need to the bacon.

We also got a bottle of water to "share" which really ended up being Morgan and Gwen's.

We found a table and shared all 3 things between the 4 of us.
Breakfast is Served

Overall we enjoyed all 3 items and would get all 3 again.

MONORAIL!
A monorail went past while we were eating. I just love seeing the monorail in the park!

Our boarding group was getting pushed back and pushed back, so we needed to kill some time. And I realized that we needed to see the new area, so we decided to do that.

As we headed to see the new area, we saw the Jaminators!
Jaminators
We watched them for a bit as we had never seen them before. But they we in the direct sun, so we only watched 1 song and moved on.

Donal Duck Topiary
We saw Donald at soem point while wondering around.

We checked out the new area, it is soooo nice and so nicer with all the green and seating. It was sooo different!

We got a photo pass photo with a CM just standing around waiting for people.
Photopass Photo - 3 by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr

Photopass Photo - 2

She had a physical prop for the magic shot!
Photopass Photo - Orange Bird

After this CM, we noticed the Walt statue! I swear soemtimes I get amnesia once we are in the park!

As we were sitting down, the CM did say be careful, Walt gets hot in the sun. I just thought this was a hilarious statement that she had to say probably over and over again.
Photopass with Walt by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
We got a photo pass photo with Walt!

We went and checked out the new Moana area next. We were all kind of excited to see the new area. 1
Journey of Water

We headed in around 11:30.
Journey of Water
It was fairly busy, so we missed some of the details. But we loved all the same.

Journey of Water

Tifiki
There were a handful of characters hidden in the rocks. This one and one other were all we found this day. a

Gwen Moana Mist

Water
This first area was water streams that played music. they were set nice and low for little kids.

Water Rising
Another area had water that raised and lowered with your hands. This area was pretty full with people today.

Journey of Water Selfie

Making Water Move by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
Another area had jumping water that Gwen and Morgan enjoyed trying to match with. (And get a little wet)

Making Water Move
Gwen was super proud of this photo.

Moana
Found Moana!!!

And then we found Te Fiti. And she is beautiful!
Tifitit

We managed to get a photo with her.Tifiki Topiary
There was a photopass person in there but the line was fairly long and we had already done a few photo stops and the girls were revolting on another one. We also said we would do one at night.

I thought this would be the end but there was a little more!

There was the waterfall that you walk through that was fun!

And then this area that you "command" the water.

This area is so nice! We loved it. It was pretty busy in there but still it was just so nice. And it had elements of edutainment in it, I think it fit in just fine. I hope that part of the park will eventually have more greenery to make it fit in more as the "finish" EPCOT.

We finished up the Moana Area and our boarding group hadn't been called yet. So, we decided to go do a little Club Cool time.
Club Cool

Morgan wanted some Watermelon Soda. She said that one is her favorite. While we were tasting the sodas, our boarding group was FINALLY called!!!

-------------------------------------Up next... Can we save the Galaxy? ----------------------------------
Untitled

 

[IDSkinner]

Welcome!!! Glad you are here!!!


This is a very strange statement, you have been able to open room doors with magic bands forever!!! I mean I am sure there are updates they make over time. I assumed it was because our bands were old. but maybe not!

I agree with it being a strange statement as we, too, have been using MB's and now MB+'s for a long time along with our phones and hadn't had any issues that we could recall. However, March was challenging and the front desk knew that they could straighten it out and they did. Could simply be a firmware/software update, but the CM's knew what they needed to do.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

owever, March was challenging and the front desk knew that they could straighten it out and they did. Could simply be a firmware/software update, but the CM's knew what they needed to

Yacht Club was the same, they def seemed like they knew what they needed to do.

 

[jrmint427]

Avocado Toast with Marinated Tomatoes and Plant-based cheese crumbles on Toasted Ciabatta

Brunchcot was one of my favorite stops! I really liked the avocado toast.

Kind of tasted like Wholy-Guacamole?

Now that you say this I think you might be right!

We all had a quarter of this. Morgan LOVED this. the "sausage" gravy made this dish. Andy and Morgan said it didn't really need the chicken, it could have just been a biscuit and gravy. But we enjoyed this one.

I loved this dish, it's so rare to find a vegetarian version of chick'n fried "steak"! The gravy really was the best part though.

We watched them for a bit as we had never seen them before. But they we in the direct sun, so we only watched 1 song and moved on.

How funny, we really were on the same schedule! And it was our first time seeing the Jammitors in person too.

 

[Araminta18]

We stopped in Port of Entry and purchased the Easter Egg Hunt cards for the girls. I made sure to make sure they still had prizes before we got them. (One year, they only had 2 of the choices left, and there may have been tears)

oooh that's so smart!

We all got one of these as well. These were AMAZING!!! But rich! 1 was enough for me at the time. The cinnamon roll filling was super sweet and I think the candied bacon was to counter that, which it kind of did but we all agreed it didn't need to the bacon.

oooh these look delicious! Gonna have to add them to our list.

This area is so nice! We loved it. It was pretty busy in there but still it was just so nice. And it had elements of edutainment in it, I think it fit in just fine. I hope that part of the park will eventually have more greenery to make it fit in more as the "finish" EPCOT.

Moana is so nice! I'm glad you enjoyed it even with it being busy - we really liked it too.

Love all the topiary pictures, and that family photo in Canada!!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Regarding MB+/mobile check in, we were having a lot of problems getting into our room at the GF on our March trip. We ended up going to the front desk and the front desk informed us to 'always' check in at the desk upon your arrival as the tech for the bands and phones is still under development. So, they physically linked our watches and phones and we had no issues for the rest of the trip.

This is good to know - thank you! I plan to stop by the front desk anyway to request our “room checks” take place in the morning (we’ll have a child napping in the afternoon), so I’ll be sure to ask if we need to have them programmed. I appreciated the saved steps!

We went and checked out the new Moana area next.

Your food all looks delicious (I’ve not seen the cinnamon rolls yet!) and the Moana area looks AMAZING! I’m so excited to experience the Moana water fun and my girls will LOVE it!

 

[rdkeim]

You were having a very nice Epcot morning! Your food looks very tasty. I didn't know they had finished some of the construction in Epcot - where in the park is the new area? It looks very nice!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Now that you say this I think you might be right!

I say that, knowing that I don't hate Wholy Guacamole... it's just not fresh Guac. But Disney wouldn't be able to do fressh with the amount of orders they would do.

oooh these look delicious! Gonna have to add them to our list.

You will def like these!!

This is good to know - thank you! I plan to stop by the front desk anyway to request our “room checks” take place in the morning (we’ll have a child napping in the afternoon), so I’ll be sure to ask if we need to have them programmed. I appreciated the saved steps!

That is smart about the room check request! And yes, less visits to the front desk the better!

he Moana area looks AMAZING! I’m so excited to experience the Moana water fun and my girls will LOVE it!

It's nice that it is what it is. Not everything needs to be a E Ticket ride.... There needs to be a balance in the parks. And this is a nice filler thing to do.

where in the park is the new area? It looks very nice!

So, it is in between the big store in EPCOT and where the starbucks used to be. That big open area in the middle and you decided which direction to go. It was that hot open area... This is sooo much nicer!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

All that yummy food (although I'm with your child in saying no to Avacado). I didn't get to do any of the food while there because...nausea.

And as for the magic bands, this was the first trip in YEARS that I didn't have issues. But, I checked in at the front desk and they did the tap, tap to activate. I asked then about my other bands (because I have several. A girl needs options.) The CM said they should all work but if there was an issue, come back and they would tap, tap again. I also decided to just take a key card this time as well which came in handy a couple of times.

 

[missjackiemcg]

SUCH great family pics this morning!!! I LOVE when you get a great photopass photographer! Totally makes the money worth it then.

 

[suse66]

We headed over to BRUNCHCOT to get some breakfast. There was a few people already getting food, so we got in line and decided to share a few things from here.

Your choices look good! I meant to make it over to Brunchcot but somehow I just never got there.

As we headed to see the new area, we saw the Jaminators!

I love the Jammitors! Always a must do for me.

We got a photo pass photo with Walt!

Love this picture!

There were a handful of characters hidden in the rocks. This one and one other were all we found this day. a

Oh, I didn't know about this. I've only been in the Moana area once but will definitely look for these this summer.

This area is so nice! We loved it. It was pretty busy in there but still it was just so nice. And it had elements of edutainment in it, I think it fit in just fine. I hope that part of the park will eventually have more greenery to make it fit in more as the "finish" EPCOT.

Agreed! I think they are getting so close to being done. I am excited to see the final product!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

ey did the tap, tap to activate. I asked then about my other bands (because I have several. A girl needs options.) The CM said they should all work but if there was an issue, come back and they would tap, tap again. I also decided to just take a key card this time as well which came in handy a couple of times.

Must be a glitch right now. But not all resorts were in the know on this...

I LOVE when you get a great photopass photographer! Totally makes the money worth it then.

Right!

Your choices look good! I meant to make it over to Brunchcot but somehow I just never got there.

It is hard to do everything you want to do!

Oh, I didn't know about this. I've only been in the Moana area once but will definitely look for these this summer.

It was fun to find the second time we went in the area.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day One - First Park Day - Can Andy conquor Cosmic Rewind?

I left off with us tasting some drinks in Club Cool. Our boarding group finally got called about an hour later than it was expected to be called.

Spaceship by Ariella Saucier, on Flickr
We headed over!

We got inside and it was the usual line inside.... blah.

A little back story.... our last trip was the first time we got to ride and we loved it. We were able to ride 3 times that trip and each time it became a huge conversation about which song we would get. And by the last time, Morgan REALLY wanted Conga and Andy kept saying that was the one song he didn't want. So, while waiting that conversation resurrfaced.

We did some more Heads Up.

By 12:30 we were finally In the first room
First Pre-Show Room

And then in the second room
Teleport Ceiling

And then in the final room
Into Space
We were those people moving to the far right.

Space Monster

Ready to Ride
ALMOST ready to ride!!

REALLY Ready to Ride
This was going to be Andy's first real test of his back. But we were pretty sure he would be ok, since this is so new and fairly smooth coaster.

At 12:43 we were ready to ride! (so a 45 minute wait once we got in line.

Photopass Guardians of the galaxy cosmic rewind
The best part of the ride.... we got started and we were waiting and waiting what the song would be..... AND Conga came one!!!

Morgan instantly stated cheering about it and Andy started booing the song. It was pretty funny. And of course the ride was great.

And as a bonus Andy's back was fine.on the ride. Since it had the high backs and then they secure you in with the restraint you are pretty well supported. So, one rollercoaster down!

It was now 1:00, so the plan was to get some food booth food and complete the girls egg hunt. So we headed towards the world showcase.

First we pit stopped at the Refreshment Station. Morgan wanted a Frozen Fanta Watermelon Slushie after having the small cup of the Watermelon Fanta in Club Cool.
Morgan and her Watermelon Fanta Slushie

We got her drink and headed into the Odyssey for some food at The Citrus Blossom.

We ordered a few items and found a table.
Orange Sesame Tempura Shrimp with Orange-Chile Sauce

Gwen requested the Orange-Lemon Smoothie in Souvenir Orange Bird Sipper Cup
She said the smoothie was really good. I had a small sip. It was ok. I wouldn't go out of my way for it but I think it's great for kids. And the cup is cute.

Andy, Gwen and I shared the Orange Sesame Tempura Shrimp with Orange-Chile Sauce
Gwen really liked the Shrimp! The shrimp was nice a crispy and it was a nice serving of 6 shrimps. I really liked this, it was maybe a little on the sweeter side than some would like. But we all enjoyed them.

Andy requested the Left Hand Brewing Lemon Drop Shandy
He really enjoyed Shandy. I was waiting for a drink somewhere else.

While sitting and relaxing we looked up and found the Odyssey Egg!
Odyssey Easter Bunny

It was nice and quiet in there, so we took a look at the Flower and Garden Merch. Morgan wanted to get the orange bird that turns into an epcot orange.
Untitled
She thought it was hilarious that it turned into a ball.

And since we were getting her that, Andy and I decided we wanted the Orange Bird cups. So we purchased all 3 at the same time.
Untitled
Andy has iced coffee every morning in a tervis cup, so this is his new morning coffee cup. And now that I work from I drink out of corkscicle cups during the day. And this one was nice and big!
Untitled

The CM that checked us out, asked if we wanted the cups wrapped up and I said just a little. He wrapped the crap out of the cups. And struggled with the tape. He was very nice but it felt like he was taking forever! But we got our stuff and headed out!

--------------------------------------up next......... Egg Hunting and more Snacks!--------------------------------
Untitled

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Day One - First Park Day - Can we find all of the Eggs?

I had a drink in mind I wanted to try, so our next stop was Mexico booth. We skipped the food here, they looked good but meh.

I wanted the Floral Margarita: Cherry Liqueur, Mezcal, Hibiscus Tea and Lime Juice. It was delicious! I loved it.
Floral Margarita: Cherry Liqueur, Mezcal, Hibiscus Tea and Lime Juice

Dante Topiary
We found the Coco Topiary, which was really nice.

With drink in hand, we headed into Mexico to find an egg.
Mexico Bunny
At this point the girls were trying to guess which bunny would be in each country, but there really wasn't a reasoning for who was where.

It was pretty busy in Mexico. And we were on a mission to find the eggs, so we moved onto the next country.

Andy and I stopped at a Guest Experience Umbrella when we got to Norway. I had purchased a Memory Maker but the photos weren’t showing as purchased. We sent the girls to wonder around to find the egg while we waited. Turned out it was an easy click to activate the photos! We felt stupid but joked with the CM that at least we were an easy problem for them.

Troll Topiary
The egg here, ended up being fairly hard to find. They didn't find it on there own, so when we joined up with them, we looked together.

Anna & Elsa Topiaries
We did find Anna and Elsa in topiary form...

And a CM just standing waiting for someone to take pictures. So, we stopped to get some pictures.
Norway Photopass

Norway Photopass

We even snuck into the little museum thing in the church!
Gods

Asgard Tapistry

Loki

We tried to find the sword in the waterfall. I think it is pratically impossible to see anymore.
Trying to find the Sword
We had still YET to find the stupid egg in this area!!!!

We almost broke down to ask a CM.
Snowflake Topiary
Found MORE topiaries....

Where was this egg! We double backed to the "first" section...
Norway Bunny
And finally found it!!!

Once we finally located the egg, I suggested we go into the store and get Andy's mom some of the Gingersnap cookies. Andy's Mom is from Sweden and she loves those thin ginger cookies. So, we grabbed a box quickly and snapped a photo for good measure.

Andy and his troll

With another purchase in hand, we headed to the next country.

China Bunny
We found the China egg fairly easily.

Panda Topiaries
We checked out the Panda Topiaries and moved on fairly quickly from China.

We sent Morgan and Gwen ahead again to find the egg in Germany while Andy and I got in line for food. We ordered food and grabbed a high top table. The girls found there egg and returned to us. (no photo of the egg, as they didn't take a photo)

We ordered a Toasted Pretzel Bread topped with Black Forest Ham and Melted Gruyere Cheese and the Stiefi Brewery Radler Raspberry Beer.
Germany Food Booth

The Pretzel Bread was ok. It felt like it had been sitting a bit and when we had it a few years ago it was fresher and MUCH better. But we also split that 4 ways, so it was basically a bite for each of us.

The Radler was really good as well. I like sour beers and this was like a sour on training wheels. Andy even liked it but he also likes ciders.

As we were just about to leave the family that was sitting next to us, we noticed they had left their phone. We tried to see if we saw them anywhere but didn’t. So Andy gave the phone to a CM at the food booth.

I also, mobile ordered some Karmel Kushe treats while we were eating our food.. There was a window right then, and it was super easy! I ordered items for us to enjoy later.

• Caramel Butter Bar
• Caramel Carrot Cake Whoopie Pie
• Caramel Cookie Dough Cup
• Carmel Flight

We picked them up and headed on our way.
The Caramel Butter Bar is my new favorite!!! So rich.... so good!!! It probably has a TON of butter in it. And the Carmel carrot cake whoopie pie was also amazing!!! We ended up not eating it tilll a few days later and it was still AMAZING!!

7 Dwarfs
We saw the 7 Dwarfs topiaries as we left Germany.

We headed to Italy next. There was a performer and it had a big crowd and was hard to get into the pavilion to look for the egg. But we found it.
Italy Bunny
And promptly left Italy.

Girls went ahead and looked for Egg in America while Andy and I waited in line to get a drink from Reagle Eagle.
England Bunny
This time they took a picture of the egg for me!

While waiting for our drinks, we said how it was nice that we could let the girls go off on there own a bit.
Kid Free Selfie
Just 2 Disney Adults enjoying EPCOT!

Cheers in USA
I ordered the Moonshine Sour and Andy got Hazy Little Thing IPA. He was going to share a drink with me, but the Hazy Little Thing was the beer he tried to order yesterday and they were out of. So he felt like he "had" to order it today.

I LOVE this Moonshine Sour. It is strong and super sour. It's pre-mixed but still strong. If you like sours this is a drink for you. If not..... than DEF not! ha.

Tianna Topiary
We took our drinks to go. We had looked at the food in America and while they looked good, they all sounded hot and it was pretty hot at this point. So, we moved on.

Dragon Topiary
We quickly found the dragon topiary and the egg here.

Japan Bunny

We ordered the cold ramen for Gwen to try. Gwen basically lives off of Ramen, so she def needed to try this.
Gwen's Ramen Cup b

Ramen Cup: Ramen Salad shaken in a cup with Fresh Vegetables, Grilled Chicken and Dashi Broth with Chili Oil and Yuzu

Gwen deciding if she likes it.

Gwen deciding how she feels about it being cold. She shared a little with me and it was pretty good! She ended up liking it. And it was nice that it was cold.

It was about 2:45 now, Andy sat on the bench for a bit, his back was starting to really bother him. And Morgan was starting to loose steam on the day.

We did go inside and checked out Mitsukoshi Store.
The store just isn’t as much fun as it used to be for us. We can get a lot of the stuff in there now. But they did find the melty candy that the girls had gotten a long time ago. So, we got a few this time as we haven’t seen them in awhile.

While in line, someone asked where Morgan got her Dipper hat. It wasn’t the last time someone asked that!

As we left the store, we heard the drummers, so we watched the end from the stairs, in the shade.
Japan Viewing Spot

Japan Drummers

Japan Drummers
Gwen really enjoyed watching.

After the show is over, we finally left Japan and off to find the last egg for the hunt.
Morroco Bunny
We easily found the bunny in Morocco and pretty much just passed through, as they were doing construction in the pavillion.

We made one last stop for the day, France Food Booths!
France Eats
Parmentier de Canard A L’Orange: Pulled Duck Confit with Orange Sauce and Garlic-Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
Andy said this was just ok. It looked TERRBILE! The duck was suprisingly not that flavorful. The mashed potatoes were the star of the show.

Croissant au Fromage de Chèvre, Herbes et ail Rôtie: Croissant with Goat Cheese, Herbs and Roasted Garlic
I loved the Croissant!!! So good. I wish I had ordered 2! It mostly tasted like bousin cheese inside. So good.

I also ran over and got a Grand Marnier, as there was no one really waiting in line! I really didn't need it but when in France....

After this, we were all ready to go back to the room and rest for a bit! So, we headed out. We stopped at the store by the exit and the girls were able to redeem there prizes for the egg hunt. Which was nice to do on the way out instead of having to walk all the way back to where we purcahsed the hunts in the morning.

We headed out and back to the room.
Finally back to our room
We were able to use our magic bands to get in the side door, which again saved up precious steps at this point in the day. And our room was the second from the top there,

Have I mentioned that I loved our room?!

----------------------------------------Up next.... Nighttime Fun!!-----------------------------------------
Untitled

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Grand Mariner slushie. One of my top 2 drinks at Disney (the other is the Pina Colava from Petals Pool Bar.) And I'm so incredibly sad that I didn't get a slushie this trip. The 2 days I was in Epcot were the 2 days I was sick. And it probably isn't a good idea to drink when you are nauseous and haven't eaten in 48 hours. But that's ok. I have already started planning a trip at Thanksgiving. Should I go? Probably not. Will I go AND use it as an excuse to buy an annual pass? Oh yeah.

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I have already started planning a trip at Thanksgiving. Should I go? Probably not. Will I go AND use it as an excuse to buy an annual pass? Oh yeah.

I love planning trips even if I am not sure we will go or not.

I got the orange one this time, and I think I like the Cranberry one better! But that was bascially why I got it. I wasn't sure if I would get one the other day we would be here. So, I went for it.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

I love planning trips even if I am not sure we will go or not.

I got the orange one this time, and I think I like the Cranberry one better! But that was bascially why I got it. I wasn't sure if I would get one the other day we would be here. So, I went for it.

Wait...Cranberry one??? I have only ever seen the orange and the lemon. What is this magical unicorn you are talking about?

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Wait...Cranberry one??? I have only ever seen the orange and the lemon. What is this magical unicorn you are talking about?

I think it was the Food Booth one this year.... I think...