DisneyVillain
<font color=green>On a quest for lime green duct t
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2003
- Messages
- 574
Disney Day 3: Monday, 2-Jun-2003
It would take a week (or more) to fully experience everything at Epcot. We will spend 2 full days there, and take in as much as we can. Epcot, especially World Showcase, cannot be fully appreciated in commando touring mode. You have to relax and take the time to enjoy the little things to really appreciate this park. We usually tour major attractions fast in the morning, and then take it easy in the afternoon and evening.
FastPass or no FastPass, its Test Track first. The last time we were at WDW, Test Track was supposed to have been open, but actually wasnt even close. We seem to have a family tradition of just missing the big openings. (Starting with our honeymoon, 5 months before Epcot opened. You could see SE from the monorail.) This time we just missed Mission: Space. Last time it was Test Track. Before that Tower of Terror. Still, we like going in May, and there are always things that are new to us.
The standby line was only 5 minutes, so we rode rather than pulling FastPasses. Test Track is great. Educational and thrilling at the same time. I wonder though, how much it resembles actual vehicle testing.
After Test Track we continued to the Wonders of Life. We arrived in time for the first show of The Making of Me. The adults still found it cute, but except for the sperm race cartoon, the kids found it boring.
After The Making of Me, we had time to ride Body Wars before the next showing of Cranium Command. Body Wars is still a great ride, and still not as good as Star Tours in the same ride vehicle. Cranium Command may be my favorite attraction in Future World. Really funny! Even more so, now that both of my boys are teenagers. We were starting to get it about FastPasses, so we didnt rush through the Wonders of Life, and we didnt rush to Honey I Shrunk the Audience and Living with the Land. After the Wonders of Life we proceeded to the World of Pollution (uh, I mean Universe of Energy), which was down for repairs. As usual, the Cast Members turning people away are mushrooms, and dont know (or wont say) what the problem is or when they expect it to be fixed.
Since Ellen and Bill were taking a break, we headed across the Innoventions Plaza to Honey I Shrunk the Audience, but our path was blocked by people watching a performance of the Jammitors. Morning is our fast touring time at Epcot, so we didnt intend to stop and listen, but these guys are awesome! We watched and listened to the performance until they were done, (we saw about half,) and made a mental note to catch the whole show at some point. I highly recommend this unique music group! (But dont get too close if you have sensitive hearing. This show is LOUD!)
At Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, the line was short enough for us to get into the next show. This was good, because there are no FastPasses today. The pre-show was being renovated, and the FastPass area was serving as the temporary queue, with the theatre being loaded through the exits. I dont remember the pre-show from last time, so I dont know what we missed. Having learned our 3-D lesson at Its Tough to be a Bug, we got seats on a middle row, and then left the wheelchair outside. The show was even better than I remembered, except that the mice were not working on my younger sons seat. He was disappointed, but still enjoyed the show.
After Honey, I Shrunk the Audience there was no line at all for Journey into Imagination, so we rode before lunch. We had about 15 minutes in ImageWorks, which isnt enough, so we made a note to return on our second Epcot day. Our 17 year-old son bought a Figment hat, complete with horns. He laughingly announced that it was sure to be a babe-magnet. It did attract a lot of attention, but most of the babes were in the 4-7 age group. The Rubics Cube, which he can usually solve in 2-3 minutes, works much better for impressing older kids and adults.
Properly attired, it was time to proceed to World Showcase, and lunch at the Rose and Crown. At Epcot we always have table service priority seatings for both lunch and dinner. There are many good restaurants to choose from, and we like the rest and relaxation of the table service restaurants. We do the same at MK, except that dinner is usually at one of the monorail hotels on MK days. We arent impressed with the table service choices at MGM or AK, so we eat counter service food at those parks and at the water parks. The day hadnt gotten too hot yet, so we requested a table on the patio. Between the shade, the breeze off of the World Showcase Lagoon, and the ceiling fans, it was very comfortable. We enjoyed our lunch very much.
We finished our lunch about 15 minutes before Off-Kilter was scheduled to perform, so we went to the stage area and acquired a bench in the shade. Off-Kilter was excellent! I wouldnt have thought it possible to play rock music on the bagpipes. We went from there to the shop in Canada, and purchased their new CD.
Uh-Oh Canada! is my favorite of the movies at Epcot. It makes me want to visit. (And isnt that what those Canadians had in mind!?) The boys have decided that they dont like the 360 degree format, because You cant sit down, and you are ALWAYS missing part of the movie!
After the Uh-Oh Canada! we headed for China, to see the child acrobats. They were really impressive. We wondered if they get homesick, (or if they have homes), and how voluntary is their participation. The movie has a lot of impressive scenery, but doesnt make me want to visit as much as the Canadian movie. After the movie, we stopped at the counter service restaurant for a cold snack. The ice cream flavors are red-bean, and ginger. We tried one of each, and then bought one more of the ginger flavored cups. Our younger son decided to wait until we passed an ice cream cart, and get some ordinary ice cream. He had a Toll House cookie sandwich before we rode Maelstrom in Norway.
The line was short at Maelstrom, so we rode without pulling a FastPass. This attraction is good, but surprisingly short. It seems to be the shortest major attraction at Epcot. The movie at the end is a not-too-effective travel commercial. The best part of this pavilion is definitely Restaurant Akershus.
One of our Disney traditions is to buy some ceramic parrots at the Mexican pavilion. This trip, we bought three really small ones. They will hang under some of the larger ones from previous trips. We watched the glass blower for a while, and bought some glass as well. Our 13 year-old bought himself a small hand blown glass mouse, and I selected a Mickey head shooter, (from which to sip my single-barrel bourbon or my grappa.) The was no line for El Rio del Tiempo, but the wheelchair access is through the exit a very steep and narrow hallway ramp. Very difficult to get down while people are coming up. Impossible to get down when another wheelchair is coming up. This ride is cute, but I always feel like the Spanish language version Its a Small World should be playing during part of it.
We are ready to cross to the other side of the World Showcase, and the boat dock is close to Mexico, we head there next. We didnt realize that they are only using one of the docks on the South side of the lagoon, with the boats running a triangle from Mexico, to Morocco, to Germany. The extra stop makes an already slow process even slower. We decide to exit the boat at Morocco and go to Italy to see the living statues. The act before the statues was running late, and we were hot, so we went on to the American Adventure.
Wheelchair access to the theater is via a small elevator accessed from the outside of the building around the corner toward the gift shop. I would rather have pushed it up the ramp, but we were not given that option. Coming out, we went down the ramp. When pushing a manual wheelchair, I find that downhill is much more difficult than uphill. The American Adventure is as remembered. Very good, but too much like the Hall of Presidents. Older son fell asleep during the performance.
After the American Adventure, it was time to head to Germany for our reservation at the Biergarten. This experience started out badly, but ended up fine. We asked at PS check-in for a table close to the buffet, since my wife is only able to walk a very limited amount. When we were taken to our table, a party of 4 had already been seated there. They were at the buffet when we arrived. In this restaurant, all the tables are a pair of 4 tops pushed together. If you are a party of 4 or less, you are expected to sit with another family. Everyone is told this at check-in, and we enjoy meeting another family while we eat and watch the show. In this case, however, the family that was already there had not gotten the message, and they were expecting to have both tables. The hostess moved some of their personal belongings so that they were at one table, and seated us at the other. When the other family returned, they were most unhappy. This was a VERY large family, and I understand why they felt they needed more space, but they should have said something when they arrived, and not waited until we were seated. Their ire was not directed at us, but it still made us quite uncomfortable. We told hostess that we would be happy to sit somewhere else, but all they had available was two levels down and far from the buffet. Not too much later, the other family apologized for their anger, and were genial after that. The show and atmosphere at this restaurant was very upbeat and made you feel good, and the food was pretty good as well.
After dinner, we went to look for a place to watch IllumiNations. We found a wheelchair viewing area near Morocco, with a good clear view, but we were there much earlier than we needed to be. At least when the crowds are light, the wheelchair areas fill much more slowly than other good viewing areas. This was a very good viewing location, but the one we found on our last park night was better. We enjoyed the show very much. It was quite different from the show six years ago when we were last at Disney. I thought it interesting that despite how much the show has changed over the years, Norway and Morocco still dont have lights because they werent there when Epcot opened in 1982. I really like the bright white fireworks in all directions at the end. Our thirteen year-old wants to know how much he will have to save to buy one of those flame barges.
No rush to bed, because tomorrow is a rest day. Even if we want to be at Blizzard Beach at opening, we dont have to get up early because BB doesnt open until 10:00AM.
Day 4: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=402799
It would take a week (or more) to fully experience everything at Epcot. We will spend 2 full days there, and take in as much as we can. Epcot, especially World Showcase, cannot be fully appreciated in commando touring mode. You have to relax and take the time to enjoy the little things to really appreciate this park. We usually tour major attractions fast in the morning, and then take it easy in the afternoon and evening.
FastPass or no FastPass, its Test Track first. The last time we were at WDW, Test Track was supposed to have been open, but actually wasnt even close. We seem to have a family tradition of just missing the big openings. (Starting with our honeymoon, 5 months before Epcot opened. You could see SE from the monorail.) This time we just missed Mission: Space. Last time it was Test Track. Before that Tower of Terror. Still, we like going in May, and there are always things that are new to us.
The standby line was only 5 minutes, so we rode rather than pulling FastPasses. Test Track is great. Educational and thrilling at the same time. I wonder though, how much it resembles actual vehicle testing.
After Test Track we continued to the Wonders of Life. We arrived in time for the first show of The Making of Me. The adults still found it cute, but except for the sperm race cartoon, the kids found it boring.
After The Making of Me, we had time to ride Body Wars before the next showing of Cranium Command. Body Wars is still a great ride, and still not as good as Star Tours in the same ride vehicle. Cranium Command may be my favorite attraction in Future World. Really funny! Even more so, now that both of my boys are teenagers. We were starting to get it about FastPasses, so we didnt rush through the Wonders of Life, and we didnt rush to Honey I Shrunk the Audience and Living with the Land. After the Wonders of Life we proceeded to the World of Pollution (uh, I mean Universe of Energy), which was down for repairs. As usual, the Cast Members turning people away are mushrooms, and dont know (or wont say) what the problem is or when they expect it to be fixed.
Since Ellen and Bill were taking a break, we headed across the Innoventions Plaza to Honey I Shrunk the Audience, but our path was blocked by people watching a performance of the Jammitors. Morning is our fast touring time at Epcot, so we didnt intend to stop and listen, but these guys are awesome! We watched and listened to the performance until they were done, (we saw about half,) and made a mental note to catch the whole show at some point. I highly recommend this unique music group! (But dont get too close if you have sensitive hearing. This show is LOUD!)
At Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, the line was short enough for us to get into the next show. This was good, because there are no FastPasses today. The pre-show was being renovated, and the FastPass area was serving as the temporary queue, with the theatre being loaded through the exits. I dont remember the pre-show from last time, so I dont know what we missed. Having learned our 3-D lesson at Its Tough to be a Bug, we got seats on a middle row, and then left the wheelchair outside. The show was even better than I remembered, except that the mice were not working on my younger sons seat. He was disappointed, but still enjoyed the show.
After Honey, I Shrunk the Audience there was no line at all for Journey into Imagination, so we rode before lunch. We had about 15 minutes in ImageWorks, which isnt enough, so we made a note to return on our second Epcot day. Our 17 year-old son bought a Figment hat, complete with horns. He laughingly announced that it was sure to be a babe-magnet. It did attract a lot of attention, but most of the babes were in the 4-7 age group. The Rubics Cube, which he can usually solve in 2-3 minutes, works much better for impressing older kids and adults.
Properly attired, it was time to proceed to World Showcase, and lunch at the Rose and Crown. At Epcot we always have table service priority seatings for both lunch and dinner. There are many good restaurants to choose from, and we like the rest and relaxation of the table service restaurants. We do the same at MK, except that dinner is usually at one of the monorail hotels on MK days. We arent impressed with the table service choices at MGM or AK, so we eat counter service food at those parks and at the water parks. The day hadnt gotten too hot yet, so we requested a table on the patio. Between the shade, the breeze off of the World Showcase Lagoon, and the ceiling fans, it was very comfortable. We enjoyed our lunch very much.
We finished our lunch about 15 minutes before Off-Kilter was scheduled to perform, so we went to the stage area and acquired a bench in the shade. Off-Kilter was excellent! I wouldnt have thought it possible to play rock music on the bagpipes. We went from there to the shop in Canada, and purchased their new CD.
Uh-Oh Canada! is my favorite of the movies at Epcot. It makes me want to visit. (And isnt that what those Canadians had in mind!?) The boys have decided that they dont like the 360 degree format, because You cant sit down, and you are ALWAYS missing part of the movie!
After the Uh-Oh Canada! we headed for China, to see the child acrobats. They were really impressive. We wondered if they get homesick, (or if they have homes), and how voluntary is their participation. The movie has a lot of impressive scenery, but doesnt make me want to visit as much as the Canadian movie. After the movie, we stopped at the counter service restaurant for a cold snack. The ice cream flavors are red-bean, and ginger. We tried one of each, and then bought one more of the ginger flavored cups. Our younger son decided to wait until we passed an ice cream cart, and get some ordinary ice cream. He had a Toll House cookie sandwich before we rode Maelstrom in Norway.
The line was short at Maelstrom, so we rode without pulling a FastPass. This attraction is good, but surprisingly short. It seems to be the shortest major attraction at Epcot. The movie at the end is a not-too-effective travel commercial. The best part of this pavilion is definitely Restaurant Akershus.
One of our Disney traditions is to buy some ceramic parrots at the Mexican pavilion. This trip, we bought three really small ones. They will hang under some of the larger ones from previous trips. We watched the glass blower for a while, and bought some glass as well. Our 13 year-old bought himself a small hand blown glass mouse, and I selected a Mickey head shooter, (from which to sip my single-barrel bourbon or my grappa.) The was no line for El Rio del Tiempo, but the wheelchair access is through the exit a very steep and narrow hallway ramp. Very difficult to get down while people are coming up. Impossible to get down when another wheelchair is coming up. This ride is cute, but I always feel like the Spanish language version Its a Small World should be playing during part of it.
We are ready to cross to the other side of the World Showcase, and the boat dock is close to Mexico, we head there next. We didnt realize that they are only using one of the docks on the South side of the lagoon, with the boats running a triangle from Mexico, to Morocco, to Germany. The extra stop makes an already slow process even slower. We decide to exit the boat at Morocco and go to Italy to see the living statues. The act before the statues was running late, and we were hot, so we went on to the American Adventure.
Wheelchair access to the theater is via a small elevator accessed from the outside of the building around the corner toward the gift shop. I would rather have pushed it up the ramp, but we were not given that option. Coming out, we went down the ramp. When pushing a manual wheelchair, I find that downhill is much more difficult than uphill. The American Adventure is as remembered. Very good, but too much like the Hall of Presidents. Older son fell asleep during the performance.
After the American Adventure, it was time to head to Germany for our reservation at the Biergarten. This experience started out badly, but ended up fine. We asked at PS check-in for a table close to the buffet, since my wife is only able to walk a very limited amount. When we were taken to our table, a party of 4 had already been seated there. They were at the buffet when we arrived. In this restaurant, all the tables are a pair of 4 tops pushed together. If you are a party of 4 or less, you are expected to sit with another family. Everyone is told this at check-in, and we enjoy meeting another family while we eat and watch the show. In this case, however, the family that was already there had not gotten the message, and they were expecting to have both tables. The hostess moved some of their personal belongings so that they were at one table, and seated us at the other. When the other family returned, they were most unhappy. This was a VERY large family, and I understand why they felt they needed more space, but they should have said something when they arrived, and not waited until we were seated. Their ire was not directed at us, but it still made us quite uncomfortable. We told hostess that we would be happy to sit somewhere else, but all they had available was two levels down and far from the buffet. Not too much later, the other family apologized for their anger, and were genial after that. The show and atmosphere at this restaurant was very upbeat and made you feel good, and the food was pretty good as well.
After dinner, we went to look for a place to watch IllumiNations. We found a wheelchair viewing area near Morocco, with a good clear view, but we were there much earlier than we needed to be. At least when the crowds are light, the wheelchair areas fill much more slowly than other good viewing areas. This was a very good viewing location, but the one we found on our last park night was better. We enjoyed the show very much. It was quite different from the show six years ago when we were last at Disney. I thought it interesting that despite how much the show has changed over the years, Norway and Morocco still dont have lights because they werent there when Epcot opened in 1982. I really like the bright white fireworks in all directions at the end. Our thirteen year-old wants to know how much he will have to save to buy one of those flame barges.
No rush to bed, because tomorrow is a rest day. Even if we want to be at Blizzard Beach at opening, we dont have to get up early because BB doesnt open until 10:00AM.
Day 4: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=402799
