Breaking All the Rules: Pirates, Pixie Dust, and Pictures... a January 2012 Report

[NLD]

Snoozing... Cruising... Oh, Living with the Land

After Spaceship Earth, there was clearly only one place to head next... so we started walking.


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Along the way we ran into these guys and stopped to watch for a few minutes.


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They were fun! I'd read about them on the boards but never actually spotted them. Funny schtick about being on break and not cleaning any toilets. And... talented!


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We didn't watch the whole performance though... time was ticking away, and we were on a mission!


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At last... those Soarin' Fastpasses were almost in our hands...


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Wait, what? That's not the FP machine!

After that brief detour for a pressed coin, we continued downstairs. Sunshine collected all our tickets and got the FPs for us.

Now, after securing Soarin' FPs, the logical thing is to dash to Test Track next. But criss-crossing the park wasn't something I wanted to drag everyone through. And crowds today were much more manageable than they'd been all week at Magic Kingdom. So rather than worrying about Test Track, we decided to explore everything on this side of Future World first, use our FPs at the appointed time, and then see the rest of the park.


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Some people love this ride... for me, it's sort of boring! Sorry! (See Rob, you're not alone!) But it's something all ages can experience, it's right next to Soarin', and so... somehow, I always end up on it. Also, there's a little nostalgia attached, because it's one of the few attractions I remember from my very first WDW trip, back in the mid-1990s, as a teenager with my grandparents and sister.


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That's my favorite part of the ride, though! The queue with all the literary and kids' quotes!


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Creepy chicken picture... looks like a scene from Texas Chainsaw Massacre maybe?


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Sunshine liked the nine-pound lemon.... other than that, I think she shares my feelings about the ride. Okay, but not a favorite.

Back in the pavilion...


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...our Soarin' Fastpasses weren't ready yet, and we weren't quite needing lunch yet. So we formed a quick game plan. The Seas was next door... we'd hit up Nemo, come back to The Land for lunch, and by then our FP should be good.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Some people love this ride... for me, it's sort of boring! Sorry! (See Rob, you're not alone!)

Yea but you HAVE to ride it though don'tcha? I think they must be running some subliminal messages that makes you want to come back again next time!

Creepy chicken picture... looks like a scene from Texas Chainsaw Massacre maybe?

Thank you! I said the same thing! It's creepy for that ride!

 

[NLD]

The Allure of the Strawberry Shortcake

So after our boat ride where we gasped in awe and wonder over the nine-pound lemon, we emerged back into the sunlight.


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The weather was, once again, perfect. The entire trip had been sunny and warm. This particular day was headed towards the low 80s.

We made our way to The Seas.


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And then we headed inside. We'd heard Nemo was lost and needed to be found.


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Now that Nemo was reunited with his father, we figured we had time to hang out with Crush.


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(Sorry about his eyes being closed, it's the only picture I snapped!)


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None of us had seen this show before. It was cute but not a must-do for me. Sunshine felt the same way. Crush was pretty funny, though. One little boy asked the exact same question another kid had already asked. It was cute, he clearly just wanted a chance to speak into the mic and talk with Crush. Crush handled it well, extracting enough humor out of the situation for the adults to laugh without making the kid feel embarrassed or silly. So that was sweet.

After learning about turtles from Crush, we made a quick stop in the gift shop, where I was somehow cajoled into buying Sunshine a giant pixie stick. (You know the kind? The kids get a plastic tube and fill it up with the flavors themselves?) A couple CMs in the shop raised their eyebrows a bit and smiled at me, and I just sort of said, "I know, I know!" And they laughed.

By now we were hungry, so we followed our plan and went back to the Land.


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We had decided to eat at Sunshine Seasons. So we gathered our food (some beef mongolian dish for me, a kid's meal for Sunshine, not sure what Deb and Carole ordered), and sat down to EAT!


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Somehow, without any instruction or guidance at all, Deb and Carole both ended up with that strawberry shortcake for dessert. As did I! But... I'd had it before, and knew about it from the disboards. It amused me that even without any hints, they'd ended up with the shortcake, too. That shortcake just calls to people!

And then it was finally time to use our Soarin' FastPasses!

Everyone rode this one. I had described it to them, and Carole decided to come. She sometimes has trouble with motion simulator-type rides, so we weren't sure how she'd do... but she gave it a go.


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When we boarded, I listened closely for the photography announcement. Last time, I could have sworn they said "no flash photography." So... I had kept the camera on and snapped a couple pictures in flight. And had then been terribly embarrassed when the movie got interrupted for the CM to say no photography at all. (My dear sister still laughs at me for this.)

Here's one of the illicit pictures from last time....


SelectedFlorida2010-468 by nicole_lynn_, on Flickr

Sure enough, this time the CM said just "no photography," so I put the camera under my seat. Oh well, it was a nice excuse to just enjoy the ride!

Everyone in our group enjoyed the ride immensely. We checked in with Carole, and she felt fine. She said, "I am so glad we went, I wouldn't have wanted to miss that!" She and Deb were both smiling from ear to ear.

And with Soarin' done, we were now finally ready to leave the Land behind!

 

[NLD]

Figment Fun

So far we were having a blast in Epcot. We'd already managed one new experience for Sunshine and I (Turtle Talk), and I thought we might as well try another. So...


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Yes, believe it or not... we had never been to the Imagination Pavilion!


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We had to find out what we were missing.


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Figment is so pushy!


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Uh-oh... I've got terrible vision... we're not going to be tested, are we?

.
.
.
.

Nope!


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(Whew!)


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This ride was... trippy! Seriously, did some Imagineers stay up too late partying one night? Because... ummm...


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After the ride, we explored the play area. This was tons of fun!


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Sunshine found a place to design her own Figment.


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And Aunt Carole and Grandma got in on the action.


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She named her Figment after me!


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And then emailed it to her dad. (Sure enough, Matt got it! We checked when we got home.)

Then it was time to play some instruments.


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Eventually we found... the gift shop (of course!) While everyone looked around, I found a rest room on the other side of the Pavilion. By the time I came back, Sunshine had a list of items she wanted, and Grandma had a list of items she wanted to buy Sunshine! However, I reminded them both that we still had lots of time in Epcot and hadn't even made it to World Showcase.

So Sunshine decided on one of these instead...


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(Thank goodness for those pressed pennies! Truly. That's the second time they saved us... they were a way for Sunshine to feel she got a souvenir and left a gift shop with something in hand, without breaking the bank.)

Still, it was tough to leave that shop. But I had an ace up my sleeve and said, "Really though, you guys have to come outside and check out this fountain!"

I said it nonchalantly but with just enough excitement to get them interested. Sort of leading them on... figuring they'd think I was mostly overemphasizing it just to get them out of the shop. Sure enough, when we got outside, Sunshine said, "Okay, what's the big deal with this fountain, Mom?" with a doubting tone.

So I showed her...

Everyone loved it! It really is the simple things at Disney... this little jumping fountain had everyone laughing with delight.


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[wdwpirates]

Really loving your TR!!! Can't wait to read more!!!

 

[NLD]

Really loving your TR!!! Can't wait to read more!!!

Hi wdwpirates, thanks for the comment!

For anyone else still hanging in, another update coming soon...

 

[NLD]

Testing, Testing

While oohing and aahing over the jumping water fountain, we felt some rumblies in our tummies. So we paused for a mid-afternoon ice cream break.


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Mmmmm, Mickey ice cream treats!

This was the third day in a row, in the afternoon we took an ice cream break. That qualifies as a tradition, yes? I think it's one we'll keep on the next trip!


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Rejuvenated by our ice cream, we were now ready to take on the rest of Epcot! So far we'd spent all our time on the right side of Future World. Time to head to the other side!

We wandered over... Along the way I saw the area to sign up for a Kim Possible mission, and we grabbed a pass for a mission. Of course afterwards Sunshine wanted to know what that was all about, so I gave her a quick overview. She sort of shrugged and said, "Okay."

Eventually we came to...


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But we'd just had a refreshment break, so we ignored the sign. Sunshine and I had an agenda.


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She had never been on Test Track! And after riding with my sister on our 2010 trip, I knew she'd love it.

The standby line was short... maybe a posted wait of 20 minutes?... so Deb and Carole said they'd wait for us. That enabled us to ride right away and grab Fastpasses for later.


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Sure enough, Sunshine loved it. I have to say... (and maybe I should duck, this is probably sacrilege, but...) when Kelly and I rode together as two adults, it didn't thrill us. Certainly not worth more than a 10-minute wait. (Yikes, is that a tomato? Did someone just throw a tomato?)

But it was a MUCH better ride with Sunshine. Another attraction just her speed... fun without being scary, for her. And that made it lots more fun for me, too.

She wanted to ride again right away, but we needed to rejoin Carole and Deb. We had made a plan to enter World Showcase via Mexico, and I knew they'd be eager to start shopping!

 

[NLD]

Just an Old Cell Phone

At last... World Showcase. We entered through Mexico.


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We went straight into the pyramid, and checked out all the souvenirs first.


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We quickly found the crystal shop. Sunshine knew I would buy her one item from World Showcase, and almost cashed in on that promise here. Ultimately she decided to wait and see some other pavilions, though.


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Eventually we decided to hop aboard the boat ride.


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(That doll in white looks exactly like a doll I got in Mexico, in Tijuana, as a kid.... so I always take a picture of her!)


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After the ride we did a little more browsing through the merchandise. Carole was still looking for a perfect gift for her son. Alas... we didn't find it in Mexico.

When we emerged into the sun, blinking, ("I forgot it's daytime, Mommy!"), Sunshine noticed someone she wanted to meet. Donald in his Mexican attire!

We'd met him at Tusker House, of course, but he didn't sign autographs there. And she wanted that autograph.

But just as we lined up, he left! The handler said he'd be back soon. Sunshine wanted to wait, so we did.

While we were waiting, I talked with Deb about plans for the rest of the evening. Sunshine and I had Fastpasses for Test Track. She definitely wanted to use those. Plus we had a Kim Possible mission reserved.

So I suggested to Carole and Deb that we split up. That would give them time to enjoy World Showcase at their speed, without waiting around for us. We'd reunite for our dinner reservation at 6:20. They agreed, so we bid them goodbye.

Meanwhile Donald Duck came back, and Sunshine got his autograph.


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After the autograph, we headed next door to Norway.


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It was time to check in for our Kim Possible mission!

The cast member at the kiosk asked which country we wanted to explore. I said, "Norway" automatically because that's where we were, but....

"Oh, I wanted to do China!" Sunshine piped up.

"Can you change it?" I asked the CM.

No problem... she fixed us up with a China mission and handed Sunshine the kimmunicator.


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As we wandered next door to China...


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...Sunshine played with the kimmunicator. "It's just like an old cell phone, Mom," she said.

Hmmm. So far she did not seem impressed with Kim Possible... shrugging her shoulders when I explained the whole idea... and now underwhelmed with the actual kimmunicator.

Would her attitude change? We were about to find out!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

 

[Emma1987]

great report !!

 

[NLD]

Hi anyone still checking in... sorry for the lack of updates! Hoping to finish this thing off soon!

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Hi anyone still checking in... sorry for the lack of updates! Hoping to finish this thing off soon!

Of coarse we are still here!!! I ordered a pizza, hope you don't mind

 

[Cinderella's slipper]

Hi anyone still checking in... sorry for the lack of updates! Hoping to finish this thing off soon!

Here and all caught up so far. Great trip report! I followed your trip report from the POTD thread. Trip reports help us addicts cope, while we waiting, hoping and or planning our next trip.

Thanks,

 

[Chicago Mo]

I LOVE your trip report!!!
What type of camera/lens do you use? I am sure you answered this already...

 

[NateNLogansDad]

So tonight I needed a photography pick me up so I went over your trrip report again and I have a question for you.

I just looked at the pics from in Mexico and saw you stuck with Shutter Priority at 1/80th of a sec and the ISO at 3200 even while in the gift shop. What made you go with that and stick with it through the ride? Do you do a cheat sheet kind of thing or did you just look around and say "Yep, this is what I'm going to do."

With those settings, did you have a lot of throw away's?

 

[NLD]

All right, finally, time for another installment.

But first...

ChicagoMo, the camera is a Nikon D700. Lenses along for the trip: 28 2.8, 50 1.4, 80-200 2.8, and a Tamron 28-300 variable aperture. The 50 1.4 got the most use.

Rob, on the settings... hmmmm. Well, in Mexico I had the 50mm on the camera, I believe. Would have picked shutter priority to make sure the shutter speed didn't fall too low for me to comfortably hand-hold without getting camera shake. Since I don't have the steadiest hands, I tend to pad my shutter speed. 1/60 probably would have been fine, but 1/80 gave a little wiggle room. 3200 ISO because it's dark. If the 3200 ISO wasn't necessary, the camera would just give me a smaller aperture... I guess at the time I preferred a smaller aperture and higher ISO than the other way around.

In short: it was dark = high ISO. More concerned about camera shake than depth of field = shutter priority with a shutter speed that could easily be hand-held.

 

[NLD]

Kimmunicating and Coloring

At last, time to start our Kim Possible mission! So far Sunshine seemed underwhelmed, both with the concept and the kimmunicator. But we forged deeper into China to get started.


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We started our mission, which quickly led us to...


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He looked a little grumpy. No matter. Sunshine used her kimminucator to interact with him and... he moved!

"Mommy, mommy, look! He moved! Just for me!"

She looked around to see if anyone else in the pavilion had noticed. Nope... the few folks in there were all preoccupied with their own interests.

"He moved just for us!" she squealed, smiling.

And with that... Sunshine was hooked. She loved the Kim Possible mission. We ran around the China Pavilion, looking to the kimmunicator for guidance and hunting down clues.


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Eventually Sunshine saved the day, and it was time to return our kimmunicator. She'd had so much fun, she would have liked to do another mission. But there was still a lot to see in World Showcase, and if we wanted another ride at Test Track before dinner, we had to get moving! It was time to leave China.


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On the way out, though, we stopped just long enough for some Photopass pictures. (I never did order the cd.... sort of wish I had now... but oh well.) The Photopass photographer was great, she took pictures of us in a number of poses. When we were done, we gathered our things (which we'd put to the side) and finally turned right out of China.

On our way back towards Test Track, we spotted a ride Sunshine had never done before.


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We had enough time to ride and check out Norway just a bit, so we did.


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After the ride, we poked around the gift shop. I sprayed a little Laila (is that the spelling?) and lusted after the winter coats and jackets, but didn't buy anything. As we reached the end of the gift shop, I pointed out a Kidcot station to Sunshine. She'd had lots of fun at those on her first trip.


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Sure enough, she wanted to color!


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She colored her Duffy very, very carefully. And very, very deliberately. And... very, very slowly.

Now, I can appreciate slow, deliberate, detailed artwork. It's pretty much how I operate whenever painting or drawing. But... those Test Track fastpasses were just aching to be used; and the time for our dinner reservation would come all too soon.

So eventually I asked Sunshine if she wanted to keep coloring or ride Test Track, allowing her to make the choice.

Well, that was no choice at all... she could finish coloring Duffy at home. But Test Track could only be done at Epcot!

 

[NLD]

Via Napoli

We left Norway and made our way back to Future World.


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After reaching the Test Track pavilion, we darted inside, happily clutching our Fastpasses and bypassing most of the line...


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After a brief wait, we got into our car, buckled our seat belts, and were off!


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And again, Sunshine smiled and smiled!


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No doubt about it... Test Track was a hit with my eight-year-old Pirate Princess. By far her favorite ride at Epcot.

We would have loved to spin around the track once more, but now we really needed to haul ourselves to dinner. The sun was setting fast, and I wasn't even sure we'd make it in time...


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We practically ran through World Showcase, doubling back past Mexico, Norway, China... all the way to...


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Ahhhh, we'd made it!


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Deb and Carole were waiting for us just outside. We checked in at the podium for Via Napoli, and soon we were sitting down to enjoy some down time....


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...and some dinner.


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Sunshine ordered the kids spaghetti with meatballs. She ate about half, and I had the rest. (It was GOOD!) Carole, Deb and I ordered a pizza (half pepperoni, half veggie) and the accompanying salad and shared. All in all--two thumbs up. We loved Via Napoli.

 

[NLD]

Our Pixie Dust Runs Out

Sunshine was a little out of sorts at dinner. It had been a long day, and honestly she'd have preferred to ride Test Track again rather than eat dinner!
Because Sunshine was antsy, we all agreed to split up again, rather than requiring Sunshine to sit longer. So as Deb and Carole started on dessert, Sunshine and I headed outside.

After all that running around to get to dinner, and then that yummy pizza, I needed a cigarette and... hmmm... what's that? Italian alcoholic drinks? Yes, that sounds about right...

I ordered an Italian margarita from the kiosk outside, took it over to the smoking area, and relaxed while Sunshine explored nearby.

Until...

Uh-oh.

Suddenly Sunshine was in tears.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"Mommy, I have to tell you something but I'm scared to."

(Oh boy. This was not going to be good news. I steeled myself.)

"All right, what is it, sweetie?" (in a very calm voice). "I promise I won't get mad, okay?"

"I lost my water bottle carrier!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I looked at her. This was the water bottle carrier we had just bought in Animal Kingdom. The one she'd been sooo excited about, because she had been envious of my (non-Disney) water bottle carrier for a year.

All right, so I wasn't thrilled we'd spent $20+ on a water bottle carrier that we'd had for one day... but after all, it was only $20. And she was awfully upset. Most of the upset was anticipating my reaction. She knew it wasn't the money... it was the fact that she'd lost it... that she hadn't been responsible with it. But lecturing clearly wasn't going to help anything now.

So after some hugs and calm discussion, she felt much better. But she still wanted to look for the water bottle carrier. She figured she had left it in China when we were taking Photopass pictures.

I agreed we could go back and look. Before we left Italy, though, Sunshine wanted a few pictures with Spaceship Earth.


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(Wish I'd had a tripod for these, to get a larger depth of field... oh well.)


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After the photo shoot outside Italy, we made our way back towards China. Along the way, Sunshine spotted a kiosk selling glow toys. We bought a glowing string toy that made funny patterns.

We named the string toy String the Thing and played with it as we walked. Finally, we made it back to China.


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We looked around. No water bottle carrier. Okay, now what?

Well... now String the Thing would get tangled and break, of course!

Sunshine handed it over. I disassembled and reassembled it. Tried it out. It didn't work.

Our evening in Epcot was not going as planned! It seemed our pixie dust from earlier in the trip had run out.

We walked back in the direction of Italy again, found the kiosk, and asked the cast member who'd sold it to us for help. She straightened it out and showed me how to fix it in the future. Well, at least String the Thing was working again!

Now we were really short on time. We could go around World Showcase the way we hadn't been yet... but... the souvenir I wanted for Matt (my husband) was still in China.

Yes, back to China.

And that is where we stayed the rest of the night. We explored the gift shop thoroughly.


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We bought a lot there... a gift for Sunshine's teacher, some chopsticks and an incense burner for Matt, a doll for Sunshine, some panda slippers for me, a little turtle figurine for my sister...


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We closed down the gift shop. And when we finally emerged, Illuminations was in session.


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We stopped for a moment, but without a decent viewing spot, we decided to just walk out of the park. We could enjoy the music and colors as we walked.


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On our way out, we made one final stop... to lost and found. Alas... no water bottle carrier.

And so we made our way to the bus stop, saying good night to Spaceship Earth on the way out...


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...and finally returning to our resort to sleep after a long, full day at Epcot.

 

[209Disney]

Yay! Your back with more updates! I am excited to read the rest!!