***Begin transmission daily debriefing reports continued**
Daily Debriefing March 11 (Day Two) - Epcot
Commander had done exhaustive research both on DisBoards and using Tour Guide Mike in order to plan which parks to visit on which days in order to minimize crowd interactions. During big crowd periods like Spring Break the two most important aspects to avoid crowds are 1) getting to the parks early and 2) choosing the right park. The team often laughed at the mission plans that Commander developed because they did not realize how large Spring Break crowds are and the implications of being caught up in the crowds. By the end of the trip however, when the team had no long waits, the team commended the Commander on his great planning. From the Commander’s research the mission for the day is Epcot.
Breakfast was procured from the Food & Fun center and the team was careful in their choices. The breakfast plate of pancakes with bacon was good. Other team members chose some fruit like apples and bananas along with cold cereal choices such as Raisin Bran. The breakfast croissant was unedible (cold and greasy). On the second floor of the resort is Contemporary Grounds which is like a Starbucks coffee shop. The coffee was good (yes we found good coffee in WDW) and they had very good selection of muffins. We brought our breakfast rations up to the room and sat on the balcony watching the castle and WDW come to life in the morning glow.
The team rendezvoused in the 4th floor monorail lobby at 815am to catch the monorail over to the TTC and then to Epcot. While on the monorail, MIL stated that it was so dark inside the monorail and wondered why they tinted the windows so dark. FIL then explained that one reason everything may look so dark is that she had her sunglasses on! The whole team laughed at that one. For the rest of the vacation whenever the team entered a dark place someone would whisper “why is it so dark in here.”
We got to Epcot just before rope drop. After passing through the park turnstiles we handed our park passes to Private DS who was appointed as our FastPass runner. His mission was to quickstep over to Soarin to obtain Fastpasses and then meet the rest of the team at the standby line. He completed his mission perfectly obtaining Fastpasses with a return time of 10:45am.
While Private DS was getting the Fastpasses, Commander and Private DD were waiting near the standby line entrance. A CM came up to Private DD and awarded her a Year of a Million Dreams Tinkerbell pin (You get to keep one and you have a second pin to share with a friend). It was a great surprise and a great way to start our vacation. Here is a pic of the pin.
Soarin is one of the best WDW rides. We were lucky enough to be seated in the front row! The front row offers the most immersive ride experience. The team later returned to ride again and sat in the 3rd row. The ride was still very good but the first row is just so much better. It would be awesome if Disney would do a Soarin over the USA!
After Soarin we headed over to do the new Nemo ride. It was cute but I would not wait more than 10 minutes for it. After Nemo we got to meet Crush. This is a very funny show and the interaction with the crowd is very good. It was now around 10:30 and sent our Fastpass runner over to Test Track and to meet rest of the team by Mission Space.
Commander and Privates DD & DS did Mission Space Orange (full spinning) while the rest of the team relaxed on nearby benches and enjoyed a nice coffee from a nearby coffee stand. We had done MSpace in 2004 and we enjoyed the ride again. I did think they added the fans that blow cool air in your face during the mission. Perhaps it is to try to minimize protein spills during the ride.
At this time we had our FastPasses for Test Track and Soarin in our pockets and decided to start leisurely strolling over to the World Showcase for our 1pm ADR at Chefs du France. We stopped to watch the Fountain water show.
We then stopped by Character Connection. The Connection was just about empty. We got to meet Chip & Dale, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto all done up in Epcot style future costumes. Belle was also there but in her peasant clothes.
Here is the whole mission team
After this we stopped in to see the Honey I Shrunk the Audience show. The whole Kodak commercial preshow was a bit much but we all still enjoy the main 3D movie. Coming out of the show we saw Figment.
Lunch at Chefs du France was excellent. We had a nice table in the front window overlooking the World Showcase. The whole restaurant is beautifully done and is very reminiscent of some cafes we go to when we visited Paris. Our menu selections included the quiche, the salad nicoise and the rotisserie chicken. All were very good and there was a nice selection of wines by the glass. I especially like the salad nicoise and highly recommend it.
After lunch we decided to make our way out of the park and head back to home base for some aquatic time. On the way out we used our FastPasses for Test Track and Soarin. MIL was not so certain about TT but decided to give it a try. She was fine except on the high speed section. In this picture of us you have in the front row: Commander, DS, wife. In the back row is unknown lady, MIL, and DD.
As we were leaving Epcot at about 3pm we saw the standby time for TT was 60 mins and for Soarin was 75 mins.
In review we did Soarin twice, Mission Space, Test Track, Honey I shrunk the Audience, Character Connection, watched the Fountain, did the Nemo ride, visited with Crush and had a nice relaxed sit down lunch all between 9am and 3pm. We did not wait in any lines and took our time strolling from place to place enjoying the sights and sounds of Epcot.
On the monorail from the TTC to the CR we were able to ride with the monorail pilot in the front. The pilot was undergoing final training so we were able to hear all about how things work and such. It was great and we all got co-pilot cards.
Back at the CR, Commander stopped by the sundrie shop to pick up a six pack for the room’s refrigerator (not for himself but to give the fridge something to keep cold as it looked so lonely being empty). Sitting on the balcony enjoying a cold one (a good brew but nothing as good as wmjivey brews up) while looking at the Magic Kingdom . . . it doesn’t get better than that. If you are thinking about the CR, go for the Magic Kingdom view and you won’t regret it.
MIL and FIL called to say that Mickey and left them birthday cards and balloons in their room and were wondering how Mickey knew they were having their birthdays during our trip. I wonder how too??? Lol.
To end the day we had ADR for 730 at California Grill. It was FIL and MIL birthday during the week and Commander had advanced ordered a birthday cake for dessert. California Grill is spectacular. When you arrive at the top of the CR there is a really great lounge area to have a drink. The restaurant is open kitchen and the décor has to be seen to be believed. Of course the views are wonderful too. If you want to see some great pics of the place and the food visit this thread by ehagerty:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1331459
Here is a sample of one of the great pics he has in his thread.
Our table was decorated with all kinds of magic kingdom confetti to help celebrate the birthdays. The server came over to me and quietly let me know he was aware of the cake for dessert and would serve it after Wishes. Our food was very good with the slight exception of one steak being requested med rare and it was more towards the med side. Watching Wishes was nice and the music was piped into the room. The lights were not dimmed though and they should have been to reduce some of the reflections on the windows. Cali Grill was a great dining experience and we would place it at the top of our list to return to in future trips.
We had finished dinner around 10pm and the Magic Kingdom was open until 2am that night. After some discussion it was decided that we were planning to see SpectroMagic later in the week and that we did not want to wear ourselves down the first full day. So the team decided to call it a night and relax on the room’s balcony and watch the castle lights. This was in keeping with our primary trip objectives. This turned out to be a great decision as the whole team never felt run down during the whole week’s vacation. Its hard to hold yourself back cause you want to do it all, but pacing yourself is important.
The team drifted off to sleep after a fantastic first day watching the castle’s lights flicker in the distance.
***end of current report section***
while looking at the Magic Kingdom . . . it doesnt get better than that. If you are thinking about the CR, go for the Magic Kingdom view and you wont regret it.
