Epcot & the DIS-meet
Sunday 21st August 2005
I rise quite late today - 6.30 am - Joyce is sipping tea on the pool deck and I join her to watch the early morning hot-air-balloons gliding through a cloudless clear blue sky. It's a lovely warm morning - also very peaceful with no Lorries thundering past!
We have a light breakfast at home today - Actually - that's just a plain lie! We had breakfast at the Golden Corral and it wasn't light at all! It was the "Full Monty" - Sausages, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, French toast, pancakes, waffles, cereals, toast, fruit, Danish pastries, muffins and sticky rice cakes! And for dessert........more of the same!
Well - you've got to haven't you?
We arrive at Epcot at about 9.30 and are able to park Jaunty in the full glare of the blazing hot sun (much to his disgust - I'm sure he "tutted" at me when I got out!).
We stroll up to The Land (I would usually run but I'm so full - if I fall over I may not be able to get up again!) and the standby time for Soarin' is 40 mins! Fastpass is already 12.45 so we decide to join the queue (mainly because it's slow moving - much like us today!).
I have a feeling that this must be an "early entry day" for Epcot. I did try to plan to miss these but Disney kept changing them around so I got a bit confused in the end. Oh well - can't be helped now.
It's still a bit early for Joyce and Cyril (also - were all a bit cautious after yesterday's episode on Big Thunder Mountain Railway) so they get a coffee while we ride.
This is absolutely brilliant - my new favourite ride now - the effects are stunning and the music is superb - it really sets the atmosphere. I won't spoil it for others who have yet to ride but - all I will say is you MUST do this one.
We meet up with Joyce and Cyril in The Land Cafe and have a quick coffee and a cake. Yes I know we have just had a massive breakfast but I'm a firm believer in keeping both me and Jaunty topped up with gas! (Lena is nodding her head!)
We decide to move on to Honey I Shrunk the Audience - well - we would move on except Cyril suddenly realises that he has lost his hat - so we spend the next twenty minutes re-tracing his steps and find it on the seat in the cafe - where he left it. This was to become a game for the all the family to enjoy on this trip - "Hunt the Hat".
Honey I Shrunk the Audience is brilliant - I really love these 3D shows - why don't we have them in the UK?
Next is Journey into Imagination with Figment. I don't know why but every time I go in this attraction I expect it to be better than last time - but it's not really. Still - it is only a bit of fun and it's a brief detour out of the blazing sun!
We have the obligatory mooch in the Kodak place and try out the cool "toys" and send a couple of Emails home.
I'm very disappointed that Ice station Cool is closed - I was looking forward to a Beverly!
We hop over to Test Track but the fastpasses are now way into the afternoon and the standby line is showing 70 minutes. Sorry - but I don't do queues that long! It's the same story at Mission Space.
Unfortunately Living with the Sea is closed for refurbishment at the moment so we have to miss this out.
The temperature is the hottest day so far and we are wilting in the heat. By a majority decision we decide to go back to the villa for a swim and rest before this evenings activities so we do one more ride - Spaceship Earth - on the way out.
Jaunty's temperature gauge is reading 99 degrees and he definitely looks a bit cross at being left in the sun. I guess you could say he's not a happy camper van! (Sorry!)
We stop at McDonald's - just off the Osceola Parkway - for a spot of lunch and back at the villa take it in turns to nap and swim with the kids.
As afternoon draws towards evening we venture out again and drive Jaunty over to Epcot. It's a lot cooler now and I think we're back on speaking terms - as I lock him up his little "peep" seems a lot happier.
We walk through to the world showcase and catch the boat across to Morocco.
After a quick stroll around France we arrive in England and the family find a table for a drink while I check our ADR for 7.40pm tonight.
I nip into the Rose & Crown with Lena for a chat with some fellow Dis'ers and meet up with Tony64, Theresa, Dimplenose and a few others including Simon Veness of "The Brits Guide to Orlando" fame. It's nice to be able to put some faces to names now. Simon offers some very good advice for our first visit to KSC on Tuesday and then proceeds to tell us how he has a great view of Wishes from the backyard of his villa. I realise now that I should have paid more attention to my English Literature teacher at school! This is a job that I think I could really handle - researching for a book by experiencing all that Florida has to offer - Oh yes! He's a very clever guy - and I envy him hugely! I can thoroughly recommend his book though as on our first trip in 2002 - it never left my side during the whole trip.
OK Simon - there's the "plug" - where's me check?
Unfortunately we missed Florida Sun and Miffy who were outside in the garden waiting for us. We didn't know this until we got back home!
After about an hour we have to say goodbye and move to the restaurant for our ADR booking. Our English waitress shows us to our table. I ask if we can get a table with a view of the fireworks and we are seated on the table right at the front - on the patio - overlooking the lake. I think this will be the perfect place for the Reflections of Earth firework show.
Now - up to this point - we have dined in the Ponderosa, Golden Corral and McDonald's - so this is our first meal at a "restaurant" so to speak. Joyce and Cyril are strictly meat and two veg people - they don't eat salad, pizza, pasta, or any other "foreign muck"(good idea coming to the World Showcase then!) and they are prone to projectile vomiting at the mere smell of a garlic clove! They are worried sick (literally) that I am going to try to force feed them some food which may contain all of the afore-mentioned ingredients! However - they seem to have overlooked one small important detail here - WERE IN THE ROSE AND CROWN PUB IN ENGLAND!!!
Me, Hannah, and Ricky have the Fish and Chips, Lena has the Chicken Pasty, Joyce has the Bangers and Mash and Cyril goes for Cottage Pie. Adventurous? - Not on your life!
Surprisingly the food is excellent - I say "surprisingly" as I have read many reports of poor quality food and service from this restaurant. Our English waitress is very attentive and chats to us about "back home". She's on a 12 month secondment and is having a great time by the sound of things.
We take our time with the meal as we are in the best seats in the house and are not about to give them up for anyone!
For dessert we order sticky toffee puddings with custard and Hannah has a "build your own" ice cream dessert.
We are just finishing our meal as the show starts and it is simply stunning.
We saw this show from the friendship docks last year but the view from here is brilliant. I sit and watch the fireworks and more importantly - the family faces - what a picture -
Note - Joyce with Pint of Guinness and Sunglasses (at night!) - "Lush"!
job done........superb day.
We take a leisurely stroll back through the park after the show and stop to look at the twinkling lights built in to the pavement outside Innoventions.
It's a lovely warm evening and I feel really satisfied with having completed such a splendid day here in Paradise. Everyone is happy and relaxed - we have eaten well and managed to not poison Joyce and Cyril in the process!
What a great day - this is what Disney is all about - a family day out with quality time spent in each others company - no worries - no stress and no phone calls to ruin your day.
Perfeck - as Pa Larkin would say!
Tomorrow is Typhoon Lagoon (my favourite) and possibly The Boardwalk in the evening but I'm not going to push the pace so we will wait and see about that.
Sunday 21st August 2005
I rise quite late today - 6.30 am - Joyce is sipping tea on the pool deck and I join her to watch the early morning hot-air-balloons gliding through a cloudless clear blue sky. It's a lovely warm morning - also very peaceful with no Lorries thundering past!
We have a light breakfast at home today - Actually - that's just a plain lie! We had breakfast at the Golden Corral and it wasn't light at all! It was the "Full Monty" - Sausages, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, French toast, pancakes, waffles, cereals, toast, fruit, Danish pastries, muffins and sticky rice cakes! And for dessert........more of the same!
Well - you've got to haven't you?
We arrive at Epcot at about 9.30 and are able to park Jaunty in the full glare of the blazing hot sun (much to his disgust - I'm sure he "tutted" at me when I got out!).
We stroll up to The Land (I would usually run but I'm so full - if I fall over I may not be able to get up again!) and the standby time for Soarin' is 40 mins! Fastpass is already 12.45 so we decide to join the queue (mainly because it's slow moving - much like us today!).
I have a feeling that this must be an "early entry day" for Epcot. I did try to plan to miss these but Disney kept changing them around so I got a bit confused in the end. Oh well - can't be helped now.
It's still a bit early for Joyce and Cyril (also - were all a bit cautious after yesterday's episode on Big Thunder Mountain Railway) so they get a coffee while we ride.
This is absolutely brilliant - my new favourite ride now - the effects are stunning and the music is superb - it really sets the atmosphere. I won't spoil it for others who have yet to ride but - all I will say is you MUST do this one.
We meet up with Joyce and Cyril in The Land Cafe and have a quick coffee and a cake. Yes I know we have just had a massive breakfast but I'm a firm believer in keeping both me and Jaunty topped up with gas! (Lena is nodding her head!)
We decide to move on to Honey I Shrunk the Audience - well - we would move on except Cyril suddenly realises that he has lost his hat - so we spend the next twenty minutes re-tracing his steps and find it on the seat in the cafe - where he left it. This was to become a game for the all the family to enjoy on this trip - "Hunt the Hat".
Honey I Shrunk the Audience is brilliant - I really love these 3D shows - why don't we have them in the UK?
Next is Journey into Imagination with Figment. I don't know why but every time I go in this attraction I expect it to be better than last time - but it's not really. Still - it is only a bit of fun and it's a brief detour out of the blazing sun!
We have the obligatory mooch in the Kodak place and try out the cool "toys" and send a couple of Emails home.
I'm very disappointed that Ice station Cool is closed - I was looking forward to a Beverly!
We hop over to Test Track but the fastpasses are now way into the afternoon and the standby line is showing 70 minutes. Sorry - but I don't do queues that long! It's the same story at Mission Space.
Unfortunately Living with the Sea is closed for refurbishment at the moment so we have to miss this out.
The temperature is the hottest day so far and we are wilting in the heat. By a majority decision we decide to go back to the villa for a swim and rest before this evenings activities so we do one more ride - Spaceship Earth - on the way out.
Jaunty's temperature gauge is reading 99 degrees and he definitely looks a bit cross at being left in the sun. I guess you could say he's not a happy camper van! (Sorry!)
We stop at McDonald's - just off the Osceola Parkway - for a spot of lunch and back at the villa take it in turns to nap and swim with the kids.
As afternoon draws towards evening we venture out again and drive Jaunty over to Epcot. It's a lot cooler now and I think we're back on speaking terms - as I lock him up his little "peep" seems a lot happier.
We walk through to the world showcase and catch the boat across to Morocco.
After a quick stroll around France we arrive in England and the family find a table for a drink while I check our ADR for 7.40pm tonight.
I nip into the Rose & Crown with Lena for a chat with some fellow Dis'ers and meet up with Tony64, Theresa, Dimplenose and a few others including Simon Veness of "The Brits Guide to Orlando" fame. It's nice to be able to put some faces to names now. Simon offers some very good advice for our first visit to KSC on Tuesday and then proceeds to tell us how he has a great view of Wishes from the backyard of his villa. I realise now that I should have paid more attention to my English Literature teacher at school! This is a job that I think I could really handle - researching for a book by experiencing all that Florida has to offer - Oh yes! He's a very clever guy - and I envy him hugely! I can thoroughly recommend his book though as on our first trip in 2002 - it never left my side during the whole trip.
OK Simon - there's the "plug" - where's me check?
Unfortunately we missed Florida Sun and Miffy who were outside in the garden waiting for us. We didn't know this until we got back home!
After about an hour we have to say goodbye and move to the restaurant for our ADR booking. Our English waitress shows us to our table. I ask if we can get a table with a view of the fireworks and we are seated on the table right at the front - on the patio - overlooking the lake. I think this will be the perfect place for the Reflections of Earth firework show.
Now - up to this point - we have dined in the Ponderosa, Golden Corral and McDonald's - so this is our first meal at a "restaurant" so to speak. Joyce and Cyril are strictly meat and two veg people - they don't eat salad, pizza, pasta, or any other "foreign muck"(good idea coming to the World Showcase then!) and they are prone to projectile vomiting at the mere smell of a garlic clove! They are worried sick (literally) that I am going to try to force feed them some food which may contain all of the afore-mentioned ingredients! However - they seem to have overlooked one small important detail here - WERE IN THE ROSE AND CROWN PUB IN ENGLAND!!!
Me, Hannah, and Ricky have the Fish and Chips, Lena has the Chicken Pasty, Joyce has the Bangers and Mash and Cyril goes for Cottage Pie. Adventurous? - Not on your life!
Surprisingly the food is excellent - I say "surprisingly" as I have read many reports of poor quality food and service from this restaurant. Our English waitress is very attentive and chats to us about "back home". She's on a 12 month secondment and is having a great time by the sound of things.
We take our time with the meal as we are in the best seats in the house and are not about to give them up for anyone!
For dessert we order sticky toffee puddings with custard and Hannah has a "build your own" ice cream dessert.
We are just finishing our meal as the show starts and it is simply stunning.
We saw this show from the friendship docks last year but the view from here is brilliant. I sit and watch the fireworks and more importantly - the family faces - what a picture -
Note - Joyce with Pint of Guinness and Sunglasses (at night!) - "Lush"!
job done........superb day.
We take a leisurely stroll back through the park after the show and stop to look at the twinkling lights built in to the pavement outside Innoventions.
It's a lovely warm evening and I feel really satisfied with having completed such a splendid day here in Paradise. Everyone is happy and relaxed - we have eaten well and managed to not poison Joyce and Cyril in the process!
What a great day - this is what Disney is all about - a family day out with quality time spent in each others company - no worries - no stress and no phone calls to ruin your day.
Perfeck - as Pa Larkin would say!
Tomorrow is Typhoon Lagoon (my favourite) and possibly The Boardwalk in the evening but I'm not going to push the pace so we will wait and see about that.
Caroline 
