Flowers, Segways & DIS Meets, Oh My! - Updated 10/26, Final Thoughts-FINALLY!

[SoonerGirl]

Mark does high school, junior college, and little league. He doesn't put up with anyone's nonsense and has ejected one player, one coach and two parents in the last nine years.

Our youngest, Markie, stopped going to Disney with us after 2000 becasue if it wasn't baseball, he was at wrestling camp; Andy only went with us once after 2000 and that was in 2004 for his high school graduation trip. So the boys, together, have not been with us since 2000 (when they were 13 and 11). Markie wants to go with us next year after he graduates college--he wants to around World Showcase.

his way around WS sounds like a fun way to celebrate a college graduation!

Even with a bite missing, it still looks scrumptious!

I've kind of felt the same way about Tutto after having enjoyed Alfredo's... I think I will plan a dinner here when we next visit!

The topiaries are simply amazing...


Kathy

That dessert was really good - I love the chocolate and raspberry combination!

I'm back I'm back I'm back! Haha, finally things are winding down ... just 3.5 days and graduation! No more book reports to grade, report card grades to figure out, or student profiles to write up. Phew!

Haha, I love that you took a pic of the offender regarding the ice cream clean up! The topiary is so huge too; they didn't even stop to a side of it but instead chose to stop right in the middle of it!

Mmm, I'm reading this on Saturday morning, and seeing your pics from Tutto just reminded me that I should go get something to eat for breakfast!

I loved the "Stopped to say hey to the donkey" comment! Got me laughing!

Hey Rachel! The end of the school year is just crazy isn't it? I'm glad things are finally slowing down for you - maybe you can actually get us to WDW on your TR now

I thought about zooming in on the offender's bent over rear end, but figured that would just be too mean

 

[SoonerGirl]

Day 3, Monday May 3rd

Just as it did the previous morning, our alarm went off at 7am. Mom and I got up and around and made it down to the bus stop a little before 8:30. This morning our luck with the buses was a little better, we had to wait maybe 10 minutes, not bad at all. We had seats close to the front and on our ride over to Epcot we began talking to our bus driver. He asked if we had any dinner reservations for the day and we told him we would be dining at the Grand Floridian Cafe. He then told us a story about the one time he had eaten at Narcoossee's. He had made reservations and had a surprise for his girlfriend, he was going to propose. But, he had asked his future MIL for help in picking up the ring and getting it to the restaurant - he had this whole thing planned for the ring to be on her dessert plate with 'will you marry me' written on the plate. Well, MIL got so excited that she told her daughter that something wonderful was going to happen that night. The guy found out and was so upset that she ruined his surprise that he didn't do it. They had their dinner, but no proposal. He said he carried that ring around for the next 6 months waiting for another perfect opportunity to propose. He was so mad at her for ruining his night - I guess he's still not over it, because he's still telling the story!

We arrived at Epcot before official park opening, but the gates were open. As we made our way toward the fountain (right side since we were about to participate in the Soarin' Stampede) we observed a dad with two young boys. He was holding the hand of the older one that appeared to be maybe 7 or 8, and the younger boy, who looked to be about 5 or so, was lagging behind. The dad kept getting on to him to keep up and that if he didn't hurry they were going to miss the opening show, telling him he wasn't going to hold them up all day long, blah, blah, blah. That really bothered me that he was expecting that little guy with his little legs to keep up with his long strides and fast pace. It wouldn't have surprised me to see that same family later in the day with the kids having a melt down because they were pushed to the point of exhaustion.....

Anyway, we filed in with the herd rushing towards Soarin'.

My goal was to ride standby first thing, and then if Mom liked it, we would get FPs afterwards for later. Being two adults we made good time and our wait wasn't bad at all, maybe 10-15 minutes. I was a bit bummed because all of the scents weren't working, we only smelled the oranges, but Mom was none the wiser and just as I suspected, she loved it! Has anyone ever been on this ride when people did not applaud afterwards? I don't think I ever have - it's just awesome!

Since it was the hit I thought it was going to be, Mom and I grabbed a set of FPs, found the area where we were supposed to check in later for the Behind the Seeds tour, then went over to ride Living with the Land. This gave Mom a little preview of what we were going to be seeing a little more in depth on the tour. After the ride, we stopped to take a couple of photos

Next we made our way over to The Seas.

We took a quick spin in a clamshell and then settled in for a little conversation with everyone's favorite sea turtle.

By now, our FP window was open for Soarin' and we had just enough time to ride before we had to check in for our tour, so back to The Land we went! This time all the scents were working and Mom enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

We had just enough time to take a bathroom break and grab a quick snack (we decided on chocolate dipped Mickey rice crispy treats - yum!) before checking in for our tour. We checked in, received our name tags and were told to wait over to the side until everyone in our group had checked in. I think in total there were about 15 people in our group. Our guide's name was Melissa, she led us to a small room behind the Soarin' FP area where the noise was blocked out and we could actually hear what she had to say. Here she gave us a little info about what to expect, told us photography was allowed, and then she made us all introduce ourselves and tell where we were from and why we wanted to take the tour. I didn't like this part - I hate being the center of attention and I always feel awkward when I am.

Our first stop was the bug room, where we learned how certain bugs can help control harmful crop pests naturally. Next was the Biotechnology Lab, which is a sterile environment so we couldn't actually go in there, just got to observe from the window. Then we made our way into the greenhouses that you see on the Living with the Land boat ride. Here we were given much more in depth info about how they grow things and you were able to ask questions. We also received a cucumber sample, so that we could see for ourselves that their new growing techniques do not diminish the flavor of the food at all. We made a stop at the fish farm, which was our guide's favorite part of the tour because she is actually a marine biologist, so this was her area of expertise. If you wanted to, you could feed the fish here - everyone threw their feed in at the same time so that we were able to see how fast and furiously those fish come after their dinner! We also received a handout on how to turn an aquarium into a Hydroponic Grow Tank, I thought that was cool and saved it for a future science fair project for Jared! Here are a few pics we took on the tour.

The pumpkins get so large and so heavy that they have to hold them up with nets.

Earning his ears

Ears earned!

All in all we enjoyed ourselves, it was neat to see all the boats passing through, made you feel a bit special to be walking around the actual attraction!

Up Next: Hey, that's not me!

 

[ladybugmom]

YAY!! I just love Soarin'!! It's my favorite ride in all of WDW!! So glad that you got to ride it twice!! And what a cool tour!!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Soarin' x2 and Behind the Seeds... what a fun way to pass the time. I've often wondered about the tour. I take it you'd recommend it? Other than the introduce yourself part (which I'd hate too, by the way!)

 

[MHTeacher]

Soarin' two times sounds great to me---I love that ride! How did your mom enjoy the Behind the Seeds Tour?

 

[kschafer]

We spent one of our Epcot days with my parents and I made sure we did Living with the land that day because I knew they would love it (Dad had been on in 2008 but Mom was sick and missed it)

They saw the sign for Behind the Seeds and commented how neat they thought it would be. they are talking about a trip to Disney next winter with a couple of my aunts/uncles so I told them I would get them tickets for their Christmas present. I'm glad to hear about the tour from you because I know they will LOVE it (and they are so hard to buy gifts for!)

Glad your Mom enjoyed Soarin so much

 

[PrincessInOz]

Wow! Soarin' twice. It must be the "early morning" thing....I did do Soarin' once early in the morning and only had oranges as well.
And that Behind the Seeds tour! Definitely another one of those things to do for 'next time'....DS should be older by then.

 

[RachelNinja]

That proposal story is crazy! I understand the MIL's excitement, but obviously the guy wanted your help to plan this wonderful surprise! Haha, it's funny that the guy waited 6 months though! Well, funny as a story ... not funny if I were the girl waiting!

The applauding is so fun in Soarin' because it's such a calm response! Haha, as opposed to the screamin' and whoopin' after a coaster or something. The best part about the end of Soarin' is the sound of all those seatbelts being unclicked! Haha, I had my video camera ready the second time to capture that sound.

I like that the Behind the Seeds tour allows photography! I'll have to eventually take my time to see that because she won't spend the money on it herself! I love the different perspectives with the photography for Living with the Land.

 

[KatMark]

So glad that your mom enjoyed Soarin'. It is one of our favs and we try to do it two or three times each day we are there. The tour looks interesting. Maybe Mark and I should do that since our rides are limited this trip?

 

[mermaid764]

That's awesome that you were guys were able to enjoy Soarin twice before the tour. I'd heard lots about this tour and your pics have really made me want to do this one sometime. Too neat! Looking forward to hearing more

 

[disneydusted]

Love Soarin!!! I'm so glad your mom liked it too! Yes, every time we have ridden it everyone claps at the end.
We did the Behind the Seeds Tour the last time we were there and we enjoyed it too. We were so inspired by the way the vegetables were growing from "above" that we came home and tried it with cucumbers. It actually worked well!
It is hard to see little children being demanded on by such a driven parent. Fortunately most families are there for the whole family's enjoyment.
Funny proposal story... are they engaged now?

 

[kate_wdw]

I really enjoyed hearing about the Behind the Seeds tour - it's something that I would definitely like to do someday!

 

[praisehisname]

So glad you got to do Soarin' twice and that your mom loved it! This is the second report I've read about the BHTS tour and it sounds so cool. I'll definitely have to check into it!

 

[MeMom]

Has anyone ever been on this ride when people did not applaud afterwards? I don't think I ever have - it's just awesome!

Many times. Almost every time.
I love it, too, since I feel like I have half ownership in it.
It is my favorite Disney ride!

I'm working on 'my people' to have a little mist splash up on our feet when we ride through the ocean scenes, too.

We also received a handout on how to turn an aquarium into a Hydroponic Grow Tank, I thought that was cool and saved it for a future science fair project for Jared! Here are a few pics we took on the tour.

Jill and I have wanted to do this for several years, but haven't gotten to it yet. What a great Science project that would be! I'd love to do something like that in my classroom. I'm going to ask for a copy of the handout when we go this trip, but if I can't get it without going on the tour, I may be begging you for a copy of it.

Have you ever ridden this at night? This area has a totally different feel to it when it is dark outside.

Trent needs a banana tree badly. He eats like five of these a day!

Great pictures of everything! I am glad your mom liked Soarin'.

 

[LilAnn]

Great update! I love all the pictures that you got on the Behind the Seeds tour. That idea on how to turn an aquarium into a hydro tank sounds like an awesome science project idea! I thought that was pretty cool too when you see it on the actual ride.

 

[Charleston Princess]

I guess that guy really was bugged about his MIL ruining his surprise -- poor guy!

Another head-shaking parent moment! If the dad was so concerned with his kid holding them up, he should have brought a stroller for him. It really bugs me when parents ruin Disney for their kids by having unnatural expectations.

Yeay for your mom loving Soarin'! It is truly my favorite ride at Epcot and definitely in my top five rides at all of Disney! Those oranges always make me smile!

The Behind the Seeds tour looks really neat -- I wonder what they do with those Mickey pumpkins when they are ready...

 

[Disneygrl36]

Michelle....you asked about the Cosmo slush. It was part of the Food & Wine Festival France offerings. So now you will have to add that to your list of times to visit.

When we did the Backstage Magic ABD we got to see the pellets that make the scents at Soarin' & it was amazing to me that that much smell could come from those small pellets & some air.

Glad you guys enjoyed the Behind the Seeds-we really liked it too & I really loved being back stage & seeing things more close up. That cucumber was delicious & fresh from what I remember.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Aww that poor guy having his proposal ruined! What a crazy story.

Looks like the tour was pretty neat too.

As for Soarin' and the clapping afterward, I think in April when it was over I was waiting for everyone to applaud but they never did! That was definitely a first, usually people are freaking out because it was so cool.

 

[manntra]

Ohhh that Cosmo slush....one of my main reasons for going back this October
Loved your pictures from the Behind the Seeds....looked really interesting and how fun to see everything up close
Grrrr regarding that woman cleaning up....at least you got her picture!!

Tracy

 

[Lovemy3babes]

The Soarin' Stampede was a little crazy, wasn't it? I loved getting there right away but all that rushing always makes me a little frazzled. I'm glad your mom enjoyed the ride like you thought she would! It's one of my favorites.

I also hate having to do the introduction thing. I get nervous and embarrassed. Hate that stuff!!! Not a fan of being put on the spot like that.