12/09/04
The Plan
An early start for a full day in Epcot. Evening meal at the Californian Grill to celebrate my sisters birthday.
The Reality
Well we managed an early start and went down to the food court for pancakes. After this first experience we realised that one portion of pancakes between two would have been plenty. We had decided to use Disney transport wherever possible during this trip so it was off to the bus stop. I dont think we had to wait more than ten minutes during the whole holiday.
We got to Epcot in time for the rope drop and managed to get some good photos of the characters arriving on their bus. The first stop was guest relations to get a birthday badge for my sister. The rest of the day was full of happy birthdays from all the CMs.
After the rope drop everyone headed off in the direction of Test Track and Mission Space. We followed and rode Test Track with no wait and no breakdowns. This is still one of my favourite rides. But it was the only ride that suffered technical problems during our two weeks. Next onto Mission Space, this was the only ride that I wasnt looking forward to. I get sick on anything that spins, I must be the only person who rides who can ride Tower of Terror seven times in a row and Rock n Rollercoaster five times in a row and then get sick on the Teacups. Well I have to say the fifteen minute wait constantly looking at signs warning of motion sickness did nothing to allay my fears. We finally got in our Spaceship and to my horror there were no sick bags, added to that I was next to a complete stranger. We completed the mission with no problems apart from the dodgy landing, which incidentally also happened the next three times we rode it.
We moved down to the Wonders of Life Pavilion only to find it closed, how could my six months of planning miss this. After resigning ourselves to not seeing bodywars we moved onto the Universe of Energy and enjoyed Ellens performance as well as Bill Nigh the science guy. At some point we rode Spaceship Earth although good I dont think this is a ride worth queuing for if you have ridden it before.
Our next stop was the Imagination! Pavilion and after taking countless photos of the waterfall we joined Figment on a journey into our imagination. This is a very good ride and appeals to all age groups. Next onto the Living Seas, when did this become Nemo themed? They could make this better by not forcing everyone to get a lift to see the exhibit; can people not use the stairs?
On to the world showcase and are first chance to ride Maelstrom which was closed on are last visit. It is a very good ride but having seen the end of ride video once why do I have to wait to watch it every time I ride it. We decided to have lunch in Norway and had an open sandwich and a beer each. America is very good for your self esteem as we were asked for ID despite me being 29 and my Sister celebrating her 26th birthday.
As there were no crowds we made good progress around the world showcase and decided to exit at the International Gateway and have a look at some of the resorts. As there was no boat waiting we decided to walk. The Swan and Dolphin while impressive from the outside dont seem much different inside than any other high class business hotel. As my job involves me staying away in hotels similar to this I cant see me spending my own money to stay there on holiday.
Onto the Boardwalk and although it was very quiet and most things seemed closed I could see myself staying here at some point as there would be plenty to do in the evenings. We had a beer at the Big River Grille and made our way back to Epcot. We missed the boat again but found that by walking we actually arrived back in the park before the boat.
You may recall that we had planned to eat at the Californian Grill to celebrate my sisters birthday, well due to the fact we hadnt made a PS booking we decided to eat at Epcot and then stay for Illuminations. We decided on Akershus and had a very nice and very filling meal.
The Plan
An early start for a full day in Epcot. Evening meal at the Californian Grill to celebrate my sisters birthday.
The Reality
Well we managed an early start and went down to the food court for pancakes. After this first experience we realised that one portion of pancakes between two would have been plenty. We had decided to use Disney transport wherever possible during this trip so it was off to the bus stop. I dont think we had to wait more than ten minutes during the whole holiday.
We got to Epcot in time for the rope drop and managed to get some good photos of the characters arriving on their bus. The first stop was guest relations to get a birthday badge for my sister. The rest of the day was full of happy birthdays from all the CMs.
After the rope drop everyone headed off in the direction of Test Track and Mission Space. We followed and rode Test Track with no wait and no breakdowns. This is still one of my favourite rides. But it was the only ride that suffered technical problems during our two weeks. Next onto Mission Space, this was the only ride that I wasnt looking forward to. I get sick on anything that spins, I must be the only person who rides who can ride Tower of Terror seven times in a row and Rock n Rollercoaster five times in a row and then get sick on the Teacups. Well I have to say the fifteen minute wait constantly looking at signs warning of motion sickness did nothing to allay my fears. We finally got in our Spaceship and to my horror there were no sick bags, added to that I was next to a complete stranger. We completed the mission with no problems apart from the dodgy landing, which incidentally also happened the next three times we rode it.
We moved down to the Wonders of Life Pavilion only to find it closed, how could my six months of planning miss this. After resigning ourselves to not seeing bodywars we moved onto the Universe of Energy and enjoyed Ellens performance as well as Bill Nigh the science guy. At some point we rode Spaceship Earth although good I dont think this is a ride worth queuing for if you have ridden it before.
Our next stop was the Imagination! Pavilion and after taking countless photos of the waterfall we joined Figment on a journey into our imagination. This is a very good ride and appeals to all age groups. Next onto the Living Seas, when did this become Nemo themed? They could make this better by not forcing everyone to get a lift to see the exhibit; can people not use the stairs?
On to the world showcase and are first chance to ride Maelstrom which was closed on are last visit. It is a very good ride but having seen the end of ride video once why do I have to wait to watch it every time I ride it. We decided to have lunch in Norway and had an open sandwich and a beer each. America is very good for your self esteem as we were asked for ID despite me being 29 and my Sister celebrating her 26th birthday.
As there were no crowds we made good progress around the world showcase and decided to exit at the International Gateway and have a look at some of the resorts. As there was no boat waiting we decided to walk. The Swan and Dolphin while impressive from the outside dont seem much different inside than any other high class business hotel. As my job involves me staying away in hotels similar to this I cant see me spending my own money to stay there on holiday.
Onto the Boardwalk and although it was very quiet and most things seemed closed I could see myself staying here at some point as there would be plenty to do in the evenings. We had a beer at the Big River Grille and made our way back to Epcot. We missed the boat again but found that by walking we actually arrived back in the park before the boat.
You may recall that we had planned to eat at the Californian Grill to celebrate my sisters birthday, well due to the fact we hadnt made a PS booking we decided to eat at Epcot and then stay for Illuminations. We decided on Akershus and had a very nice and very filling meal.
