The Cast:
Alex (that's me): Male, 29, the compulsive planner in the family. First Disney trip since 1987!
Crystal (DW): Female, 30, deprived of her childhood dreams, making her first visit ever.
Saturday, September 29: Epcot
Weather: Cloudy, showers, Upper 70s
In spite of the expected low attendance and the miserable forecast, we decided to go ahead with our original plan and follow the Unofficial Guide's touring plans and visiting the parks on their normally slower days. Today is somewhat rainy, although we are lucky to be avoiding the 9 inches of rain my relatives in Miami are getting. Epcot was already open and running upon our arrival at 8:30. Made an early PS for Marrakesh and made a bee line for Test Track, which we rode with no waiting. What a great ride to officially inaugurate our Disney theme park experience! As the day went on, the crowds began to pick up, so the UG touring plan came in handy after all. We were finishing up our lunch in the Land food court just as the place was filling up and the line for the boat ride approached 30 minutes. In addition to TT, we especially enjoyed Honey I Shrunk The Audience, Food Rocks, Cranium Command and the Living Seas. That last pavilion by itself is worth the price of admission. You could literally pick up The Living Seas, plop it down in the middle of any major city in the U.S and have a major attraction worth over 20 bucks per visitor.
After a refreshment break at Ice Station Cool (want to smoke out Osama Bin Laden? Send him cases of Beverly!), we journeyed to World Showcase. For some reason, probably a combination of good planning and sheer luck, our timing seemed to be right on the money all afternoon. We walked into O Canada and Impressions de France right as the films were about to begin. We made it over to Morocco at 5:15, in time for our 5:30 PS at Marrakesh. We loved it! The food was very new and different to us, but it was all delicious. I would recommend that restaurant to anyone with even the slightest bit of culinary adventurism.
As much as our timing was perfect before dinner, the plan started to falter afterwards. We completely lost track of time in Japan while enjoying the shopping and entertainment. The Japan pavilion has a lot of nooks and crannies most visitors did not seem to notice such as the baseball exhibit, which features that "unknown" Japanese legend Ichiro
It was 7:30 by the time we left Japan, so we went at it commando-style from that point, hitting the American Adventure, Maelstrom and El Rio Del Tiempo in quick succession before settling in for Illuminations. We were able to claim a decent viewing spot near Germany just before 9pm. We were both very impressed by the show and we're hoping to come back later in the week to give some more time to the pavilions we rushed through. We would also like to catch Tapestry of Dreams. Both of today's parades were cancelled because of high winds. At one point during Illuminations it got downright chilly! Now I understand what my uncle meant when he told me once that in the winter "it's around 70 degrees, but there's a wind chill." I always thought it was a joke!
Alex (that's me): Male, 29, the compulsive planner in the family. First Disney trip since 1987!
Crystal (DW): Female, 30, deprived of her childhood dreams, making her first visit ever.
Saturday, September 29: Epcot
Weather: Cloudy, showers, Upper 70s
In spite of the expected low attendance and the miserable forecast, we decided to go ahead with our original plan and follow the Unofficial Guide's touring plans and visiting the parks on their normally slower days. Today is somewhat rainy, although we are lucky to be avoiding the 9 inches of rain my relatives in Miami are getting. Epcot was already open and running upon our arrival at 8:30. Made an early PS for Marrakesh and made a bee line for Test Track, which we rode with no waiting. What a great ride to officially inaugurate our Disney theme park experience! As the day went on, the crowds began to pick up, so the UG touring plan came in handy after all. We were finishing up our lunch in the Land food court just as the place was filling up and the line for the boat ride approached 30 minutes. In addition to TT, we especially enjoyed Honey I Shrunk The Audience, Food Rocks, Cranium Command and the Living Seas. That last pavilion by itself is worth the price of admission. You could literally pick up The Living Seas, plop it down in the middle of any major city in the U.S and have a major attraction worth over 20 bucks per visitor.
After a refreshment break at Ice Station Cool (want to smoke out Osama Bin Laden? Send him cases of Beverly!), we journeyed to World Showcase. For some reason, probably a combination of good planning and sheer luck, our timing seemed to be right on the money all afternoon. We walked into O Canada and Impressions de France right as the films were about to begin. We made it over to Morocco at 5:15, in time for our 5:30 PS at Marrakesh. We loved it! The food was very new and different to us, but it was all delicious. I would recommend that restaurant to anyone with even the slightest bit of culinary adventurism.
As much as our timing was perfect before dinner, the plan started to falter afterwards. We completely lost track of time in Japan while enjoying the shopping and entertainment. The Japan pavilion has a lot of nooks and crannies most visitors did not seem to notice such as the baseball exhibit, which features that "unknown" Japanese legend Ichiro
It was 7:30 by the time we left Japan, so we went at it commando-style from that point, hitting the American Adventure, Maelstrom and El Rio Del Tiempo in quick succession before settling in for Illuminations. We were able to claim a decent viewing spot near Germany just before 9pm. We were both very impressed by the show and we're hoping to come back later in the week to give some more time to the pavilions we rushed through. We would also like to catch Tapestry of Dreams. Both of today's parades were cancelled because of high winds. At one point during Illuminations it got downright chilly! Now I understand what my uncle meant when he told me once that in the winter "it's around 70 degrees, but there's a wind chill." I always thought it was a joke!
