Part 2 Sunday, Epcot
After waking up to the ringing telephone at 6:45am in order to make our PS at the Character Breakfast at OHanas at 7:30am, I spring into action and get DH and 7 yr. old DS up and out. The sky is overcast and the air is cool, the forecast doesnt sound too great. We groggily make our way over the GCH, and I am now in my full gear meeting planner mode. The atmosphere at OHanas is bright and cheerful in the morning, the CM welcomes us and introduces herself and leads us to our table which is not in the main part of the dining room but its near the windows in front. She lets DS in on the secret of how to tell Chip and Dale apart, Chip has a black nose, like a chocolate chip, and Dale has a red nose and then tells us how much Hawaiian bread they make for the whole resort. Our lackluster waitress comes and brings us some of the delicious pineapple coconut bread and eventually coffee and juice and soon Mickey, Goofy and Chip and Dale make their way over to our table decked out in Hawaiian shirts and lais. DS loves this and we take many pictures. I can tell hes kind of shy around the characters, but enjoying himself. This is our first experience with characters. He quickly gets up and takes part in the parade around the dining room with his shakers. The food is pretty good (excellent coffee!) and DS of course, hardly eats a thing. Were not big breakfast eaters normally, so we are stuffed after breakfast, which lasted, I guess, about 40 mins. We leave OHanas and make our way downstairs in the GCH and I buy our E-ride tickets for Tuesday night on the 12th at the Guest Services Desk. The tickets look just like our LOS passes/room keys.
We go back to our room, stop off at the concierge lounge in the Hawaii building, grab some bottled water, in case we need it at Epcot, and head on over to the TTC to get the monorail to Epcot. My plan is to spend all day at Epcot and then have an early dinner at the Cape May Café, and then stay for Illuminations. Soon the monorail comes and were off. This is the park that Ive really been looking forward to and I am eager to see what all the countries look like too. Since we pulled DS out of school for a week, his teachers instructed me to be sure he went to Epcot! Once we are there, the monorail does a turn around the park, which is great because it gives you an idea of where things are, but I was hopelessly confused all day, I had the worst time trying to get my bearings, and always had to look for the big golf ball to guide me. We get to the park before the ropes drop, and there is not much of a wait at all to have our bags checked by security. Once inside, we head straight for Spaceship Earth and I notice all the people waiting in front of the ropes for the official opening. We get in the long line for Spaceship Earth, and Im surprised at how quickly it moves, as were waiting, the ropes drop and everyone makes a run for it (probably to Test Track!) We enjoyed Spaceship Earth pretty much, but I suspect most of it went over DSs head, although I think he was impressed by it. After the ride, we hang around the post-ride area and then make our way over to Innoventions. DS was pretty bored by this and already was making noises about wanting to go back to the Polynesian and swim in the volcano pool! I finally grab hold of a map of the park and we wander around aimlessly for a while, while the skies look threatening. No, he didnt want to go to The Land, or the Living Seas and we eventually find ourselves over by the Wonders of Life, and I talk him into going in. Once inside, it looks pretty interesting and he perks up. We skip Body Wars, which I heard was kind of rough and go into Cranium Command, which I think DS will enjoy. We really liked it, it was cute and fun to see all the old Sat. Night Live comics in it, and --- they all looked so young! We decide to exit and go onto somewhere else. As we are leaving the building we see that its --- pouring rain! Luckily, I brought red ponchos for us to wear in case of rain. I had bought these at home, and they were folded up into tiny pouches. We pull them out and DH and I get ours on, but DS is having trouble getting his on (they are like dry cleaning plastic!) and he looked so funny wearing his, that I burst out laughing! He was not at all happy! I managed to get hold of myself, and I helped him out with his and we raced over to see Honey I shrunk the Audience at the Imagination Institute. DS is a little afraid at first, and I definitely got the creeps with the snake part, but it was a cute show and DS loved the part with the dog at the end! As we come out, the rain has stopped and DS has fun playing with the cool fountains that jump all over the place. That was a neat trick! We begin walking, walking and walking. We go by Test Track, the lines are way too long, and DS doesnt want to do it anyway, so we dont bother with FastPasses and head on over to the gateway to World Showcase, which has just opened. To say the least, Future World was a bust, well have to come back when DS is older to really enjoy it. Hell like World Showcase much more
We make our way over to Mexico first. This is a country that DS will by studying about in school this year, so we go in and browse around and I buy him a little puppet marionette and have it sent back to our resort. Then its onto Norway and we ride on Maelstrom. Were in the last cart and it really seems like were going to go over the waterfall, and I was a little nervous since I didnt know what to expect! DS was a little scared of the troll, but he was OK. We didnt stay for the movie at the end, but we stop in the bakery there, and get these little cream filled rolled up crepe like things, since were hungry and this satisfies us for a while. Next, its on to China, and DH wants to sit and rest, so DS and I go into the main gift shop area, and since this is the current country his class is studying, I buy him a little Chinese drum so he can bring it into his class for show and tell, and off we go to the next country which is Germany. Unfortunately, its starting to rain again, so we dont stay there very long. Were hungry, but the line at the Biergarten is very long, so I buy some chocolate covered pretzels there and we go off to Italy. Once there, its really pouring, so we wait it out for a while in one of the Venetian glass shops and finally make a run for it past American Adventure (looked like another Liberty Square type place that wed checked out the night before at the MK, where I bought a X-mas ornament at Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe) so on we run to Japan. It was really a shame that it was raining so much, because I really did want to check out these countries, but our hearts just werent into it with the rain coming down. DS was soaked through, since he refused to wear his poncho! Typical We zoom through Morocco and France and eventually we make our way over to United Kingdom, and the sun has finally come out! We stop and watch the amusing street performers do their King Arthur skit and I marvel at what good sports the men in the audience are, who are chosen to partake in it! We decide at this point to walk over to the Beach Club from here and get something to eat. Once we go through the turnstiles, we see a boat and we make a dash for it, since we are so tired, and it takes us over to the Yacht Club/Beach Club.
I loved this place! The huge pirate ship and Stormalong Bay were so cool, I wished we had stayed THERE! We manouver our way across the pool and go into Beaches and Cream. It was about 3pm and the place was almost empty. We sit at a booth and our CM is really nice and helpful. I get a Sunshine Delight, this orange sherbet milk shake type drink that was delicious! I simply loved it. DH got a bowl of chili, which he thought was very good, hit the spot and DS got his first EVER banana split! It was HUGE! We helped him eat some of it (of course!) and I couldnt get over how nice the Beach Club was. I preferred it much more over the Polynesian! I even toyed with the idea of switching over to the Yacht Club, but once DS got wind of it, he started crying and I couldnt do it to him. He hadnt even got a chance to swim in the volcano pool yet! (Next time, well stay at the Yacht Club!) We are pooped! We decide to change our PS time for dinner at the Cape May Café for a later time that evening and opt for heading back to the Poly for a swim, forget about Illuminations! So we make the long trek back through World Showcase, take a super quick look at Canada and then on through Future World to the monorail and its good-bye Epcot! Well return again in a few years, when DS will enjoy it more, for now, its Adios! We did manage to sit in the front of the monorail on the way back to the TTC, though, which was pretty cool (kind of scary for me!)
Once back at the Poly, DS and I get in our bathing suits and go to the pool. Its kind of chilly, but the water is heated, and DS must have gone down the slide about 100 times. DH stayed in our room and rested. After our swim, we change and head back to the Cape May Café, by way of the bus system, which took about an hour (we had been spoiled with the boats and monorail!). Once at the Cape May we are seated and the feast begins! We love seafood, especially DS who is a real clam lover! He ate two whole buckets of clams and then promptly fell asleep and we took him back to the Poly in a cab. (See my restaurant review under Restaurants) The Cape May is a terrific place, and Ill definitely return, we really liked it a lot! The cab ride was not as expensive as we thought it would be. It was about $12 from the Beach Club to the Polynesian.
Once back at the Poly we fall into bed and get a good nights sleep, oh, it feels so good to get off our feet! We can sleep in a little the next morning, so I dont need the alarm. What an exhausting day!
To be Continued
After waking up to the ringing telephone at 6:45am in order to make our PS at the Character Breakfast at OHanas at 7:30am, I spring into action and get DH and 7 yr. old DS up and out. The sky is overcast and the air is cool, the forecast doesnt sound too great. We groggily make our way over the GCH, and I am now in my full gear meeting planner mode. The atmosphere at OHanas is bright and cheerful in the morning, the CM welcomes us and introduces herself and leads us to our table which is not in the main part of the dining room but its near the windows in front. She lets DS in on the secret of how to tell Chip and Dale apart, Chip has a black nose, like a chocolate chip, and Dale has a red nose and then tells us how much Hawaiian bread they make for the whole resort. Our lackluster waitress comes and brings us some of the delicious pineapple coconut bread and eventually coffee and juice and soon Mickey, Goofy and Chip and Dale make their way over to our table decked out in Hawaiian shirts and lais. DS loves this and we take many pictures. I can tell hes kind of shy around the characters, but enjoying himself. This is our first experience with characters. He quickly gets up and takes part in the parade around the dining room with his shakers. The food is pretty good (excellent coffee!) and DS of course, hardly eats a thing. Were not big breakfast eaters normally, so we are stuffed after breakfast, which lasted, I guess, about 40 mins. We leave OHanas and make our way downstairs in the GCH and I buy our E-ride tickets for Tuesday night on the 12th at the Guest Services Desk. The tickets look just like our LOS passes/room keys.
We go back to our room, stop off at the concierge lounge in the Hawaii building, grab some bottled water, in case we need it at Epcot, and head on over to the TTC to get the monorail to Epcot. My plan is to spend all day at Epcot and then have an early dinner at the Cape May Café, and then stay for Illuminations. Soon the monorail comes and were off. This is the park that Ive really been looking forward to and I am eager to see what all the countries look like too. Since we pulled DS out of school for a week, his teachers instructed me to be sure he went to Epcot! Once we are there, the monorail does a turn around the park, which is great because it gives you an idea of where things are, but I was hopelessly confused all day, I had the worst time trying to get my bearings, and always had to look for the big golf ball to guide me. We get to the park before the ropes drop, and there is not much of a wait at all to have our bags checked by security. Once inside, we head straight for Spaceship Earth and I notice all the people waiting in front of the ropes for the official opening. We get in the long line for Spaceship Earth, and Im surprised at how quickly it moves, as were waiting, the ropes drop and everyone makes a run for it (probably to Test Track!) We enjoyed Spaceship Earth pretty much, but I suspect most of it went over DSs head, although I think he was impressed by it. After the ride, we hang around the post-ride area and then make our way over to Innoventions. DS was pretty bored by this and already was making noises about wanting to go back to the Polynesian and swim in the volcano pool! I finally grab hold of a map of the park and we wander around aimlessly for a while, while the skies look threatening. No, he didnt want to go to The Land, or the Living Seas and we eventually find ourselves over by the Wonders of Life, and I talk him into going in. Once inside, it looks pretty interesting and he perks up. We skip Body Wars, which I heard was kind of rough and go into Cranium Command, which I think DS will enjoy. We really liked it, it was cute and fun to see all the old Sat. Night Live comics in it, and --- they all looked so young! We decide to exit and go onto somewhere else. As we are leaving the building we see that its --- pouring rain! Luckily, I brought red ponchos for us to wear in case of rain. I had bought these at home, and they were folded up into tiny pouches. We pull them out and DH and I get ours on, but DS is having trouble getting his on (they are like dry cleaning plastic!) and he looked so funny wearing his, that I burst out laughing! He was not at all happy! I managed to get hold of myself, and I helped him out with his and we raced over to see Honey I shrunk the Audience at the Imagination Institute. DS is a little afraid at first, and I definitely got the creeps with the snake part, but it was a cute show and DS loved the part with the dog at the end! As we come out, the rain has stopped and DS has fun playing with the cool fountains that jump all over the place. That was a neat trick! We begin walking, walking and walking. We go by Test Track, the lines are way too long, and DS doesnt want to do it anyway, so we dont bother with FastPasses and head on over to the gateway to World Showcase, which has just opened. To say the least, Future World was a bust, well have to come back when DS is older to really enjoy it. Hell like World Showcase much more
We make our way over to Mexico first. This is a country that DS will by studying about in school this year, so we go in and browse around and I buy him a little puppet marionette and have it sent back to our resort. Then its onto Norway and we ride on Maelstrom. Were in the last cart and it really seems like were going to go over the waterfall, and I was a little nervous since I didnt know what to expect! DS was a little scared of the troll, but he was OK. We didnt stay for the movie at the end, but we stop in the bakery there, and get these little cream filled rolled up crepe like things, since were hungry and this satisfies us for a while. Next, its on to China, and DH wants to sit and rest, so DS and I go into the main gift shop area, and since this is the current country his class is studying, I buy him a little Chinese drum so he can bring it into his class for show and tell, and off we go to the next country which is Germany. Unfortunately, its starting to rain again, so we dont stay there very long. Were hungry, but the line at the Biergarten is very long, so I buy some chocolate covered pretzels there and we go off to Italy. Once there, its really pouring, so we wait it out for a while in one of the Venetian glass shops and finally make a run for it past American Adventure (looked like another Liberty Square type place that wed checked out the night before at the MK, where I bought a X-mas ornament at Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe) so on we run to Japan. It was really a shame that it was raining so much, because I really did want to check out these countries, but our hearts just werent into it with the rain coming down. DS was soaked through, since he refused to wear his poncho! Typical We zoom through Morocco and France and eventually we make our way over to United Kingdom, and the sun has finally come out! We stop and watch the amusing street performers do their King Arthur skit and I marvel at what good sports the men in the audience are, who are chosen to partake in it! We decide at this point to walk over to the Beach Club from here and get something to eat. Once we go through the turnstiles, we see a boat and we make a dash for it, since we are so tired, and it takes us over to the Yacht Club/Beach Club.
I loved this place! The huge pirate ship and Stormalong Bay were so cool, I wished we had stayed THERE! We manouver our way across the pool and go into Beaches and Cream. It was about 3pm and the place was almost empty. We sit at a booth and our CM is really nice and helpful. I get a Sunshine Delight, this orange sherbet milk shake type drink that was delicious! I simply loved it. DH got a bowl of chili, which he thought was very good, hit the spot and DS got his first EVER banana split! It was HUGE! We helped him eat some of it (of course!) and I couldnt get over how nice the Beach Club was. I preferred it much more over the Polynesian! I even toyed with the idea of switching over to the Yacht Club, but once DS got wind of it, he started crying and I couldnt do it to him. He hadnt even got a chance to swim in the volcano pool yet! (Next time, well stay at the Yacht Club!) We are pooped! We decide to change our PS time for dinner at the Cape May Café for a later time that evening and opt for heading back to the Poly for a swim, forget about Illuminations! So we make the long trek back through World Showcase, take a super quick look at Canada and then on through Future World to the monorail and its good-bye Epcot! Well return again in a few years, when DS will enjoy it more, for now, its Adios! We did manage to sit in the front of the monorail on the way back to the TTC, though, which was pretty cool (kind of scary for me!)
Once back at the Poly, DS and I get in our bathing suits and go to the pool. Its kind of chilly, but the water is heated, and DS must have gone down the slide about 100 times. DH stayed in our room and rested. After our swim, we change and head back to the Cape May Café, by way of the bus system, which took about an hour (we had been spoiled with the boats and monorail!). Once at the Cape May we are seated and the feast begins! We love seafood, especially DS who is a real clam lover! He ate two whole buckets of clams and then promptly fell asleep and we took him back to the Poly in a cab. (See my restaurant review under Restaurants) The Cape May is a terrific place, and Ill definitely return, we really liked it a lot! The cab ride was not as expensive as we thought it would be. It was about $12 from the Beach Club to the Polynesian.
Once back at the Poly we fall into bed and get a good nights sleep, oh, it feels so good to get off our feet! We can sleep in a little the next morning, so I dont need the alarm. What an exhausting day!
To be Continued
