Sharing the Magic-Our Niece and Nephew's 1st Trip to the World! 2/1-COMPLETE!!!!

[UGAFan0829]

As soon as the alarm went off, I excitedly climbed out of bed and went straight into my morning routine. Once I was ready, it went along in the same order that it would all week—Mike was next, followed by Jaden, then Mark.

Once we were all ready (or so I thought), we munched on a quick breakfast of muffins and juice. Mark decided to enjoy his out on the balcony while seeing what the animals were up to.

After our tummies were satisfied, Mike and I grabbed the bags and were ready to go, but not before I took a pic of the kids to commemorate their first official park day:

Finally, we were out the door and on time to make it for park opening.

As we were sitting at the bus stop, it wasn’t until I took this pic of Jaden and me that I noticed that I actually wasn’t completely ready. Anyone notice anything missing?

Mike says I looked normal, but I totally shrieked when I realized that I had put on all my makeup EXCEPT mascara. Now for most people, this probably isn’t a big deal, but considering the fact that my lashes are blonde made me feel like I looked really weird! Oh well, if that was all I forgot on our first park day of traveling with kids for the first time, then I was doing okay! I just knew that I would be wearing sunglasses an awful lot!

The bus arrived within just a few short minutes, and I tried taking a pic of the sign to document our time, but had a little trouble. It’s hard to read, but it was approximately 8:38 when we arrived.

And soon enough we’d disembarked the bus and were making our way towards the gates.

This was the first time we’d ever made it to Epcot before opening, so I was surprised to see so many people.

Thankfully getting through the gates didn’t take too awful long!

Our first order of business was to grab some PhotoPass pics, which I just realized that I have not yet uploaded, so those will have to be included later! I did grab a few shots of the topiaries as we made our way towards SSE.

Just before we made it to SSE, we spotted Daisy off to the side, and since she is somewhat of a rare character (for us, anyway), and there was pretty much no line, we decided to stop. This was Jaden’s first ever character greeting and it was SO cute!

Just as we were getting ready to walk away, Stitch happened to be walking out and the PhotoPass photographer happen to catch the moment that Stitch put his arm around Jaden’s shoulders and walked with her to his spot. I promise to post that one later as it’s one of my favorites. And since Stitch isn’t quite as “girly” as Daisy, Mark decided to get in on the action too!

It was great—hadn’t even been in the park 5 minutes and they’d already met 2 characters...A awesome way to start the day!

 

[UGAFan0829]

After saying goodbye to Stitch, we then were able to make our way to ride “the big ball”!

Mike and Mark rode together as did Jaden and I. Of course I tried getting pics of our futures, but the ones of Mike and Mark came out better than mine and Jaden’s. Somehow part of her head was cutoff.

Can you spot us?

On our way out, the kids discovered the driving game and wanted to play. We waited a couple minutes for one to come open, then they both got a chance at it, and it turned out to be pretty fun. Normally, this isn’t something that Mike and I would have stopped for, but it’s something they wanted to do, so why not!

Our next destination lead us here:

We stopped in to pick up Fastpasses for Soarin’, and then decided to take a cruise on Living with the Land while we were there.

I wasn’t sure how much M&J would like this ride, but I was nicely surprised when I heard them commenting on how cool things were! Turns out they really liked it!

After exiting our boat, we had another destination in mind, and it was somewhere that Mike and I had never been…

There was something in particular that I’d read about here and really wanted to try. But first, we had to figure out which side of Innoventions it was actually in. We made our way around the inside but couldn’t seem to locate what we were looking for. So after stopping to inquire with a CM, we were then directed across the way to the other Innoventions building!

Stay tuned to find out exactly what we were heading for!

 

[Jennifer48]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Zebra Domes! They are definitely one of our favorite snacks.

My guess for the Innoventions area you were search for was Sum of All Thrills.

 

[Pinkocto]

Can't wait to see what you were looking for. I very rarely go in Innovations, there's just so much else to do.

I love that character spot, it's usually one of the only ones we do since there's never a line when we pass it. Love the pics

 

[amazingact21]

First park day! Isn't it always so exciting to enter the park for the first time? And this time it must have been even more awesome taking two first timers with you!


How awesome that you ran into Daisy and Stitch right as you got to Epcot! That had to be a nice surprise.


Glad you were able to go on Spaceship Earth and get Soarin' FPs and ride Living with the Land. It's great to hear the kids enjoyed the ride, because you always wonder with those somewhat educational attractions if it'll hold their attention.

Hmm, I'm curious to see what you're looking for in Innovations...

 

[Bethislucy]

I also took a quick pic of the L.L. Bean bag that I mentioned in my PTR. Alicia, I’m glad to say that it did end up holding everything…including my hair dryer! I was definitely impressed…that was one purchase that was definitely worthwhile!

Which size bag is this one?

Just found your trip report and it was great reading it. We got to take my nephew when he was 4 (almost 5) and it was one of the best trips I ever took.

 

[UGAFan0829]

Glad to hear you enjoyed the Zebra Domes! They are definitely one of our favorite snacks.

My guess for the Innoventions area you were search for was Sum of All Thrills.

They were so good, and I was glad that we were finally able to try them!

Hmmm...interesting guess...hope you'll stay tuned to find out!

Can't wait to see what you were looking for. I very rarely go in Innovations, there's just so much else to do.

I love that character spot, it's usually one of the only ones we do since there's never a line when we pass it. Love the pics

This was the first time we'd ever been in Innoventions as well!

And I think that was the first time we'd ever noticed characters in that spot as well. We'll definitely have to keep an eye out for it in the future.

First park day! Isn't it always so exciting to enter the park for the first time? And this time it must have been even more awesome taking two first timers with you!


How awesome that you ran into Daisy and Stitch right as you got to Epcot! That had to be a nice surprise.


Glad you were able to go on Spaceship Earth and get Soarin' FPs and ride Living with the Land. It's great to hear the kids enjoyed the ride, because you always wonder with those somewhat educational attractions if it'll hold their attention.

Hmm, I'm curious to see what you're looking for in Innovations...

It definitely was exciting to enter our first park of the trip!

Yes, I wondered if LwtL would hold their attention as well, but it definitely did!!

Which size bag is this one?

Just found your trip report and it was great reading it. We got to take my nephew when he was 4 (almost 5) and it was one of the best trips I ever took.

Thanks, so glad to have you here!! Nieces and nephews are SO much fun!

That is actually the Family size bag.

 

[UGAFan0829]

I'm working on a new update right now, but in the meantime, I wanted to post the PhotoPass pics that went with the last update. So, here they are:

Entering the park:

With Daisy:

Walking with Stitch (this is the one that on my favorites list):

 

[Bethislucy]

That is actually the Family size bag.

Thanks. My co-worker has been looking at those bags she's wanting to get her sister in law one for Christmas and she's not sure on what size to get. They are taking a trip to Switzerland, Germany, Paris in the spring and she's trying to figure what would work best.

 

[UGAFan0829]

Thanks. My co-worker has been looking at those bags she's wanting to get her sister in law one for Christmas and she's not sure on what size to get. They are taking a trip to Switzerland, Germany, Paris in the spring and she's trying to figure what would work best.

The bag really worked well for us. We were able to pack all of our stuff for the week in mostly full size bottles and it all fit. That included shampoo and conitioner, hair stuff, hairspray, makeup, toothbrushes, toothpaste, 2 different kinds of mouthwash, 2 different kinds of shower gel, razor, etc. I definitely recommend it!

 

[UGAFan0829]

When I last left off, we were looking for something in particular inside Innoventions. Once we’d been directed to the correct building, we finally made our way here:

I’d read about Sum of All Thrills on a couple other TR’s and I knew right away that we HAD to try it. The posted wait time was about 40 minutes, but since there were no Fastpasses, and being that we were already there and had spent so much time trying to find it, we decided to go ahead and give it a whirl! We observed the simulators as we waited and noticed all the different moves that everyone had created for their rides.

The wait really didn’t seem that long, and before we knew it, we were being whisked into the briefing room! The directions sounded a little complicated, but it was a lot easier once we were at the design table and saw what we needed to do. Since Mike isn’t crazy about going upside down, and Jaden didn’t meet the height requirement for being able to go upside down, those two rode together while Mark and I were super excited about our build! The ride was SO much fun, and we were really glad that we decided to wait it out!

After exiting, we decided to head over to Club Cool, and I’m sure you all know what Mike and I were up to at this point!

We’d told the kids before the trip about the different flavors and how good they all were. Mark tried a couple before Mike told him how he really should try his “favorite” flavor…and I know everyone knows exactly which flavor I’m referring to. And this was the series of reactions that we got:

Mark was NOT happy with us, but we all got a good chuckle, including Jaden who had no idea what we’d been up to! After that, he made us pinkie promise that the rest of the flavors weren’t as bad!

Our next destination was The Seas as we wanted to take a ride with Nemo, check out the aquariums and have a little chat with Crush. As we made our way over, we noticed two chipmunks who were out and about, so we decided to stop and say hello.

The interaction here was super cute as Dale played around with Mark as he handed his vinylmation back. As soon as Mark went to reach for it, Dale would yank it back and then tease him with it by doing that over and over again. It caught Mark a little off guard to begin with, but then he played right along with him and just laughed.

We said goodbye to C&D and headed on towards The Seas.

The line for Nemo was pretty short, so we headed there first, then exited and headed for the aquariums where Mark and Jaden were totally enthralled with everything.

After taking in the underwater sights, it was time for a little Turtle Talk with Crush. Mike and I did this for the first time on our last visit to Epcot and fell in love, so we knew that we had to share with the kids! They loved it too, and thought it was super cool that Crush could see and talk to the audience members!

Before we headed out of The Seas, we had one more photo op that seems to be popular with everyone else as well!

By this time, our Fastpass window for Soarin’ had opened up, so we made a beeline for the Land!

The stand-by line was posted as 50 minutes, so that made us really thankful to have those magic passes in hand! We breezed right through and were onboard our hang glider in no time! And yet again, Mark and Jaden both LOVED it! In fact, they asked to do it again, but we knew the day was slipping away, and with the return time being so late, we explained that there were lots of other things that we wanted to try and get done before the end of the day—and thankfully, they totally understood!

At this point, we decided to try and find some lunch, which brought us to Electric Umbrella. After glancing at the menu and seeing the ample amount of seating, we decided it would be as good a place as any. So, the kids and I found a table while Mike went and ordered. Well all had hamburgers/cheeseburgers, except Jaden who had chicken nuggets.

We enjoyed our food, which was just okay, then sat for a few minutes while Mark bird watched out the window and the rest of us enjoyed the nice reprieve from the heat.

We decided that we’d let our food settle and cooled off enough to head to our final ride in Future World.

On our way, I caught a glimpse of a topiary of one of my favorite characters:

I really wanted to ride the orange side, but with our tummies still being a tad full and not knowing how the kids would handle the spinning, we opted for the green instead. And yet again, the kids loved it and I decided that the green side wasn’t as disappointing as I’d imagined!

With our time in Future World coming to and end, we headed towards the lagoon with our sights set on World Showcase!

Up next—touring the world—or at least part of it!

 

[Jennifer48]

Woohoo I was right! Glad to hear you enjoyed SoAT!

How funny that you got Mark to drink the Beverly. Very sly!

 

[mousetravel]

Great updates & pics!

Love the photopass pics (which reminds me..I need to get mine done! Still haven't even looked at them! )

That picture of her walking with Stitch is really cute!

I don't think I've ever heard anything about the Sum of all Thrills, and I don't believe we ever seen it there. Looks interesting, though, but I'm sure I would be too chicken to ride it!!

And that Beverly pic is tooo funny!

 

[Pinkocto]

What a fabulous afternoon. I must do the Sum of all Thrills with my DB and SiL on my upcoming trip, I think they'd love it.

Poor guy, the Beverly is truly terrible!

 

[UGAFan0829]

Hey, y'all, and Happy Monday!

I don't have an update to share just yet, but I did have a small bit of exciting news...

For those of you who may be familiar with the Be Our Guest Podcast, I wanted to let everyone know that I make an "appearance" on today's show!! I was very lucky to have been a guest and talked with Mike about our trip...so if you have time, go listen and let me know what you think! Oh, and just as a note, I was TERRIBLY nervous during the interview, which you can probably tell!! I hope y'all enjoy!!

 

[amazingact21]

Chip and Dale are my favorite characters to do a meet and greet with, just because they always mess around and make everyone smile.

Happy to see Soarin' was a huge success! And, I am relieved to hear that the green side of Mission Space isn't worse than the Orange Side. I just can't take Orange anymore, but I have skipped the ride altogether, because I just didn't think it'd be the same experience.


Mark's pictures with the Beverly are hilarious. You can definitely tell he was not a fan of that drink.


Glad you enjoyed Sum of all Thrills, it's a favorite of Alex's, and it is cool that you can get a little creative and feel more involved in the ride.



I'll have to check out the podcast! That's so cool that you were interviewed!

 

[Pinkocto]

I've never heard of it, but must find out and listen.

 

[mousetravel]

I never heard of it, either, and had to go on your FB link to listen. Loved it!
How did you get picked to share your story?

 

[UGAFan0829]

Woohoo I was right! Glad to hear you enjoyed SoAT!

How funny that you got Mark to drink the Beverly. Very sly!

Yep, you were spot on!

Mark's reaction was quite hilarious! He wasn't very trusting after that point though!

Great updates & pics!

Love the photopass pics (which reminds me..I need to get mine done! Still haven't even looked at them! )

That picture of her walking with Stitch is really cute!

I don't think I've ever heard anything about the Sum of all Thrills, and I don't believe we ever seen it there. Looks interesting, though, but I'm sure I would be too chicken to ride it!!

And that Beverly pic is tooo funny!

I wasn't familiar with Sum of All Thrills either, until I read about it in a TR here. It's amazing how much you learn just from reading! You don't have to include any inversions if you don't want--Mike and Jaden didn't, but they still enjoyed it! It is very realistic!

What a fabulous afternoon. I must do the Sum of all Thrills with my DB and SiL on my upcoming trip, I think they'd love it.

Poor guy, the Beverly is truly terrible!

Yes, you should definitely give it a whirl!!

Chip and Dale are my favorite characters to do a meet and greet with, just because they always mess around and make everyone smile.

Happy to see Soarin' was a huge success! And, I am relieved to hear that the green side of Mission Space isn't worse than the Orange Side. I just can't take Orange anymore, but I have skipped the ride altogether, because I just didn't think it'd be the same experience.


Mark's pictures with the Beverly are hilarious. You can definitely tell he was not a fan of that drink.


Glad you enjoyed Sum of all Thrills, it's a favorite of Alex's, and it is cool that you can get a little creative and feel more involved in the ride.



I'll have to check out the podcast! That's so cool that you were interviewed!

I agree--Chip and Dale are always up to something!

No, I don't think you're missing anything by choosing the green over orange on MS.

I've never heard of it, but must find out and listen.

If you haven't found it yet, just Google Be Our Guest Podcast. I would post the link here, but I'm not sure if that's allowed. I LOVE their show!

I never heard of it, either, and had to go on your FB link to listen. Loved it!
How did you get picked to share your story?

I'm glad you liked it! I was so nervous. I just sent Mike (the podcaster) an e-mail and he contacted me back. It was really fun, and he is super easy to talk to!

 

[UGAFan0829]

At the end of my last update, we were in Epcot and were heading towards World Showcase.

Our plan was to rest our fit for a minute by catching one of the friendship boats across the lagoon. But first, we had to make a stop at Port of Entry. We were on the search for a pair of flip flops for Jaden. Turns out, the Crocs that we’d gotten her before the trip were hurting and starting to rub blisters on her little feet. Thankfully, we found some, and her little tootsies felt much better!

We then made our way to the boat dock where one was waiting! Talk about perfect timing!

I’ll be honest…from here on out, the details of the rest of the day are somewhat fuzzy. We didn’t have a real game plan, other than our ADR at Teppan Edo, so bare with me as I try and remember our adventures.

The first place we headed was to Morocco in hopes of Jaden meeting Jasmine and Aladdin. We found the somewhat long line and joined it. Thankfully we were shaded by the trees planted along side the lagoon. At one point, the character handler came to tell us that we would be in the next line as Jasmine and her beau were about to take a quick break. Jaden really wanted to meet them, so we decided to wait it out. I think Mark was just glad to be in the shade and off his feet for a little while.

I decided to take a break from the line and took a short stroll down to Japan to grab a few pics of Mater and Lightning.

By the time I made it back, the line had begun to inch forward. Thankfully it wasn’t much longer until Jaden had made a couple new friends.
From my camera:

And from Photo Pass:

The interaction was so cute, and I loved when Aladdin was whispering a secret to her! She loved it!

Next we headed over to the Toy Story topiaries to have a couple more pics made there.

Moving on, we came across Snow White and her pals…

I do remember that next we headed here, to our favorite World Showcase ride:

Surprisingly the wait was only 5 minutes!

After exiting Maelstrom, I HAD to make a stop at Kringla for a much anticipated order of School Bread!

I’m not sure why, but next we headed left towards China where Jaden picked out a souvenir for herself.

We then headed back towards Japan as our ADR time for Teppan Edo was getting closer. On the way, Mike snapped this shot, which is one of my very favorites. It melts my heart when I look at it.

Mark holding my hand is a VERY rare occurrence, so to have that pic with both of them is really special! I actually ended up doing a little editing and used it as my profile pic on Facebook:

Before checking in for dinner, we stopped for a couple minutes to check out the Koi pond, which Mark and Jaden thought to be really cool!

Mike and Mark spotted a Hidden Mickey!