Glynis's Trip Report: Part 3, Epcot Center, or THE BEST DAY IN THE WORLD!
Monday dawned bright and early, and I was up and marshalling the troops early. I made oatmeal and pineapple for everyone, and demanded that we hit the road by 8:15. There was a bit of a snag in the plans, as we all decided that we HAD to stop by the Wide World of Sports complex and see if we could pick up a shirt we had seen the day before the half. It had the logo on the front, and on the back said, "Run, Walk, Jog, or Waddle." I was ok with this stop, as I really wanted to get some stuff to show how I felt about the half. Once there, we found the shirts we wanted, Scott also found a Grumpy shirt he decided he couldn't live without. Alan found a Donald Duck in half marathon gear with a medal around his neck. He got that, and a half marathon keychain for me! Carrie found several sweatshirts she wanted for her kids (she's got 10), and soon we were out of there. We all slipped our T-shirts on for a picture, and a really nice woman who had run the full took it for us.
And finally we were off to Epcot! We arrived at the parking lot, and were quickly shown to our spot. We were very close to the entrance, and I thought that was a really good sign. Even though we were late, we didn't anticipate much of a crowd. Carrie handed me her bag, and I stood in line for the security check while Alan, Scott and Carrie went to buy tickets. I was through a lot quicker than they were, so I got in the entrance line and waited for them to join me. Soon, we were through the turnstiles, and inside Epcot! I sent Scott to grab fast passes for Soarin' and then led the way to Mission: Space! I had read all about the motion sickness that people experienced on the orange side of the ride, and quickly determined that I needed to be on the green side. Scott joined us, and got in the orange line. The rest of us decided to go green. The line moved very quickly, and soon we were in our space pod, ready to do our duty for the mission to Mars. After the ride, we met up with Scott, and compared rides. We all felt that the green side was pretty tame, and wished we had done the orange side. Oh well, live and learn.
Next we decided to do Test Track. The line was pretty long, so we decided to do the Single Rider. What a cool ride! I wish that we could have done this one more than once, but I was determined to do as much as possible before our time ran out!
We then headed back to Spaceship Earth. I hadn't heard very good things about this ride, but it was really kind of neat! It was so interesting, and very cool looking. This is really the kind of thing that Alan gets into, so it was fun for him. After this, we stopped in at Innoventions, and looked around. What a fun place. I bet kids really love this area. We did the tour through the house of the future, and Alan decided he really needed the bathroom of the future. I just don't think I could get used to no toilet paper. Oh well.
We were starting to get hungry, so we decided to head off to Sunshine Seasons. On the way, we stopped at the Finding Nemo ride. This was really cute! If I didn't have my kids with me, I'd probably pass this by, though. I did like the way they integrated the animation with the real fish. Quite fun! I think my kids (especially the twins) would love this ride. Before lunch we decided to try Turtle Talk. Alan and I had seen it in California, but wanted the others to see it. It was so darling! I am always amazed by the animation here. It was fun to see the interaction between Crush and the kids. Just so fun! Scott and Carrie were amazed as well.
Finally, we headed for Seasons. Of course, we decided to use our Fast passes for Soarin' before lunch. What can I say about this ride??? I loved it in California, and I love it in Florida! It's just an amazing ride. I do wish that they'd come up with some different movies, though. It would be amazing! I could ride this over and over and be very happy!
Ah, lunch! This was quite a good meal! Alan and I split a chicken flatbread meal and it was really good! The flatbread was a bit salty, but very tasty. The sauce was so flavorful! It really complimented the chicken. Alan also got some key lime pie for dessert, and this was really good! The meringue was slightly burned, but the lime was so yummy! I wanted to eat more and more, but I knew that that would be a very bad thing with my tummy issues, so I contented myself with a couple of bites, and watched everyone else enjoy the rest of it!
It was time for Journey into Imagination with Figment. I really didn't know what to expect with this ride, so I was pleasantly surprised with it. I wish that they'd incorporate it into DL, as it would help Honey... a lot! I really found Figment to be a fun character, and one that my kids would really like. I wanted to get them a stuffed Figment, but talked myself out of it, as it really wouldn't mean anything to them. Oh well. We spent a ton of time in the "lab" after this ride. We had fun conducting music, playing with pictures, etc. Next, it was on to Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. Neither Scott nor Carrie had ever seen this at DL, so it was fun to see it through their eyes. I think the movie is quite dated, but it's still fun!
After this show, we realized the afternoon was quickly waning, and we hadn't even touched the WS, yet. We made our way quickly there and began our tour of the world in Canada. Carrie and I had so much fun poking around in all the little shops throughout Canada and England. It was so fun to see all the characters in their areas. So fun. That's one thing that WDW has all over DL. The characters are much better handled. On the one hand, it's kind of nice not knowing when or where you'll see characters, but it's really nice to know where a specific character will be and know that you can get an autograph without too much hassle.
We decided to stop in France to watch the movie. It was very relaxing, and I really enjoyed the movie. The only drawback was that because it was so surrounding, I got a bit queasy! Oh well, I forced myself to just watch what was in front of me, but I know I missed a whole lot! I really liked it, but I think my kids would have been really bored! After the movie, we did some shopping in the little gift shop. Alan wanted to get a gift for his brother who was watching 2 of our kids. Victor spent a couple of years in Paris, so this was the right place for us. We found a little knick knack for him, and then headed in to the patisserie. Ah, heaven!!!! I have no idea what I ordered, but it was incredible. Again, I couldn't eat more than a couple of bites, but it was so good! Alan got the Napoleon and that was good, too! Carrie got a chocolate croissant, and Scott got an eclair and the cheese plate! Here is Alan enjoying some of Scott's bread and cheese:
On to Morocco! This was where I had wanted to have dinner, but thanks to a stop in the patisserie, it just wasn't going to happen! The shops here were very cool, and I wish that Alan and Scott had let us have more time there. They were getting tired, though, and wanted to rush through. Carrie wanted a camel to send to one of her daughters, but couldn't find one that she liked, so we came away from Morocco empty handed!
We bypassed the Orient, as it was getting pretty dark, and wanted to see more. Someday I'll get back and be able to spend all the time I want poking around. We made a quick stop in America, looking for some patriotic Mickey's. We found some fun shirts for Carrie's family, and then headed along. The funnel cakes were calling my name, but my stomach rebelled, so we just looked longingly at them, and strolled away!
We made a quick stop in Germany to look in the Christmas store. Carrie bought a darling creche to ship home, and I found some candy to take home to the kids. Scott looked longingly at the restaurant in Germany, but after my laughing at him for his desire to eat at Chefs de France, he wasn't about to take the risk of asking for a table here. I actually wouldn't have minded finding out about the availability of eating here, but the group voted to move on. It was getting closer to Illuminations time, and we wanted to see as much as we could before the show started.
Norway was darling, and we wanted to stop in for some school bread, but the line was so incredibly long, it just wasn't going to happen. Again, we poked around in the shops, and Alan was delighted to find the giant troll! Several years ago, he had an experience with some paint fumes, a non-ventilated room, and hallucinations of trolls. It was fun for him to see a real one. We just had to take a picture of the moment.
Finally, we made it to Mexico. Our tummies were hungry, so we stopped in at the Cantina for some dinner. Alan ordered us a combination plate, and a kids meal. Way too much food, but we enjoyed it! I also ordered a hot chocolate, as the temp went way down once the sun was gone. I knew that would happen, and I did bring a jacket....and left it in the car. So, I needed the chocolate! I didn't drink much of it, but used the cup to warm my hands.
After dinner, we found a spot to watch Illuminations. What an INCREDIBLE display! It was so neat to watch! I think we were all glad that we had decided to stay! We stopped at Mouse Gears on our way back to the parking lot to do some shopping. Alan and I were able to find a YOMD Minnie in her blue dress for Katie, an Ariel music box for Leslie, some lemonade mixes for my sister (who was watching the twins), and some Mickey Mouse ice cube blocks. I picked up 2 sets of those. One for my sister and one for me! Got to bring back a touch of the mouse, don't you know!? We weren't able to find anything for Mary, though. She wanted either a Pooh bear or Eeyore and we couldn't find one that was the same size as the Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse that we had bought for Katie and Jacob. With 4 kids, everything has to be equal, you know, or someone's feelings get hurt. We decided to call it a night, and do some more shopping at World of Disney in the morning.
We made our way out of Epcot and back to the car! This day was everything that I had wanted it to be. My only wish was that I would have had more time in WS. Next time, I'll cut out Innoventions, and the lab and spend more time wandering around the world! I think that Carrie, Scott and Alan had a great time, too! I did hear some grumbling about how bossy I was at getting them places, but at the end of the night, they were glad that they had done as much as we did.
Stay tuned for the last part of my TR. Next up: DTD and Earl of Sandwich!!!
I phrased it wrong. My concern was that I couldn't think of places we could go with the baby and things we could do. My mind just went blank.
DVC will happen when we win the lottery!!
Hope tomorrow is better..
YAY!!!!
