The Way too Late but Way to Awesome Not To Report-NEW* 10/10* An Almost Empty Epcot -

Your comments about the kids' meal selections is so true. I'm very glad that all three of my kids are considered adults now!

Denise
 
Hi Darlene, I just stumbled upon this trip report. I think your surprise trip for your kids was one of the first trip reports that I ever read, but I our paths haven't crossed much since then, so I'm really glad that I found this one. :thumbsup2 Your kiddos are as adorable as ever!

Looking forward to more!
 
The food at The Wave looks so yummy! It would be hard for me to decide between the steak and the ribs (I don't like my food to touch so I wonder if I ordered steak if they would separate the food like they did in your DH's ribs meal :confused3). How sweet that they took a pic of you to keep!

And if I didn't say it in earlier posts - HAPPY 20TH ANNIVERSARY!!! :cheer2:

Loved the pic in Epcot of you both! :love:
 

The Wave sounds absolutely yummy. We've got an ADR there for November and can't wait to try it!
It was good and the service was outstanding...very personable. I hope you like it.

Your Mission Space picture is great! I will never ride either side. I have watched it on youtube, and I saw how closed in it is.

That's a cute picture of the kids chumming it up. Just don't show it to their friends, right? ;)

Hi MeMom!
I can understand that you would not like Mission Space if you are claustrophobic...I's definitely a tight fit.
Yeah...love that picture too! Always good for blackmail and such! : )


Your comments about the kids' meal selections is so true. I'm very glad that all three of my kids are considered adults now!

Denise
I am with you. My DD is now an adult...in the eyes of WDW. I hope there will be less complaining this trip.


Hi Darlene, I just stumbled upon this trip report. I think your surprise trip for your kids was one of the first trip reports that I ever read, but I our paths haven't crossed much since then, so I'm really glad that I found this one. :thumbsup2 Your kiddos are as adorable as ever!

Looking forward to more!

Hi! I am so glad you found me. :goodvibes
I certainly remember you...another Johnny fan! pirate::lovestruc Thanks for the compliment on my kids. They are just growing up too fast for me.

Okay...I am about to post a huge installment. Sorry for the delay. :goodvibes

The food at The Wave looks so yummy! It would be hard for me to decide between the steak and the ribs (I don't like my food to touch so I wonder if I ordered steak if they would separate the food like they did in your DH's ribs meal :confused3). How sweet that they took a pic of you to keep!

And if I didn't say it in earlier posts - HAPPY 20TH ANNIVERSARY!!! :cheer2:

Loved the pic in Epcot of you both! :love:

I am sure they would be accommodating to your needs. Just ask. Maybe they could plate each item separately (like in small saucers or bowls).

Thanks for the anniversary wishes. It is hard to believe that we have been married that long :eek:!


Thanks for reading! Hope you are all having a great weekend.
TTFN,
Darlene
 
After waking up and showering we decided to have breakfast and coffee in our room. The plan was to go to Epcot and enjoy the World Showcase. I always want to just roam around the WS. I would like go from one country to the next exploring the shops, seeing the sights and taking pictures. My kids never want to do that. They think it is a horribly boring idea and they give me a lot of grief about it. But that was the plan today…we were going to take our time and explore the WS. :thumbsup2 I think in the end my kids really enjoyed it and they weren’t bored at all.

There was something different about this morning as we stepped out the door. Thank goodness…it wasn’t as hot. Finally, a little tiny bit of fall – still humid but not nearly as hot! ;)

Here is our picture as we entered…

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As you will see there was ‘almost’ no one else there…It was awesome.
Some pics from England…

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Chess anyone?
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Saw this little fairy in a store window; I thought he was so cute. DD thinks it’s creepy.

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Then it’s on to France…

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It smelled wonderful in the perfume shop…
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We followed Justin into the French Bakery for some delicious pastries…
What should we choose? So many choices… a hard decision.

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We decided on these yummy goodies…

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an éclair, napoleon, chocolate croissant, and a crème puff

This is also a great place to enjoy a cup of coffee. I think they have great coffee here.

Then Allison decided to paint us a masterpiece…
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continued...
 
We saw the Oklahoma exhibit (F&W). Since our family is Cherokee Indian we took a few minutes to examine the exhibit. I loved the huge collage wall of photographs.

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I also loved the painted buffalo.

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The kidcot stop was in this teepee.

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We then headed into Morocco…

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I really like these lamps…

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We then headed to Japan. Allison had her first taste of sushi. As you can see she was apprehensive about it. She didn’t hate it but she didn’t ask for more.

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Japanese candy…
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I ran into these fierce ninjas…

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While I was planning and reading up on some of the new things we might experience this year I knew we had to see the candy lady in Japan. As we came out of the store we noticed her show was going to start in about 15 minutes. I had read here that the key is to stake out your claim in one of the front 3 spots in front of her cart and then on each end. So we did.
If you have never done this you really should consider it. She is incredible. We really enjoyed her. She says, “I make beautiful candy for you” and she did. She picked DD and she asked for a monkey. She asked DD what color and Allison told her, “Purple”. So she made her a purple monkey eating a banana, Then she said, “I make you a baboon” and she painted the monkey’s butt red. We all laughed. She then said, “You need a chair. A fashionable pink chair” It was so funny and she is unbelievably talented.

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I wish my pictures were better. I was really disappointed in the fact they were not focused well. She then made a hummingbird for someone. It was really amazing when she created the wings. My kids still talk about it. So detailed!

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She also made a dolphin for another little girl
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She then picked DS and he asked for a dragon. A fire breathing dragon.
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She wraps each piece in a bag but the candy is incredibly fragile. So don’t wait to take your photos or chances are it will be broken.

It was then on to America. They had a Pear exhibit for the F&W. I believe it was called Pearville.

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they then looked at themselves in the funny mirrors. I must say…this always makes me laugh. DD says, “Mom, it’s not that funny!” I disagree.
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It was time for lunch so we had cheeseburgers and chicken strips. I may be the only person that feels this way but I think the American pavilion could have some better offerings in the food department. It would be nice if there were a couple of unique choices here. We are more than hamburgers and chicken strips…maybe we could have some grilled cheese sandwiches, BLTs, BBQ sandwiches, BBQ chicken or ribs, hot dogs/chili dogs, vegetable soup & cornbread, fruit salad, chicken salad or just a really good tossed salad. I just think the American pavilion should shine brighter than the others. If we are to do that we need better food. Well, there is my 2 cents worth.
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After lunch we went into the American Experience. DD is fascinated with Abe Lincoln; she loves anything to do with him. She really enjoyed some of this exhibit.

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While there we had the opportunity to hear Voices of Liberty… OMGoodness…they are fantastic. If you haven’t seen these folks perform; you really should - they are just amazing.

Continued....
 
Then it’s on to Italy…

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Look out China here we come!

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Justin had a great time trying to learn how to do this…

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We had to start making our way to the MK for dinner reservations… On our way out we stopped at ClubCool.

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My DH is pointing out that everyone should taste the always yummy & refreshing Beverly! If you haven’t had any of this give it a try it’s yummy, really!

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We left Epcot and headed over to the MK. We had dinner reservations at Tony’s. This would be the first time any of us had eaten there so we were looking forward to trying it. We were also hoping to be seated on the porch. If things work out we are suppose to meet Cassandra and her family for SpectroMagic and Wishes. The weather had definitely taken a turn toward cool and the wind really was beginning to blow. It was almost chilly. Mind you, I am not complaining…it felt great. As you can see from the pictures earlier in day the sky looked a bit ominous.

We arrived safely at the MK and we were welcomed by our old pal Jiminy.

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As we were waiting for our dinner reservations my DD tried her hand at hula hooping.
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We checked in at Tony’s and told them we would like to be seated on the porch. They said you may have to wait a little. We said, “No problem.” We didn’t have to wait too long until we were seated…on the porch! Yeah! It was a great night to sit outside and I cannot imagine a better place to people watch while enjoying a lovely dinner with your family. When we arrived at our table they had it all decorated with Mickey confetti…I guess they took notice of our anniversary pins. It was a great touch!
DD and I played with the confetti…
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It was so humid it stayed on our faces for a while.

For appetizers…I had the tomato and mozzarella with a balsamic dressing.

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DD had carrots and celery with ranch….
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DS had a spinach and artichoke dip…
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DH had the calamari…
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The calamari was excellent…
They also brought us out a new dish to taste (free)…
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It was so nice of them to have us try it that I almost hate to report that none of us liked it…I am not sure if it made the menu or not.

Our entrees…
I don’t remember eating this but using deduction this must have been my dish…It looks like chicken, mashed potatoes and asparagus. …I would have thought this was DD’s but she says no..sorry to be so confused. I guess this is what happens when you wait 2 years to do a TR…
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DD had penne with a tomato sauce…
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DS had a pasta dish with chicken …
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DH had a pasta, seafood dish…spicy; I am sure.
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continued.....
 
As we were finishing eating Cassandra and her family arrived. My DH and went out into Main Street to help them find a spot for Specto Magic as it was already getting crowded. We decided to get our desserts to go so I do not have pictures… One thing that was pretty cool is the kids sundaes came in a souvenir goblet shaped container. They had different Halloween characters like the mummy, Dracula, etc… My DD loved the cup.

We all finally got out to Main Street and staked out our spot along with Cassandra’s family. They had spent the day at MGM. Unbeknownst to us, they had a big surprise for Justin. They felt really bad about what had happened with Justin loosing his stuff a couple of days before and they had wanted to do something for him. They had traded their pins to get him some of the Goofy pins he was missing (well, any Goofy pin) and they shared with some of the CMs the story of how Justin had lost his lanyard and pins a couple of days before. Not only did they trade their own pins but some of the CMs had given them some pins as well. So as we are sitting there waiting for Spectro they give him all those pins. He was totally surprised! It was so sweet and so thoughtful of them to have thought about him and gone out of their way to help him recoup some of his pin collection. Thanks Carissa, Caitlin & Chloe…you’re so sweet! They are all just the nicest people you could ever meet. Love you girls!

While we were waiting for the parade…
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And finally it begins…
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I really, really LOVE this parade. I don’t know if I could go to WDW and not see it.
Our main man…Mickey!
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Then it was time for Wishes!!! Love that too! I am one of those sappy people that cry during Wishes…especially on the last night of a trip.

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A really, really blurry Tink!
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Cassandra had taken her family and Allison over to Cosmic Rays to watch Wishes while we stayed near the hub. We headed that way to meet up with them…we all sat around there for several minutes. We wanted to ride something but everything was closed… We enjoyed being one of the last to leave.

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On our way out to the monorail…It was very crowded.
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We rode back to the resort with Cassandra.
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It was nice not to wait in line for a bus. We all said our good nights and headed to our rooms. We were exhausted. We had a fabulous day and it had been tons and tons of fun. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.
 
I also loved the painted buffalo.

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I didn't know Oklahoma ever had a booth at F&W! They didn't the one time we went. We have these buffalo around downtown and one at the zoo, all painted differently - they are pretty cool.

I love all your WS pictures. Exploring all of the shops, etc is something I've always wanted to do too, but my kids always protest - we'll see if I can get some good WS time this next trip!
 
There was something different about this morning as we stepped out the door. Thank goodness…it wasn’t as hot. Finally, a little tiny bit of fall – still humid but not nearly as hot! ;)

Then Allison decided to paint us a masterpiece…
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continued...

I'm hoping for a little cooling off for next week, but it looks like it's eighties all the way.

I love this picture! One of my favorite pictures ever of Drew is with him wearing a smock and beret and doing a painting at Epcot when he was about 4-5 years old. They were doing some kind of special kids' festival, I guess a test run for what became Kidcot stops. He had a huge grin, and it was so cute.



We all finally got out to Main Street and staked out our spot along with Cassandra’s family. They had spent the day at MGM. Unbeknownst to us, they had a big surprise for Justin. They felt really bad about what had happened with Justin loosing his stuff a couple of days before and they had wanted to do something for him. They had traded their pins to get him some of the Goofy pins he was missing (well, any Goofy pin) and they shared with some of the CMs the story of how Justin had lost his lanyard and pins a couple of days before. Not only did they trade their own pins but some of the CMs had given them some pins as well. So as we are sitting there waiting for Spectro they give him all those pins. He was totally surprised! It was so sweet and so thoughtful of them to have thought about him and gone out of their way to help him recoup some of his pin collection. Thanks Carissa, Caitlin & Chloe…you’re so sweet! They are all just the nicest people you could ever meet. Love you girls!

Then it was time for Wishes!!! Love that too! I am one of those sappy people that cry during Wishes…especially on the last night of a trip.

You have some very sweet friends, don't you? :hug:

You got some good Spectro pictures. I have a hard time getting good pictures of that parade.

Cry during Wishes? Surely not! ;)
 
Just found your trip report :goodvibes Your pictures are AMAZING... I feel like I'm there! Keep it up, please; better late than never! I want to see more redneck ride pics.

popcorn::

Cheryl
 












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