Well it's October now, almost 5 months since we've been back from our big vacation, so it's about time I write some more about it. Hunter is beside me helping jog my memory on the day we spent at Epcot. This park was most frequented by our family during our vacation. As you may have read in my previous post, we ate dinner at Coral Reef the previous evening, which is at Epcot. We returned the next morning to spend the day exploring. In a future post you will find out that we returned yet again on our last day on Disney property to purchase Hunter's chosen souvenir as well as ride our final attraction.
The morning of May 17th, 2015 our family groggily awoke by many repeated alarms and me urgently requesting them to get moving! After hurriedly dressing and grabbing our usual granola bars and trail mix to eat on our way running to the bus stop outside of our resort we boarded the Disney transportation to Epcot.
Upon arrival we learned that our arrival could have been postponed an hour because the park was not open. UGH! The hours of operation on www.disney.com was incorrect. I usually double check this sort of thing with consulting the hotel service desk but with returning to our hotel the previous night so late it slipped my mind. After getting some coffee and donuts at a kiosk outside of the park the kids were very interested in the monorail, which was above us dropping off passengers. We decided to make our first ride of the day the MONORAIL! The kids had GREAT fun riding this as we looked out the windows on the way to a neighboring resort and back. They laughed a bunch and sat in the back car all together with big smiles enjoying the fast "train." Once we returned to Epcot we lined up ready to storm the park!
As soon as the gates were opened we rushed over to Test Track to use our first FastPass of the day. Brody was not interested in riding so mom sadly stayed back accompanying him while the rest of the family rode. Even little Greyson! They were all smiles when they came off of the ride excited about the thrill they had just experienced. Tyler had been talking about riding this ride since January when we started planning our trip. Once they stepped off we went to the gate to see if there was a chance that I could ride as well even though we didn't opt originally for the Child Swap. The nice man allowed it and so I rode with Tyler, Hunter and Greyson. They were all excited that they were able to ride a second time. Daddy stayed behind with Brody. The ride is really neat. It allows you to design your own car from engine to tires to paint job, even adding a fin if you choose. This is all done through a computer station before you board the ride. Once you've designed your car you enter a new room where you wait in line again and eventually board your car. This ride is the fastest ride at Disney to date, hence why Tyler (our little speed demon) likes it so much. After the ride you can take pictures with your virtual car by scanning your magic band and find out the stats of your design. Tyler's car was the fastest of our family and almost the fastest of the day of those who had already ridden the ride. His design beat out Hunter's by 1% in speed. While we were riding Brody saw a sky writing plane with Daddy which he thought was super awesome.
After Test Track we walked over to Club Cool.
This is in the center of a souvenir shop and has numerous beverage stations that dispense different carbonated drinks from around the world.
The boys had great fun testing these and mixing them for different tastes. There were mixed reviews about the flavors from around the world. Many liked Bibo from South Africa but Hunter and Daddy did not like it AT ALL. A favorite was Kuat which was from Brazil. Most did not like the one from Italy as it was bitter and tasted like black licorice but surprisingly Hunter seemed to like that one. Brody and Greyson liked them all!
After we convinced everyone to leave that excitement we moved on to use our next FastPass to ride Spaceship Earth. This was Brody's first choice of rides at Epcot. I rode with Tyler. Greyson rode with Daddy. Hunter rode with Brody. The little moving cars rotated around in the big globe giving you a glimpse of Earth's history from paleo times to modern day and beyond. Greyson alarmingly thought this ride was scary. HA HA HA!!! It was ridiculously slow paced with no dips or thrills but had a few animitronics (people mostly) that frightened him.
Following this ride everyone expressed a desire to eat! We headed to the Sunshine Seasons Food Court in the middle of the Land Pavilion because I had read this was a good place to eat. We begged to differ. Greyson was insistent on eating a hot dog for lunch which was nowhere to be found at this particular food court. Hunter did not like the options there either and was complaining about having to eat there. The twins cared more about dessert than the main course and wanted Mickey ice cream bars but what was included with the Disney meal plan we had paid for was only a cookie. It seemed as if nobody was happy. There was much complaining, whining, even tears shed over our lunch dilemmas. It was at this point that I had wished we had not purchased the Disney Dining Plan and had just gone with buying food as we went. The limitations and the amount of time figuring out who could have what and when is not worth the headache. Not to mention the quantity of food is great for such small boys and I found that we wasted a lot of food. Anyway, I told them they could have a cookie and they were throwing a fit while we lined up to "pay" (use the credits on our magic bands). A Disney employee apparently saw what was going down and approached me just before we checked out with four Mickey ice cream bars in hand. She just handed them to us for free to absolve the tantrums. Wow! It's times like this that wow Disney guests. I had heard stories about "magical" moments such as these before and now we were on the receiving end. Going from feeling frustrated at the dining plan limitations and stressed at having to explain this all while gathering lunches that nobody was happy with for four crabby, hungry and tired children followed up with happiness and gratitude all at the same time was what led to a mental breakdown that I'm definitely not proud of. After she handed them to us I broke down in tears right then and there as I walked the children back to the table that Daddy was holding reserved for us. John of course asked what was the matter and I just couldn't even explain. I told him that I was going to go look for a hot dog for Greyson and that I just needed to get out of there. The boys were happy eating their ice cream and Hunter asked to come with me so we left. We walked around for what seemed like a super long time (Wow, Epcot is HUGE) and attempted to follow some directions given to us by a "cast member" to a kiosk selling hot dogs over by Mission Space but couldn't find any hot dogs. We returned empty-handed. Hunter decided on something from the food court and I ate something as well. Nothing was that great and I had a "bad taste in my mouth" from the whole Sunshine Seasons experience so we opted to head out. And yes, Greyson had ice cream for lunch. Oh well.
Hunter had a Fast Pass for Mission Space and since John gets sick on ride simulators I was elected to join him. I did not want to ride this ride. It's a simulator that makes you feel as if you are blasting off into space. When Disney first released this ride one person had a heart attack on it. It's that real. The pressure you feel in your chest and on your shoulders during take off is insane. I don't know how they do it but wow! Incredible! I was so happy to get off of that ride. Hunter loved every second. The boys were waiting for us back over by The Seas with Nemo & Friends and I thought that they were walking around inside but there was some miscommunication and they did not go in at all but waited for us. That was a looonnnng wait for them in hot Florida sun. I felt terrible. John wasn't very happy. It was time to move on and do something fun.
It was nearing meltdown time if the boys didn't get a nap in so we had a choice between looking through the Nemo exhibit (which we saw from the Coral Reef Restaurant the other night) or heading over to the World Showcase and trying out Agent P's World Showcase Adventure. We gave the boys both options and since they love Phineas & Ferb they chose to head over there. We stopped for pictures on the way over to the Showcase.
There are professionals at different points throughout each park and they will take pics with your camera if asked so I handed mine over for our first family pic of the vacation.
We started the Agent P's World Showcase Adventure in the Mexican Pavilion.
I, of course, LOVED this pavilion as Mexico has my heart. :) The pavilions are much bigger than I had imagined. In this particular one there is a museum with Mexican artifacts upon entry to the Pavilion and an open market type feel as you continue inside. There was also a restaurant with a volcano that "erupts" ever so often (in the distance...a mural of sorts). When we signed up for the Phineas & Ferb adventure we received a device similar to a phone that gives you clues to solve a mystery. We had to make our way around different locations inside the Pavilion to answer questions and watch the adventure unfold. Phineas, Ferb and Perry the Platypus emerged from hidden locations throughout the Pavilion helping us along the way.
It was cute! Daddy took the reins on this one while I drank my margarita snapping pictures of them as they went through the adventure. My spirits were up! Ha!
On our way out of the Mexican Pavilion the boys made up an impromptu game of rolling coins down the railing. Great fun! After we finished the adventure and left the Mexican Pavilion we decided to cruise through the rest of the World Showcase by just walking/strolling through and observing what it all looked like from the main drag.
John and I agreed that you could make a vacation out of just visiting the World Showcase. It was so neat! Each country was so different from the next. Greyson found a lizard along the way!
I wish we had more time there.
The boys were dragging. We had to get them back for a nap. So we did just that. Hunter and I opted not to return to the hotel and instead hopped back over to Disney Hollywood Studios early to get in a few more attractions. John took the littles back to Art of Animation for a much needed cool down in the pool and nap. We decided to meet up a few hours later for our dinner reservation at Hollywood & Vine.
Hunter and I tried out Muppet Vision
at DHS, which was a cute 3D movie attraction that we both enjoyed.
We also checked out Cinderella's Carriage on Streets of America (the movie had just been released) as we walked around. We also checked out some cool Lego Star Wars creations in some of the gift shops.
It wasn't long before it was time for our dinner reservation. This was our first character meal: Jedi Mickey's Star Wars Dine at Hollywood & Vine! Greyson had been VERY excited to meet Mickey and had been talking about it for months so we were excited for this one! Hunter and I checked in and waited outside the restaurant for John and the rest of the boys to arrive. We had to keep putting off the hostess because John hadn't arrived yet but it wasn't a big deal. When they arrived we quick put them in their Star Wars shirts for the Mickey photo and got in line. As we got to the head of the line the hostess handed us a signature sheet that was pre-signed (looked like xerox copies) by Mickey and Friends. This would not do! I handed her our autograph books and asked if they could sign inside. Apparently the characters at this meal didn't sign books but with enough insistence I guess they could be persuaded because in the end we got our books signed (it took until after dinner). It didn't take long before it was our turn!
Mickey is standing right at the entrance so you meet him and take your pictures before you even sit down for dinner. It was great! Greyson was as happy as could be and high fived Mickey after the pictures were snapped. I even got in for it (as sweaty and gross from pounding Disney pavement all day long as I was)! Then we were led to our table off to the left of Mickey and we ordered our drinks. I had a glowing martini that the boys all thought was the coolest. It was just a glowing plastic ice cube but we got to bring it home for a souvenir so that was a big hit. Dinner was buffet-style. Everyone loved this meal. Buffet is where it's at! The desserts were extra special in my opinion.
Lots of attention to detail here. The rest of the "Friends" were roaming around during dinner for pictures and they were all dressed as Star Wars characters (Minnie was Princess Leia,
Donald was a storm trooper,
Goofy was Darth Vader and Chip and Dale were Ewoks
. Greyson was terrified of Darth Goofy.
He kept his eyes glued to wherever he was in the restaurant and every time Goofy came near he climbed into my lap for protection. He wasn't too fond of Chip and Dale either. We had to coax him to stand for pictures but he flat out refused with Darth Goofy until the very end of dinner when he changed his tune and said, "Nevermind. I like Darth Goofy!" He always amazes me with how he can just come around almost instantly.
After dinner Hunter and I said our goodbyes to Daddy, Tyler, Brody & Greyson because we had tickets to Fantasmic! For the record everyone had tickets to this but it was late at night and we knew that if we kept everyone up to watch the show that they would be bears in the morning for our big day at Magic Kingdom. So AWESOME Daddy volunteered to take them back to the resort to get some rest and in turn missed the show. Hunter and I sat near the front and as a result got a bit wet during the show.
It's an impressive show where Mickey fights the classic Disney villains and of course comes out a winner in the end (atop a giant mountain above water wearing his Fantasia magician's hat). There's images projected on a misty fog, lasers, pyrotechnics and water projections galore. Hunter absolutely loved it. When it let out we practically ran to catch one last attraction before the park closed. He really wanted to ride Star Tours again and since I hadn't had that experience yet I was all for it. The line was non-existent so that was a bonus! This is another ride simulator and apparently they have multiple story lines because Hunter said this one was different from when he rode with John the day before. We spent the last couple of minutes that Epcot was open looking for a particular pressed penny that Hunter wanted. We couldn't locate a machine that had what he wanted on it though so we wandered around gift shop after gift shop without reason. We did find John a souvenir though. He wanted a Star Wars lanyard from DHS. We weren't able to find the actual Star Wars one but did get him a Disney one. He wanted it for his work ID. After this mission was accomplished we called it a day (had to since the park was closed!) and headed to Disney transportation to lead us back to our cozy beds.
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