Epcot

The first thing we did this morning was get Fast Passes for the Test Track. The lines for that attraction fill up fast. While in that section of the park we walked over to Soarin' (a new ride) to see if that was something we could put on our list … NOT! None of us do simulators well so we marked that ride off our list.

The next one in that area was Universe of Energy with Ellen Degeneress. The wait wasn’t long so we got in line. It didn’t take long before we were ushered into this big, carpeted room with really large screens. There was a short “movie” starring Ellen and Bill Nye the Science Guy. After about ten minutes we relocated to a larger room with rows of bleacher type seats and even larger screens. Those seats were really large moving cars that moved through jungle scenes while explaining energy from the beginning of time until now. It was amazing. By the time that was over we had an hour or so before we needed to return to Test Track to use our Fast Passes, so we had to get something to eat. I have to time those rides just right – I can’t do them on an empty stomach but also can’t handle them right after eating.

On the way to Test Track we caught the Jamminators, a percussion group performing with trashcans as their instruments. I just love that kind of stuff. Cari got pics – I videoed them. Test Track was as much fun as we remembered. Mom whooped and hollered with the rest of us and the ride photo is wonderful!

Mom with her "1st Visit" pin

The World Showcase is a huge part of the park. I knew we wouldn’t have time to come close to seeing all of it. We walked through Mexico, did a boat ride in Norway (it was kind of cheesy), saw amazing acrobats in China, rested in Italy (and walked around taking photos) and heard an incredible A cappella group in America. There was a 30-minute movie of the “American Adventure” that sounded interesting so we took advantage of an opportunity to sit a while and rest. I’m not much of a history person and while this was well done, it wasn’t captivating. Another time when we weren’t all so tired it would’ve been better. I think we all wanted to close our eyes and rest through it – I know I was.

 

architecture in Italy

flags in America

By now, Bob was not feeling good at all and we were all tired so we walked through the rest of the countries and grabbed some dinner in the United Kingdom at the Rose & Crown Pub. As badly as we wanted to catch the Illumination of the Earth at 9pm it wasn’t meant to be. We started our long walk to the car (and took more photos) and got back to the condo a little early. Bob went straight to bed.

Epcot at night

Of course Cari and I stayed up downloading, viewing and weeding photos. Mom and I got on the floor and did some stretches. Hauling that backpack and my camera around were really getting to my neck and shoulders. At some point Mom went into her bedroom and just started giggling. When Cari and I asked what in the world she was laughing at she pulled out the Test Track photo and dissolved into laughter. By the time it was over all of us were crying from laughing so much. Her expression is priceless! Bob, Cari and I are smiling and Mom looks petrified! She kept saying, "But y'all just look like you're sitting in your living room watching a movie! And look at me!!" It was a great way to end the day.

Top 3:
Mom - Universe of Energy, Voices of Liberty, Test Track
Cari - Test Track, Jamminators, Mango Green Tea
Me - Test Track, Universe of Energy, Voices of Liberty
Bob - Test Track (that's it, he didn't feel good today)

Loot:
Mom - Leanne's pink ears, t-shirt for Marc

Laugh of the Day - Mom laughing at herself in the Test Track photo

More Magic

Magic Kingdom was our focus today - apparently Magic Kingdom was the focus for A LOT of people today, at least it sure looked like a lot of people to us. The first thing we managed to accomplish was a little shopping. I mean hey, do you know how difficult it is to walk past all those shops and not peek inside? We well had resisted all we could resist and browsed a few of them. Besides we had a little time to kill before the "Move It! Celebrate It! Shake It! Street Party." Mom and Cari each found a Pandora Disney bead for their bracelet. Regina gave me a Mickey head for Christmas so I was already set and didn't see anything else I couldn't live without. Mom also found some beautiful etched glasses for the grandkids. I was still in the shopping phase and didn't buy anything ... yet.

Eventually we moved along to the front of the castle where the street party would be. We didn't have long to wait before the music started. Pluto was one of the characters leading the parade, followed by Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and more. The energy was infectious as the floats made their way around the circle. Once they were all surrounding us, the parade stopped and everyone was invited into the street to celebrate and dance! It was awesome!! This was definitely one of our favorite things of the day.

Bob darted over to get us some Fast Passes for Buzz Lightyear. We had about an hour or so before it was time to go back and Stitches Great Escape was on our list of things to investigate (and it was close by). The wait wasn't too long so we got in line. The show takes place in a theater-in-the-round venue where you're strapped in to experience all kinds of audio, video and Audio-Animatronic technology. It was good but I'm glad we didn't have to wait a long time. While we all enjoyed it, it won't make our top three list. Then guess what we did? I know you'll never guess ... no, not eat - at least not yet. We shopped!!! LOL Again!! Do you know how stoked Bob was about this? Don't think any of us bought anything but we enjoyed looking. OK, now guess what we did? ... yup, it was time to eat again! Lunchtime! More delicious, healthy food! Let's not go there, shall we?

By the time we finished it was time to return to Buzz Lightyear. This was one ride we remembered enjoying so much, we couldn't wait to do it again. Bob's pretty good at those laser thingies. I was pretty good at controlling the spinner but didn't get many points but had a blast (pun intended) playing. In fact, we had so much fun the first time that Bob went back and got more Fast Passes for later!

We didn't have too long to wait so we got in line for the Speedway. Two passengers to a car so we split up. Bob and Cari in one and Mom and I in the other. Mom drove - let me just say it's a good thing it wasn't real because she had major problems keeping that car in the right lane. If the guide hadn't been there she'd have been all over the place! LOL

Back over to Buzz Lightyear we go, to ride again. I was hopeful I'd do better this time. It all started off well ... but then fell apart about half-way through. The power died and we had nothing ... I mean nothing. After several minutes it started back up, then died again. This happened several times until we managed to finish the ride. We later heard it was closed completely so I guess they really did have a major problem with it. Bob was on a roll too, he was up to 99,999. I think I made it up to 40,000ish.

On the way to Frontierland to ride the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad we stopped to watch another parade - Celebrate A Dream Come True. We didn't have a great spot so I didn't get great photos but it was still good - not as good as the first one but still a wonderful parade.

Bob didn't want to ride the railroad so he played on my iPod and held the bags and cameras. Mom wasn't too sure about it but was a good sport and did it anyway. It was another pretty mild roller coaster - not bad at all. Fun enough but not too intense. The Haunted Mansion was close and Cari and I really wanted to do that. I guess it just wasn't meant to be though. The wait was way too long and we were tired. We stopped for ice cream on the way to Space Mountain. It was almost time for us to return with our Fast Passes.

We couldn't quite figure out why Bob was willing to ride Space Mountain when he wouldn't ride anything else - at least not a roller coaster. We rode some pretty mild ones and he wouldn't have any of it. But for whatever reason he was ok with riding this one. Um, it was pretty intense. The only thing it didn't do was loop upside down. I think it 'bout did Mom in! LOL I've got to hand it to her, she was willing to try just about anything. Cari and I loved it. I think once was enough for Mom. But hey, at least she did it once!

Space Mountain was our last hoorah for the day. On the way out of the park, guess what we did? Yup, again! We shopped! Bob had seen a hat at one place he wanted to go back and get. Mom and Cari had seen hoodies they wanted to go back and get. Plus they had packages to pick up on the way out. Even though it was fairly early, it took us a while to get out of the park and into our car. I kept stopping to snap pictures. I love taking night-time shots.

Cari had spotted a Bennigan's Tavern the other day and had been craving their Kilkenny's Chicken Salad ever since. Our Bennigan's closed a couple of years ago. That salad was one of our favorites and it's been quite a while since we've had it. In preparation for finding it, we actually had the GPS in the car. The only thing we didn't plan on was not being able to find a place to plug it in. Do they really make cars now with no cigarette lighters? We were driving a brand new Impala so I guess anything is possible. Thankfully, it had a little bit of battery left and Cari powered it up. We headed to the closest one listed - it was closed. No, I mean closed down. For good. She looked at the next one on the list. It wasn't too far, and was on the way back to the condo, so we followed those directions ... to no avail. We never did find that one. The only thing we could figure is one of the restaurants we saw took it over and while the address was correct, it wasn't Bennigan's - and obviously the database Cari's GPS was reading from isn't a current database. Bob spotted an Uno's and we pulled in. At this point just about anything was sounding good. We were sitting there eat our dinner, minding our own business when a guy at another booth blew his nose and honked like a goose. I'm sorry. I guess I was punchy. I get even goofier when I get punchy. I laughed 'til I cried. I couldn't help it. I couldn't stop! Cari informed me in the car I was being rude. Again, I'm sorry. I really couldn't help it. I couldn't have stopped laughing if my life had depended on it. Needless to say, that was our laugh of the day. And needless to say, I was exhausted.

... and tomorrow is another day. :)

Top 3:
Mom - Parade, Train, Buzz Lightyear
Cari - Space Mountain, Parade, Train
Bob - Buzz Lightyear, Parade, Uno's
Me - Parade, Space Mountain, Train

Loot List:
Zip-up Hoodies - all of us
Cari - Long Sleeve Tee, Mug, Pandora Bead, hat
Mom - glasses for kids, hoodie, mugs (Stacey, Matt, herself), Pandora Bead, shot glass, CDs
Me - hoodie, tee-shirt, hat
Bob - hat

Laugh of the day - "Honk"

Animal Kingdom and a little Magic ...

Today was another packed day. We managed to get on the road around 8:30 this morning. Since the plan was to end the day at Magic Kingdom, that's where we parked. We figured it would take a little more time to actually start the day, but save us time at the end of the day. So after picking up our tickets at "Will Call" we boarded a shuttle bus to Animal Kingdom. You know I had to shoot everything in site so it may have taken a wee bit longer to get where we were going ... but that's just the way it is. Our first stop was the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. Thankfully the wait wasn't long and our driver was quite entertaining. He told us all kinds of little tidbits that made the ride even more interesting - of course I don't remember most of it now but I really enjoyed it at the time! I know every time you do the safari ride you can see different animals, but I didn't think it was as good this time as when we were there before. I enjoyed it so much when we were there in 1999 that we did it twice. Don't get me wrong, it was good, just not fantabulous. Between riding on a rickety jeep, over bumpy roads and bridges, getting good pictures was definitely a challenge. Our driver slowed down at times but rarely stopped. I was lucky and got a few good ones.

Our next stop was the Tree of Life. Bob, Cari and I were so excited about seeing it again. It's just so fascinating to us! The carvings are just magnificent! And the 3D movie, "It's Tough Being a Bug," is awesome! We couldn't wait to see Mom's reaction to it. It was so worth it. She was amazed. We even knew what was coming and we were still surprised when the different 3D parts happened - the spraying of acid, stinging of bees, etc. I swear it really does look like the characters are right in front of your face and you can just reach out and touch them! So cool!! As we walked around the park you can see the tree from lots of different angles and it sure doesn't appear to be big enough to have a theater inside of it.

By the time we explored a bit, it was time to get a bite to eat. Mom says we're always eating - she isn't used to eating three meals a day. Huh, well she is while she's with us! Not that what we eat is always that good, but it's something. Today's lunch was pretty lame but we really didn't have a whole lot to choose from at the time. Anyway, after lunch we decided to catch the "Flights of Wonder" bird show. We got there right as it was starting so didn't get great seats, at least for taking pictures. It was pretty good - again, it just blows my mind what they can teach these critters to do.

Check out this random scene we passed on the way to our next stop - this is "Stroller Parking."

Now I know Disney is a place for kids, chronological and at heart. But fro? OK I have to take a moment to explain "fro." It's just a word Cari made up and it's caught on. One day when she was trying to say, "for real?" it all ran together and sort of came out, "fro?" We ended up using this "word" a lot during the week. Now back to the stroller thing ... why do people think taking babies and little kids to Disney is a wise and fun thing? Yeah, yeah, yeah, there are moments when they are having fun but for the most part they're miserable - which means their parents are miserable as well! And the biggest mistake I see is that the parents want to do the things they want to do as well, and when you're taking little ones to a park like this it has to be all about what the kids want - and when they are tired and ready to go home to bed, you need to take them home and put them to bed! Cari was ten years old when we took her - old enough to do everything we wanted to do and she didn't need naps or to go home at 7pm and go to bed. (Stepping down from my soap box ...)

We did a couple of walk throughs and a bit of shopping before going to another one of our "must do's" on the list - "Festival of the Lion King." This repeat attraction/show did not disappoint us. It was fabulous back in 1999 and it was fabulous today. Mom was once again amazed at the talent, costumes, everything. I managed to get some decent flash shots - enough to preserve the memories. And that was all we managed to cram into Animal Kingdom.

 We wanted to see the 7pm Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom so we headed to the bus stop. You know, at this point I have to just say that people never cease to amaze and disappoint me. I don't think I have ever seen so many just plain out rude people in one place before. It's not just kids and young people either - there was a couple that had to be in their 70's cut right in front of us to get seats on the monorail. They know better!! It seems that common courtesy has completely disappeared in those who visit this part of the country. I'm telling you, it will blow your mind! People just stop in front of you, back up, run into you, knock into you, run you over, cut in front of you, etc. And with the amount of people here, it happens constantly! Sure does take some of the joy out of the day. OK, enough of that ...

... moving on to Magic Kingdom. We were delighted to see it still decorated for Christmas - although I will have to say at this point we're all pretty tired of hearing Christmas music still playing. Guess you gotta have one with the other, though right? Magic Kingdom is always magical but it's so beautiful for the holidays. Mom was happy just walking around looking at everything. Then the castle came into view. It just does something to your heart - makes you happy! It really is magical. We needed to kill some time before the parade so guess what? It was time to eat again! LOL We ended up at the "Starlight Cafe" eating barbecue. It was another so so meal but kept our stomachs quite for a while so it worked. (We pigged out on blueberries and apple slices when we got back to the condo.) Anyway, while we were sitting there killing time it started getting dark. We watched as the sky slowly darkened and the magic began on the castle. It turned from baby blue to pink to purple to orange. You know I had to play with my camera getting all kinds of different shots. And as the sky darkened it changed the whole scene. It was just gorgeous ... oh, and that was the side/back of the castle! Imagine how stoked I'd be if I could actually get to the front of it! Tomorrow night I'll try again.

 We made our way through the streets and crowds to try and find a decent spot to view the parade. To say it was challenging would be an understatement - but we did. This was another repeat that didn't disappoint us. And I hate to use this word yet again, but I can't find another one to do it justice ... it was magical. After all, this is Magic Kingdom. Cari and I played with different settings, flash, no flash, to try and get the best pictures. I think between us we managed to get enough to do the parade justice.

Our plan was to stay for the "Wishes Spectacular" show (fireworks) at 8pm and then head on out. Bob was desperate to sit down so and we couldn't find anywhere except pretty close to the entrance/exit. We "rested" there for the remaining half hour or so and ended up watching the fireworks from there. As we sat we people watched. A particular family walked by us with two small children, one in a stroller. The kids were crying and the parents were obviously not happy. Mom made the comment, "Are we having fun yet?" and we all completely lost it. The fireworks were beautiful but I think we were all so tired by that point it really didn't matter. We still had to stand in line to catch the monorail back to the ticket center and then stand in line to catch the tram back to the parking lot. We were just done.

On the way back to the condo I asked everyone to list their top three favorites from the day, so here they are:

Cari - "Tough to be a Bug," Electrical Parade, Safari
Mom - "Festival of the Lion King," Electrical Parade, Safari
Bob - "Tough to be a Bug," Safari, finding a seat after the parade
Me - "Tough to be a Bug," "Festival of the Lion King," and taking pics of the castle at dusk

Loot List:
Cari - flip flops
Mom - pin for Cameron, hat
Wanda - trading pins

And here it is 12:30am and I'm just finishing up my journaling and uploading pics to facebook. Tomorrow morning's gonna come early ... more Magic Kingdom tomorrow. :)