Back to Disney

Friday was our first EPCOT day.  The kids had an 8:00 a.m. breakfast with the princesses at Akershus, but Rod and I elected to pass on this one and get a later start.  I was really excited about this day since I think Epcot is my favorite park.

Rod and I arrived at the park a little after 9 and decided to do a counter service breakfast at the Sunshine Seasons inside the Land Building.  We had never eaten there, but have always loved the balloons which hang from the ceiling, and represent the four seasons.  Breakfast was a really pleasant surprise.  We elected to get the breakfast platter, and couldn't believe how much food we got.  There was scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage links, home fried potatoes, a biscuit and french toast with syrup. And you had your choice of two beverages.  After seeing the amount of food, we realized we should have gotten one platter and shared it.  We will certainly keep that in mind for the next time.

After breakfast, we met up with the kids and did the Living With the Land ride.  This is a photo of the boats that you ride in.  It was no problem for me to transfer from my ECV into this boat.  The first part of the 13 minute ride is a journey through past struggles of the land and the future of farming.  It ends with a ride through the Disney greenhouse where you can see how they grow foods using modern methods, including fish farming and hydroponics.  Disney uses some great methods while growing veggies that could make their way into your salad at the Garden Grill restaurant.

Have you ever seen a Mickey head shaped pumpkin?  Well, they grow them here.

We then went to The Seas building where we did the Turtle Talk with Crush show.  It's really cute, and I never tire of seeing it.  The kids did the Nemo and Friends ride, but I was left out as the nasty and rude Cast Member told me that I was not able to transfer to a wheel chair because they "don't have them THAT big".  After a brief cry, I decided that she wasn't going to ruin my day. Rod and I had lunch at the Coral Reef restaurant in The Seas building.  I had so looked forward to it, but it was kind of a disappointment.  My lobster raviolis were OK, but there was a birthday party going on, and every time the large sea turtle, the shark, or the ray came near the table of kids, they screamed.  Quite frankly, I think I've had better seafood at Red Lobster, and we definitely won't be eating there again.  While Rod and I headed to lunch, the kids did the Soarin' ride followed by lunch at Via Napoli, a new pizza restaurant.  Their food was really good, but lunch took 2-1/2 hours due to the poor service.  Since they weren't finished as quickly as we were, Rod and I headed to World Showcase to explore some of the "countries" we hadn't visited before.  At the World Traveler store, I bought a new hat, and some Disney bus replicas for Rod's train layout.

How do you like my new sexy hat?  I'm here on my scooter in front of the Nemo display near The Seas building.








We also did the Journey into Imagination ride with Figment and Dr. Nigel Channing (played by Eric Idle of Monty Python fame).  I wasn't too thrilled about this ride, but I am so glad we did it.  It was interesting, funny and the cars were the neatest I'd ever seen.

They loaded me and the ECV onto the back car using a ramp.  Turns out that I was sitting on a large turntable, and the cast member needed only to turn that table and I was facing the right direction.  No backing up, banging the sides and becoming totally frustrated here -- it was just simple and perfect. When the ride ended, it only took one more turn of the table, and I was ready to drive straight off that car.  It was pretty amazing, and made me very happy.

Rod and the kids also did Test Track, and some did Mission Space.  We walked around, got some autographs, and ended up back at the Land Building for dinner with Chip n Dale, Mickey, Goofy and Pluto at the Garden Grill.  We loved the food when we ate here last year, but this year it wasn't quite as good.  Not quite sure why, but it just didn't have the same flavor.
We did some more exploring, some more shopping, and Mary pulled some magic out of her hat to get us preferred viewing for the Illuminations show that evening.  It's a beautiful show, but everyone hustles to leave the park when it's over, and the bus stops are crazy afterward.  It was a long and  hot, and truly wonderful day, but I was glad to be back at the room for a good night's sleep.  Tomorrow -- Animal Kingdom.