Sorry for the delay on this post, but I finally got a day so I could post it!
On to Day 2 of my Xmas Disney Adventure!
(PS: If you didn't read the previous post about Day 1, some of the things I mention might not make sense. So you should read it if you haven't already.)
Since the weather was going to be cold and windy again, I suggested Epcot since a majority of the attractions are indoors. None of the adults bothered to tell me that we would be spending a lot of time in World Showcase. So the part when we're all walking around freezing our butts off later...not my fault. But anyway, moving on.
Monday morning, I woke up casually, got dressed, and then looked at the clock: 9:30 AM. Me = WHAAAA?! I rushed out into the living room and demanded to know what time the adults wanted to leave. They casually told me "10:30, so we can be in the park by 10:45." For those of you that know Disney really well, this statement is a huge -FACEPALM-. Epcot is a more popular park than Animal Kingdom, making it more crowded by default. Future World opened at 8 AM that day, so it was going to be even more crowded when we arrive. AND leaving at 10:30 would most definitely NOT put us there at 10:45. Even a casual Disney-goer knows that you should factor about 40-45 minutes travel time because of traffic and parking...
especially when you're off-property.
I had to push the adults and children out the door and we left around 10:15. So we didn't arrive at the gate until around 11 AM. Once we were all in, Lauren and I grabbed all the tickets and made a break for Soarin'. Now as some of you may know, Soarin' is a more recent edition to Epcot, and a more popular ride considering the lack of thrill and emphasis on learning in Epcot. So even if it's not a peak season, Soarin' is easily a 90 minute wait. So if you don't get a Fastpass early, you're either waiting for hours and hours or you're not riding Soarin'. By the time we got to the machines, the Fastpass times were already 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM.
And by the time we got back to the group outside The Land pavilion, they were bringing out "the sign." If you're not familiar with "the sign," basically it's a sign that reads "All Fastpasses for this attraction have been distributed." By noon, there were signs at Soarin', Mission: SPACE, and Test Track.
So enough about the crowds for now. On to the rides we actually waited in line for. First up was Journey into Imagination with Figment...because the Imagination pavilion was just next door to The Land.
I personally adore this ride; one, because it's so happy and jolly and two, because there's hardly ever a wait. Eddie and Anna LOVED it. I think we waited about ten minutes, which is the ideal wait time for any ride!
Here's where I'll talk about pin trading. I am a huge fan of pin trading -- I have two full lanyards: one for keepers and one for traders. Out of the ten people there, I was the only person to have pins, but by this time everyone was into it. My sister, Madelyn bought herself a lanyard and some starter pins and the two younger ones about starter sets too. I was very impressed with the selection in WDW this time around. Last time I was there, every pin kiosk had the same pins and same lanyards -- it got boring. But every time I went to a kiosk, I found something new and/or different.
After our pin-trading pit-stop at the Imagination Institute, I spotted one of the most awesome things ever...let me give you some hints. Imagination Institute, extinct attraction, Michael Jackson, and NO WAIT. Yes, I am talking about Captain EO. Now those of you who aren't up on your Disney history may not know the importance of this attraction. Let me explain. First of all, I am the kind of Disney fan that needs a time machine. Because I love reading and learning about extinct attractions. Captain EO was one of those attractions that I heard some of my older Disney friends talk about loving as a kid. And when Disney made the announcement that they were it bringing it back, I got really excited. Because people my age will never get to experience and appreciate things like World of Motion, Horizons, and the original Journey Into Imagination. Bringing back an extinct attraction is one of the coolest things Disney has done, and I'm very appreciative of it. Okay, I'm done being mushy.
So we saw Captain EO, and I loved it. I mean for a show that was made back in the 80's, it still has its old Disney magic. After Captain EO, we headed towards The Sea with Nemo and Friends (which needs a touch-up on the exterior, see picture below).
I couldn't have cared less about the actual Nemo ride....all I cared about was Turtle Talk with Crush! We waited for about 15 minutes, but considering the length of the queue area, the line moved pretty fast. Besides, we were either going to have to wait in lines or not ride anything at all. After the Nemo ride (that Eddie and Anna LOVED), we headed into Turtle Talk with Crush. Now here's where I brag. I was the only person on this trip who had been to Disney in the past like five years. And a lot of stuff has changed. So I became the person who had to beg and plead people to do certain stuff because I knew they would love it. Turtle Talk with Crush was one of those attractions. I was the only person who had experienced it (I see it everytime I'm in Epcot) and the others were like "Let's do some other stuff...." I was like "NO YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO LOVE THIS PLEEEASE." Finally I convinced them to stay and see it....and I was totally right. They all loved it and we constantly referenced quotes from it throughout the rest of the vacation! This tends to happen a lot during the trip. So I'm just going to say "I TOLD YOU SO." Never underestimate a Disney ride. If you've never done it, DO IT. That's my motto.
Because of the crowds, we missed out on many rides while we were in Epcot. Like, the whole other side of Future World. We never set foot near Universe of Energy (sadness), Mission: SPACE (ew), or Test Track (sadness). But we still managed to have fun! After Crush, we headed towards one of my all-time favorites: Spaceship Earth. Now here is where I'll talk about Byron. Byron is the dad of the other family we were traveling with. Byron is not a big fan of speed, being upside down, spinning, heights, or any other kind of thrill for that matter. So when he looked at Spaceship Earth, the first words out of his mouth were, "Are we going all the way to the top of the golf ball?!" -FACEPALM- Me: "It's not a golf ball. It's a geodesic sphere!"
So we rode Spaceship Earth...and I had my fun. You know that part where they take your picture so they can use it at the end? I made a face with my tongue sticking out. We were cracking up the entire time they showed us the little animation. Next time you ride Spaceship Earth, make a funny face. It's way more fun!
So anyway, we had gotten a coupon at the bottom of a receipt that entitled us to a discount at certain restaurants during a certain time frame. We had about 20 minutes to kill until the coupon took effect. So, we stopped at the pin-trading kiosk in the middle of Future World. I'll explain more about the fantastic pins I bought there in another post...you're gonna love them!
So we had lunch in the Electric Umbrella. Considering how many people were trying to use the coupon as well, we got our food pretty quickly. I've eaten at the Electric Umbrella before, and the food is pretty decent. They had a bigger selection this time, which I liked.
After that, the adults decided we were going to World Showcase.
We had a few hours to kill until Soarin', so we figured we'd take our time. We did Mexico and rode the Three Caballeros ride. I must add that the Mexico pavilion is not built for a crowd.
Considering how many little carts with stuff to buy, and then there's the line for the restaurant and the line for the ride....utter chaos. Anyway, we stopped at the KidCot coloring things so Eddie and Anna (plus Maggie) could color a Duffy thing and get their stick stamped. The only complaint I have about this was location. Sometimes, the tables were really hard to find. For example, in Norway we couldn't figure out which building it was in, and once we found the building, we couldn't figure out how to get in! Looking for the stations took away a lot of time, but the stations might have been moved because of how cold it was outside. Now we know where to look for the future, but first-time visitors will not!
One other thing I would like to point out was the lack of country merchandise in America. Every other pavilion had plenty of merchandise representing the country. I was getting really cold and I decided to stop in the shop in the American Adventure. I had gotten a really nice sweatshirt there last time and I had grown out of it. But when I went in, I was disappointed to find only a few sweatshirts, and they all had Obama on them. Not to be hatin' on the Prez, but I wanted a sweatshirt that was patriotic and had something to do with Epcot or Disney. And the only other clothing was shirts with random sports teams on them. It was very disappointing.
After a few hours of wandering World Showcase, we glanced at our watches and realized that we needed to get to Soarin' in a half hour and we were on the other side of the park! We skipped through the rest of WS and bolted towards Future World. Finally, we headed towards my favorite ride in Epcot: Soarin'.
Here's another example where I go 'I told you so!!' Byron and the other adults were very iffy about going on the ride, especially once I explained that it was a hang-gliding ride. But we had gotten ten fastpasses and we were using them all whether they liked it or not!
Now here's where one of my most favorite Disney memories happens. The fastpass line had built up a little bit for some reason, so we were waiting for a few minutes. Madelyn had recently purchased a Phineas and Ferb pin (the only one they make?!) and was showing it off. My sister and I are big Phineas and Ferb fans, so while we were waiting, we decided to start singing "Gitchee Gitchee Goo," a song from the show. While we were belting it out, a security guard who was standing near by heard us and started snapping along. He told us we were great, and asked us to sing for the people at the front of the standby queue because "they need entertainment after waiting so long!" So Madelyn, Anna, Eddie and I began performing the song for the standby queue, and we got a full round of applause from everyone. People we didn't even know were taking out their cell phones and cameras and filming us! It was so fun and I was really appreciative of the security guard letting us do it. The two little ones constantly talked about it for the rest of the trip. It was truly a magical moment!
After our performance, we got on the ride and the adults LOVED IT! They loved the fact that you could smell the oranges and the pine trees during the ride. And, as a bonus, as we were getting off the ride, a woman came up to us and gave us eight more fastpasses beause her family had to leave! Then we realized...eight fastpasses for ten people. Well, Maggie and Kara decided to go off and do their own thing. So everyone got to go on again. We had about 20 minutes to kill until the new fastpasses' time, so we hopped on Living With the Land...no wait. Which is a shame, because it really is a great ride. It was my first time riding it, and I was very impressed with it.
We rode Soarin' one more time and loved it again! I even hummed along to the score because I know it so well (on my iPod!). After Soarin', we had an hour and a half or so until Illuminations. I had my heart set on a major shopping spree in MouseGears, so we spent some time there. After striking Vinylmation gold in MG (I'm just making sure you are excited for my souvenir post later XD), we wandered back towards Canada to find a spot for Illuminatons. We got some hot chocolate and infamous turkey legs and parked ourselves in Canada for the show.
Here comes another complaint, but this one is not Disney's fault. Disney has many international visitors throughout the year, and Disney does well to accommodate them. But, some like to milk it for all its worth. While we were standing in our awesome spot for Illuminations, someone in the group asked me to hold something. I turned around to do so, and an Asian family comes running up and steals our spot. My mouth dropped open. My mom went to say something about us already being there, but they turned to us and acted all confused like they didn't understand. And I knew that they spoke English because I later heard them speaking English. I'm not complaining about international visitors, I'm just complaining about how they think they get special privileges. But enough of me being complain-y.
Illuminations was fantastic (as always), and they even had a special holiday part at the end that I had never seen. After the show, we made our way to the front of the park and on our way home.
Now I'm just going to warn you now, the next post is going to get very tense and VERY VERY COMPLAIN-Y. Day three was Islands of Adventure, and let me tell you, it was easily one of the worst theme park experiences of my life. Stay tuned.
PS: I would love comments and feedback on my posts so far! I hope you are enjoying them!
