The Wonderful World of Disney- Part 3

Day 3 was our day off. We decided not to do any parks that day. Instead, we went over to the pool and swam around for a bit. Lunch was at Chick-Fil-A, and the kids enjoyed the playground. In the afternoon we relaxed and took naps. It was a nice day to just sit back and hang out. For dinner, we drove over to Downtown Disney and ate at Earl of Sandwich. But the best part was being able to meet Steve Mead there. Steve was a groomsman in our wedding, and we actually haven’t been able to meet up with him since then! So, after 8 years we finally were able to catch up (he’s doing an assignment for Lockheed in Orlando. I learned about it during one of my very few forays into Facebook). So, it was great to hang out, catch up, and enjoy a meal together. He was heading out of town that weekend, so he even let us stay at his corporate suite on Friday night on our way out of town. That was fantastic!...but we’ll write about that when we get to it.

The next day was Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios. I had read an online visitors guide that mentioned a back entrance into Epcot to avoid the masses, and I was excited to try it. The Dolphin and Swan resorts are non-Disney resorts but are on Disney property. The rules are that at Disney resorts, you’re not allowed to park there in order to gain access to the parks. But since these aren't Disney resorts, we could do this. So, we parked at the Swan resort (and saved $2 since parking was cheaper). We walked through the resort to the back where “Friendship” boats take guests from the resorts to Epcot or Hollywood Studios. We walked up, waited a few minutes, and got on board our boat to Epcot. This is not a high-speed beeline to the park, though. It’s a nice, leisurely ride that stops at a few resorts on the way. Actually, you can in some cases walk the distance faster than the boat will get you there. But, we were on the boat for the experience, and it really was a nice ride on a beautiful day.

We reached Epcot and had to deal with there being one person in line in front of us to get into the park. Tough stuff! The entrance is in between France and Great Britain (via the "English Channel") in the World Showcase. So, we had a bit of a walk back toward the front to get our Fast Pass for “Soaring.” It was good we got there early because the Fast Pass time was already early afternoon. Fast Passes in hand we walked next door to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. We walked straight through to the ride (past the many queues which would have meant hours of waiting) climbed in our clamshell and "found Nemo" as he played with the other fish in the aquarium.

We walked around the aquarium a little then heard that Turtle Talk with Crush was starting. We joined in. It was fun. I have no idea how they get something animated to be able to converse live with the people in the room. Ethan even got a chance to talk with Crush. Being the shy guy that he is *NOT*, he jumped right in.

After the show we took some time to watch various kinds of fish and a couple of manatees. Then we went out to look for our Leave a Legacy tile. When Amber and I came to the park for our honeymoon, one of the included items was creating a Leave a Legacy tile. It’s a small picture put on the sculptures out in front of Epcot. We found the machine to locate our position and also learned that they don't make new ones any more. We had hoped to do one on this trip with the kids, but I guess they sold the spaces out too cheaply! Here’s a fantastic picture Ethan took of Amber and I pointing out our tile:

Here’s a fun family picture Amber took under the Epcot "ball"!

Since the kids are still pretty young, we were able to skip most of the typical rides up front and head back into the World Showcase. First stop was Mexico. We ducked in mainly to enjoy the air conditioning, but ended up enjoying the boat ride inside. The kids liked seeing Daffy Duck throughout the ride (and Micah was really excited about the volcano :-). Back outside we listened to a mariachi band. They were good (I guess they should be if they’re playing in Disney).

We stopped in Norway and picked up some lefse (potato-based tortilla coated with butter and sugar- this is a much-fought-over dessert in Amber's family). It was okay…homemade is much better! We continued along eventually reaching our lunch destination, Teppan Edo. This was our real splurge for the trip. We thought the kids would really enjoy watching the chef cook the food in front of them, and we weren’t disappointed. The onion volcano was definitely a favorite. These are always fun meals.

Here's a video showing the volcano eruption!

Micah was really excited to see another volcano :-)

After lunch it was back to Soaring. Amber mentioned the Rider Swap before, and this was another great opportunity for it. Ethan and I rode the ride, and then Ethan got to do it again with Amber without having to wait long. They basically give you a Fast Pass ticket for the current time. You ride the ride, and then the second parent can go with the child through the Fast Pass line. It’s a nice feature. The ride was awesome. It was probably my favorite. I wish some of the sequences were a little longer, but overall it was pretty incredible. You strap into your seat and then are lifted up and into a huge IMAX-type screen. You then ‘hang-glide’ through various cities, national parks, and other fun places. It was great!

Micah and Verity took a much needed nap while we took turns on the ride (Thank You, Lord!).

After the ride, though, it started to rain. The plan had been to head to Hollywood Studios and then come back that night to Epcot for the firework show, “Illuminations.”  But with the rain coming down hard, the plan changed. We had given ourselves some flexibility for the next and final day, so we decided to postpone Hollywood Studios until the next morning. We went and grabbed some ice cream and sat down and played “I Spy” for a good while until the rain cleared a bit. It was kind of nice! When the rain slowed we put on our ponchos and covered the double stroller with another. So Micah and Verity were basically in a tent. Some fish and chips in Great Britain was the next stop. We found a small cove to eat our dinner in. The rain had slowed enough that we continued through some of the other countries. Throughout the day we had been making a big deal out of seeing the Eiffel Tower for Micah. Because of Little Einsteins, Ratatouille, and various items around our house, Micah knows what the Eiffel Tower is. So, whenever we’d see it, we’d point it out to him. He point and yell, “Eiffel Tower!” So, in France, we bought him a small Eiffel Tower. He was pretty excited about it. That toy and his Lightning McQueen car became glued to each hand for the rest of the trip. He’s a funny kid.

We stopped in the United States (that sounds funny) and let the boys do the kid craft for the area. They were coloring masks. They enjoyed getting out of the strollers and doing something fun. We stopped in China and watched the 360 degree film (it’s a bit dated now).

(Notice Micah with his two toys in each hand!)  The sun was starting to set so it was getting near the time to watch the firework show. Ethan had brought some of his birthday money on the trip, and he decided to buy a flashing light saber.  Micah of course wanted one, too, so I broke down bought a cool spinning light-up windmill for him.  The toys really are cool!. We grabbed our spot for the fireworks. Amber and Verity took off to grab a funnel cake back in the U.S (there were 22 people in line ahead of her!  But, since she walked half-way around the "world" to get there, she waited in line).  I played with the camera.

There was a great rainbow over the lagoon, and Canada’s castle lit up nicely in the evening.

The fireworks show itself was okay. After seeing the Magic Kingdom fireworks, this felt like a let down…especially since there’s no Grand Finale. What kind of firework show doesn’t have a Grand Finale? So, that was just unacceptable. Ethan, however, couldn’t stop talking about the house that was on fire!

But Ethan's favorite part about the show?...  He got to make a "friend" (there was a boy that was near us and he and Ethan had a good time together playing with the light saber and being silly).  That kid is such an extrovert!  :-)

After the show, we meandered back to the English Channel and walked along the resorts back to the Swan.  It was a very pretty walk along the lakeside with the resorts lit up all around (Micah and Verity were zonked at this point).  Again, it was another nice day filled with fun times and memory making!