darthmacho
09-08-2010, 04:05 PM
Date: August 19, 2010
Location: Epcot
The Cast:
DM: Me, Darth Macho, Celebrating Our 12th Anniversary. (Belatedly)
DW: Dear Wife, The Queen, Celebrating Our 12th Anniversary. (Belatedly)
DD1: Princess, 9yo, Celebrating 1st Visit (That she'll remember. She was just 2yo on her actual first visit.)
DD2: Princess, 6yo, Celebrating 1st Visit (She was born mysteriously 9 months after our last visit…)
A Slow Start
We had another 6am wakeup call.The day was planned around Future World, but our dining would be in World Showcase,thanks to 8am ADRs at Akershus, where we were scheduled to dine with the Princesses. I have to admit, I booked this partly because I have two girls, but really I'm a total "mark" for the Disney Princesses, and while many people feel they are overly exposed, I can't seem to get enough of them. Something about those pretty girls in colorful costumes that makes me swoon, lol. In any case, I also love character meals, and when on vacation, nothing beats a good breakfast. We had lunch in Akershus once, and loved it, and while I imagined the breakfast would be a more generic meal, I knew I could count on typically good food at WDW.
We were off to a slow start as we had to wait out in the morning heat for our name to be called, and then we were shuffled into a queue for a picture with Belle. She had on the gold dress from the movie ending, and I have to say she was gorgeous. Generally though, we prefer the plain, bookish Belle from the early part of the movie. Anyway, the girls got their picture taken with her, and we were finally seated. Our waiter was a nice guy, but not too special, which seemed to be the theme of the week. I don't know if WDW is putting too much work on these servers, or paying them too little, but for the most part we had decent, but not spectacular service at all of our sit down meals. It could have been far worse, and at least we didn't get anyone that was outright bad.
Anyway, things continued to move slowly as the princesses had yet to arrive. We kept ourselves occupied with the excellent food, which was delicious, and I sampled just about everything from the hot buffet, and a few things from the cold. Eventually the princesses started to arrive, starting with Aurora, followed by Cinderella, Snow White, and my favorite, Ariel, with whom I insisted on getting a picture. They girls got all of their autographs and pictures, but the best part was how the characters all talked in that sugary sweet voice, asked the girls questions, and somehow managed to tie in their answers with something that has to do with something in their movie. It was funny and cute. A nice little character breakfast, albeit slow. There was also a mix up with the paper work, and we were delayed further at the end, but whatever…
One If By Land
So the park was already open, and the crowds were streaming in, and I realized my folly. The idea behind the early breakfast was to be ready to have first crack at getting on Soarin', but with all the delays, by the time we hustled all the way over there from Norway, the line for Soarin' was 40 minutes. Usually this is over the amount of time I'm willing to wait (30min) but we had all day and we'd never been on this ride before. We grabbed some FP and jumped into line. It was a long wait, but we got there. The kids enjoyed the interactive queue games, though by the time we figured out what to do, we were shuffling off to the next area.
Now I was wondering what all the hype was about this ride, since I've never been a big fan of simulators, but his attraction certainly lived up to it's reputation and high popularity. It was amazing! I used to wonder why they didn't make a new film based on Florida, but after seeing the film, I realized the varied landscape of California makes for a far more dramatic effect, a natural 3D. I don't think the Florida landscape, however interesting, would have been the same. Also, I enjoyed smelling the oft spoken of "orange" scent, but I thought the "pine" and "ocean" scents were spot on and even more enjoyable.
I didn't have a problem with the "foot" issue either, as even being in the second row, once the film started, I was completely immersed.
Two If By Sea
After Soarin' we left the Land, and headed for the Seas, and we enjoyed the completely revamped pavilion. While I'm generally for Epcot being free of movie tie-ins, it really was hard to complain about what they did here. The whole place was far more colorful, the ride pleasant, and the animals were still there. People might not appreciate this attraction referring it to an "aquarium" in a derogatory way, but my answer to that would be that few do an aquarium quite like WDW! My daughters particularly love the seagulls out front saying "mine, mine" and I have to admit that they are cool and funny.
Sadly, we kept having poor timing for Turtle Talk, and I was anxious to get FP for Test Track, so I kind of rushed us out with the promise of seeing it later, and we never did make it back. Seeing how it's a show aimed at little ones, I'm bummed that we didn't get to see it while the girls are still both under 10. I'm sure we'll enjoy it next time.
Spaceship Earth
We crossed Future World and headed for Test Track to get those passes. We all enjoyed that centerpiece fountain for a second time, and DD1 pointed out how it sounded like fireworks at one point. A cool effect.
Once we had our FP for TT, I was more at ease, and the tip board claimed Spaceship Earth had just a 10 minute wait, so I suggested we get it in before lunch since it was just nearby. Unfortunately, by the time I herded the family over there, the line had doubled in size and was 20 minutes. I guess I should have waited until later, because 20 minutes in this long, winding, outdoor queue was not pleasant! We finally managed to make it onto the ride, but we were blazing hot by then.
Luckily, this is a cool, and relaxing ride, and one of my favorites. I hadn't seen the updates yet, and I thought the new spiel was good enough. The addition of the interactive computer and the story at the end was a little bit of a pleasant surprise and very cute. I like that the story can be very different based on your answers, like a "choose your own adventure" book.
It was time to head for World Showcase, where we had 12:30 lunch ADRs for Le Cellier. In retrospect, I wish I had scheduled this more than 4 hours after breakfast, since we were not fully hungry yet, but there was no changing it now. We walked over to Canada with a little time to spare, so we were able to explore a bit.
I'll have to leave all of that for next time...
Location: Epcot
The Cast:
DM: Me, Darth Macho, Celebrating Our 12th Anniversary. (Belatedly)
DW: Dear Wife, The Queen, Celebrating Our 12th Anniversary. (Belatedly)
DD1: Princess, 9yo, Celebrating 1st Visit (That she'll remember. She was just 2yo on her actual first visit.)
DD2: Princess, 6yo, Celebrating 1st Visit (She was born mysteriously 9 months after our last visit…)
A Slow Start
We had another 6am wakeup call.The day was planned around Future World, but our dining would be in World Showcase,thanks to 8am ADRs at Akershus, where we were scheduled to dine with the Princesses. I have to admit, I booked this partly because I have two girls, but really I'm a total "mark" for the Disney Princesses, and while many people feel they are overly exposed, I can't seem to get enough of them. Something about those pretty girls in colorful costumes that makes me swoon, lol. In any case, I also love character meals, and when on vacation, nothing beats a good breakfast. We had lunch in Akershus once, and loved it, and while I imagined the breakfast would be a more generic meal, I knew I could count on typically good food at WDW.
We were off to a slow start as we had to wait out in the morning heat for our name to be called, and then we were shuffled into a queue for a picture with Belle. She had on the gold dress from the movie ending, and I have to say she was gorgeous. Generally though, we prefer the plain, bookish Belle from the early part of the movie. Anyway, the girls got their picture taken with her, and we were finally seated. Our waiter was a nice guy, but not too special, which seemed to be the theme of the week. I don't know if WDW is putting too much work on these servers, or paying them too little, but for the most part we had decent, but not spectacular service at all of our sit down meals. It could have been far worse, and at least we didn't get anyone that was outright bad.
Anyway, things continued to move slowly as the princesses had yet to arrive. We kept ourselves occupied with the excellent food, which was delicious, and I sampled just about everything from the hot buffet, and a few things from the cold. Eventually the princesses started to arrive, starting with Aurora, followed by Cinderella, Snow White, and my favorite, Ariel, with whom I insisted on getting a picture. They girls got all of their autographs and pictures, but the best part was how the characters all talked in that sugary sweet voice, asked the girls questions, and somehow managed to tie in their answers with something that has to do with something in their movie. It was funny and cute. A nice little character breakfast, albeit slow. There was also a mix up with the paper work, and we were delayed further at the end, but whatever…
One If By Land
So the park was already open, and the crowds were streaming in, and I realized my folly. The idea behind the early breakfast was to be ready to have first crack at getting on Soarin', but with all the delays, by the time we hustled all the way over there from Norway, the line for Soarin' was 40 minutes. Usually this is over the amount of time I'm willing to wait (30min) but we had all day and we'd never been on this ride before. We grabbed some FP and jumped into line. It was a long wait, but we got there. The kids enjoyed the interactive queue games, though by the time we figured out what to do, we were shuffling off to the next area.
Now I was wondering what all the hype was about this ride, since I've never been a big fan of simulators, but his attraction certainly lived up to it's reputation and high popularity. It was amazing! I used to wonder why they didn't make a new film based on Florida, but after seeing the film, I realized the varied landscape of California makes for a far more dramatic effect, a natural 3D. I don't think the Florida landscape, however interesting, would have been the same. Also, I enjoyed smelling the oft spoken of "orange" scent, but I thought the "pine" and "ocean" scents were spot on and even more enjoyable.
I didn't have a problem with the "foot" issue either, as even being in the second row, once the film started, I was completely immersed.
Two If By Sea
After Soarin' we left the Land, and headed for the Seas, and we enjoyed the completely revamped pavilion. While I'm generally for Epcot being free of movie tie-ins, it really was hard to complain about what they did here. The whole place was far more colorful, the ride pleasant, and the animals were still there. People might not appreciate this attraction referring it to an "aquarium" in a derogatory way, but my answer to that would be that few do an aquarium quite like WDW! My daughters particularly love the seagulls out front saying "mine, mine" and I have to admit that they are cool and funny.
Sadly, we kept having poor timing for Turtle Talk, and I was anxious to get FP for Test Track, so I kind of rushed us out with the promise of seeing it later, and we never did make it back. Seeing how it's a show aimed at little ones, I'm bummed that we didn't get to see it while the girls are still both under 10. I'm sure we'll enjoy it next time.
Spaceship Earth
We crossed Future World and headed for Test Track to get those passes. We all enjoyed that centerpiece fountain for a second time, and DD1 pointed out how it sounded like fireworks at one point. A cool effect.
Once we had our FP for TT, I was more at ease, and the tip board claimed Spaceship Earth had just a 10 minute wait, so I suggested we get it in before lunch since it was just nearby. Unfortunately, by the time I herded the family over there, the line had doubled in size and was 20 minutes. I guess I should have waited until later, because 20 minutes in this long, winding, outdoor queue was not pleasant! We finally managed to make it onto the ride, but we were blazing hot by then.
Luckily, this is a cool, and relaxing ride, and one of my favorites. I hadn't seen the updates yet, and I thought the new spiel was good enough. The addition of the interactive computer and the story at the end was a little bit of a pleasant surprise and very cute. I like that the story can be very different based on your answers, like a "choose your own adventure" book.
It was time to head for World Showcase, where we had 12:30 lunch ADRs for Le Cellier. In retrospect, I wish I had scheduled this more than 4 hours after breakfast, since we were not fully hungry yet, but there was no changing it now. We walked over to Canada with a little time to spare, so we were able to explore a bit.
I'll have to leave all of that for next time...