SandmanGStefani24
04-24-2008, 11:00 PM
I woke up Tuesday after a night of light sleep and picked myself up enough to get to Epcot around 10am. This time I got much closer to the parks, Journey 9 which was close enough to walk to the entrance but lucky for me, the tram was waiting and had plenty of empty seats. I walked in, and rushed over to Soarin to get my Slowpass, and saw that I had about 6 hours to kill, so I went over to see what Test Track looked like. Luckily the Single Rider line came to my rescue and the wait was listed at only 20 minutes. (and actually was too) I have to say, I drive faster than 65 mph every day, and have seen triple digits on more than one occaision, but Test Track's banked turn at full speed sure feels faster than my daily commute! I loved it, and picked up the little hot-wheels version of the ride car as a momento. After that I strutted over to the WS, but what I didn't know was that the shops and eateries didn't open until the afternoon. I appeased my hunger with a coke from the coffee stand by the UK. (what i couldn't believe was the people in front of me ordering hot coffee in the heat of the day! no thank you!) I stopped at each of the countries to pass time until things started opening up. I made a point to ride Malestrom and then went for one of my old faves, El Rio del Tiempo, or the new ride as whatever it's called. Disappointing, I have to say. I loved the historical value and relaxing nature of the ride before, dispite the in my opinion, bad P.C. nature of the merchants hawking their wares. Now it seems like a kiddie ride and not like something I want to ride again. Bummer, it was one of my faves. Nonetheless the break from the sun was much needed and a dark ride is always fun to check out. I felt hunger returning, so I grabbed some fish and chips from the table service area in the UK, and it was delicious! I know it's simple, and we have fried fish on this side of the pond, but it was still very good. Juiced up, I made it back across the way to the Universe of Energy, and I always enjoy this one. The audio is spectacular, and blasts you out of your seat! The huge screens are breathtaking, and I always manage to get spit at by the diplodocus. :D Still, I'm not sure why parents drag the younger ones on here. It never fails that two or three of them start crying at the big bang and don't stop for 15 minutes or so. At least it's loud enough that you can't hear it if your a few rows down...
By now, the line at my favorite attraction, Spaceship Earth, has died down and I can now get on in less than 5 minutes. I hop aboard and am greeted with new cars and a new screen asking me questions. Intrigued, I check it out, but am pleasantly suprised to see that the ride is pretty much just as it was the last time I rode it, until we get to the 70s scene with the computers. I was disappointed to see that the scene with the kids chatting online and the trailing/blurred light lines at the end were gone, as was the ending speech. I did get a kick out of the new ending, but it wasn't the same. Still, it's hard to knock such a great ride. After some more shopping, it was time for Soarin. My wait was approximately 1 hour with my Slowpass, and I passed the time impatiently since there is no decor to look at, and nothing more than a narrow hallway prime for getting kicked in the legs by the kids behind you. I hopped on, and was a little gunshy when I saw how little there was to hold you in your seat compared to how high you were off the ground. I kept pushing myself back into my seat thinking I was going to drop out any second, but it was excellent! I even ducked when the golf ball flew at us. It was outstanding. The wait was a killer, but I was glad to have ridden it.
I love Japanese culture, so obviously I spent the bulk of my time there, but I shopped in each of the shops and talked to several of the CMs. They just seem so much more intersting than me, I could listen to them all day. I needed a sushi fix, so I stopped by Tokyo Dining and was quickly seated. The service was excellent! I was able to greet, chit-chat, and order all in Japanese, as I'm learning it right now. I ate a sushi sampler, a nice clear soup, and a Kirin all for under $20. I even got a picture with the cute sushi chefs too! :cool:
I made a few more stops to get some gifts for friends/family, and before I left, I decided to ride SE one more time, but this time I picked Japanese as the language just for fun. I had little to no idea what was being said, but it was still cool to hear it in another language. I'd have tried more if the line wasn't as long and I had more time. I picked up my purchases at the gift shop and made my way out after taking that "last look" that I always take right before leaving for the last time. It always tugs at my heart to leave it behind, but I missed my bed at home, the Mrs, and at the rate I was going, I needed a vacation from my vacation! Just because you CAN do each park in a day, doesn't necessarily mean you should! :thumbsup:
I set my alarm that night, and got to sleep quickly. (epcot has a way of doing that to ya!) I packed my items carefully in my bag the next morning, and got going early to get to the airport in enough time to return the vette and pass the long lines at MCO. I had an hour and a half before the flight, so I grabbed a soda and sat in an empty corner near a window and reflected on my trip. WDW was the same, but different as well. It has evolved, keeping the tradition alive, but remaining relavent to today's times. I don't like change, especially when it involves my favorite attractions, but everything changes over time. So goes life, and WDW is no different. I still felt the detachment from reality and have not smiled so much in a long time. And that's when it hit me. That's what keeps me comming back, and others comming back as well. Where else can you go where you can literally leave the outside world behind? Where else can the surly clients, the board meetings, the quotas, the bad news, the problems all disappear leaving you 10,20,30+ years younger again? It's just you, a ride, a snack, a parade, a firework display, whatever it may be. You can be happy, and forget about the troubles and the negatives of everyday life. And for that all too brief moment....
Nothing else matters....
By now, the line at my favorite attraction, Spaceship Earth, has died down and I can now get on in less than 5 minutes. I hop aboard and am greeted with new cars and a new screen asking me questions. Intrigued, I check it out, but am pleasantly suprised to see that the ride is pretty much just as it was the last time I rode it, until we get to the 70s scene with the computers. I was disappointed to see that the scene with the kids chatting online and the trailing/blurred light lines at the end were gone, as was the ending speech. I did get a kick out of the new ending, but it wasn't the same. Still, it's hard to knock such a great ride. After some more shopping, it was time for Soarin. My wait was approximately 1 hour with my Slowpass, and I passed the time impatiently since there is no decor to look at, and nothing more than a narrow hallway prime for getting kicked in the legs by the kids behind you. I hopped on, and was a little gunshy when I saw how little there was to hold you in your seat compared to how high you were off the ground. I kept pushing myself back into my seat thinking I was going to drop out any second, but it was excellent! I even ducked when the golf ball flew at us. It was outstanding. The wait was a killer, but I was glad to have ridden it.
I love Japanese culture, so obviously I spent the bulk of my time there, but I shopped in each of the shops and talked to several of the CMs. They just seem so much more intersting than me, I could listen to them all day. I needed a sushi fix, so I stopped by Tokyo Dining and was quickly seated. The service was excellent! I was able to greet, chit-chat, and order all in Japanese, as I'm learning it right now. I ate a sushi sampler, a nice clear soup, and a Kirin all for under $20. I even got a picture with the cute sushi chefs too! :cool:
I made a few more stops to get some gifts for friends/family, and before I left, I decided to ride SE one more time, but this time I picked Japanese as the language just for fun. I had little to no idea what was being said, but it was still cool to hear it in another language. I'd have tried more if the line wasn't as long and I had more time. I picked up my purchases at the gift shop and made my way out after taking that "last look" that I always take right before leaving for the last time. It always tugs at my heart to leave it behind, but I missed my bed at home, the Mrs, and at the rate I was going, I needed a vacation from my vacation! Just because you CAN do each park in a day, doesn't necessarily mean you should! :thumbsup:
I set my alarm that night, and got to sleep quickly. (epcot has a way of doing that to ya!) I packed my items carefully in my bag the next morning, and got going early to get to the airport in enough time to return the vette and pass the long lines at MCO. I had an hour and a half before the flight, so I grabbed a soda and sat in an empty corner near a window and reflected on my trip. WDW was the same, but different as well. It has evolved, keeping the tradition alive, but remaining relavent to today's times. I don't like change, especially when it involves my favorite attractions, but everything changes over time. So goes life, and WDW is no different. I still felt the detachment from reality and have not smiled so much in a long time. And that's when it hit me. That's what keeps me comming back, and others comming back as well. Where else can you go where you can literally leave the outside world behind? Where else can the surly clients, the board meetings, the quotas, the bad news, the problems all disappear leaving you 10,20,30+ years younger again? It's just you, a ride, a snack, a parade, a firework display, whatever it may be. You can be happy, and forget about the troubles and the negatives of everyday life. And for that all too brief moment....
Nothing else matters....