conan617
10-27-2011, 12:41 AM
Let me start off by apologizing for taking longer to get this out than originally planned. I had a trip report put together, but it was short and so many details were left out. Instead I am opting to post my detailed journal and hope you will excuse my weak writing style and the fact that some of the details contained within are very pedestrian to most of the readers on INTERCOT. Anyway, thanks for reading….here we go.
Cast
Me – the nervous Dad and narrator
Kelly – the Mother of my beautiful children
Matthew – age 11
Mara –age 7
Pretrip report link
http://www.intercot.com/discussion/s...d.php?t=184956
9/28/11
Epcot’s official opening time today was 9AM, but since we were out late last night, we slept in. I was up around 8AM and made my way to the Mara to fill our mugs. I checked out a few areas of the resort that I hadn’t really explored and took a few more pictures before heading back. Everyone was starting to stir when I got back to the room. We were straightening up a little and packing up the dirty laundry when we discovered we couldn’t find one of Mara’s pool shoes. She was wearing a pair of pink crocs as pool shoes and one of them had disappeared. Our best guess is that it was accidently taken with the sheets by mousekeeping since she had worn both of them back to the room the other night. No worries though, Mara was thrilled to get the official Disney crocs from the Marketplace. I stopped at the front desk and filled out a lost and found slip, but it never did turn up. The front desk cast members were awesome! You would have thought we had lost $1000 the way they were trying to find it and it was just an old croc. We finally got to Epcot about 10:30. I told Kelly that Soarin’ was one of the most popular rides in Epcot (and probably WDW) so I would run to The Land and get us fastpasses and meet them back in Innoventions. I grabbed four fastpasses and went back to meet up with them.
We played around in Innoventions for awhile. First we made our own video game and then we did the Great Piggy Bank game. Matthew wanted to check out the segue area, but found out that you had to have reservations so he was disappointed. At least we found out where we had our private meet and greet with the charecters later.
We had time before our flight on Soarin’ took off so we went to The Seas. I love the seagulls from Nemo “MINE MINE” and made Matthew pose in front of them before we went in. We rode on the Nemo ride and then had some quality Turtle time with Crush and then watched the dolphins (the experience is different now that we have met and swam with Capricorn), and investigated the rest of the aquarium.
Our flight time was near so we went to The Land and headed for Soarin’. The name badge of cast member at the fastpass check in said she went to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh which is Kelly and my Alma matter. We talked to her briefly and exchanged pleasantries. Boy, it is a small world after all. Soarin’ is simply amazing. I have been on a lot of simulator and 4D rides, but this was beautiful. I hope the smell of the orange groves and the pine forest is available for purchase. Soarin’ was so spectacular that we got off and went straight to the fastpass machine again. I can see why this is such a popular ride. We were on the lowest set of seats so I am hoping to get higher next time. We explored the rest of The Land first taking the Living with the land cruise which was a lot cooler than I thought or remembered it to be. Then we went to the Circle of Life. The kids and Kelly liked it, but I think I fell asleep because I don’t remember much of it. I’ll have to add this to my must do list for next trip. It was now time for our personal meeting with the characters thanks to our Disney Visa card so we headed back to Innoventions.
I guess I thought that the meet and greet would be a quick in and out type event. Boy was I wrong. We had about a 30 minute wait. It wasn’t to terrible of a wait, but I did feel bad for one mother and her daughter who waited about 20 minutes before she found out you had to have the Disney Visa (which she didn’t ) to enter the meet and greet. When it was our turn we went in and got to meet Minnie and Goofy. Kelly and I got in the action this time as part of our benefit was a free picture. We had a great time interacting with the characters. I definitely won’t be shy about meeting all of the characters next trip for sure. After our visit we did the fire prevention game in which our team annihilated the other team. Matthew and I found all the bonuses in each room we were in.
Spaceship earth was a walk on so we boarded and rode. I enjoyed the interactive portion and after the ride, I emailed a special post card with Matthew’s and my picture home. Sadly, for whatever reason, the postcards never made it home. The kids drove the cars and played the energy hockey-like game before we headed over towards test track.
Test track had an hour standby wait and we were getting seriously hungry so I grabbed fastpasses and we went to Mexico for some dinner. Following our feast we rode the Three Cabeleros and then the Maelstrom in Norway. We toured through all the pavilions and I stopped and took some pictures at various points around the lake. The kids didn’t complain (I don’t think I cared much for this part of Epcot when I was their age) and we made our way around the lake. We did experience The American Adventure and the stopped in France for some of the best treats in Epcot. At Boulangerie Patisserie we were going to have a light snack, but thanks to the people ahead of us that had no idea how their dining plan worked, we had more time to examine the goods and each of us picked a treat and we had two extra treats to share. Kelly picked an almond pastry and a cheese cake to share. The kids each chose a chocolate éclair and I choose a crème puff and a chocolate mousse to share. So thank you not-understanding your dining plan couple. We were quite miffed at you and your 10 minutes (literally) in line at first, but now we thank you for exposing us to these delectable treats.
We pretty much walked through the rest of the World showcase. Captain EO was playing again and the kids (and I) wanted to see it so we walked through the UK and Canada and went straight to Imagination! The preshow started shortly after we arrived and then we were in the show. I don’t recall the theater moving and bouncing years ago, but I think I enjoyed this more as a grown up than as an kid. The kids loved the movie and the characters and talked about it considerably afterwards. Journey Into Imagination has changed since I was a kid. I like the old ride better, but the new ride with Eric Idle is OK as well. The kids really enjoyed the hands on features after the ride. They each made a figment and emailed it home. There were only a handful of people in the interactive area so they got to do what they wanted when they wanted to do it.
Storm clouds were starting to roll in. I don’t think it ever rained that night, but the lightning in the clouds was beautiful as a backdrop to Spaceship Earth. Our second flight on Soarin’ was ready so back to The Land we went. The second time was just as spectacular as the first. We were in the lower tier again (Get on a higher tier next time has been added to the must do list) and Kelly had to sit next to some kids that were loud, obnoxious and rude. The bad part is that their parent or guardian did nothing to stop them. I did hear a few times on our vacation from other parents that “their kids don’t normally act this way, but we’re on vacation”. I personally don’t agree that just because you’re on vacation that gives your children the right to be a spoiled brat and/or obnoxious and rude while other people are trying to enjoy a ride or show. My guess is that your kids do act that way at home and you’re just excusing it now that you’re away from home. I didn’t let my kids get away with murder just because we were on vacation. I still expected them to be respectful and civilized while they were having fun and on vacation. I’m off my soapbox now.
Our fastpasses for Test Track were up so we walked across to the attraction. While in line, there was an announcement about inclement weather and possibly stopping the ride. We did have to wait about 20 minutes before we could get into the preshow, I’m thinking because of the weather, but we did get to ride and Wow! That is one cool ride. We all enjoyed the ride (except maybe the heat portion since we were in the heat all day) and even got to chat with a lady that used the single rider line a little before and after. Unfortunately, when we were done at Test Track, Illuminations was just concluding and Ellen’s Energy Adventure had closed. Two more things I will have to add to our next trip list.
Mission Space was the only thing left that we wanted to see. The Extra Magic hours had started and the green team standby wait was nonexistent. I wanted to try the orange team, but the kids were skeptical of all rides now so Green Team it is. Mara was our Commander, Kelly was the Engineer, Matthew was the pilot and I was the Navigater. We were successful in hitting all the right buttons at the right time and were able to complete our mission and had a blast in the process. We joked a little about Kelly putting us to sleep. After our mission to Mars, we perused the gift shops and picked up our picture with Minnie and Goofy before we headed home to AKL. Tomorrow is Hollywood Studios day. Maybe Kelly can put us in hyper sleep as soon as we get back home.
Cast
Me – the nervous Dad and narrator
Kelly – the Mother of my beautiful children
Matthew – age 11
Mara –age 7
Pretrip report link
http://www.intercot.com/discussion/s...d.php?t=184956
9/28/11
Epcot’s official opening time today was 9AM, but since we were out late last night, we slept in. I was up around 8AM and made my way to the Mara to fill our mugs. I checked out a few areas of the resort that I hadn’t really explored and took a few more pictures before heading back. Everyone was starting to stir when I got back to the room. We were straightening up a little and packing up the dirty laundry when we discovered we couldn’t find one of Mara’s pool shoes. She was wearing a pair of pink crocs as pool shoes and one of them had disappeared. Our best guess is that it was accidently taken with the sheets by mousekeeping since she had worn both of them back to the room the other night. No worries though, Mara was thrilled to get the official Disney crocs from the Marketplace. I stopped at the front desk and filled out a lost and found slip, but it never did turn up. The front desk cast members were awesome! You would have thought we had lost $1000 the way they were trying to find it and it was just an old croc. We finally got to Epcot about 10:30. I told Kelly that Soarin’ was one of the most popular rides in Epcot (and probably WDW) so I would run to The Land and get us fastpasses and meet them back in Innoventions. I grabbed four fastpasses and went back to meet up with them.
We played around in Innoventions for awhile. First we made our own video game and then we did the Great Piggy Bank game. Matthew wanted to check out the segue area, but found out that you had to have reservations so he was disappointed. At least we found out where we had our private meet and greet with the charecters later.
We had time before our flight on Soarin’ took off so we went to The Seas. I love the seagulls from Nemo “MINE MINE” and made Matthew pose in front of them before we went in. We rode on the Nemo ride and then had some quality Turtle time with Crush and then watched the dolphins (the experience is different now that we have met and swam with Capricorn), and investigated the rest of the aquarium.
Our flight time was near so we went to The Land and headed for Soarin’. The name badge of cast member at the fastpass check in said she went to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh which is Kelly and my Alma matter. We talked to her briefly and exchanged pleasantries. Boy, it is a small world after all. Soarin’ is simply amazing. I have been on a lot of simulator and 4D rides, but this was beautiful. I hope the smell of the orange groves and the pine forest is available for purchase. Soarin’ was so spectacular that we got off and went straight to the fastpass machine again. I can see why this is such a popular ride. We were on the lowest set of seats so I am hoping to get higher next time. We explored the rest of The Land first taking the Living with the land cruise which was a lot cooler than I thought or remembered it to be. Then we went to the Circle of Life. The kids and Kelly liked it, but I think I fell asleep because I don’t remember much of it. I’ll have to add this to my must do list for next trip. It was now time for our personal meeting with the characters thanks to our Disney Visa card so we headed back to Innoventions.
I guess I thought that the meet and greet would be a quick in and out type event. Boy was I wrong. We had about a 30 minute wait. It wasn’t to terrible of a wait, but I did feel bad for one mother and her daughter who waited about 20 minutes before she found out you had to have the Disney Visa (which she didn’t ) to enter the meet and greet. When it was our turn we went in and got to meet Minnie and Goofy. Kelly and I got in the action this time as part of our benefit was a free picture. We had a great time interacting with the characters. I definitely won’t be shy about meeting all of the characters next trip for sure. After our visit we did the fire prevention game in which our team annihilated the other team. Matthew and I found all the bonuses in each room we were in.
Spaceship earth was a walk on so we boarded and rode. I enjoyed the interactive portion and after the ride, I emailed a special post card with Matthew’s and my picture home. Sadly, for whatever reason, the postcards never made it home. The kids drove the cars and played the energy hockey-like game before we headed over towards test track.
Test track had an hour standby wait and we were getting seriously hungry so I grabbed fastpasses and we went to Mexico for some dinner. Following our feast we rode the Three Cabeleros and then the Maelstrom in Norway. We toured through all the pavilions and I stopped and took some pictures at various points around the lake. The kids didn’t complain (I don’t think I cared much for this part of Epcot when I was their age) and we made our way around the lake. We did experience The American Adventure and the stopped in France for some of the best treats in Epcot. At Boulangerie Patisserie we were going to have a light snack, but thanks to the people ahead of us that had no idea how their dining plan worked, we had more time to examine the goods and each of us picked a treat and we had two extra treats to share. Kelly picked an almond pastry and a cheese cake to share. The kids each chose a chocolate éclair and I choose a crème puff and a chocolate mousse to share. So thank you not-understanding your dining plan couple. We were quite miffed at you and your 10 minutes (literally) in line at first, but now we thank you for exposing us to these delectable treats.
We pretty much walked through the rest of the World showcase. Captain EO was playing again and the kids (and I) wanted to see it so we walked through the UK and Canada and went straight to Imagination! The preshow started shortly after we arrived and then we were in the show. I don’t recall the theater moving and bouncing years ago, but I think I enjoyed this more as a grown up than as an kid. The kids loved the movie and the characters and talked about it considerably afterwards. Journey Into Imagination has changed since I was a kid. I like the old ride better, but the new ride with Eric Idle is OK as well. The kids really enjoyed the hands on features after the ride. They each made a figment and emailed it home. There were only a handful of people in the interactive area so they got to do what they wanted when they wanted to do it.
Storm clouds were starting to roll in. I don’t think it ever rained that night, but the lightning in the clouds was beautiful as a backdrop to Spaceship Earth. Our second flight on Soarin’ was ready so back to The Land we went. The second time was just as spectacular as the first. We were in the lower tier again (Get on a higher tier next time has been added to the must do list) and Kelly had to sit next to some kids that were loud, obnoxious and rude. The bad part is that their parent or guardian did nothing to stop them. I did hear a few times on our vacation from other parents that “their kids don’t normally act this way, but we’re on vacation”. I personally don’t agree that just because you’re on vacation that gives your children the right to be a spoiled brat and/or obnoxious and rude while other people are trying to enjoy a ride or show. My guess is that your kids do act that way at home and you’re just excusing it now that you’re away from home. I didn’t let my kids get away with murder just because we were on vacation. I still expected them to be respectful and civilized while they were having fun and on vacation. I’m off my soapbox now.
Our fastpasses for Test Track were up so we walked across to the attraction. While in line, there was an announcement about inclement weather and possibly stopping the ride. We did have to wait about 20 minutes before we could get into the preshow, I’m thinking because of the weather, but we did get to ride and Wow! That is one cool ride. We all enjoyed the ride (except maybe the heat portion since we were in the heat all day) and even got to chat with a lady that used the single rider line a little before and after. Unfortunately, when we were done at Test Track, Illuminations was just concluding and Ellen’s Energy Adventure had closed. Two more things I will have to add to our next trip list.
Mission Space was the only thing left that we wanted to see. The Extra Magic hours had started and the green team standby wait was nonexistent. I wanted to try the orange team, but the kids were skeptical of all rides now so Green Team it is. Mara was our Commander, Kelly was the Engineer, Matthew was the pilot and I was the Navigater. We were successful in hitting all the right buttons at the right time and were able to complete our mission and had a blast in the process. We joked a little about Kelly putting us to sleep. After our mission to Mars, we perused the gift shops and picked up our picture with Minnie and Goofy before we headed home to AKL. Tomorrow is Hollywood Studios day. Maybe Kelly can put us in hyper sleep as soon as we get back home.