We'd Better Visit the Mouse! Day 4 - 25th Sept 2015 - Epcot

kaytronika · 31 Oct 15, 08:38 PM

Health Level 80%

Today's Vlogs:
Part 1

Part 2 to follow

Despite some early concerns, we both felt much better as we approached the park entrance. Now Epcot felt like a Disney park! That huge globe has been a landmark of so many trip vlogs that we'd watched over the previous two years. It felt great to finally see it in person.

The park was busy, typically we'd accidentally booked in our only visit to coincide with the preview day for the Food & Wine festival! Never mind, we'd still make the most of it, we hoped.

The Starbucks fruit cooler drink was a hit with me the previous day, a definite plus 10% on the health level scale. So Gemma coupled it with a Mickey cupcake for me to give me a nice 20% health bonus and bring me back to fighting fit levels.

Health Level 100%!

Our first fast pass of the day was Test Track. We were eager to ride this one and create our own silly car.

We didn't do too bad. Our car was the highest rating in our test and we were maybe 14 points short of the record for that day so far. Efficiency let us down but with gas selling at less than $2 a gallon I can live with that!

After the ride we checked out the Chevy cars and I decided on a nice big pickup truck while Gemma's dad settled for a full-size SUV. We all posed for photos with the Camaro and a photo with our fantastic new creation. The quality of those photos being so iffy that we never actually downloaded them.

Next up, spaceship earth. We had a fast pass but I don't recall the queues being all that long for the ride. We enjoyed it and had fun creating our own futures.

We had to try Club Cool and the air conditioning was very welcoming as the heat of the day was starting to pick up. Gemma had been talking up how nice Beverly was to her dad all morning. He tried it and, yeah, he wasn't impressed. We gave it a go and hang on a minute, this isn't terrible. It's an aperatif really, it says so on the label. So I doubt you'd ever drink a litre of it. Just a small sip. I actually found some of the other drinks far more offensive. Too much sugar for me!

We decided to head towards Nemo but were sidetracked by a Chip & Dale meet. We had big hugs and posed for a photo before continuing over to Nemo. I really loved the Seagulls! Although I recall the first time I watched the film I couldn't figure out why they were shouting Mike!

The ride was fun, we liked the way the scenes were played out in actual aquariums with fish just mooching about minding their own business in the background.

We also really enjoyed the aquariums after the ride. It was there that we spotted our first hidden Mickey! Although it wasn't all that hidden if we're honest.

Over this side of the park we also took the chance to check out Journey into Imagination with Figment which had us chuckling.

Before we had a chance to head to World Showcase the heavens opened and provided us with some liquid sunshine, but fortunately it didn't last too long.

For some reason we decided to take a boat at the World Showcase which meant we immediately missed about three countries. We found ourselves in Morocco and hungry. Yes the food & wine festival was up and running, but we decided to just eat in the regular quickserve place. The food was pleasant with Gemma and I sharing a chicken and lamb dish. My plan was to hit a few of the food and wine stalls later in the day.

From here we headed clockwise checking out each of the pavilions and associated shops. We stopped at the Japan shop to pick up some snacks for Gemma's brother Matt. I also bought a huge packet of rib flavoured snacks and a bottle of pop. I'd save those for later in the holiday!

The food and wine stalls were pretty crowded with what seemed like long queues, I really wanted to try one and eventually caved at Australia and grabbed a couple of the lamb chops for me and Gemma. The whole thing was actually really well organised and despite the seemingly long queue I was served relatively quickly.

The food was lovely, a small portion though!

Gemma and I decided to meet Duffy as his meet and greet was due to come to an end just a few days later. It was a fun experience so we're pleased we did it.

While we queued it was becoming evident that the weather was making a comeback. The sky was definitely looking a little grim!

Our last fastpass of the day was to meet Mickey, Minnie & Goofy at the character spot. We still had a good two hours or so to kill before that was due but we were running out of steam a bit. We spent a little time browsing shops, rested by the park fountains and watched as the rain suddenly came down.

While we were on holiday it was our niece's 8th birthday, she wasn't too happy that we'd once again be missing her special day! Gemma decided on a plan of action. She would get many of the characters at the meet and greets to sign a card. We'd then give this card to our niece on our return to the UK. Mickey, Minnie & Goofy were some of the first to sign, we'd managed to meet Daisy in her safari gear the day before too although I forgot to mention it in the report!

Card filled in, we were good to go. We had a date with Illuminations! Slight problem being we had no idea where to stand. We ended up by the shop behind the fastpass area at the front of the World Showcase which, as luck would have it, wasn't too bad to see the show! The weather was still a little changeable but largely dry. I decided to head off for a wander (I do that sometimes) and stumbled across a stall selling Dole Whip. I returned with some for us all to try. Yep, that was a hit!

The Illumination show kicked in on time and was spectacular. Our first Walt Disney World fireworks! Definitely worth the wait.

With those over we decided to head to the park exit. A lot of people were still entering to try some of the Food & Wine stalls but we made good time back to the car.

So what did we think of Epcot? Well we had one day in the plan and we all agreed we needed to go back. So it was time to have a good look at our itinerary and move a few things around. Yeah, Epcot was great!

Some photos from today:

Trip Index

kaytronika · 5 Nov 15, 12:21 PM

Part 2 of the vlog.

collybird · 19 Nov 15, 03:38 PM

Bye Duffy! I'll miss you.

Epcot needs at least three days I think. We did a day this year just World Showcase but we still didn't make it around the whole of the lagoon in one go!

kaytronika · 20 Nov 15, 03:24 PM

Originally Posted by collybird

Bye Duffy! I'll miss you.

Epcot needs at least three days I think. We did a day this year just World Showcase but we still didn't make it around the whole of the lagoon in one go!

I think we'd be inclined to agree in retrospect.
Fortunately we did move things around and got to go back but I'd still like to have headed over to the Boardwalk too.
Plus maybe had one or two drinkies...

31 Oct 15, 08:38 PM	#1
	31 Oct 15, 08:38 PM kaytronika slightly serious Dibber
kaytronika slightly serious Dibber Join Date: Mar 14 Location: Liverpool	We'd Better Visit the Mouse! Day 4 - 25th Sept 2015 - Epcot Trip Index Health Level 80% Today's Vlogs: Part 1 Part 2 to follow Despite some early concerns, we both felt much better as we approached the park entrance. Now Epcot felt like a Disney park! That huge globe has been a landmark of so many trip vlogs that we'd watched over the previous two years. It felt great to finally see it in person. The park was busy, typically we'd accidentally booked in our only visit to coincide with the preview day for the Food & Wine festival! Never mind, we'd still make the most of it, we hoped. The Starbucks fruit cooler drink was a hit with me the previous day, a definite plus 10% on the health level scale. So Gemma coupled it with a Mickey cupcake for me to give me a nice 20% health bonus and bring me back to fighting fit levels. Health Level 100%! Our first fast pass of the day was Test Track. We were eager to ride this one and create our own silly car. We didn't do too bad. Our car was the highest rating in our test and we were maybe 14 points short of the record for that day so far. Efficiency let us down but with gas selling at less than $2 a gallon I can live with that! After the ride we checked out the Chevy cars and I decided on a nice big pickup truck while Gemma's dad settled for a full-size SUV. We all posed for photos with the Camaro and a photo with our fantastic new creation. The quality of those photos being so iffy that we never actually downloaded them. Next up, spaceship earth. We had a fast pass but I don't recall the queues being all that long for the ride. We enjoyed it and had fun creating our own futures. We had to try Club Cool and the air conditioning was very welcoming as the heat of the day was starting to pick up. Gemma had been talking up how nice Beverly was to her dad all morning. He tried it and, yeah, he wasn't impressed. We gave it a go and hang on a minute, this isn't terrible. It's an aperatif really, it says so on the label. So I doubt you'd ever drink a litre of it. Just a small sip. I actually found some of the other drinks far more offensive. Too much sugar for me! We decided to head towards Nemo but were sidetracked by a Chip & Dale meet. We had big hugs and posed for a photo before continuing over to Nemo. I really loved the Seagulls! Although I recall the first time I watched the film I couldn't figure out why they were shouting Mike! The ride was fun, we liked the way the scenes were played out in actual aquariums with fish just mooching about minding their own business in the background. We also really enjoyed the aquariums after the ride. It was there that we spotted our first hidden Mickey! Although it wasn't all that hidden if we're honest. Over this side of the park we also took the chance to check out Journey into Imagination with Figment which had us chuckling. Before we had a chance to head to World Showcase the heavens opened and provided us with some liquid sunshine, but fortunately it didn't last too long. For some reason we decided to take a boat at the World Showcase which meant we immediately missed about three countries. We found ourselves in Morocco and hungry. Yes the food & wine festival was up and running, but we decided to just eat in the regular quickserve place. The food was pleasant with Gemma and I sharing a chicken and lamb dish. My plan was to hit a few of the food and wine stalls later in the day. From here we headed clockwise checking out each of the pavilions and associated shops. We stopped at the Japan shop to pick up some snacks for Gemma's brother Matt. I also bought a huge packet of rib flavoured snacks and a bottle of pop. I'd save those for later in the holiday! The food and wine stalls were pretty crowded with what seemed like long queues, I really wanted to try one and eventually caved at Australia and grabbed a couple of the lamb chops for me and Gemma. The whole thing was actually really well organised and despite the seemingly long queue I was served relatively quickly. The food was lovely, a small portion though! Gemma and I decided to meet Duffy as his meet and greet was due to come to an end just a few days later. It was a fun experience so we're pleased we did it. While we queued it was becoming evident that the weather was making a comeback. The sky was definitely looking a little grim! Our last fastpass of the day was to meet Mickey, Minnie & Goofy at the character spot. We still had a good two hours or so to kill before that was due but we were running out of steam a bit. We spent a little time browsing shops, rested by the park fountains and watched as the rain suddenly came down. While we were on holiday it was our niece's 8th birthday, she wasn't too happy that we'd once again be missing her special day! Gemma decided on a plan of action. She would get many of the characters at the meet and greets to sign a card. We'd then give this card to our niece on our return to the UK. Mickey, Minnie & Goofy were some of the first to sign, we'd managed to meet Daisy in her safari gear the day before too although I forgot to mention it in the report! Card filled in, we were good to go. We had a date with Illuminations! Slight problem being we had no idea where to stand. We ended up by the shop behind the fastpass area at the front of the World Showcase which, as luck would have it, wasn't too bad to see the show! The weather was still a little changeable but largely dry. I decided to head off for a wander (I do that sometimes) and stumbled across a stall selling Dole Whip. I returned with some for us all to try. Yep, that was a hit! The Illumination show kicked in on time and was spectacular. Our first Walt Disney World fireworks! Definitely worth the wait. With those over we decided to head to the park exit. A lot of people were still entering to try some of the Food & Wine stalls but we made good time back to the car. So what did we think of Epcot? Well we had one day in the plan and we all agreed we needed to go back. So it was time to have a good look at our itinerary and move a few things around. Yeah, Epcot was great! Some photos from today: Trip Index Edited at 09:52 AM.

5 Nov 15, 12:21 PM	#2
	5 Nov 15, 12:21 PM kaytronika slightly serious Dibber Thread Starter
kaytronika Thread Starter slightly serious Dibber Join Date: Mar 14 Location: Liverpool	Part 2 of the vlog.