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Old 10 Nov 19, 12:16 PM  
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tracey1302
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Hotel Reviews: 1
Disney with the Dufflers - Take 2 - Jul 2019 - Day 7 - Epcot and Tutto Italia

Pre-Trip Report

Day 0 - Monday 1st July 2019 - Overnight at the Radisson Blu, Manchester Airport

Day 1 - Tuesday 2nd July 2019 - Travel day and arrival at Sapphire Falls

Day 2 - Wednesday 3rd July 2019 - Universal Studios and Hard Rock Cafe

Day 3 - Thursday 4th July 2019 - Islands of Adventure, Bahama Breeze and Bar 17 @ Aventura

Day 4 - Friday 5th July 2019 - Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure and our move to CSR

Day 5 - Saturday 6th July 2019 - Magic Kingdom and 'Ohana

Day 6 - Sunday 7th July 2019 - Pool day, Disney Springs and The Boathouse

Day 7 - Monday 8th July 2019 - Epcot, Tutto Italia and Illuminations

Neil and I woke up this day, unsurprisingly, a little bit delicate from our Disney Springs session the day before However, we had zero regrets and we knew that that night would definitely take some beating! That's not to mention that our livers were just going to have to take a battering that day... Epcot days for us are always pretty booze heavy!

We arrived at Epcot to very heavy crowds going through security. This was a problem for every visit to Epcot and I did flag it with guest services, and through Twitter. Apparently, it's just while they renovate the entranceway area, which is fair enough but it genuinely took us half an hour to get through bag check as there was no real organisation and there were only three people checking bags, for hundreds of people! Not a great start!



We were then faced with more queues to get to the turnstiles.



However, our crowd experience was soon forgotten as we headed over to the amazing Soarin' Around The World, and requested a row on the top middle again



Soarin' is such a wonderful experience. The sounds, the smells, the atmosphere. It's just so terrific. I love the music as well. I was really chuffed to have secured Fastpasses to this ride, as it was looking absolutely packed when we left.



After this, always a bit short of what to spend my Fastpasses on at Epcot, I had booked us in on Spaceship Earth... or as Neil and I like to call it, a white man's journey through history.



While Spaceship Earth, for me, is still a little 'meh', I was absolutely crying with laughter at these absolute gems generated by the ride.







Following this, we headed over to Test Track. OB and I, as massive Guardians of the Galaxy fans (take note of my T-shirt in a later picture), were very excited to see how HUGE the site is for the new ride.



All of us except for Neil and Debsy (who were feeling a bit off), went on single rider for Test Track. I took this sneaky picture of myself in the queue.



Test Track was great and so much better than I remembered. I was on my own with a Mexican family and chuckled to myself as they were massively competitive over which design of theirs was best at the end of each round. I particularly loved the fast track section, it was just fantastic

We met Neil and Debsy in the showroom just after the ride, where Neil was eying up our next car...



Following this, we headed over to Mission Space, again, no pictures, but I swear we did it!



After this, it was time for dinner, and we hit the Electric Umbrella. Neil and I attacked our hangovers in the best way possible: chicken strips, fries and burgers.



After this, we headed for the World Showcase. I was thrilled, as always, to see that some of the structures from the Flower and Garden Festival were still up – amazing!



We also managed to get a few Photopass pictures.





Mum had nipped to the loo while this one was taken of Martin and OB and was furious when she realised that she'd missed out on the photo opp!

When heading for Mexico, we were sort of following the Dufflers, and found that they actually wandered straight past! No matter, it was nearly time for beers in Germany!



That said, the heat at this point was absolutely excruciating, and all the shaded tables around Germany were taken. We found a few tables out by the lake, which was actually a really lovely spot!





After Germany, we went through to Italy for some shade and a bit of a rest for an hour or so. Some of the clan did a bit of shopping, I believe me and Neil just pottered through the rest of the showcase. We met a little later on in France for some champagne.

Champagne in France is one of my favourite things about Epcot. It really marks our arrival and I just love that quiet little courtyard with the little tables (which always seem to be free). We got a table with some shade, and I got us some champagne.





Mark and Debsy weren't with us at this point, they joined us a little later, although Debsy made a little tactical error in her champagne ordering, in thinking that the rose champagne would be the same price as the normal champagne. It wasn't. Uncle Mark was a little pale when they rang through the bill at the till. Whoops!

Moving on from France into the UK, I excitedly spied the Skyliner and all of the works they are doing round the back of France. It is a bit of a mess, but it did make me very excited for future visits to Epcot!



After our beers and champagne, we were all a little tipsy, and so headed into the Rose and Crown. I immediately ordered my UK summer favourite: Pimms!



The music in here was absolutely brilliant and we had a right ol' sing song. It was brilliant. 'Hey Jude' and 'Rocketman' were definite favourites here! Bringing this in here because unfortunately, I haven't made any more notes on our Florida trip, so I'm just going to go by photos and I definitely didn't take any photos... on one of our final nights in Florida, Uncle Mark decided to get the whole bus singing on the way back to Coronado Springs. Billy Joel, Elton John, and some Disney tunes of course! Neil was dying with embarrassment but the whole bus loved it – sorry in advance if anyone reading this was on this bus. Yes, that was us! Haha! Loads of people thanked my Uncle Mark when they left the bus, saying it was the most fun they'd had on a Disney bus.

Absolute banter.

Anyway, the hour or so that we spent in the Rose and Crown was some of the most fun we had on holiday. The atmosphere in here was just brilliant, and we had an absolute blast. We were all tipsy, but it was a good tipsy





Looking good, Mutti!

After our time in the Rose and Crown, it was time for us to head back to Italy for our dining reservation at Tutto Italia. Perfect timing, as it had started to spit. The last time we had been to Epcot's Italy to eat, we had gone to Via Napoli. It was okay, but I longed to return to the original restaurant, or, as I still call it, Alfredo's. I love the tradition of this restaurant, and I love the memories of meals from trips gone by that we've had in here.

We split a four and a five again.

Me, Neil, Mum, Martin and OB demolished the antipasto that Neil and I ordered as a starter for us all to share. The beers and Pimms had definitely made us hungry!

We had a fantastic meal here. It was genuinely superb. Mum raved about her steak... quite a claim when on the DDP, the steaks are all fantastic.



Neil had the Tagliatelle Campagnole with spinach and pesto which he said was nice but after tasting everyone else's dinner, said he'd ordered the wrong thing haha!



I had the stunning Shrimp Risotto. It was absolutely gorgeous.



Martin had the Lobster Ravioli which was possibly the favourite dish of the table, behind bites of Mum's mouthwatering steak.



I think OB must have had the steak as well because I don't have a separate picture of his meal. Ha!

I seem to remember that we had a bit of a wait in ordering our desserts, which was a shame because the service for the rest of the meal had been terrific. The desserts, when they arrived, were absolutely gorgeous.





I wouldn't hesitate to return to Tutto Italia for dinner, and would choose it in a heartbeat over Via Napoli. It's an absolute steal for 1 table service credit – my Mum's steak rivalled those we've had in Signature restaurants and the pasta the rest of us had was absolutely sensational.

After dinner, I believe that the Dufflers headed back to Coronado for a bit of a rest. Mark and Debsy got these lovely photos on the way there, or on the way back into Epcot – not sure which!





But me and OB had spied a live show that we desperately wanted to see.



This show was absolutely brilliant. Cheesy as... but then again, all of the Guardians music is really cheesy. But it was such a lift just as Epcot was starting to get dark before Illuminations. OB and I love the Guardians, it's a definite favourite MCU film, so this was a really special memory for us.





After Guardians, we headed back round towards the entranceway to the World Showcase (Canada side), and found a place just beyond Canada to watch Illuminations. I got really emotional watching this show, and shed a few tears knowing that this was the last time I would ever see it. I have some fantastic memories of watching this... from when we used to go as kids, watching it on NYE when we'd gone with my Dad in 2004, watching it when we'd gone with our family friends, and over the years with Mum, Martin and OB, and when we'd gone on honeymoon. It's just a beautiful show, with such a powerful message. I hope, that whatever replaces it, is worthy of Epcot and its vision.



After Illuminations, it was time to return to CSR for a well earned sleep. However, our trip back was slightly tainted by the fact that an absolutely massive tour group was on our bus so the bus was... a little crowded, let's say! That said, it had been a day filled with love, laughter and music, and we were only just halfway through the holiday! We always make some incredible memories at Epcot!

Day 8 - Typhoon Lagoon, the Dahlia Lounge and Disney Springs is here.

Edited at 01:42 PM.
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