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Old 9 Jun 19, 04:24 PM  
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gjdjud
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Hey mickey you're so fine,you're so fine you blow my..money. May 2019 day 4 epcot,garden grill,t edo

HEY MICKEY YOU'RE SO FINE,YOU'RE SO FINE YOU BLOW MY..MONEY. MAY 2019 DAY 4 EPCOT,GARDEN GRILL,TEPPEN EDO

INDEX

Slighty better sleep last night so woke up feeling pretty refreshed. It was still early but not as bad as on previous days. It gave me a chance to make some notes for these trip reports and continue with the food report which I had started already. I was also able to shower and wash before the hell of 3 ladies competing to use the facilities.

Thankfully there was no issues with Evie this morning regarding the clothes and it was a much more harmonious atmosphere in the room. I was glad but I bet the room next door were happier!

So today was Epcot. If I'm being brutally honest then its probably my least favourite day in Disney. Epcot just fails to excite me. There are some good things like Test Track but I normally find it a struggle to think what to do. Fastpasses after you make your initial 3 are awful. If I had my way we'd do Future World and World Showcase all in one day so we could free up time for the other parks. It can be done but I know from experience its much better to divide it over 2 days. Today would be Future World with a little bit of World Showcase as we had dinner adr at Teppen Edo. There definitley would be a pool break in between though.

En route to the car we stopped at the food court and filled up our refillable mugs with ice and a little water so we'd have nice cold water to drink after our day at Epcot. This was the worlds worst idea as no sooner as I turned the first corner they tipped up and spilt.

We left POFQ around 7.15am and were at Epcot in no time at all. I forgot how close it was so we were stupidly early. I got great delight from the CM at the car park entrance calling me "Mr George" when she scanned my Magic Band. Its small things that no one else finds funny that amuse me.

We parked in the best spot in the house. While walking from the car you could see how big the new Guardians Of The Galaxy ride building is going to be.



There was a few people waiting already when we got there but the bag check area was closed. It was manned but not letting people through. The park wasn't open until 9am but we had an 8am breakfast adr at The Garden Grill. After a few minutes the bag check opened up, once through we then had to go to a separate line for breakfast reservations. I was surprised to see some people just going to the Magic Band readers just to wait to get in at 9am. There doesn't seem to me to be worth anything at Epcot to justify getting there so early.

Once inside I made sure we stopped for a few photos for Kelly as it was quiet having learned my lesson from yesterday



We then began the 5 minute or so walk towards The Land where The Garden Grill is located. It was very quiet as we walked and very different from The Magic Kingdom where the days of a quiet Main Street have regreatably long gone.





Once checked in we were shown to our table straight away and were slightly disappointed to be shown to an inside table rather than an outside booth. If your unaware of this restaurant then it revolves very slowly around.

Our server was with us straight away and took our drink orders and explained about the meal. It’s family style all you care to eat very similar to Ohana from a couple of days ago. We were also told which characters we’d be seeing. Chip and Dale, Pluto and Mickey.

The drinks were served in cool mason jars. Coke for me, Orange for Kelly, Milk for Lily and apple juice for Evie.









We then had brought to us some fruit and Chips Sticky Bun cake which is a warm cinnamon bun with vanilla icing. This bun is a m a z i n g!





Soon the skillet was brought out which contained sausage, bacon, Mickey waffles, scrambled eggs and potato barrels. It was really good. There was also chocolate sauce, maple syrup and salsa.







We requested extra Mickey waffles. Well Kelly did

As we were the first adr of the day the characters came out really quickly and as usual the girls posed for photos but didn’t say much





It was a really good breakfast. My only issue was we probably did it too soon after the similar breakfast at Ohana. Having said that if I had to choose between them then it would have been Garden Grill.

So plans were Soarin next. I had chosen Test Track as our Tier 1 fastpass knowing full well we should be able to ride Soarin straight after breakfast with a minimal queue, especially as they are located in the same building We got to the entrance about 8.45am expecting to wait 15 minutes or so before the ride opened. To our surprise we were let through after a couple of minutes. We began the long walk to the ride entrance completely alone. It was quite odd!


Evie rushing ahead!

A CM guided us into a row, I asked if we could sit at the top so we didn't have feet dangling above us. She rather curtley said we were already in that row. Sorry! The doors then opened up and we went into the ride.



Brilliantly no one else was on the ride so we had it to ourselves. It was a really good experience. I think we all enjoyed the ride far more than we had done before. I still ask the question though. Soarin. Is it all that?

Once we came of the ride it was a bit of a battle to get past all the crowds of the now open park trying to get in to Soarin. It was similar to The Walking Dead hoard from yesterday at Toy Story Land. I think the Soarin hoard was a little less organised and a little more intimidating though.

So just like Ini Komoze we did the Hotstepper to ride The Seas with Nemo and Friends. It had been quite a few years since we had done this and although we enjoyed it, it does seem a little dated.



Once off the girls managed to get their photos in the sharks mouth. This is probably the first time they've done it without some rude, snotty nosed american kid pushing their way infront when I was trying to take a photo.



We still had a little while before our Test Track Fastpass window opened so we popped into see Baymax who was only showing a 15 minute wait. Evie was fuming about this and didn't want to wait and caused a bit of a fuss. Of course when it was time to meet him she was In Like Flint and gladly took her picture with Baymax. She's an odd girl.



So we now headed into Test track using our Fastpass. We all really enjoy this ride. The fastpass queue lead us pretty much into the room where you design the car. Me and Evie were teamed up and we made a half hearted effort to make a design as we were just keen to get on the ride. This was a little different to Kelly and Lily next to us. Talk about competitive! We looked over at them once and got an ear bashing from Lily. anyone would have thought they were designing the new Ferrari! Needless to say me and Evie's car won! Lily was fuming! She is such a bad loser like her mother! We all enjoyed the ride though.


Someone ruining or ride photo!

We then got a DAS to ride Test Track again later before heading to Mission Space situated close by.



We timed this pretty well and didn't have to wait too long before our Fastpass window opened. Evie was being a little off about going on this but she did come on. When we last went in 2017 it was the old version of this ride so I was looking forward to seeing the updated version. I was disappointed though that they had replaced Gary Sinise though as the person in charge. The rest of the family ate too wimp like to try the Orange version so we went tame with the Green version. We were assigned our roles which of course led to arguments with the girls.



We probably switched roles several times before the ride started. After doing the ride I felt it was good but me personally I think the older version was better.



Once off the ride we headed out but the girls were non stop bickering over the smallest thing. This one kicked off over who got to drink the water first from the bottles I was carrying in the bag. We decided a dose of Beverley would keep them quiet so after a restroom break we headed over to Club Cool. It was pretty busy inside but we had a fun 10 minutes trying the different drinks. The girls are now savvy to the Beverley trick so that unfortunately didn't work. I feel its my duty each time to have it so I did. Disgusting as always. I believe the family consensus that the best of a bad bunch was Fanta Melon Frosty from Thailand.

Next we headed into MouseGear to have a look in there. Kelly and Lily were suffering from withdrawal symptoms after not having been in a shop for a few hours. This was a good 30 minutes in there. The girls bought some charms for their bracelets and Kelly bought some jewellery. I even bought myself a t-shirt. I was being a spendthrift this holiday.

Unfortunately the skys looked very dark outside and it looked pretty ominous weather wise. We headed over towards Spaceship Earth for our next fastpass window as soon as it opened. The fastpass queue was absolutely massive for some reason so as we had an hour to use it we decided to go and get a drink and a snack first. It looked like it was about to pour down so I marched us over to Starbucks hoping to beat the inevitable rush when it did rain.

Once again we’re were fully aware that we just weren’t using snack credits. We always plan to but just don’t. Once we arrived at Starbucks everyone was under instructions to get a drink and a snack.

Me and Evie wanted something refreshing so went for the very berry hibiscus. Large of course as you can with a snack credit Evie took a large swing of it and hated it



I also noted on the cup that I had been christened with a new name.



Interesting.

Kelly went for some kind of caramel coffee type thing. I can’t remember the name and she's asleep so I can’t ask her



Lily annoyingly just had milk which I didn’t waste a snack credit. Waste seems ironic considering Evie hadn’t touched hers.

Me and Kelly both got a Mickey shaped peanut butter tart. This was good.





Evie a sugar cookie which she enjoyed.



Lily a trust Chocolate croissant



7 snack credits used

So we now headed over to Spaceship Earth to use the fastpass. I didn't bother to check for extra fastpasses as I knew for Epcot were pretty poor. The ride queue was fine this time and we headed straight on. The girls rode together while me and Kelly riding together.



I really enjoy this ride. I know most people don't! When we got off, Evie's grumpy face was shown on the big screen. She couldn't see it. She would have kicked off big time if she had!



It was absolutely pouring down as we came out so we were forced to wait to get out. It took awhile which was a little frustrating.



We popped into the Art Of Disney to have a look. Kelly found a lovely picture of Walt Disney called Vision. She made a note to buy this later on in the holiday.(We did but we bought it at the one in the Magic Kingdom)



We decided to head back to the resort for a rest and hopefully a swim as we'd be coming back later on today. We braved the rain as we left. I think a lot of people were doing the same. The rain was a little concerning as we'd seen more rain so far than any other time that we'd been. The forecast was very good for the rest of our trip though and this turned out to be amazingly accurate.

As we left Kelly saw the Joffery's so we got some more snacks for Kelly and the girls.

Kelly a pink donut. She loved this. Very similar the The Big Pink at Universal.



Evie a cinnamon roll. She didn’t like it. Said it tasted burnt. It did look like it a bit. I tried some and it wasn’t great.



Lily a giant cookie.



3 snack credits used[

Once we arrived home the weather had cleared enough to allow us to have a swim. The pool was fairly quiet at first but gradually got busier. Its a lovely pool and the girls had a very happy 45 minutes before the clouds gathered and we had to get out.



We had an hour and a half before we needed to go out again. Kelly had done some washing using the sink but the issue was drying things. That's the only gripe about our resort. Its difficult to get things dry and there wasn't really anywhere to put wet things outside our room and that to be honest doesn't add to the aesthetic appeal of the resort! I volunteered to find the laundry room to get it dry. I knew I needed a credit card to use them so I made sure I had one. I had no idea where the laundry room was located but luckily I chanced upon it near the pool. I couldn't get in until someone pointed out I needed to scan my Magic Band. D'oh! The credit card operating was all very straightforward. I had about 45 minutes to kill so I worked on my food report. Some poor bloke in there had a dodgy machine and the door kept popping open throwing his clothes out. I bet it took him ages to get them dry.

Once done we had a little time in the room before we headed out around 6pm to return to Epcot for the evening. Luckily the skys were now clear and it didn't look like there was any more rain about. I did drive the wrong way in the car park though in my struggle to find a disabled parking bay!



Evie was being really stressy and argumentative this evening which was frustrating. The whole walk towards and through the world Showcase was a bit trying. Kelly was trying to get photos and Evie was having none of it. The Immovable Object meets the Unstoppable Force.





So our look around the World Showcase wasn't as extensive as Kelly would have liked. We did come back later in the holiday though.

Soon we arrived at Teppen Edo. For me this was the one I was least looking forward to. I wanted to try here but for me personally the communal table is not something I enjoy. I can be shy around new people so find it awkward but Kelly really wanted to try here.



It was around 25 minutes after our adr time were called which was a little annoying. We waited outside unaware there was a big area inside to sit.

It was pretty noisy inside and to be honest I have absolutely no idea what the lady checking us in said.

It was a bit of a squeeze to get our table and I was a little bit worried about Evie being able to see ok as we moved behind people already at there tables.

We were seated with a couple from the UK and another older family from Kentucky but to be honest there wasn’t a great deal of interaction.



Orders were taken and soon a salad came out which was nice but heavy on soy.



Lily is on the kids plan. She had a miso soup which smelt amazing but she didn’t like it. I tried some and it smelt better than I tasted.



After a while our chef came out, introduced himself and began cooking. He was nice and and was chatty while cooking but it was quite noisy so not always easy to hear.


Mickey Ears with oil


Minnie Ears with oil.

He started with the vegetables, onions, courgettes and carrots, making an onion volcano which was cool.



He added noodles to this and once cooked each person was served some.





It was very nice but be aware that you get this before any protein is added so you don’t get everything together. You are given rice as well.



He then started on the chicken. Lily had ordered chicken and Kelly and Evie both had steak and chicken combos. I looked on while theirs was cooked as I had ordered steak.



He soon started on the steak asking us each how we wanted it cooked.



I was disappointed that I was given the same amount of steak as Kelly and Evie. I thought as I was just having steak I’d get a comparable amount to their combo of steak and chicken. It was quite tasty though.



For the mains, I enjoyed it but thought it was a small portion for me. Kelly and the girls really enjoyed theirs though.

No one of us fancied any of the desserts so Kelly got a green tea.



Evie had an ice cream

.

So overall I thought it was ok. The ladies thought better of it than me. They’d go again. I don’t think I would.

4 t/s credits used.

It was a little later than I had planned for so we were a little get stuck for where to go for a spot for Illuminations. We ended up with to be honest with a pretty poor spot somewhere to the left of Teppen Edo. Fireworks are a little bit of an issue. Evie hates them. She can't really see them so I get it. But she doesn't really let anyone else enjoy them though. I get her frustrations but do wish she'd control them for Kelly and Lily. We watched some but started to walk off towards France before they finished. Not my idea but I feel a bit stuck in these situations. We encounter the same issues later in the holiday at Happily Ever After.







So we headed back around the World Showcase towards FutureWorld. It was Extra Magic Hours this evening so it was a later close so we headed round to Test Track to use the DAS we got earlier.



We all wanted to ride Test Track in the dark. It was totally manic inside. Car designs were done but the room past it was completely packed. I debated turning us around but thankfully it only took 10 minutes from here. Tempers were a little frayed with lots of people trying to squeeze into small gaps in the queue. We did all enjoy the ride though and it was a different experience of being in the car outside.


Kelly looking composed.

So after that we decided to call it a day and headed back to the car. It was around 10.30pm at this point. The drive home was fairly quick and simple. So overall a good day bar the rain and few arguments. I'm still not convinced by Epcot. Two days is still the best way to do it. I think adding Guardians of The Galaxy and the new Ratatouille ride will add to the excitement. I expect it to be a different experience next time.

Thanks for reading.

George

Edited at 09:52 AM.
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Old 9 Jun 19, 07:24 PM  
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Another great read George! I know what you are saying about Epcot- I love it but mainly for world showcase. Not really loads going on in future world is there?
We are hoping to do Garden Grille and Teppan Edo next time so was handy to read your reviews. Looking forward to the next instalment!
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Old 9 Jun 19, 07:51 PM  
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I love garden grill , I think it’s one of the best meals in Disney if I’m honest . How on Earth does George translate to genge? 😂😂😂
I hear you about Epcot as well, we aren’t big drinkers so the alcohol side doesnt really appeal and the works showcase is ok but a trek.
now teppon edo , I had this as an adr but you’ve just answered my fears . It’s doesnt look enough food and I agree if you just had steak why shouldn’t you get more ?
Don’t worry the sibling arguments don’t get any better as they get older no matter how much you try as a parent 😀
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Old 9 Jun 19, 08:10 PM  
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Great day 👍
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Old 10 Jun 19, 10:14 AM  
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Great day. Garden Grill looks fab. Glad I have an ADR for GG in October. Thanks for sharing.
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Old 10 Jun 19, 11:25 AM  
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gjdjud
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Originally Posted by jojo_3596 View Post
Another great read George! I know what you are saying about Epcot- I love it but mainly for world showcase. Not really loads going on in future world is there?
We are hoping to do Garden Grille and Teppan Edo next time so was handy to read your reviews. Looking forward to the next instalment!
I still don’t think we ever do the World Showcasr justice. Maybe next time I think Futureworld will have some more attractions soon so I’ve a feeling we will enjoy it more

Originally Posted by Mexy02 View Post
I love garden grill , I think it’s one of the best meals in Disney if I’m honest . How on Earth does George translate to genge? 😂😂😂
I hear you about Epcot as well, we aren’t big drinkers so the alcohol side doesnt really appeal and the works showcase is ok but a trek.
now teppon edo , I had this as an adr but you’ve just answered my fears . It’s doesnt look enough food and I agree if you just had steak why shouldn’t you get more ?
Don’t worry the sibling arguments don’t get any better as they get older no matter how much you try as a parent 😀
We are drinkers really so the drinking aspect doesn’t appeal either. On my food report someone suggested I got a half portion

So pleased to hear that the arguing doesn’t stop

Originally Posted by Cinderella View Post
Great day 👍
Thanks for reading

Originally Posted by DISNEYNIC View Post
Great day. Garden Grill looks fab. Glad I have an ADR for GG in October. Thanks for sharing.
It’s definitely one of our favourite meals.
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Old 10 Jun 19, 11:34 AM  
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Really enjoying so far I like that you are being so honest about Evie’s behaviour as I’m sure a lot of trip reports aren’t quite so honest about the not so good bits My eldest told me once when I was telling her off for being horrible to her sister that she was actually supposed to be an only child! I’d like to say they improve as they get older but ...
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Edited at 11:35 AM.
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Old 10 Jun 19, 01:31 PM  
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Originally Posted by vanlou View Post
Really enjoying so far I like that you are being so honest about Evie’s behaviour as I’m sure a lot of trip reports aren’t quite so honest about the not so good bits My eldest told me once when I was telling her off for being horrible to her sister that she was actually supposed to be an only child! I’d like to say they improve as they get older but ...
I like the warts an all approach to things Thanks for reading
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Old 10 Jun 19, 09:38 PM  
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Genge.. 🤣🤣 I actually think Ini Kamoze was the first single I ever purchased in CD format (hmm showing my age now 🙈 ). I have just changed our Teppan Edo ADR and I think it is the right decision- DH also not keen on the communal element and desserts don't grab me? A mixed bag for you a bit today, thanks for sharing
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Old 11 Jun 19, 07:01 AM  
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Originally Posted by GezzasGem View Post
Genge.. 🤣🤣 I actually think Ini Kamoze was the first single I ever purchased in CD format (hmm showing my age now 🙈 ). I have just changed our Teppan Edo ADR and I think it is the right decision- DH also not keen on the communal element and desserts don't grab me? A mixed bag for you a bit today, thanks for sharing
Thanks for reading To be honest Epcot day is normally a mixed bag for us
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