Florida - Day 8

From Epcot Part II

It was the last day and we still had a bit of Epcot to see because it’s the only park in my mind that can take two full days. I was up bright and early cleaning up the room and packing while M slept in a little bit, but of course I made just enough noise to hopefully wake her up. :) With checkout done, we said goodbye to Caren at the front desk, and thanked her for letting us check in so early on the first morning.

We used our new move; parking at Downtown Disney and catching the bus to the park. Another $12 saved. We knew going in today that it was going to be a slow pace, because we were so exhausted from all the weeks’ adventures. So the plan was that I would grab a Fast Pass for Soarin’ and M would head to Test Track and get in line, which was executed to perfection, I might add ;-) With Fast Pass in hand, I high tailed it over to Test Track to meet up with M. The queue at Test Track is one of the most entertaining in all of Disney, if you’re a car enthusiast. You’re basically immersed in an automobile testing facility. After a brief movie, you go through a series of tests, such as bumpy roads, environmental and braking. But the highlight of the ride is the mock crash test where your car speeds toward a wall an at the last second opens up, flinging you out around the track at around 55 mph.

From Epcot Part II

We had some time before the Fast Pass would allow us to ride Soarin’, so we decided to head to the World Showcase. Mexico was first up. The Mexico pavilion is centered around a huge Mayan temple. You enter the temple and you’re immediately greeted by very colorful hand carved animals. The Mexican people believe that the wood contains the spirit of the animal, and by carving it and painting it, the spirit is released. As we went further into the building, it opens up to a large room encircled by shops. It’s all dimly lit with a huge night scene mural painted on the back wall and authentic music playing. There is also a small attraction here based on the Three Caballeros. It was a nice little boat ride, and at this point in the trip, any rest is good rest. After the boat ride, we bounced around from shop to shop and took lots of pictures…

From Epcot Part II

With the Fast Pass time approaching, we started walking over to Soarin’. Along the way, we saw a Segway training class being taught. As we got closer to the Soarin’ pavilion, the crowds really started to gather. This was the only crowded part of the park that we came across all day. When you enter any building on Disney property, you are greeted by a nice blast of cold air, and this is no different…. and much needed, considering it was about 80 degrees. True to the Fast Pass name, we were moved right to the front of the line with only about a 10 minute wait before we got to enjoy the ride.

There are many things to do and see on Disney property. When and if you come to see them, you have to make Soarin’ THE priority on your list. We were loaded into an open seat where our legs dangled and we just had a lap belt holding us in. When the ride starts, we were lifted more than 40 feet in the air, with a humongous circular movie screen, which fills up your entire field of vision in front of us, essentially making us part of the scene. The concept is that you’re hang gliding over California. Disney does an incredible job of incorporating the smell of each scene into the experience. We flew over an Evergreen forest and you could smell the pine scent. We flew over an orange grove and you could smell the oranges, and so on. M and I didn’t really know what we were in store for, but I can tell you we left that ride with the biggest smiles and all we kept saying was “that was amazing”.

After our Zen like experience on Soarin’, it was back to the World Showcase to complete our day. We decided to take the boat across the lagoon to Germany, where we left off Saturday night. After a relaxing boat ride around the lagoon, we were immediately hit with the smell of bratwurst and sauerkraut. I could imagine that the German pavilion had some of the most authentic shopping, food and buildings… but of course, I’ve never been to Germany. This pavilion wasn’t really M’s favorite, but when we come back, I think I’m going to try to talk her into eating there. Next up on the list was the Outpost, which is sort of a combination of artistry from many African countries. We stood and watched a wood carving artist as he created a Giraffe sculpture. It was also a good opportunity to take some pictures.

From Epcot Part II

From Epcot Part II

It was getting close to our lunchtime, and China was the next pavilion, so it was off to Nine Dragons. We very much enjoyed our meal here, and our server was wonderful. Again, it was nice to have a sit down meal in the middle of the day, and the restaurant had a great feel to it.

After lunch we browsed around the shops in China and couldn’t really get too excited about the products they sell, because we found them a bit too ornate for our tastes. They did have many beautiful Buddha statues, however, and incredibly detailed jade pieces. The clothing was also stunning.

From Epcot Part II

Norway was next. The pavilion houses an attraction called Maelstrom, which is a boat ride in a Viking ship that shows the history of the Viking and Norse people. The wait was a bit long, but it was a fun little ride. Too bad it wasn’t longer. I had been telling M how I wanted to stop at this one particular bakery and get a kringla, which was a large soft pretzel covered with icing and toasted almond slivers. It was delicious… not as sweet as you would think.

From Epcot Part II

Norway was last on our list, and completed not only our second day at Epcot, but our week at Disney. We had just one short detour to make back to Magic Kingdom to pick up something that M’s brother left behind the other day. We rode the monorail over from Epcot, and had to grab a connector at the TTC. When we got to the TTC, I asked one of the cast members if we could sit in the front car, which is a real treat. It was an incredible view as we approached the Magic Kingdom.

From Epcot Part II

Now totally finished for the day, it was time to head back to Downtown Disney and wave goodbye to an incredibly full and satisfying, long vacation. It was about 5:30 pm when we set out on the road, so we’ll probably stop at a hotel in order to make tomorrow’s drive more bearable.

We weren’t without bumps in the road this trip… but we stayed positive, paid close attention to each others’ needs, and approached each day with enthusiasm. We spent some quality time with each other and M’s family, we got some great photographs, had excellent weather and experienced our nation’s capital and the magic of Disney.

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