Today marked our last day in the parks, and we would be spending
it at Epcot. After getting ready we had to pack up Grandpa Gary,
Grandma Terry, and Uncle Steven, as they had to check out of their
condo this morning. We then loaded up into our respective vehicles
and made the drive over to Epcot. Once we made it through security
and into the park, our first stop was the new festival area behind
Spaceship Earth so that Drew could check it out. While we
were here, we took advantage of the opportunity to have our
PhotoPass taken with the new "Walt the Dreamer" statue in this area
of World Celebration. We then headed off to World Discovery to take
a spin on Test Track, but not before heading up to the GM
Lounge to enjoy a complimentary beverage and take in the views from
the lounge area. We then headed down to design our vehicles and take
a ride around the track.
It was now getting close to our return time on the
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride, so we headed off
that way. We made a pit stop at the Joffrey's Coffee & Tea
Company located out front so that Tara and Jayden could get
their caffeine fix while we waited to get in line for Guardians.
We made it through the line and onto the
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind coaster, and enjoyed
every second of it (except for the song we got - "Conga" by Gloria
Estefan, possibly the worst of the available options).
After our coaster ride we headed towards the World Showcase, but
not before first stopping at the Epcot Farmers Feast festival
booth so that we could taste the Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down
Cake, which came with a crème fraîche whipped cream. Well, the kids
and I didn't taste it, but everyone else seemed to really enjoy this
particular treat.
Once we made it to the World Showcase, we headed off to the
Norway pavilion to take in the Frozen Ever After ride that we
had sigend up for with Steve's DAS pass. The line for this ride is
usually too long to wait out, even though we do enjoy it, so we were
excited to be able to get on without the big wait.
At this point we were all beyond hungry. We couldn't really
decide where to eat, so we headed to the The American Adventure
pavilion to find a table and grab a bite to eat at the Royal
Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbeque. While I would have
preferred to head over to the United Kingdom to enjoy the fish from
the Yorkshire County Fish Shop, not everyone is a big fish
eater, so at least we could all find something here to enjoy.
After refueling, we continued our stroll around the world,
eventually stopping in France to go for a spin on Remy's
Ratatouille Adventure. I had read that they were testing this
ride without the 3D and the need for the glasses, but that feature
was still in use for our ride today. The 3D effects don't really
bother me, but I was curious what it would be like without that.
While we were in France we decided to catch the Beauty and Beast
Sing-Along show. I think that several of our group used this as
nap time, but I enjoyed the show.
After leaving France, we bid adieu to Grandpa Gary, Grandma
Terry, and Uncle Steve, as they headed back home. We were spending
another night in the condo, so we weren't in a rush to leave and
decided to continue to explore the park.
We found ourselves in World Celebration, and Drew was able to
convince Tara to take a spin on her favorite ride of all time - Journey Into Imagination
with Figment! OK, OK... maybe I should have said Tara's least
favorite ride of all time. I know that there is a lot of love for
Figment amongst Epcot fans, but I think something needs to be done
with this ride.
Our next stop as at the Bambi's Butterfly House to see
what kind of butterflies we could spot. This was a peaceful
experience, see a wide variety of butterflies flitting around, but
it wasn't an area that we would be spending a ton of time in. We
were heading off to The Land for our next destination. Once
inside, we timed it just right to catch the Awesome Planet
movie before heading downstairs to get on the Living with the
Land boat ride, which truly is one of Tara's favorites! One of
these trips her & I are going to take the Behind the Seeds tour to
get an inside look at the greenhouse experience!
You can read about the
rest of our day on
page two of the pictures! |