Disney Part 2

We were up early again the next day to head over to Epcot.  We actually thought about not including Epcot in our plans but it had some of our favourite rides and sites.  It is a little tired in some parts though (the Soarin' ride looks like it's in the basement of a mall from the 1980s).  Our first ride was Mission Space which Q could not go on.  There are two options for this ride - Earth and Mars.  The Mars one is more intense and they give you several warnings about it before boarding.  Dave, E and I did the Mars one first and then E went again with Mom on the Earth one.  

Then we went over to Chevrolet Test Track.  Dave and E waited in the 45 minute line, and Mom and I took turns going through the Single Rider line and we were done at about the same time.   Q spent a little while in his stroller but at least we were in the shade so he was happy.

At Test Track you get to design your own car.  This was E's.

When you board your car, you swipe your Magic Band and then the ride "assesses" how well your car does on the test track and then compares it to the others on the ride with you.

Another beautiful day

We had Fast Passes for Soarin' and then went back to do Under the Sea and Turtle Talk with Crush.

And then onto the pavilions. The Food and Wine festival was going on at the same time so there were lots of extra countries represented by food stands.  We just stuck to the permanent pavilions.

It was so hot that day!!  We stopped first in Mexico to get some nachos and margaritas and there was absolutely no shade (felt just like Mexico).  We popped into the marketplace for some relief.  There we found the passport station where E could get a card and sticker for each country.

Beers in Norway!  So hot!

The train set in Germany.  Q loved this but you can see how hot he is.

Checking out the scenery in Italy.  I love Italy.

Mom got a slice of pizza and glass of wine.  E got a gelato.

Onto Japan.

And Morocco, that I loved.  This pavilion made me want to visit this real country.

Then we stopped in France to watch a street performer and get a couple of glasses of wine.

England was next, where we enjoyed some Guinness.

Canada, the last stop, where we had to get poutine.

Mom, Q and I went to the bus after this and E and Dave went back to do E's favourite ride, Mission Space again.

We went to the pool when we got back and then ate dinner at the hotel cafeteria.  Not great food that night, but I was so tired I didn't even care.  This is Dave's shrimp po' boy, which does actually look good.

Walking around for a bit after supper. 

The next day we were up early again because Animal Kingdom had extra magic hours for those staying on the resort and it opened at 8:00.

The guy we rode Mission Space with the day before told us the Avatar ride is the best ride and that any wait was worth it.   So we made our way there first, along with everyone else. It was a 90 minute wait.  Beautiful scenery at Animal Kingdom.  My favourite park for sure.

So we all waited in line and then I got the parent swap with E when we got to actual part of the line that was inside the ride, so while Mom, Dave and E waited in the rest of the line, Q and I walked around and saw the sites.

Drums in Pandora.

No pictures, says Q.

From inside the Avatar ride lineup.

Lovely. Q and I saw some turtles and monkeys, and then settled in Asia while we waited for the others to join us for our Fast Passes on Expedition Everest

After that we went on the safari ride.   This was really cool and even Q enjoyed seeing the animals. I know they are still enclosed animals but it seemed so much better than a zoo.

Then we went back to the Avatar ride so I could do it with the parent swap pass (and E and Mom got to go again).  It was the best ride I've ever been on, hand's down.  I mean, I didn't have to wait in the actual 90 minute line so I don't know if it is really worth that much of a wait time, but it was pretty amazing.

Look at this place!  Disney must use actual magic to build these things.

We had reservations at The Rainforest Cafe for lunch.  This was a perfect place to be, it was cool and dark, and the animals and rain forest effects kept everyone entertained.  The food and drinks were good too.

After lunch we only had one Fastpass for the white water rafting ride so we put in time at Dino Land before that and then went to see the Bug's Life Show.  

Mount Everest

Mom, Dave and E are in this raft.

When I went on this one, I got absolutely soaked, but it was fine with me, it actually cooled me down for a bit.

The Tree is filled with all of these amazing animal carvings.  Someone couldn't resist picking the gorilla's nose while waiting for the Bug's Life show.

The Lion King show was starting so we decided to see that.  It was very well done and on par with a Broadway performance.  Q was not that interested in it though so the 30 minute duration was long enough for him.

After this we went back to Pandora to get supper.  We ate at a quick service restaurant, and picked up our food via the mobile order app, but the food was very good. We all got a rice bowl and they were great.  This guy is one of the characters from the Avatar movie so E went out to see him and asked him a question.

We sat outside to finish our drinks while Q played with the dinosaur figurines in the garden.

We left at about 7:00 before the Tree of Life started lighting up (which would have been neat to see) but we didn't need to hang around just for that.   When we got home, we put the kids to bed and then Dave and I grabbed a drink down at the hotel lobby bar.

See Part 1 here.