Reunited & it Feels so Good! (a/k/a Alyssa's Welcome Home from Honduras Trip!) UPDATED 10/5

[Born 2B a Princess]

DAY 3, Epcot, Part 1

We were all really looking forward to today -- Epcot is our favorite park.

As I said earlier, we are rope drop people. Well, Alyssa and I are. Mom and Dad go along with it if that's what I tell them we're going to do. Mark and Brie...not so much...one of these days we'll do a trip where they actually get to sleep in as long as they want. But for Alyssa and me? There's no sleeping in at Disney! LOL

I had debated again about whether we should drive or take the bus and I wanted to drive, but I was outvoted by my family who wanted to take the bus. So that's what we did.

We were at the bus stop at 7:50 am and the bus arrived within five minutes. Off to Epcot!

Walking to the bus stop...aren't they cute?



We arrived at Epcot at 8:15 am, about 5-10 minutes earlier than I had planned which is certainly not a problem. We had some time to sit and chill while we waited for the park to open...



We were probably fifth or sixth back from the tapstile, and behind us was a gentleman with a huge camera who said he used to have a website devoted to touring plans and such...I wanted to ask who he was and which website but I didn't.

The plan this morning was for Mark, Dad, and the girls to head straight to Test Track and ride that standby, while Mom and I went to Soarin' and rode it standby. One of the things we really don't like about FP+ is how the rides are tiered in Epcot and DHS. I totally get why they do it -- but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I really hope that, someday, Epcot has more attractions. We love the park -- seriously, it's our favorite -- but it could use some new attractions. We are excited for the new Soarin' film, but not so excited about bringing Arendell to the Norway pavilion. But that can of worms has been opened, hashed, rehashed, etc., enough times already. Suffice it to say, World Showcase is about real places and Arendell is most certainly *not* a real place, no matter whether it was based on Norway or not. OK, moving on....

They started letting us in at 8:30, which was earlier than I expected. Of course they did the "walk, don't run, behind the CMs leading you to the next waiting point....". And of course people ran. That really annoys me. Come on, people -- it's for your own safety! The other thing that really annoys me is people pushing their way from the back of the crowd to get to the front, when we were all obviously here before them. Rude. Just rude. Anyway, the guys and the girls went to Test Track, and Mom and I headed to Soarin'. They held us at the next waiting point at Innoventions until about 8:50, I believe. I took the opportunity to take a few pictures...I love all of the flowering trees, shrubs, and plants at Disney World!



Mom and I got to Soarin' at 8:57, and the posted wait time was 10 minutes, which is exactly what we waited. It was posted at 20 minutes when we got off. Mark, Dad, and the girls said that they dropped the rope to head to Test Track at 8:55, but I'm not sure that's right. Anyway, they got to Test Track at 8:55 and it was walk on. Woo hoo!!

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

DAY 3, Epcot, Part 2

We told the guys and the girls that we would meet at Sum of All Thrills after they got off TT and we got off Soarin'. But since there was no line for Living with the Land when we got off Soarin', Mom and I couldn't pass up the chance to go on one of our favorite classics.....



I took about a bazillion pictures...I won't bore you. Which reminds me....I can't find my good camera that I took on the trip and took pictures with....so all of these pictures are from my phone. I know I've seen the camera since we got home....I'll have to find it and look at those pictures.

Anyway, after LWTL, we met up with everyone else at Sum of All Thrills. It had a 15 minute wait posted and that's about how long it was. The girls were really excited to try this, and they absolutely loved it. In fact, they declared it their new favorite attraction at Epcot and did it at least twice right then. Mark did it, too. There was no way I could do it -- I get motion sickness way too easily and I'm terribly claustrophobic. But it was fun to watch Mark and the girls do it -- it looked like they designed some absolutely crazy coasters, the way that free motion robotic arm was moving them all over the place. They loved it.

After that, we decided a little morning snack was in order so we headed over to Starbucks. Chocolate croissant for me, thank you very much! A few muffins and croissants later and we were all fueled up and ready to go. Hello, beautiful fountain!



Next up was Nemo...we got there at 10:20 and the posted wait time was 15 minutes....we walked on.



One thing Disney really does incredibly well is the theming. It's always so great!

After Nemo, it was time for our FP+ for Turtle Talk with Crush. We didn't even need a FP+ here -- FP+ holders didn't get in first or anything, so I'll remember next time not to bother. But since you have to use your three FP+ on something, I suppose it's ok. We got there at 10:30 and waited 10 minutes for the next show.

Crush was, as always, fun to watch and the little kids were great. They do a great job with the animation and audience interaction.

After Turtle Talk we all headed over to Living with the Land. We got there at 11:00 and the posted wait time was 10 minutes. We waited about 5 minutes. We had a lovely conversation with the couple behind us in line who have a daughter who plays lacrosse, like one of my girls does. It's always nice to chat with others in line. It helps pass the time and it's just fun.

After LWTL, it was time for our Soarin' FP+. We arrived at 11:30 to a posted wait time of 60 minutes. Even with our FP+ we waited 25 minutes. (Didn't love that....) But we had a wonderful, safe flight over California and didn't get hit by the golf ball so that was good. LOVE the smell of oranges in Soarin'.... Mom and Dad took a bottom row and the rest of us took a top row.



Pardon my freaky expression here...I have yet to master the art of the selfie!

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

After our flight over California, it was time for lunch...you know they don't feed you on airline flights anymore! LOL

And if it's lunchtime in Epcot, that means just one thing: Sunshine Seasons. We LOVE this place! Of course, being lunchtime, it was pretty crowded but we were able to find a table that would fit all six of us. Mom and Dad held the table while Mark and the girls and I went to get our food.

Somebody got the rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans...judging by the fingers in the picture, this was one of the girls. LOL


Oh, now I remember...Brie got the fish (I think that's what it is...or chicken???) with mashed potatoes and green beans and Alyssa got the Mongolian Beef and they girls shared....


I got the rotisserie chicken with black beans and rice. We were a little skeptical of the black beans and rice -- Alyssa ate A LOT of beans and rice in Honduras and so she wasn't sure they would get the flavors right. We are very happy to announce that they were really good -- we enjoyed the black beans and rice more than the chicken! LOL


Mom got the sweet and sour chicken.



As for Dad and Mark...I think Mark got fish of some sort and my Dad got the chicken with rice and beans. We all enjoyed our meals and were way too full for dessert!

After lunch we headed over to the location for the Disney Visa complimentary picture. We waited in line about 15 minutes and were happy to find Minnie and Pluto waiting to greet us! And of course the files are too darn large for the DIS to upload them. What's up with that??? *Sigh* Anyway, it was a fun interaction and Minnie was happy to see that some of us were wearing her apparel.

After getting our picture done, it was time for our Spaceship Earth FP+. The posted wait time was 20 minutes but we walked on. Once again, Mom said she didn't like this ride -- it's in the dark and goes backward at some point in time. To be honest, it's not my favorite, but it's a classic so you just gotta do it. I do enjoy the smells.

After this we were done with Future World for the time being. We had already decided to head back to the resort after lunch and then come back in the evening to do World Showcase, but Dad and Mark really weren't interested at all in doing World Showcase and so we decided to split up...I would go back to MK and book fastpasses for Mark and Dad for something in the evening, and everyone else would head back to the resort. I also had another reason for wanting to go to MK -- I really wanted to see the Festival of Fantasy Parade, and no one else had wanted to see it the day before. But Dad decided he would come with me, so he and I hopped the monorail over to MK and everyone else headed back to the resort for some relaxation and swimming.

When we arrived at MK, we went straight to the FP+ kiosk by Monsters Inc. and booked FP+ for that evening for Mark and Dad to ride BTMRR. We had some time to kill before the parade, and it was dang hot and humid, so we decided an ice cream break was in order. So we grabbed a table with a gorgeous view....



...and had some ice cream. A root beer float for me and some ice cream for Dad. I stood in line a while for the ice cream and it was frustrating to wait on people to decide what they wanted until they got to the register, and then change their order five times....no, I'm not kidding. One guy even changed his order twice after his original order was done! I felt so bad for the CMs...this guy was really being a twit but they were very kind and polite. Much nicer than I would have been! We hung out and watched the people and some adorable little ducks until it was time to grab a spot for the parade........

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Day 3, Epcot, Part 4

I am frustrated...I can't find the other camera we took on our trip so I don't have my Festival of Fantasy parade pictures. Where is that darn camera????

Anyway, soon it was parade time. This was our first time seeing the parade and it did not disappoint! The costumes were amazing and I loved every unit. It was funny to watch the CMs "patrolling" the parade route as they mouthed the words announcing the parade. Anyway, I just loved the parade. We watched from in front of the Emporium and then were able to quickly make our way out of the park after the parade ended. We waited 20 minutes for a bus and then arrived back at POFQ for a little break. While we were gone, Mom took a rest in her room and Mark and the girls went swimming. I quickly changed for a quick dip in the pool and then it was time to get ready to head back to Epcot for the rest of our day.

We waited about 15 minutes for the bus to arrive and it went to all of the POR stops before it headed to Epcot. I had forgotten that the buses do that in the afternoon. We arrived back at Epcot, got through bag check, and quickly headed to Sum of All Thrills. I really wish they did FP+ for this... The posted wait time was 35 minutes and the actual wait time was 30 minutes. Once again, Mark and the girls absolutely loved this ride.



After this, it was time to split up. Dad and Mark headed back to MK to do BTMRR, the girls headed to TT to ride single rider (waited about 10 minutes), and Mom and I headed to World Showcase. There's Brie in the front row on her ride.....



And Alyssa on the front row in her ride...


I never did get a ride on Test Track this trip... :-( That's ok...there's always next time!)

It started raining as we were heading to World Showcase so we ducked into the gift shop at the base of World Showcase and looked around for a few minutes. I was concerned that Test Track would shut down, but fortunately the girls had just gotten off the attraction when the rain started. Yea!! The rain blew over quickly and we were on our way. Mom and I decided to head around via Canada and the girls started over in Mexico -- they were on a mission to eat their way around the world (which they did not accomplish...so much food!)

It sprinkled off and on but it wasn't bad and actually felt quite good.

Mom and I ended up at at Les Halles in France for dinner. She had the ham and cheese croissant with bechamel sauce and I had the BLT. Both were pretty good. My only complaint about Les Halles is the lack of seating. Fortunately we found a table that was being emptied just as we arrived. I couldn't pass up dessert and so I got the raspberry/lemon macaron. Oh my goodness....SO delicious! The fresh raspberries inside with perfectly ripe -- not mushy at all (can't stand mushy raspberries) and the lemon was really refreshing and balanced well against the sweetness of the raspberry. It was the perfect serving size, too.



The girls didn't take pictures....but they had egg rolls in China, sushi in Japan, and then the sliders combo at Tangierine Cafe, which is where we ran into them....



We all love Tangierine Cafe and it definitely didn't disappoint. I also love the Morocco pavilion -- it's one of my favorites.



After chatting with the girls for a few minutes, we continued on our way. Next stop -- Germany for some caramel popcorn. Yum! I looked at the blown glass Christmas ornaments and almost bought one but decided to hold off until I checked out the Christmas shop at DTD. By this time I could tell Mom was a bit tired, and so we decided to find someplace to watch IllumiNations and just chill for a little while. I plopped myself down on one of the lovely overlooks over the lagoon and Mom sat on a bench. I think we were in front of Italy or Germany. Either way, it was a great location. We texted the guys and the girls to let them know where we were so they could meet up with us for IllumiNations and I enjoyed my yummy caramel popcorn.

My view...



While this was all going on, Mark and Dad monorailed over to MK to ride BTMRR and then hit up Casey's Corner for hot dogs. Dad and Mark *love* hot dogs so they were quite happy with their dining decision. And of course they didn't take any pictures...they ate and then headed back to Epcot.

Sadly, we never did finish exploring World Showcase. I really want to take a day sometime and fully, completely, and thoroughly explore every single pavilion in World Showcase. I never get the chance to do that!

We all enjoyed IllumiNations -- it's always so great! And then slowly made our way out of the park.

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

A few more pictures....













Another day with a lot of walking...