Epcot

Our day at Epcot started fairly early (even after our unexpected store-opening experience), and we were one of the first in line for this park.  Immediately it seemed less crowded and chaotic than Magic Kingdom, which was nice after our busy, busy day before.  Our wait in line wasn't too long, and before we knew it we were being greeted good morning in myriad languages.  Then, as Epcot officially opened for the day, a deluge of streamers popped into the air, blanketing the waiting audience in every color of the rainbow.  We were standing right where these streamers were shot, and we all lifted our arms like children to let the colorful bits of magic fall into our waiting hands.  Ava claimed pink, while Hudson carried around orange for the rest of the day.

Once inside Epcot, our first stop was the Nemo attraction, which held the kids' attention for a long time.  Besides the ride itself, there was a play area, an aquarium, and other aquatic interactives.  Since we arrived so early, we enjoyed this area crowd-free, with virtually no one else but us and a handful of other children.  Luckily, we had watched Finding Nemo on the drive down, so Ava and Hudson were very familiar with all the characters and different kinds of fish.

 

After Nemo, we decided to try the other attractions.  Our plan was to visit all the rides in the morning, then use the afternoon to travel through the different countries at our leisure.  We were able to catch both Spaceship Earth (inside the big famous ball) and the Living with the Land  boat ride right away, but we had to use the Fast Pass service for Soarin', which seemed to be the premier attraction at Epcot.  (By the way, it was completely worth the several-hours wait! One of our favorites! Of course, Hudson wasn't tall enough to ride and Erik gets motion-sickness, but those two enjoyed a nap while the rest of us went hang-gliding together.  And hearing Ava's giddy exclamations during this ride was so much fun!)

 

That afternoon, we were scheduled for a private meet-and-greet with Mickey and friends.  Once again, I was so thrilled with our Disney Visa credit card, which was our magic pass into this special opportunity.  All we had to do was go to a certain door, with our Disney card in hand, and we were led inside to hang out with Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy!  (Yes, there is another designed character area where you can meet all of Mickey's friends, but the wait there was over an hour, and this only took fifteen minutes, plus we got a free 5X7 photograph.  Luckily, the kids met their three favorite characters, so it worked out perfectly.  I love my Disney card!)

Well, this is where our luck ran out, because after our perfect morning and afternoon at Epcot, it started to rain.  Not just a soft patter or a sporadic drip, but an all-out, knock-you-sideways downpour.  At first, we thought to wait it out, since we really wanted to visit the different countries.  Erik even used the last of our free Disney dollars to purchase everyone Disney ponchos, which did keep us dry.  However, our three-year-old was getting tired and cranky, and it became obvious that it was time to go.  At least we left with wonderful memories!

Back at our rainy resort, we rested for a bit in our rooms and enjoyed a delicious supper at the on-site Pepper Market.  Then, just as twilight descended, the rain finally stopped.  Since we were still awake and alert, we decided to visit that amazing pool area I mentioned in a previous post.  This time, we didn't mind getting wet at all.  There's nothing like a night-time swim at a tropical paradise to end the day!