Day 5: EPCOT

There really is something to say about location, location, location.  While the bus system at WDW is great, it is so easy to walk out the door and be at the park entrance gate in less than 10 minutes.  I am really loving this location.  Since we were so close, we were able to sleep until 9:00am which was great.  We were up and out the door by 9:30am and within minutes standing in the single rider line of Test Track.  The stand-by line was 50 minutes long so we decided to split up and ride the ride in different cars.  

 

Odd how we ended up in the exact same seat but different cars AND we have the same look on our faces too.  It is not a big deal to split up and we were in the car in about 5 minutes; pretty amazing and we did not feel that we missed out on any of the expereince!  A few more of the Flower & Garden exhibits . . .  Tinker Bell is so cute . . .

 They said this is from Frozen . . .

 . . . I am probably the last person in the world who has NOT seen the movie and just heard the Let It Go song this week too . . . and from The Lion King . . .

Next door to Test Track was Mission:  SPACE . . . yes, the ride that made me really sick a couple of days ago but we went on the ride again.  Colin went in the intense orange line while I stuck with the green line.  We both exited about the same time.  I was a little worried about splitting up but Colin was given specific instructions and did well.  You always have to be safe because you never know who might be lurking in the parks.  Thankfully, I was perfectly fine after the ride but vowed no more time would be given to this ride.  Our first FP+ was from 10:10am-11:10am . . . it is in my absolute favorite part of Epcot, The Land.  The stand-by line for Soarin' was about 90 minutes but with our FP+ we only waited about 15.  Again, we love this ride too!  It is lunch time and since we are already so close to the Sunshine Seasons food court, we decided to eat there again.  Oh I so planned this one.  Colin switched it up a bit and had sweet and sour chicken with fried rice . . . 

Who is this kid?  I had the roasted beet and goat cheese salad (again) with a side of chicken corn chowder.  It was just as yummy as the other day!  For dessert Colin had chocolate mousse cake while I had a carrot cupcake . . . 

And yes, that cupcake was huge!  We would not normally order dessert, but it is included in the dining plan (entree, dessert, drink).  We again left stuffed so went next door to ride Journey into Imagination with Figment . . . on my first trip to WDW at 16, I fell in love with this little purple dragon!  For some reason, Colin was still hungry and wanted a snack . . . so we headed to the World Showcase . . . with a stop in Mexico for a churro . . . since we were in Mexico we hopped on the Gran Fiesta Tour starring The Three Caballeros . . . there were technical issues so the entire ride was without sound.  Oh well on to Germany for a caramel apple.  Where does this kid put all this food?  We make the short walk back to the hotel.  I was a little tired and looking forward to a nap by the pool!  The pool wasn't so crowded yet so that was nice.  Colin even convinced me to give the water slide a try . . .

. . . it is pretty cool!  Proof my feet went down too . . . 

The pool is big and has many parts to it.  The weird thing is there is sand in the bottom . . .

. . . sort of makes it difficult to walk around but feels good on the toes too!  I overheard one kid ask his mom if he wanted a foot massage.  The mom was like what are you talking about.  The kid was like there is sand on the bottom of the pool so your feet can get a massage as you walk around!  After a few hours it was time to head back to Epcot for our dinner reservations.  We were again early so rode the Seas with Nemo and Friends and Turtle Talk with Crush . . . both are cute!  And of course a few more topiaries . . .

As we were walking Colin noticed a bunch of ducks.  He had put a small piece of bread in his pocket to share.  Even though the sign said do not feed the wildlife, I found him doing this . . .

We were not sure what type of birds they are so we named them 'chicken ducks' . . . they have a body of a guinea, a short bill, and feet like a chicken.   Finally, on to dinner at Chip 'n Dale's Harvest Feast at The Garden Grill which is here in my favorite place . . . 

. . . I told you I loved The Land!  I love this character meal . . . in fact all four times I have been to WDW, I have eaten here!  It is all you care to eat but instead of going to a buffet they just bring you what you want to your table.  I think Colin ate a side of beef and a gallon of gravy . . . I tasted a little of all they had with the turkey being my least favorite; the tilapia and beef were yummy as were the buttermilk mashed potatoes.  The food was good and again way too much!  The character meals are expensive but since we are on the meal plan we only pay gratuity.  Oh and the characters stop at your table to take photos and be silly!  Our reservation was at 7:45pm which was the last one for the night so there was no hurry!  Colin really enjoyed the characters and said it was a great meal.  

Towards the end of our meal, the character manager came to ask if we saw all the characters.  We had told her the only time we saw Pluto was this . . .

. . . Pluto the photo bomber . . . but he did not stop for an official picture.  She was so kind and went and got him so we could take a photo . . .

. . . not the greatest photo of me but so nice she made the effort to get him back for a visit!  The food and service were good and will have us coming back on our next trip too!  Again, we are both so stuffed for the walk back to the hotel.  I love the four season balloons hanging as you enter/exit . . . 

As we are leaving, the fireworks were starting for the night so we stopped to watch.  One more topiary . . . .

. . . I swear it has to be the last one.  This will be the first night since we got here that we will not set an alarm clock to wake us up in the morning.  It is a sleep late day which means I'll be up before eight and Colin will sleep the day away . . . if I let him!


Day 2:  Dining Plan Summary
2 Counter Service Meal:  $42.07
2 Table Service Meal:  $89.44
2 Snacks:  $9.75
TOTAL $141.26