Epcot Evening: March trip report pt. 8(b)

After a wonderful morning at Coronado Springs, we spent our final afternoon & evening at WDW visiting Epcot.  While I made a run for Soarin' fast passes (believe it or not, there were still some that afternoon), mom and the boys headed to the Mexico pavilion and got a great outside table at La Cantina.  We had a quick bite there, and I have to say, the food was really good.  I'm not a big guacamole fan, but I loved their slightly spicy guac!  After our snack, we headed into the pavilion for the Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros.  Then a quick trip to Norway and the Maelstrom got Ari in touch with his inner viking!  As we left Norway and were moving on around World Showcase, we had to take a short break while the globe for Illuminations was moved into the lagoon.  It was our first time seeing the bridge up and was a really neat experience.  The Flower & Garden Festival had just begun, so we were able to view some amazing topiaries & some beautiful bonsai trees.

While waiting for the Voices of Liberty to perform at the American Adventure pavilion, we explored the Toy Story ABC garden, then moved inside to explore the pavilion exhibits.  Voices of Liberty was fantastic, and their renditions of so many patriotic songs brought tears to my eyes.  The rotunda makes the sound surround you inside the pavilion.  We also saw the American Adventure show for the first time, which if you haven't taken the time to see it, please do.  Such a cool way to experience American history.
After the show, we continued to explore World Showcase until it was almost time for our dinner reservation at the Garden Grill.  We took one of the Friendship Boats across the lagoon to Canada, then made our way swiftly back to the Land pavilion and checked in for dinner.  This was another first for us and such a neat experience.  Not only did we get to meet Chip & Dale, Pluto & Farmer Mickey, but the restaurant rotated slowly showing views of the Living with the Land ride!  The food was great too!  After dinner, we opted to do some souvenir shopping at Mouse Gears, then it was time to cash in our Soarin fast passes for one final ride.
After Soarin, we headed to World Showcase in the Canada pavilion and found our spot for Illuminations.  The show and fireworks were amazing as usual, but the smoke and ash was a little heavy, as the wind was blowing in our direction.  We opted to not fight the crowds for the buses, and took the long way around World Showcase.  Again, everything was more magical after dark.  There was nearly no-one in World Showcase at that time.  We explored a part of the Morocco pavilion that we had never even known was there!  On the way out, Ari got so tired that his legs stopped working, so mom and I took turns giving him piggy-back rides back to the bus.

Up next, our final wrap up as we headed back home.

An Evening at Epcot - March Trip Report pt 3

So for our first night at Walt Disney World, we decided to visit Epcot.  Because we had missed our lunch reservation at Whispering Canyon Cafe (boo), we went straight to the Land pavilion for a late lunch at Sunshine Seasons (yeah!).  Sunshine Seasons has to be one of my favorite quick-service options in all of Walt Disney World.  There are so many amazing options, ranging from Asian to American to sandwiches, and also vegetarian options.  Since this was our first meal, we had forgotten that we were allowed a desert each, so Grams had to go back and pick out four deserts for us to share!  Check out the amazing menu here!

Because we went to the Land pavilion first, we were able to get fast passes for Soarin, but our ride wouldn't happen until 8:15 p.m.  So after eating our lunch, we went right over to the boat ride, Living with the Land.  This attraction is a combination of boat ride, animatronics, and real horticulture.  I attempted my first UStream video on this attraction.  Unfortunately, all I got was audio.  I would highly recommend this attraction.  Don't skip over it just because it's a boat ride...trust me, it's so much more than that!
After Living with the Land, it was time to get out and explore more of Epcot.  Payton immediately led us to the Imagination Pavilion, so we took a ride on Journey Into the Imagination with Figment.  This ride gets a lot of criticism, but I have to say, it's still a really fun ride and the boys loved it!  We played a bit in the pavilion afterward, and the boys had a green screen photo taken.  Then it was on to Captain EO.  Nothing like some classic Michael Jackson to keep our energy up!

Then it was on to The Seas with Nemo & Friends.  We enjoyed our ride in the clam-mobiles and explored the Living Seas pavilion.  By this point, we were all starting to wear down.  Keep in mind, the boys were running on about 4-5 hours of sleep, and I had had only 2!  (see part 1 of the report if you want to know more)  We opted to lounge around in the Seas pavilion to wait for the next Turtle Talk with Crush.  Ari was so excited, and Payton was so tired!  He told me, "I'll sit with Ari, but I'm not raising my hand to talk to Crush."  Well, Crush had other ideas, and he picked Payton to talk to him first!  Payton did really well, and he introduced Ari, Grams and me.  Well then, I got to talk to Crush.  We had a "bonding moment."  It was so funny.  Then later Crush had everyone put their hands up to their foreheads so that they could shake their head and say "Dude."  I didn't do it fast enough, and he caught me.  Next thing I hear, "Come on Momma Mendy, get your fin up."  I was so tired all I could do was giggle and put my hand on my head!

After Turtle Talk, we knew we had just about had it for the night, so we tried to go ride Ellen's Energy Adventure.  On the way, we stopped at Club Cool to sample sodas from around the world.  Now understand, Payton was dragging at this point.  But after a few cups of Coke, especially the soda from Japan that we renamed "Japanese Juice," he had a sparkle in his eye again!  We found out that Ellen's was closed for the night, and the Test Track line was still too long, so we looked around in MouseGears and then decided we couldn't last until our Soarin fast pass time.  We headed toward the front of the park and took a spin on Spaceship Earth before heading back to the resort.
Once we made it back to Coronado Springs, we stopped in the main building to pick up our refillable mugs and grab a quick snack, then it was on to our room for a bite and bed.  Everyone was sound asleep the minute their head hit the pillow!

Next post...Animal Kingdom Day!!
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