Summer 2016 - WDW with Kids: EPCOT (Future World)

When I was thinking about how to write our trip report from our 2016 summer vacation to Walt Disney World, I thought that it would be best to parcel out the reports with regard to theme parks, rather than dates. Dan and I had premium annual passes that we bought on our adult-only winter trip, and we purchased ten-day park hoppers for the kids, with the water park options. This meant that we visited each park more than once, so rather than writing a day-by-day, I'm taking the highlights from our experiences at each park and you will see that we are wearing different clothes in different pictures, to reflect a separate day.

EPCOT is so big, that I also decided that it would be easiest to write about Future World and the World Showcase separately. We actually did visit EPCOT with a focus on Future World on the very first day of our trip.

This was my step-kids, Zoe (turning 9) and Felix (almost 7), first visit to Walt Disney World. I'm a huge Disney fan and Dan has lots of fond WDW trip memories from when he was a child, so we wanted this to be a spectacular trip for them. Spaceship Earth makes a huge impression, so that was the first ride of the vacation. Who isn't curious about a ride inside of a giant golf ball?

Our first day also happened to be Dan's birthday, so we stopped at Guest Relations to pick up a free birthday button. It's always fun to get these buttons when you're celebrating at the park, whether it be a birthday, anniversary, or even your first trip to Disney! The kids got their first visit buttons!

When Dan and I visited over Christmas in 2016, we experienced a new program called Fast-Pass plus, where guests can prebook up to three ( I believe it's four if you're staying on WDW property) fast passes in advance of your visit. This was a life-saver for us. It wasn't that the parks were necessarily super-crowded, but we were wilting in the heat, especially the kids who are from Sweden and not used to the Florida weather. We quickly learned that we could only do half days in the park, usually 4-7 rides max.

On our visits, we used the Fast Pass Plus for : Spaceship Earth, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Test Track, Soarin', and Mission: Space. As a generality, Zoe was a thrill seeker, ready to try anything and Felix was hesitant on the bigger rides, but didn't actually skip anything. Both were tall enough for all rides in all parks.

We weren't sure if they'd want to do the "Big Kid" rides, so we eased in with gentle attractions on that first day.

We headed to Journey into Imagination with Figment. I love Figment and think this ride is cute. The kids were less impressed, but they did like playing in the Imagelabs after the ride. Imagelabs is a fun, indoor play-area with games that involve music and visual creativity. It's a great place to get a break in an air-conditioned area, especially with young children.

Here is a picture of the water fountain outside of the Imagination Institute.

One of my favorite memories of EPCOT from my first visit ( when I had just turned 13) was The Land. This is a building dedicated to environmental education.

Living with the Land is a leisurely boat ride through a green house showcasing various innovations in farming techniques. They have really big cucumbers!

Sure, the ride's a little dated, but I still love it. They kids were not as enamored. Luckily, they did enjoy our next ride, Soarin'.

Soarin' is a gentle, aviation themed ride. The original iteration was Soarin' Over California, but the film has been changed to Soarin' Around the World. I had experienced the changed attraction one time before at Disney's California Adventure Park, and Dan had seen a rough cut of the film during a visit to the Disney Studio in Burbank, so this was a somewhat new attraction for all of us. The film footage is stunning and this attraction just has a lot of "wow" factor. It's really one that everyone should experience and that is appropriate for all ages. The only caveat is if the rider is extremely afraid of heights, they may want to skip it. It's a very tame ride, but it goes high up!

Dan's birthday lunch was at the Coral Reef restaurant. We had not planned this, but we managed to score last minute reservations, after a cancelation occurred and we snagged it using the Disney park app. The Coral Reef was actually my first WDW dining experience, from my first trip to Florida!

The cool feature of the Coral Reef is an enormous tank feature sharks, sea turtles, sting rays, and colorful fish. It's beautiful and during our lunch, we even watched a diver working in the tank. We were provided with a fish guide to try to identify the salt water residents.

Felix is a rather picky eater and I appreciate that at any of the WDW restaurants, he can easily find mac and cheese ( his favorite and something he'd eat every meal if he could). This means that we could feel free to enjoy any restaurant and that everyone would be able to find something to eat. Happy everyone. We had yummy fish and he had his favorite. Since it was the first day of the trip and Dan's birthday, we splurged on drinks with flashing ice cubes and various desserts. Let's start this vacation in style!

The tank that we could see from The Coral Reef, is part of The Seas with Nemo and Friends, where guests can view the giant aquarium from other vantage points.

The main entrance to the exhibit takes you on a Nemo themed clam shell ride, which merges the live aquarium fish with overlay videos of characters from the Nemo films. We did this twice and the kids enjoyed it. I love the technology of mixing the real fish with the characters. I love anything to do with animals, so I could spend all day watching the fish tank. They have exhibit with rescued Manatees aka Sea Cows. Although we didn't do it with the kids, Turtle Talk with Crush is an adorable attraction, especially if you have little ones.

Test Track is the attraction that we knew would be a big hit.

Felix is car-obsessed and Zoe likes thrill rides, so this was our number one EPCOT attraction. It did prove to be one of the over-all favorites of the trip and we rode it multiple times.

A new addition to the original ride, that we saw when we visited in the winter, is a pre-board area where you can design your own car. You have a few minutes at a computer station, where you work through prompts that give you choices to build your own virtual car that you can test on the track. Is your car nimble, yet not fuel-efficient? Maybe eco-friendly, yet sluggish? You have choices and are graded on several areas. Here are cars that Zoe and Felix designed.

Our official ride picture! (first go)

Mission: Space gives riders a choice of an intense (spinning) and less intense (no spinning, just the show elements) version of the ride. I can ride the intense version, but I do feel slightly queasy afterwards and need a break from rides. We decided to try the intense side with the kids. Felix loved it and rode it a second time, but Zoe had similar motion issues to mine. Luckily, no one needed the vomit bag!

Ellen's Universe of Energy is a dated ( now closed) slow ride that features Ellen DeGeneres, and includes: Alex Trek, dinosaurs, and Jamie Lee Curtis. It's an educational attraction regarding various types of energy. I've ridden it many times over the years, but this was my last opportunity and the ride broke down at the end. We missed the last few minutes of the ride and I suppose because this wasn't a very popular attraction and it was going to be closing for good soon, none of the employees or managers on site seemed to care that it broke. We did not experience the normal Disney customer service, which was a surprise.

We sat in the ride vehicles for about twenty minutes and then we were ushered out without so much as an apology, which as a former theme park employee, I thought was awkward. I didn't expect to get front of the line passes, but I was expecting a "Sorry, the attraction went down or we apologize that you had to wait during the evacuation." We got a rather snarky commentary explaining how the ride would have ended. It was most un-disney like. I will miss this classic attraction, but it wasn't a hit with the kids.

Another bizarre Disney situation occurred at the EPCOT meet and greet in Future World. I had heard, this may just be a rumor, that you'll never see two of the same characters at a park at the same time. False.

We had fast passes to the character meet and greet in EPCOT, where we met Mickey, Minnie and Goofy. Immediately, not more than minutes later, we decided to visit the characters in the special Disney VISA meet and greet area, which is located very close to the other meet and greet. This was a "Mystery" character encounter with not more than a two minute wait. We told the attendant in line, who we just saw and she didn't say anything. She actually walked in ahead of letting us in, to see who was in the room. When she let us in, low and behold, we met Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy.

Again.

We laughed it off and took another picture. Luckily, Zoe and Felix were at the age, where although they enjoyed meeting the characters, it wasn't a deal-breaker for their vacation. There wasn't a particular character that they HAD to meet and they know that it's people in costumes. The best result was we had a great picture for our Christmas card. Luckily we didn't wait long, otherwise, I think we'd be disappointed that we waited in-line to see the same characters. Perhaps the mystery element isn't the best idea?

The very last attraction we did on the very last day of the trip, was Sum of All Thrills. I believe this may not be at EPCOT anymore, but it was a really fun attraction, where we built our own roller coaster and rode a virtual version of it. Zoe and I created ours together and we were giggling the entire ride.

I'll end with a beautiful night time shot of Spaceship Earth.

Winter Holiday 2015/2016 - EPCOT Again

It was back to EPCOT for our final theme park day of the trip. We used fast passes for Mission Space, Test Track, and Spaceship Earth, but the bulk of this visit was spent in The World Showcase. On our previous visit, we went counter-clockwise, visiting Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Morocco. This time, we went clockwise, starting with Mexico.

Inside Mexico's pyramid is the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride. The Gran Fiesta Tour is a ride similar to the Magic Kingdom's It's a Small World. It's a bit dated and cheesy, even with a refurbishment that now includes The Three Cabelleros, but it's a must-do every trip.

Norway, with its grass covered houses and trolls, is one of my favorite pavilions. I have Norwegian ancestors, so I'm kind of obligated to love this pavilion. It was a bit of a construction zone, as they were turning the Maelstrom ride into Frozen Ever After. We perused the gift shop, where we found a jar of lingonberry jam with the same name as my Swedish stepson, Felix. Also perfume designer, Geir Ness was visiting. Many years ago, I bought a bottle of Laila: The Essence of Norway, and Ness signed the bottle for me. I think he must live in Florida, because every time I visit, he's at EPCOT making an appearance. Laila is a lovely fragrance, and after discovering it at EPCOT, I've since learned that I can purchase it at my local Nordstrom.

China, with its colorful archway, blue pagoda, and manicured gardens, is one of the prettiest pavilions.

Germany has one of my favorite dining options, The Biergarten, where you can pretend you're at Oktoberfest, dining on schnitzel and beer, while doing the chicken dance.

A few pictures looking across the lagoon towards Future World.

By the time we reached Italy, we were desperate for lunch. Our idea of not making dining reservations and keeping it flexible, was working against us. Even though the holiday crowds had died down, the restaurants were mostly booked up. We discovered that Tutto Gusto, the wine cellar in Italy, does not take advanced reservations, and although they were busy, we were able to get a table. The food was amazing. We splashed out with an antipasti starter, a wine sampler, lasagna for mains, and two desserts. It was so good, that we took the kids back in the summer. I highly recommend Tutto Gusto!

In the middle of the World Showcase stands the United States Pavilion. Housed in the colonial style building is The American Adventure, a show which utilizes animatronics and film to explain the history of America. At the risk of sounding sentimental, I always find it to be a bit of an emotional experience. It's beautifully done. Make sure to arrive early to see the mini-museum, and to hear The Voices of Liberty, an a'cappella group that performs before the show.

Japan has the best shopping, I'm not just talking about my love for all things Sanrio, although the Sanrio offerings are significant. I could get lost for days in the Mitsukoshi Department Store. They also have an amazing teppanyaki restaurant, and a cool museum, that had an exhibit on Japan's cute culture. I think she is no longer works at EPCOT, but they used to have a woman who sculpted animals out of candy. It was amazing! She was so talented and could really make any animal. Look her up on Youtube!

We finally made it to Morocco, where we had ended our first visit to The World Showcase.

We had a special surprise as my friend, Carrie and her husband, Dave, were also visiting WDW. I knew Carrie in high school and we also worked together at Universal Studios Hollywood. I had not seen her in many years and we had not met each others spouses. It was pouring rain, but we talked for hours. We were so excited over catching up, that we didn't even take a picture together! Dan and I had to leave by the late afternoon, to get to the airport and return our rental car, otherwise I'm sure we would have hung out all night.

A finally EPCOT picture...this was taken by a cast member when we were near Norway, but it's my favorite, so I wanted to save it for last. It was sad to end our trip, but knowing we were returning in the summer, we converted our multi-day tickets into Annual Passes. It's always easier to leave, when you know you'll soon return.

Winter Holiday 2015/2016 - Disney's Animal Kingdom

Hands down, my favorite Disney park is Disney's Animal Kingdom. I love animals and I spent many years volunteering with various animal organizations in Southern California, including The Greater Los Angeles Zoo. Part of my volunteer time at the zoo was spent collecting field data for the research department, including a flamingo study. I've probably spent more time with flamingos than anyone else you've ever met.

I was so excited for Animal Kingdom, that I kept it for our last full-day of the vacation.

Animal Kingdom still had its Christmas decorations, and as you might imagine, they were all nature themed; a little more subdued than the holiday decor in the other parks, but not less pretty.

Dan bought me Mickey ears! I've gotten value for money by wearing them on every future trip to a Disney park. I also wear them around the house. They make vacuuming and doing the dishes a lot more fun. Just a spoonful of sugar...

Forget castles, The Tree of Life is the best park icon.

Before we can explore, we needed Starbucks. I used to be a grump over Disney adding Starbucks to the parks, but you know what? I love my lattes and I got over it real fast. To be honest, although it breaks from the unique theming in the parks, the coffee is better. I think all of the other park guests had the same idea as us. Fast pass for Starbucks?

We headed to Harambe, the fictional village that is the Africa section of the park. All of the Disney parks have impeccable theming, but I think Animal Kingdom is the cream of the crop. I notice something new on every single visit, and I never leave feeling anything less than transported to a different continent and culture.

I love the attractions, but my favorite thing about Disney's Animal Kingdom are the two animal trails, primarily because they allow me to spend as much time as I want observing the animals. On a previous trip, I went on a behind the scenes tour, and was allowed into the park an hour early. I spent about forty-five minutes watching a mother and baby hippo play, while I chatted with the hippo keeper, without any other guests in the area. It was amazing. The trails tend to get overlooked by park guests, so they tend to be less crowded and quieter, all of which lead to more active animals. Here are pictures from the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, which includes a gorillas, hippos, zebras, and a beautiful aviary with a fish tank.

Kilimanjaro Safaris takes guests on a guided trek through the African savannah to see animals like lions, elephants, and gazelles. Although the animals appear to be roaming free, they are of course safely contained within their own segments of the tour. The illusion of a real safari is well maintained, and some of the animals, like ostriches, are able to approach the vehicles and sometimes even block the road.

From that same behind-the-scenes-tour that I mentioned, I learned that keepers entice the lions to sit on a giant rock ( The Lion King-esque), by having the rock air-conditioned and they drop meat made into a popsicle over the side of the rock, out of view of park guests, but so the lion need to be on the rock to eat it. I thought this was brilliant, as the lion still has the choice to be on view, but he is getting a sweetened deal with the treat. Unfortunately, many of our pictures from the safari didn't turn out, but truly it is something better experienced. On recent trips, I've left my camera in my purse and just enjoyed the safari.

After our safari, we caught a train out of Harambe to Rafiki's Planet Watch and Conservation Station. This is another one of my favorite, yet underrated areas of Disney's Animal Kingdom. I think the issue is that the only way to access this part of the park, is by a train, which eats up time. Also, this area contains no popular attractions, it's educational. What makes this area very special, is it gives guests access to zoo keepers, dietitians, and veterinarians. If you're very lucky, you might be able to watch a veterinarian procedure taking place on the other side of a window. If you're interested or have a kid who's interested in pursuing a career in animal care, this is a must-visit. There is also a very cool exhibit that is comprised of small booths with headphones; you go inside and the lights are dimmed while you listen to sounds of the rainforest. It sounds like a Jaguar is panting in your ear!

I liked this map of USA's National Parks. There are so many parks and so many I've not yet had the opportunity to visit.

Outside, there is a small petting zoo, where they provide brushes to interact with the animals. The animals all have areas where they can escape people-contact, but I found that a majority of them enjoying being brushed. The brushes are better for little kids trying to interact with the animals, over the traditional food offering. Petting zoo animals are less aggressive when food is not part of the equation.

Lunch was at Yak & Yeti, which I think is one of Disney's best restaurants, both with theming and with food quality. Yak & Yeti is located in the Asia section of the park, themed to the fictional Anandapur. I've included pictures of the menu, but the food at Yak & Yeti is not themed to one part of Asia, it's a bit of a hodgepodge of different countries and Americanized. Authentic or not, the food is delicious. I highly recommend the seared miso salmon. It's divine. Dan enjoyed his chicken tika masala, although like most American curry, it wasn't spicy enough for his British palate. We shared a dim sum starter, which included bao, something I grew up eating with my Chinese-American friends, and I passed along to Dan. These are a fancy version of bao buns, but they made me realize that the dirt-cheap bao from Chinatown is actually tastier! The best part of Yak & Yeti is the dessert. You must save room for dessert. You have to go with the cream cheese wontons with the pineapple sauce. Heavenly. Don't share like we did, it will cause a domestic dispute with bloody forks!

With full bellies, we briefly considered a ride on Kali River Rapids, a very fun, yet very wet white water rapids ride. It was warm out, but it was also January, so we thought it wasn't worth getting soaked.

There are so many things that I love about Disney's Animal Kingdom, but my absolute favorite thing in the whole park is located on the Maharajah Jungle Trek....GIANT FRUIT BATS!!!! The giant fruit bats are absolutely adorable, especially when munching on slices of watermelon. The trek is also home to other animals from Asia, like tigers and komodo dragon.

Here are more pictures of Asia, as we made our way to Anandapur's e-ticket attraction, Expedition Everest.

Expedition Everest is not just one of my favorite Disney coasters, but it's one of my favorite overall attractions. The theming is gorgeous and even includes a humorous "Yeti Museum" that explains the myth of the Yeti, which explorers encounter on the ride. A few years ago, I visited Loch Ness in Scotland, where they play up the mythology surrounding the Loch Ness Monster, including a Nessy Museum, not dissimilar to the fake Yeti Museum in the Expedition Everest queue. The coaster is thrilling, my stomach drops every single time I ride it. Luckily we had fast passes, as the wait was long and growing. We rode Expedition Everest many times during our summer trip, when the queue was short enough to not need a fast pass.

Next, we headed to Dinoland U.S.A., which is themed to be a dinosaur roadside attraction fun fair. This area has carnival games and smaller rides, like the Triceratop Spin and Primeval Whirl, a spinning coaster. Primeval Whirl is fun, but bumpy and even a little painful. I laughed and kept saying "ouch" during the entire ride, and even ended up with a large bruise on my hip. It's better if you sit alone or with a small kid, rather than another adult.

Dinosaur, a time-traveling jeep expedition ride, was our last attraction. Dinosaur uses the same ride vehicles and the same track, as my all-time favorite attraction, Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure. The tone of the rides are completely different, with Dinosaur being a lot darker, disorienting, and even a bit frightening. Dinosaur was closed when we visited with the kids during the summer, but I wondered if this might be the one attraction too scary for them.

Unfortunately, we missed my favorite Disney park show, Finding Nemo-The Musical. We just ran out of time. We intentionally skipped, It's Tough to Be a Bug, because we have a same attraction in California, however, if it's your first visit, you shouldn't miss it. The best part of It's Tough to Be a Bug is the queue, which affords you a close-up look at the sculptures on The Tree of Life. Keep an eye out for Jane Goodall's favorite chimp, David Graybeard.