Category Archives: Epcot

Day 47- Epcot: Guerlain & Tokyo Dining

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Today we are heading for Epcot! The weather is hot, but today there is a cool breeze. We get to the parking lot park about halfway down one of the very long parking rows! So, we cheer, and get out of the car as soon as the cars next to us get settled into their spots.

When you park, be careful to wait and see when the car next to you is stopped. There should be one on the left and one on the right, then, after they stop moving, you can open your doors and get out. If you open the doors to soon, you will be prompted by the parking cast to “close your car doors!” Also to get to the park/tram, walk down the aisle that is in front of your car, not the one that people are driving in on. This is for your safety and for the safety of the cars that are just entering into their parking spots! 😀

We have a friend from Dallas in town and we are meeting him at Guerlain in France! It is so very nice to see a familiar face from Texas! A fellow Texan and a good friend!

Oh, I did think we needed a snack if we were going to be out this long, so we went to Tokyo Dining. Tooti and I went a few weeks ago and totally enjoyed our dinner. The waitress was amazing and we got to see to see her again today. Twinkie was sick the other day when Tooti and I came, so this will be her first time to eat at Tokyo Dining, and she is so excited.

We arrive and check-in downstairs, and they give us our ticket. We climb the stairs and take a minute to look around at the Japan Pavilion. It is so very pretty! Now, we go in and ask for a table by the windows if one is available. Yay! We sit in the corner by the windows and have a wonderful cup of hot green tea. The chef is able to make our vegetable sushi gluten free, and of course the miso soup is gluten free!

The miso soup is perfectly hot, we enjoy sipping it as we chat and enjoy the scenery. Soon, our vegetable sushi is here and it is so pretty! I ask our wonderful waitress for a rubber band if she has one; I wanted to make my chopsticks like the ones they made me at Teppan Edo. That was the first time I had ever been able to use chopsticks!! Our waitress said, “Oh, you want special chop sticks!” Oh, OK. Yes, I would like those! When she returned, she handed me my special chopsticks. Then she handed Tooti her special chopsticks. Finally, Twinkie! Hey, look! Your special chopsticks have an origami Mickey on them!!! I love the Mickey on the paper!

Twinkie!
Sitting right by the windows!
View out the window…
Menu…
Smile!
New Guerlain Lipstick!
Mickey!
We love origami!
Vegetable Sushi made GF!
Yum!

It was a fabulous gluten free meal and our waitress was so sweet. I appreciate all of the work they do to make it possible and wonderful for us to be able to eat! Thank you Tokyo Dining and Disney World!!!

Now it is time to go! I thought I could go past the Kaki Gori stand, but I had to back track and get a strawberry Kaki Gori with sweet milk topping. Well, make that three! As we were leaving, four ladies saw our treats and asked what they were. We explained that it is like a snow cone with sweet milk on top; they were delighted and were going to get some too!

As we head through America, Italy, Germany, and the Outpost, we stopped for a minute and saw a drawbridge! I have never seen that before! The next thing we saw was the globe that they use during the IllumiNATIONS fireworks show coming through that area. The breeze off of the World Showcase Lagoon is very chilly!

The bridge is still up? The rest of the platforms that they use for the fireworks show tonight are coming out! It very interesting to hear the narration explaining some of the details of IllumiNATIONS, and fun to watch each piece begin to take their positions! Totally FACINATING! Soon, the drawbridge is lowered and the tons of people begin to cross from both sides.

We are enjoying our Kaki Goris and the walk to the front gate. As we get close to the Spaceship Earth, I love seeing how the sun accentuates the texture and angles in the ball! Anyway, I love to look at how the sun makes it look beautiful during the various times of the day in so many different ways! Rainy days have their own ambiance.

Oh, and I love the people that never let anything stop them! This amazing lady who we met, Dorothy, is a firecracker; she gave us a moment and wonderful advice! So, I had to get a picture with her!

Now, we walk to the parking lot, row 19, hop in our car, and drive off to get the puppies from school! The sky is just beautiful and the sun is shining! What a beautiful day, and how fun to see our friend Marcus from TEXAS!

Day 45- Epcot & Dennis DeYoung (from STYX)

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It is an absolutely beautiful day! The sun is shining and there are very pretty clouds dusting the blue sky. It is late afternoon and there is one tram running. After parking on row 42, I boarded the tram.

As we get to the main gate, there are plenty of people coming and going. There is a nice flow of people. It is fun seeing everyone getting pictures as they enter into Epcot! I see so many First Visit buttons; I am so excited and happy for the people wearing them!

I am looking forward to going to the Eat to the Beat Concert Series. Tonight’s concert features Dennis DeYoung (an original member of STYX), known for his song “Lady” and “Come Sail Away.” The crowd for the first concert is seated, and it is overflowing. I think I’ll grab a seat under an umbrella at the American Adventure pavilion and wait until the second concert! I can hear the music, and I can catch a glimpse of the drummer on occasion!

Soon, I am in line. We go in, and it is filling up quickly! It is one of the best concerts I have heard! Dennis DeYoung announced in the first concert that each of the three concerts tonight will be different. I am so glad that I was able to hear the first one! He kept saying that he is 67 years old. Dennis DeYoung and his band were awesome!

I made my way back through Japan, Morocco, France, over the bridge to England, Canada, then away from the World Showcase to the main sidewalk that leads to the Epcot ball (or Spaceship Earth)! Now, out to the main gate and parking lot! It was the perfect weather for a beautiful evening.

Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)
Gardens in France

Day 42- Epcot and San Angel Inn Restaurante

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Today is an absolutely beautiful day! We are off to Epcot to have lunch in Mexico. The trams are running at a quick pace as the parking lot is filling up quickly.

I love seeing all the happy faces as we scan our MagicBands and enter into Epcot! There are people lining up to get their photo taken with Spaceship Earth and the Food and Wine Festival display in the background. It is busy today.

We pass by several Food Kiosks on the way to Mexico and the air is full of delicious aromas. We have reservations at San Angel Inn Restaurante. As we walk into the indoor marketplace and there is a young lady painting one of the handmade animals that are for sale. I have never seen someone paint these before. There is so much detail in that little painted animal.

While we are waiting to be seated, we noticed the line for the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride is the longest line we have ever seen. However, the line is moving quickly.

Soon we are seated, and it is like you are sitting in the courtyard between the buildings, under the night sky. There is a river that runs beside the restaurant (a part of the Gran Fiesta Tour), flanked by Mayan ruins and a volcano! If you sit by the river, you can see the boat full of people go by periodically. Oh, look, the volcano is erupting! It is a bit dark in this area, recreating a beautiful night in Mexico.

The waitress is really great and soon we have our tortilla soup. Even the chips here are gluten free! Yay! Oh my gosh, it is so very good!

We walk up the ramp to the main area, toward the exit; it kind of looks like the museum in Mexico City. Now, we exit the building toward the World Showcase Lagoon. The area is so busy.

I love being so close to Disney World that we can go and grab a bite of lunch there!

Day 36- Smash Mouth at Epcot!

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What an absolutely fabulous day! Epcot is in our sights and the sun is shining. It is busy, but nice! There is a steady stream of people arriving during lunchtime.

Smash Mouth is playing later today and we got reserved seats with the Eat to the Beat Dining Package. We chose Teppan Edo for lunch! This is a place we have never been and I am looking forward to seeing the Hibachi Chef cook at our table! We are seated at a table with a young family of four. Of course, I have to ask, “Where are you from?”

They were a very nice family, and as we talked, I found out that their son is going to be 10 soon! The waitress overheard us talking about his birthday, which made me very happy! You see, if it is your birthday they celebrate with you. Today, the boy was given a Chef’s hat, a candle in his dessert, and a song with the table across from us! He was so very happy! His sister has a birthday soon, too; her dad said that she wanted me to know!!! She was so cute and sweet! I loved getting to visit with that family.

After lunch, we have a little time, so we grab a Kaki Gori in Japan and sit in the American Adventure Pavilion to eat our shaved ice with sweet milk.

Cute origami!

It’s almost time for the concert; we have our tickets, and get in line about 30 minutes early. The lady behind us is really nice, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to talk with her. She was from New York and worked with special needs kids. I thought I knew what that meant, but I am totally impressed with her heart for the kids she worked with. She is an amazing lady. Then, a lady behind her began talking, too. I like when people enjoy talking to each other!

Yay! Time for the Smash Mouth concert! We sit on the front row and it is so fun!

Great concert!

Now, we make our way from The American Adventure through Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, Canada, and out to our car. What an amazing, beautiful day!

Day 34- Epcot & Captain EO

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Today is a pretty day, so we are off to Epcot! We are parking in the Wonder parking lot; I have never seen this area! As we pull in, the tram is filling up quickly and is taking off as we get out of the car. We have about 3 minutes before the next tram comes and it fills up quickly, too! Off we go! Soon, we are at the entrance and getting off the tram. A quick bag check, a scan of our Magic Bands, and we are in Epcot!

Our first stop is Captain EO! I am surprised that we have never see this. I really liked the 4D and the story line of “Change the world!” He, Captain EO, was freeing the people from the dark side with his music. It was a fun 4D experience!

We headed toward the exit as a young girl found a lone pair of sunglasses and tried to catch the owner, but she lost him. I suggested maybe she could turn them into the cast member that was down front. Her family seemed pleased to know what to do with a lost/found item.

My favorite jumping water fountains are just outside Captain EO. I watch as so many kids, young and old, try to catch the water as it jumps over the sidewalk. There are little ones trying to jump up and catch it. A sister uses her brother’s ball cap to catch the water as it jumps over! Then, her brother has to try to catch it with is hat! Funny stuff!

We decided to sit for a minute as we were going towards the World Showcase Lagoon. As we were sitting there a guy came up and put his hand out running past us saying, “One for the home team!” We don’t know what that means, and as we sat there looking at him walk off, he yelled back, “Is it because of Ebola?” We laughed and said, “No! Food Allergies!” EW!

After our laugh over the awkward situation, we head towards Canada! There is the new Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, but the shows stop at 5:15pm. Again, we sit to decide what we want to do next. As we watch the floods of people go by, we find ourselves enjoying watching people that go by. There are so many people and so many accents! It is fun hearing so many different people talk, and watching as kids see Twinkie’s Frozen backpack and smile at her! The Food and Wine Festival is in full swing; all of the countries are so packed with people eating and drinking their way around the world.

As we head toward the front of Epcot, we catch the water in the fountain dancing to the music! It is spectacular! We look at the new pin releases on our way out. The new Snow White pin even has red rhinestones! We had a wonderful early evening at Epcot!

Day 26- Epcot: Living with the Land & Circle of Life

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The day is absolutely gorgeous, a nice breeze and great sunshine! We are driving into the Epcot parking lots on this Friday afternoon and there is a constant stream of cars.  We are directed to the Discover parking lot and it is fairly close, so we walked to the gates.

Heading to The Land

Our destination is The Land to ride “Living with the Land”. It is a cool boat ride that shows you some of the working greenhouses. There are fish that are also used in their restaurants. It is amazing to hear about how the use the space is used and how much can be grown efficiently with this type of greenhouse. I want to go back through and see it all again, there are so many different kinds of fruits I have not seen before! It is very interesting how they grow some lemons that are 9 pounds. A large variety of fruits and vegetables and lettuces are grown here, too.  Sunshine Seasons and the Garden Grill actually serve some of the produce and fish that are grown here.

The next stop is, Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable. It is a film with Simba and Timon and Pumbaa. It talks about nature and the subject of conservation.

Now, off to Mexico to have Nachos at La Cantina de San Angel Their menu has just changed to have most items gluten free and we can now have most everything on the menu! Tonight, I cannot wait to have nachos! We found seating on the little area over the Lagoon.  As we finish, we are able to give our table to a family waiting to sit at a larger table. It has been a fun Friday evening at Epcot!

La Cantina de San Angel
The Menu
Eating by the water
Our view…
Nachos!

Day 25- Tokyo Dining at Epcot

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Some days life happens.  We are living in a house that was once owned by a Disney Imagineer and we have been intrigued with all of the extra wiring and history of this home. When we had our basic cable put in, it took quite awhile while the technicians figured out all the extras in the network wiring.  Today, we had the security system activated. The technician took a look at the wiring and after a short time, he advised that this is a custom security system. This was going to be a full day’s work and we might have to reschedule. He had spent an hour assessing it, soon I found that he had called in backup and the two of them went into overtime. But, by 5:40 they successfully got our system going, trained me on how it works, and off they went!

We ran and picked up the pups from day school and take them back home, so we have a very short time to go to Disney and pack in some fun!

Epcot in the evening!

Three of the parks close early today, so off to Epcot! It is 7:45 p.m. and they are still parking lines of cars. We catch the Tram and head for Epcot. It is just me and Tooti today; Twinkie is at home sick.

Me and Tooti on the tram!

We walk to Japan as fast as we can. Our reservation is at 8:00 at Tokyo Dining and this is our first time to eat here. It is a beautiful setting and very elegant, located on the second floor in the Japan Pavilion.

Checking in…
Lots of stairs! 🙂
The entrance…

We were seated in a part of the dining area where you can watch the chefs make sushi. It was so nice! We had miso soup, hot green tea and vegetarian sushi made with a special gluten-free soy sauce they have available. It was fun time for both Tooti and me! As we were finishing, we heard the patrons say, “AH!” as Illuminations was starting. We looked and the fireworks were so vivid and bright, they seemed to be so close to the widows, they are beautiful!  We soon were on the porch and could see them so bright and beautiful.  What a wonderful surprise!

Place setting…
Menu
Yum!
Making sushi!
Green tea 🙂
GF Soy Sauce!
The restaurant
Miso soup
Vegetarian Sushi
Yum!
Fireworks…
right outside the windows!
Bright and beautiful!

I looked out and the whole area is full of people. It is 9:15 and it is time to go home. We had a wonderful relaxed evening and enjoyed our strolling through the sea of people as we walked back our car on aisle 20.  As we got closer to the car, we could see the Not So Scary fireworks going off towards Magic Kingdom and even saw the beautiful finale!  So nice!

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Fireworks in the distance!

Day 24- Sugar Ray at Epcot

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Epcot is bustling with so many people enjoying the Food and Wine Festival! I am seeing so many families that need someone to take a picture. I love getting to help, and today, people are so happy to have someone to take a picture for them! It is a good day.

We are going to see the Sugar Ray concert in the America Gardens Theatre. My kids are very excited to go and see them! As we head out, it is a hot 92 degrees, and I am hoping those fluffy white clouds will bring a cool breeze. We get in line 50 minutes early and already the line is getting long. As it nears 5PM, they begin seating, and we can sit under the roofed area, on the third row! Yay!

The line…
More people! 🙂
3rd row!
Great view!

The concert is incredible; Mark McGrath is amazing, he keeps going into the crowd and taking pictures with fans. He is so fun and full of energy; what a great concert! He thanked everyone that he had met during the day for scheduling their vacations around this concert series! This is Sugar Ray’s 5th year to play at Disney World. Very nice.

Epcot is a great place to walk, so we had turned to the left towards Mexico (to walk over to the concert), so now, we turn right to go through the rest of the World Showcase. Once you get to the World Showcase Lagoon, it is 1.1 miles around through all of the countries. If you stop and go into each country, you can add quite a bit to your overall mileage for the day.

We took a detour in France to go to Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie bakery for a crème brulee. The chef was just caramelizing a tray of these beautiful crème brulees; he smiled as we were taking his picture! We sat for a moment to enjoy our treats.  As we were leaving, we looked through the shop that is just across the way.

Torching the treats!
Smile 🙂
Yummy creme brulee…
Macaroon!
In France…
A shop 🙂

It is time to go, and again, on the way out we get to help take pictures for families! It was a wonderful day!

Birds!
Pretty scene…
Spaceship Earth…
See ya later!

Day 21- Magic Kingdom & Goodbye to Maelstrom at Epcot

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Happy Sunday Morning! Happy Sunday Morning! After eChurch with T.D. Jakes of the Potter’s House in Dallas, we are off to Magic Kingdom to grab coffee on our way to Epcot. It is a beautiful, cool day.

I believe everything happens for a reason. We were running a bit behind today, but we finally got on the Monorail heading for Magic Kingdom. We started talking with a lady and she was fascinating! She is in her 3rd day of retirement and is a wonderful conversationalist. Come to find out, she had to go back to her car once, and there we were, chatting and having fun! We exchanged info and found that she was a Colonel, a gun-shooting wonderful lady! I was totally blown away, but so honored to have the pleasure of meeting her! She said that she believes everything happens for a reason. I totally agree.

The thing I remember about going to Disneyland when I was little, were the flowers in the entry that are shaped like Mickey Mouse! Here, at Disney World, Mickey Mouse is in his fall colors.

We did some pin trading as we headed for our Starbucks, only to realize that the Festival of Fantasy Parade was going to begin, so we sat on the steps in a doorway next to the Main Street Confectionary as the parade began. As the music was beginning to play, I started to gently cry. I had the realization that one man’s dream started this beautiful Disney dream and I get to be in these parks. The floats and all of the characters in the parade are beautiful in their colors and detail. The characters are gorgeous and there is such high energy; it is just beautiful!

After the parade, we headed for the Main Street Bakery and then did some more pin trading. We were in front of City Hall in our way out, and I noticed a family getting their picture taken, but the dad was not in it since he was taking it! I offered to take their picture, but realized I didn’t know how his phone worked. “Would you like me to take a picture?” “Oh, yes! Thank you!” “Here, Tooti!” The laughter started as they saw me hand off their phone to Tooti! It was pretty funny.

Then, we were off to Epcot to ride Maelstrom on its final day.

At Epcot…
To Norway!
Arriving at Maelstrom
At the FastPass+ Entrance
Stand-by line was 70 mins!
Norway flags

As we were heading to Canada, we found that a friend of ours was going to be at Epcot, so we got to see them and have dinner in Morocco. I feel so refreshed getting to visit with friends.

Spice Road Table
Yummy food!

We headed home and found that we can see fireworks so clearly at the end of our street! So we grabbed the pups, and headed back to see the fireworks! It was such a beautiful, cool evening.

Day 19- Epcot & Starship

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Epcot is in our view; we are headed for the American Gardens Theater in the American Adventure Pavilion. During the Food and Wine Festival, there are plenty of concerts for those who like music. Tonight’s band was Starship. That sounded familiar, so we went. This time I chose to ride the Friendship Boats from the Showcase Plaza to Germany and walk from there. On the way, I saw a group of people trying to get a photo. I offered to take their picture so they could all be in it together. I like helping visitors who want a group photo, so it is normal for us to offer to take pictures for people!

Arriving in Germany!
Leaving Mexico
Africa…
Passing China…
Across the waters…
On to Norway!

After we got seats in the theater, Twinkie was sweet and got some Kaki Gori shaved ice to keep us cool in this heat while we waited for the concert to begin. I looked up, and there was a rainbow in the clouds! Here, it seems that we see the rainbows before the storms! It did rain a bit near the end of the concert. The theater was packed as the music began. It has been years since I’ve heard these songs, except for the one that is in the movie, Guardians of the Galaxy.

Starship time!
Rainbow!

After the concert we went back to the Kaki Gori stand to see the tiny origami Yoda that one of the cast members had made! She let us take a picture of him; we were so excited to see it!

Origami Yoda!

Now, we continue our walk through Japan, Morocco, France, Canada, and the UK. Oh, we must stop and see the Downton Abbey merchandise room! I love the Tea Caddy shop; there are glasses in there that I want! We walk on through to see the British candy and teas! I like this shop and all of the British teapots and aprons.

As we are leaving the World Showcase, we see there is another rainbow (a double)! It is so vivid you can even see the purple in it, so beautiful.

Double Rainbow!
Rainbow!

Now, as we are leaving, it seems that there are just as many people coming into Epcot as there are leaving; it is bustling and busy.