Disney Day 3, Part 2 - EPCOT

We arrived at EPCOT around 4pm.  It felt late to be starting another park, but we were going to make the best of it.  We felt like EPCOT might be our best bet since there were fewer must-do rides and the countries allow for more flexibility since you can explore them as quickly or slowly as you like.  As always, the first sight of Spaceship Earth gets me so excited!

Carter had two initial priorities upon arrival.  He wanted to check the store near the front of the park for something he'd been bugging me for since early in Animal Kingdom.  There was a type of cotton candy in the candy store in Africa that was cookies 'n' cream flavored, and while I didn't let him get it then, he became obsessed with tracking it down elsewhere.  While we weren't going to buy it right then either, he just wanted to know it was there!  Once we confirmed its presence, it was on to priority #2--Club Cool!  We were ready to get our samples of our favorites!  We figured we'd start on a low note and do a shot of Beverly before making our way down the line!  Country Club is still my favorite, followed by Cucumber Sprite.  We had a blast getting our fill, particularly for free after doing a paid sampler last year.

When we left there, I started checking ride wait times, and was shocked to see Guardians down around 35 minutes, which was crazy low.  We hustled right over there and got in line.  It was still outside the building, but at least I knew this one would be worth it!  I'm usually either rushing into the ride or so elated coming off it that it's not often I take a minute to see the big starship from the backside.

It was definitely a wait, and maybe a bit longer than posted, but it moved reasonably well enough and we kept ourselves occupied.  I was so excited to see what song we'd get!  We finally made it through, and the anticipation through the first part of the ride, right up until it goes dark, was so fun!  And boom, when I heard the first notes of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", I threw my arms in the air and let out a huge whoop!  It's one of my favorite songs even outside of the ride, so to get it on the ride was amazing!  Regardless of the song, that ride is just elite.  It is by far my favorite ride on property, and my cheeks are always sore from smiling by the time it's over.  I will say that I think "September" is still better, but it was still SO much fun!  And I felt really lucky, because the posted wait when we left was double what it was when we went in!

When we came back outside, the sky was looking a bit threatening.  There was a big, dark cloud in one direction, and audible thunder.  We decided to pop into Connections for dinner, where we split the two slices of pizza and shared an order of parmesan truffle fries, with the promise of a pretzel later in Germany.  The rain never really hit us, but apparently it was close enough to close Test Track for a bit.  However, as we walked back out with Mission: Space on our agenda, we heard Test Track testing.  That's how we got on it one time previously, too, catching it testing and getting in the line just in case it opened.  We decided it was worth a try, especially since it had been refurbished with a new storyline since our last ride.  We stood there for maybe 10-15 minutes before it opened, and we were maybe 150-200 people back, which didn't seem terrible.  

We walked through the first room almost without stopping, and then it slowed down a bit in the second room.  And then it got really slow.  I was trying to figure out if it was having issues or it was just a slow line, but then we realized that there was also a massive Lightning Lane line that was getting a ton of people through at a time.  What was supposed to be a short wait took forever.  In the end I think we were in there about an hour, which included a 15 minute delay when we were on the platform, two loads away from getting on.  Thankfully they got it running and we finally got our ride.  The new version wasn't quite as fun as the old one--Carter really missed making his car--but the homage to the original World of Motion ride there was pretty fun.  It definitely had a bit more of that original EPCOT futuristic optimism that my dorky 9-year-old self loved back in 1987, and some of the cars in the queue had that feel, as well.  It took everything I had to not sing "Fun to Be Free" to Carter at the end.  

While we were in that line, Craig and Jacob had made their way to Coronado Springs for dinner, before heading over to Hollywood Studios for a bit.  Jacob had his eye on a reasonably priced Steak Frites and then got gluten-free churros for dessert!  Unfortunately, lines at Hollywood Studios were a bit longer than they wanted, so they didn't end up riding anything there.

By the time we got out of Test Track, we were definitely short on time.  The sun was setting, and park close was merely an hour away.  We started a brisk walk over to the World Showcase, and the sunset was giving me lovely views.
 

We didn't really stop too many places because of how short our time was, but we did make an exception for China because their store is really cool.  Carter wanted some exotic potato chips, but he was leaning toward the crayfish ones, and I didn't really want to pay a bunch for a bag of chips that might just smell like fish.  We didn't have time to argue about it or stop to pay, so we had to let it go.  We popped back out and the lighting on the gate and pagoda was so lovely.

The half-light gave everything a new feel.  Even though we've been in EPCOT at dusk before, I didn't really remember it feeling like this.  Maybe because we dealt with rain and sore feet and were in a different section the other times?

We of course had to stop in Germany because I will probably forever check there in case they bring back my elusive blown glass Mickey ornament, but we did have a good laugh over the pickle ornament selection this time.  If you recall, there was a misunderstanding where the boys thought I wanted a glass pickle instead of the Mickey head.  Despite my insistence that the one pickle we have is enough (despite it being a Clausen-branded tin that came with gummy pickles inside), I almost would have consented to the pickle in a Santa hat if it wasn't $30 and I wasn't terrified of getting it home.  Also, the Arribas store there had this stunning crystal Spaceship Earth.  Bargain price: $79,000.  Who on earth is buying that?! (or the glass or crystal Cinderella Castles, for that matter.)

Germany always makes me smile and makes me wish even more that I could get to the real thing one of these years--especially as we're now on the cusp of Oktoberfest once again.  The grounds are taking shape and my wanderlust may be pretty strong this year!  But for now, EPCOT will have to do.

We grabbed our giant pretzel, which was delicious, and ripped off pieces as we continued our fast walk.  Of course I had to get the night version of the Japanese gate photo with Spaceship Earth (almost) smack in the middle.

Morocco looked so pretty and I desperately wanted to wander back to photograph the gorgeous hanging lanterns, but alas...time was ticking!

We did make a brief stop in Canada because that store is always so fun.  And we had a feeling that we'd run into a familiar face:

When we came with the kids when Jacob was five and Carter was a baby, one of Jacob's souvenirs was a giant stuffed bear that was actually also a puppet.  He's still a favorite, to the point that he's typically remained a mainstay on Jacob's bed even as he's weeded others out.  In subsequent trips we didn't see the bear again, until we were in a store in Animal Kingdom this time, and there he was!  Same face, but slightly different fur--softer and some lighter streaks--and sadly no hidden Mickey head in the paw prints.  But he was the same bear otherwise, and had we not already had an extra stuffed hippo and not enough packing space, I might have lost that battle to bring home his brother.  But seeing him in Canada as well was a nice full circle moment.  We had a fun chat with the cast members there when we told them the story of the original Bear.  The one said (in her adorable Canadian accent) that a stuffy was usually her choice of souvenir as well, but now she has a giant bin of them she can't bear to part with.  I said that we had it times two (and really three with me), and she said that she was expecting her first baby and is now telling herself that she can give them to her--which I strongly affirmed!  They also had a super cute beaver there that I'm sure would have been happy with the Buc-ee's beavers back at home.

Once we wrapped up there, my mission at that point, with about 10 minutes before park close, was to make it to the Journey of Water with Moana.  It was nearly complete but not open last time we were in the park, and we only got to glimpse it from the monorail last time.  Heck, most of that area was a massive construction site the last two times we were there, and it was pretty amazing to finally see it done.  That whole area was pretty, though we never got to go into the new Communicore building.
 

As much as we love Figment and wanted to ride Journey into Imagination, Moana had to take precedence since we've ridden Figment before and I would not forgive myself if we didn't do one of the main things I didn't get to do last time.  Unfortunately, this would probably be our last chance to ride the current version before they do a major refurbishment soon.  It's likely going to bring back our old friend Dreamfinder, who was part of the ride when I first fell in love with Figment.  I liked the ride and pavilion so much when I was nine that I HAD to buy a little vinyl figure of him as my souvenir, and after one of our last visits, I dug him out of my memory bin and he once again lives in my shadow box.  Next time I go in there I'm bringing out the fun 80s Daisy Duck (think Cyndi Lauper-style) as well.  But the Imagination pavilion looked lovely from afar!

We also didn't step foot in The Land or The Seas on this trip, which was also a bummer as I love both of those places.  Soarin' is always a joy, Livin' with the Land is a classic, and I always enjoy viewing the aquariums in The Seas.  But Moana called...

I'm so happy we made it, not only because it was really cool, but also because I got some of the prettiest pictures of the entire trip in there.  

Note the jumping fountain

This may be one of the prettiest pictures I have ever taken.

This one was quite stunning, as well.  Or maybe it's just that Te Fiti is stunning herself?

The attraction is a series of water-based activities that are dependent on your movement.  It was fun and so pretty.  One was like a water harp.

One used your hand motions to shoot out streams.

One was a waterfall that stopped as you walked through it.

The jumping fountains (which I have always loved over at Imagination) were so pretty and well lit here.

Another one where the arm motions shot up water...

By the time we were done, the big fireworks show had already begun.  The bad news is once that happens, Spaceship Earth's fun lights, which I love to watch and photograph, turn off.  And once they're back on, they're sort of limited for a while, during which all the firework spectators create a mad rush out of the park for the buses, which it generally behooves you to beat so you're not waiting forever for a bus or standing the entire drive back.  We knew we had to stop in the store to get Carter's "Gray Stuff" cotton candy, and we also made a split second decision to throw in a Little Golden Book.  Yes, I know we're past the children's book phase BUT it was a Figment one and it featured Dreamfinder, so I knew it had to be a good one.  Turns out a lot of it was taken from the music in the original ride, which made me so happy!  For like, $6, I couldn't pass it up!   

On our way out I tried to get as many pretty photos as I could, but alas, it wasn't the best.

This is the ball's classic look, but I love the points of light.

This one was a surprise--I think my phone just couldn't manage the momentary brightness when these turned on!  

But most of what I got wasn't awesome, and considering how sore our feet were after 22,000 steps and almost 10 miles, I couldn't justify staying there through the rush to get anything else.  We were also staying at what promised to be a much busier resort, so we didn't want to get stuck in an endless bus wait when we were pretty much incapable of walking or standing anymore.  We did beat the big rush, but I'm pretty sure it was still a standing ride home.  My feet were so sore, as were Carter's, and I was very concerned we couldn't do a park day the next day like we had planned.  Two days in a row is always a risk, but with Carter having an actual foot issue (either plantar fasciitis or something called Sever's Disease), I really didn't want to push it.  I figured we'd sleep on it and see how we felt in the morning.  Boy, did I need that sleep!