Day 9: Epcot
Finally a day of rest had come. We have gone none stop with near rope drop openings for the past 4 days which makes for some early mornings when you also have an Infant to feed and get ready prior to heading to the parks. Today would be our final full day in the Orlando area and would finally be an easy a day. A day where we would sleep in and not rush to get to the parks.
We took advantage of not needing to be at a park early and managed to sleep in past 10am. Once awake for the day we continued taking our time getting ready for the day so with the late sleep in taking our time to get ready for the day we once again missed out on the free breakfast that our hotel offered. That was ok though cause by this point we were done with it lol.
At around 11:45am we finally found ourselves leaving the hotel. As we started out our final Full day in Orlando the next thing on our list after sleeping in was to find food. Typically we would have ate twice by this point. And since we wouldn't be eating a meal in the park for lunch like we had every other day of this trip we decided to try a restuarant that we don't have that came from a recomendation from my Mom and Step Dad before they drove home to South Carolina. That place is a Steak n' Shake.
We found a Steak n' Shake location just outside the other end of the Disney Property near Downtown Disney which worked great cause thats the direction we were going. The drive took about 10 minutes to get there and it was pretty easy to find. When my mom was discribing the place I was expecting it to be a Fast Food joint so I was kind of suprised to find out that its actually more like a restaurant. We were also able to get right in and get a table.
For those who have never been to a Steak n' Shake the name pretty much gives away what it is. Inside is themed like a Diner and there known for there Steak Burgers and Shakes. Kiera and I both ordered burgers and we also got a grasshoper shake to try. When we got the food we were both impressed with it and really thought the burgers were very good. The shake was also very good. And once again because we were not on Disney Property this was one of our cheapest meals of the trip. The pricing was very reasonable. We were really happy to try and it will go back again next time we are in Florida.
The next place we would be heading was down the street and on the other side of the freeway. A place that we had driven past on many of our previous visits but have never stoped at. We were heading to the Orlando Premium Outlets located just across the freeway from the Disney Property.
We have always been a big fan of the Las Vegas Premium Outlets and with the Orlando Premium Outlets being owned by the same company we looked forward to similar shopping options. We found Parking to be much better at these outlets compared to the Prime Outlets on International Drive near Universal that we went to earlier in the week. Instead of just a large lot the Premium Outlets has a large Parking Garage.
As we entered the Outlet shopping area we found it felt very similar to the Prime Outlets. And we soon found out why. They are actually both owned by the same company. So many of the shops were the same between the two Outlets. We took our time and browsed the stores but they all seemed to be the same and carried the same items as the Prime Outlets that we shopped at earlier.
We really looked forward to looking at one store here and that was the Disney Character Warehouse. Yes we also went to this store at the Prime Outlets and even bought some stuff from it. But we were hoping maybe this location would have more (and different) items being located closer to Disney Property. The store actually seemed smaller then the Prime location and the stuff they carried seemed to be the same unfotunatly. Infact it seemed to actually carry less then the Prime Outlets did. We looked around the store for a little while but ended up walking away empty handed as nothing really stood out to us there. If your gonna go check out to the Character Warehouse to pick up discounted Disney Park merchandise then I recommend making the extra drive and going to the one at the Prime Outlets instead. The store seemed lareger and it had a much better selection being located further from Disney Property.
When we finally left the Premium Outlets it was nearly 2pm. The day was almost half way over but the late start and not heading strait to the parks felt great. But as you may recall we had purchased 5 day Disney tickets from Undercovertourist. We had only used 4 days so far. Our day had gone as planned as we got done all we wanted to and now we would head back to a Disney park for our final evening in Orlando. So where would we go? We started making the drive towards Disney Property and once again the Religious Sky writing was once again spreading Gods love.
So where do you think we are heading? We decided the night before however we had a feeling this is where we would end up on our final day even before our trip had started. Seeing all 4 parks we reviewed which parks we liked most. Each had its unique charm and something we enjoyed and would like to see again. And of course we didn't see everything that each park had to offer. The choice finally came down to the question of "If we never came back to Florida again what park would we like to see one last time". We quickly ruled out Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios as many of the themes and rides were very similar in the 2 parks to our Home parks of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Animal Kingdom got ruled out as well quickly as we did see most of the park already and with its early closing time we would barely have an time there. If its not obvious by now we would be heading back to Epcot.
For arriving at the park much later in the day we were actually pretty suprised at how close of a parking spot we were able to get. It was still close enough to a tram spot where we could have rode one if we wanted to but we instead chose to walk and made it to the gates quicker then those waiting for the tram. Our tickets were scanned one final time and then we entered Epcot.
Since we had been to Epcot not only once already on this trip but also the previous year as well our focus for the day would be to try and do things we hadn't done there yet and to find characters to take Daniel to one last time. As we walked thru the Leave a Legacy Plaza it became apparent though that today was gonna be a fairly mellow day as far as crowds go.
As we approched the first attraction in the park Spaceship Earth though we saw that there was only about a 3 minute wait for the ride. So we hoped in line and figured we would ride the attraction again. Within minutes we were on board and taking our journey thru time again. This time the photo imageing did not pick up Daniel though so it was Mine and Kieras photos on the screen during the decent and aftershow area. We of course really enjoy this ride and I believe it to be considered in the same category as Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. Its a ride you must go on when at Epcot.
After Spaceship Earth we entered the main Future World plaza and turned right towards the area of the park where the Land, Seas, and Imagination Pavillions are located. Thats because this area is also the area where the 1st Characters we would be seeing do there meet and greet at. We were going to see Chip and Dale. And there Wait was only about 5 minutes.
Upon seeing Chip and Dale Daniel once again lit up with excitement over these costumed characters. He was laughing and grinning and just loving every minute of his time with them. You'd think that with over a week of seeing these characters that he would have bored of them by now but he was every bit as excited as he was the first time seeing one. Chip and Dale were both very cute with him.
While waiting in line Kiera saw a sign posted that said the Seas with Nemo and Friends would be closing early tonight at 6pm. With this being a ride that Daniel enjoyed from our visit earlier in the week we figured we would take him on it again since it would be closing early. The wait turned out to be awesome as we practically walked right on to the ride. There wasn't a wait. Daniel seemed much more in to the ride this time around then he was earlier and its a ride that we both like as well but agree that the Nemo Submarines at Disneyland is better. I was disspointed again as well to see the Angel Fish still broken and in the same position it was in almost a week earlier. Still this is a cute little ride that your kids will likely love. Doing the ride was the only thing we did in the Seas Pavillion though as we spent much time in there earlier in the week. After the ride we left the building.
As we exited the Seas Pavillion it was about time for Daniel to feed again. So we started to make our way across the park to Epcots Baby Care Center. The one Baby Care Center that Kiera and Daniel really hadn't used yet dispite being here earlier in the week. As we made our way there though we passed Bambis Butterfly House that is set up during the Flower and Garden festival so we stopped and decided to walk thru it on our way to the Baby Care Center. This tent has many flowers but whats really neat is the hundreds of Butterflys. We tried showing them to Daniel but he really didn't seem to care all that much so we left and continued on our way.
As we crossed the bridge to the Odyssey Restaurant complex where the Baby Care Center is located you get some very pretty views of the parks Future World section. As you round the walkways of the Odyssey though you also start getting some views of the World Showcase too with the best being Morocco. And whats that towering behind Morocco in the distance. Not something you would typically see from anywhere else in the park. Its the Tower of Terror at the Hollywood Studios. Infact Disney Imagineers designed and painted the Tower of Terror the way it is specifically so it wouldn't ruing these sight lines in Morocco. Instead it would flow with them and seem part of the Pavillion. Such a cool thing they did to make intrusions from outside the park blend in. To bad they couldn't do this will all the structures that intrude on the park (I'm looking at you Swan and Dolphin Resort).
The Baby Care Center in Epcot is set up similar to the Magic Kingdom where the Breast Feeding area is just one large room that is shared by many instead of the private rooms. Because of this strollers are not allowed in the baby care center and I obviously would not be allowed in the Feeding room. So while Kiera feed Daniel I decided to walk back up to Future World to ride another ride. Heading back up thru the Odyssey area I came across the ride I really wanted to ride again (or at all on this trip) Test Track. As you may recall Test Track is currently undergoing a Major overhaul and it will be closed until the Winter. The worst part is it closed less then a week prior to our vacation. I rode the ride when we came last year and it was easily my favorite ride in the park. Although it was closed it was interesting to see some progress had been made on the exterior in a few days.
I then came upon Mission: Space which is the attraction that I was heading to. I was expecting to find a fairly long wait for the ride especially in the middle of the day so you could imagine I was pretty suprised to find the Orange Team side only had a 10 minute wait. So awesome. I hoped in line for the Orange Team and frankly there really wasn't a wait at all. I walked right thru the line and strait to a preshow area. Before long I was loading into the Space Capsal and began my flight to Mars. The ride was once again great and I love how intense the G forces are on this thing. However I must be getting use to the ride as each time I ride it, it seems to not be as forceful to me. Still its a great ride that I consider a do not miss when at Epcot. So long as you can stomach Motion Simulators and High G-Forces.
As I exited the Pavillion I was gonna walk up to the Old Wonders of Life Pavillion and go inside since it was open as the "Festival Center" for the Flower and Garden Festival. However as I was walking to it Kiera sent me a text letting me know she was almost done feeding so I abandoned my plans, got a couple cups of Ice Water and walked back down to the Odyssey area and Baby Care Center where Kiera had just finished feeding. As I walked past Test Track though they had the Test Track All Stars out performing. This singing group was put in place to entertain guests who would be dissapointed walking to Test Track and finding it closed. The group sang pretty good but the question has to be asked. Really Disney? You couldn't come up with something a little bit better.
Once I meet back up with Kiera and Daniel we would head into the World Showcase where we would end up spending pretty much the rest of our night. Although being right next to Mexico you'd think thats where we would start our tour around the lagoon. Nope. We decided to walk to the other side of the park so that we could start in Canada.
It seems like on our previous the last 3 countries Canada, Britain, and France always get the shaft. Especially Canada. We just never seem to make it to them before nightfall and when we do we were so rushed that we didn't get the time to stop and look around like we had the other country pavillions. So as we entered the World Showcase these were the top priorities to see.
As I said Canada really seems to always get the biggest shaft on our visits so I was glad that we were able to take the time and explore the pavillion. I really liked many of the interesting things found in the shop and also some of the Canada shirts but we were nearing our budget limit so we decided against buying anything. The pavilion seems to be elevated higher then others as you work your way up to the top. In the back of the Pavillion is the O'Canada movie located in some amazing rockwork and waterfalls. We only viewed them from above though as there was no easy way to get the stroller down from up top. We walked down there last year though after the park closed when it was dark and its really neat walking thru the rockwork. Although the Pavillion seems to take up alot of space overall it seems to be pretty small. Still theres alot of details here to look for.
Located between Canada and Britain is huge tent that is typically hidden behind a closed gate called the World Showplace. It however was not closed today though because there was a large Cheerleading Competition taking place in it. Because of this the entire World Showcase had many family, Girls, and teams spread thruout the areas that were part of this competition. Dispite this though the park never seemed packed.
The next Pavillion we enter is Great Britain and although we bought food here earlier in the week we quickly passed thru it as we were trying to get the Kidcot Stamps from all the countries for Daniel prior to Illuminations starting. Because we were so rushed in Britain earlier in the week It was even the 1 country that I forgot to get a Hat picture in. Needless to say I was able to get it today giving me a Hat picture from each of the World Showcase Countries. We walked thru the shops of Britain and as we exited in the back of the Pavilion there was some sort of show taking place by a band covering songs from some of Englands most popular performers. It was very loud though so we left the area and continued on to the next country.
Next up is France but we practically just walked right on past at this time. Thats because there were characters meeting at in the next country at the time. We planned to come back to France after we were done there.
That next country is Morocco and the characters meeting were Aladdin and Jasmine. Now we know that Daniel loves costumed Characters. However we hadn't taken him to a live charcater yet. One that is a human and could talk and what not. We were excited to see a fairly short wait to meet Aladdin and Jasmine but that soon turned to disapointment as we learned the line had already been cut off. So we wouldn't be meeting them today or on this trip.
As we walked back to France we saw there was already a line forming to meet Belle and the Beast who would be coming back out in 10 minutes. We wanted Daniel to at least see one Princess so we figured what the heck and got in line. The CM soon came out who handles the lines and told us that Belle comes out first and the Beast will join 10 minutes after her. He then asked if there was anyone in line wanting to meet only Belle and if so then they would get to meet her first prior to those wanting to see Belle and the Beast together. This worked out great for us as we figured we'd save the time and only meet Belle. We were the first in the Belle only line and when she came out we were the first ones to meet her.
So how was Daniel with her. It was pretty funny as it was nowhere near the excitment he gets with the costumed Characters. Although he really liked her talking to him and would laugh and smile it was nowhere near what it typcally was. I'd say it was about the same excitment as when random strangers would stop and talk to him in the parks. It was really interesting to see the difference between live and costumed characters lol.
We were able to bring that excitement level back up though as when we finished with Belle we walked over to another character meet and greet that takes place in France. Its with the cat Marie from the Disney movie the Aristocats. Daniel once again got very excited seeing another costumed character and was back to being very happy and excited. The wait was also very short for Marie which is always a plus we found when meeting characters.
After meeting Marie we finished walking around the Franch Pavillion. This was a Pavillion that we always seem to look around when its dark so we took the time looking around other areas of it and also to see the Beauty and the Beast themed Topiaries that we had only seen before after nightfall.
With this being the warmest day of the trip we took the advice of some other people who were waiting in line to meet Belle to walk over to French Kidcot station and get one of the Duffy's on a stick that kids can color and stamp. Not because we were feeling crafty but because it made for a very good, free fan.
We had now finally explored and seen all of the Pavillions during the daylight we took our time making our way back thru the World Showcase. We walked right on past Morocco and into the Japan Pavillion. We started wandering thru some of the outdoor ports of the pavillion and after walking up the hill above the Koy Ponds we found the Quick Service restaurant located up here. It is kind of hidden from view but was a pretty area secluded from other parts of the park. We took a break and got some water before continuing on.
The next Pavillion was the America Pavillion and it also marks the center of the World Showcase. And on this trip we were finally gonna do the attraction located in this Pavillion. The American Adventure show. This show takes place I think every 45 minutes and we arrived about 15 minutes prior to the show starting. Before the show starts you enter the pavillion where you find yourself in a very beautiful foyer to wait for the show. Theres also a small exhibit of sorts to the side showcasing what many of the stars of the show did for US History. The finally announced that we could move into the theater but to get there first you travel thru a hall of Flags that has many Flags from US history hanging from the cealing. It is a pretty neat site to see.
When we entered the theater we found some seats towards the back but in the middle of the theater. To those who have never seen the show before its around 35 minutes long and its a show put on entirely by Animatronics of famous people who contributed to US History. The show is even narrated by Mark Twain and Ben Franklin. You will then see many of the great events in US History portrayed by these animatronics.
For this whole trip Daniel had been great. But during this show he was finally done. He was getting somewhat fussy prior to the show starting but about 3/4's of the way thru he really lost it and there was nothing that could be done to calm him down. With his crying getting louder each second Kiera decided to pick him up and exit the show. He had enough. We guess it was because of how dark the theater got but we aren't for sure what made him fuss so badly. Just and FYI though if you find yourself in the same situation and need to exit the theater early the exit is to the Left. Kiera went to the Right where we came in and got some odd looks from some of the CM's when she exited.
Overall the show was really good and makes you proud to be an American. It was really intersting to see and amazing how the show works. Remember that the show is on the longer side though so make sure you set enough time aside to do the show and also pay attention to show times so you don't find yourself waiting long for the show to start. Its not something I'd see on every visit but its something you need to see at least once.
As the show exited and I left the building I found Kiera sitting on the curb with Daniel waiting for me. Of course once outside Daniel was as happy as could be like nothing ever happened. Needless to say Kiera wasn't too happy with him. One of the Flower Power Concerts had also started while we were in the show. This weekend Chuck Negron was performing who is part of Three Dog Night.
We left the American Pavillion and continued walking thru the World Showcase looking for Photo Pass photographers that might still be out. However we soon realized as we made it to Germany that we were getting hungry for dinner. We debated if we should hurry and continue thru the World Showcase first and then work our way back to find food but we ended up deciding against that as we figured we'd waist too much time back tracking. What I wanted for Dinner was in America and for Kiera it was in France. So we turned around and may our way back in those directions.
In America I decided to get one of the Large Turkey Legs. I have never tried one myself (except for the bites I had of my brothers at Universal Studios a week earlier) and that was one of my must dos on this trip. In France we went back to the pastery shop where Kiera got another Ham and Cheese Crousant and also an Eclair and Creme Suflee to try. Once again everything we got taisted very good. The Turkey Leg was too big for me to finish on my own and the only complaint about the pasteries was the hard part of the Creme Suffle taisted a little off but it was still good overall. Nothing like eating in France for your final night in Orlando.
After dinner the Sun had started going down so we walked back to where we last left off to continue walking the World Showcase. We picked back up in Germany and we soon realized that we had never seen this side of the World Showcase after dark. It was very pretty to see how the countries are lite up at night. We did manage to find one more Photo Pass photographer out in front of the China Pavillion.
We were almost finished with the World Showcase when it became apparent that Daniel was hungry and ready to eat. As we passed into Norway Kiera decided she would go to the Baby Care Center located just outside of Mexico to feed him. With 50 minutes left until Illuminations started I figured I would have time to quickly ride Maelstrom again. However I decided against that Idea when I found many people already staking out spots along the World Showcase Lagoon to watch the show. Since Kiera missed out on Illuminations earlier in the week I decied to stake out a good spot as well and waited out the time until the show started in a spot right on the Norway and Mexico boarder.
It was about time for the show to begin and Kiera had still not returned. I know I was still a few minutes walk from the Baby Care Center but Daniel is usually done feeding by now. The show started and Kiera still hadn't returned. But the very beginning was all that she missed out on. She still caught most of the show in time. The show was every bit as good as it was the first and second times we had seen it. And this third time was also the third location that we had watched the show from. I would say this location in Norway was still better then the one in America however I think the view from Canada was still the best of all. Daniel really enjoyed watching the fireworks and overall the show was great. Again words can't really do these shows justice so with a none dieing battery tonight I was able to take plenty of photos that I didn't share earlier in this report.
With the conclussion of Illuminations it was also the official closing of Epcot. We along with everyone else left the World Showcase and started to make our way towards the exit. It was kind of nice being in Norway as for the most part when exiting you will be ahead of the bulk of the crowds.
While exiting though we once again saw that the Character Spot had practically no wait at all. Even a shorter wait then it did when we were at Epcot earlier in the week. Knowing Daniels love for Characters and this being his last chance to see them we decided what the heck. We would take him thru the Character Spot again.
First up of course was Mickey who Daniel once again just loved. But as we progressed from Mickey to Pluto and then to Minnie it became apparent that Daniel was tired. He wasn't having that excitment the he normally has. Donald Peaked his excitement a little bit but as we finished up with Goofy it was apparent that he was done and wanted to go back to the hotel. Heck he was probably done with the vacation by this point lol.
One last thing we did before leaving Epcot was go to the Mouse Gears store to look around one last time. This would likely be our final oppertunity to buy any Disney Gear so we wanted to make sure we had everything we wanted. After looking around the store we decided that we had all we wanted already and left the store empty handed.
We made our way to the Exit taking photos along the way as Spaceship Earth looks so great after nightfall. At the parks enterance we looked at the Fantasia Topiearys one last time before we exited the park.
I mentioned earlier that we were suprised at how close the parking spot we got earlier in the afternoon was to the park enterance. Although it was close this walk at the end of the day seemed like it was so long and the car was so far away. But we eventually made it. While loading up the car in the distance we were able to see the Magic Kingdoms Fireworks going off as it was now 10pm. After watching for a minute though we decided to head back to the Hotel. We had to make a quick stop by Target though before getting to the Hotel to pick up an extra bag as we weren't sure if we'd be under our allowed bag weight with all the new stuff we bought.
Once back at the hotel Daniel got ready for bed and ate and then crashed out. Unfotunatly though we wouldn't be able to do the same as our vacation would be coming to and end tomorrow. Which ment tonight we had to pack up all our stuff in the room we had been living in for the past 9 days. The suitcases were pulled out and we started getting them packed up. Of course not without a picture of all our souvineers that we bought on this trip.
An hour and a half later we finally finished getting everything together, orginized, and packed so that we would be ready to head home tomorrow. As we retired to bed it was sad to realize this was all coming to and end. This vacation that had been planned for months and months would be coming to an end in less then 24 hours.