Yesterday our port of call was Epcot, my least favorite Disney theme park. Our daughter put it best over 20 years ago when she turned to us a couple of hours into our visit and said, "I didn't come on vacation to be educated!" While I enjoy certain rides in the Future World portion of Epcot, the World Showcase always struck me as a distinctly American conceit. "Hey, I can tour the world without ever leaving home!" It's very disorienting to be in Mexico and hear someone say, "Let's go next door to Norway and get some smoked fish." Or if you're in Japan, it's just a quick hop to Morocco. Very strange.
Anyway, we took the launch (I love the sound of that) from our hotel to the back door of Epcot, smack dab in the middle of France. We scurried through the UK into Canada, then popped out the other side into Future World. Sweating profusely, we were told it was going to be the hottest day of our stay, going up to 96 degrees with a heat index of 105. (Of course, as I write this, that seems like a cool breeze - today it's 100 degrees with a predicted heat index of 110-115 degrees. When folks in Florida say it's the hottest it's been in two years, you know you're in trouble.) I ran ahead of Marie and the kids to get Fast Passes (good trip decision #4) for Soarin', THE ride in WDW this year. I had no trouble finding it, just followed the herd streaming toward the building. I honestly don't think anyone in the park was heading anywhere else.
When Marie and the kids caught up to me, Connor wasn't feeling well so we decided to lay low for awhile, grabbing something to drink and enjoying the air conditioning. Next we headed off to The Seas with Nemo & Friends where we boarded clamobiles two by two on a quest to find Nemo. Connor found it lame, Meghan gave it rave reviews and she and I immediately rode it again. We hung around the Seas Pavilion as the kids enjoyed the rays, sharks, manatees, dolphins, mackerel, sea horses, clownfish (Nemo), sea turtles, eels and other inhabitants of this huge aquarium.
Just before lunch we went to Turtle Talk with Crush, a hilarious interactive show between a talking sea turtle and the kids in the audience. Although Crush is animated, he speaks directly to specific kids and answers their questions. Adults and kids alike were in stitches throughout the performance.
Next it was time for lunch at the Coral Reef restaurant, where you dine facing the glass walls of the aquarium. The kids had a great time, and the food was wonderful. The highlight of the meal was, of course, dessert, where the kids got do-it-yourself sundae kits and Marie and I split one of the best desserts we've ever had.
Since Connor was feeling better, we decided to give Soarin' a try. This ride takes you on a simulation of hang gliding over parts of California. It's an amazing visual and physical experience, and you go from feeling like you're dangling high in the air to pulling your feet up so they don't get wet as you skim over the ocean. Looking left and right, the smiles on Connor and Meghan's faces told me all I needed to know. By now the park was just baking, so we decided to go back to the hotel for a break. On our way out, we snuck up on one of many large stroller herds, a common sight throughout WDW. Truly awe-inspiring to see them all at rest like this.
After a brief rest at the hotel, with Meghan chatting on her (toy) cellphone
and Connor reading one of his "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books
we hit the pool with a vengeance. Connor showed his best moves
while Marie ganged up on the grandkids (or was it the other way around?).
Later we headed back to Epcot for one more ride on Soarin', came back to the hotel for a late ice cream sundae dinner (Hey, it's hot!), then bedded down after a long day.
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