EPCOT Again & the Flower & Garden Festival

THURSDAY – MARCH 3, 2011
We decided to go to EPCOT again on our last day at the parks because there was so much we hadn’t seen yet, plus the 18th annual International EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival started the day before so all the topiaries would be displayed.

We had so much fun hunting down all the character topiaries around the park. I think the kids enjoyed seeing them as much as Chris and I did. Nathan even wanted his picture in front of some of them.

It’s really amazing how they make the different colors and use different plants to get different textures. They are pretty much exclusively made of plants.

Unfortunately we were really looking forward to seeing Lightning McQueen and Mater, but we searched and searched where the map said it would be and couldn’t find it. We asked Amy about it too and she said they hadn’t found it either. Finally at the end of the night when we were heading back to the front of the park we passed the spot they were supposed to be \

and asked a cast member. She told us they weren’t ready yet so they were not out on display. It was a disappointment, but nice to know we aren’t crazy. I also found out later on the Disney Parks Blog that at the entrance where the Toy Story 3 characters are someone was missing. Buzz and Woody were supposed to be joined by Losto Lovin’ Bear. He was added several weeks later. At lunch I asked Amy if they had seen Buzz and Woody at the entrance and she said they hadn’t. She mentioned she had taken a picture of the sign at the entrance though and looked at that on her camera and realized that Buzz and Woody were in the picture.

She had only seen the sign, not the characters. I love how the topiaries were strategically placed around the park near the country where it makes most sense. For instance, the characters from Beauty and the Beast were in France,

Aladdin was by Morocco,

and Lady and the Tramp were in Italy.

The Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden was adorable with all the little fairy topiaries.

Of course we went on Test Track and Mission Space again today. Those were the first things we did by request of Nathan and Nicholas. The entire family really enjoyed going on those rides together over and over. I love that I could scan the PhotoPass card on Test Track so that I could buy the photo CD and have the shots of us on the ride on the CD instead of paying $20 on a single photo in the park.

We wanted to use up all our snack credits so we got mint chocolate chip ice cream and the boys got Mickey Mouse jimmies! We haven’t had this much ice cream in a week ever!

Then it was off to attractions we hadn’t seen earlier in the week. I saw Captain EO – a 3D show with Michael Jackson on the map so I thought we should check that out because we’ve enjoyed all the other 3D shows. It was probably state of the art at the time, but compared to today’s standards it wasn’t that exciting. Outside that show was a fountain (which was cool on us because the mist was blowing in the wind) and these water spouts that shot water from one area to another. Nicholas stood looking at the jumping water for at least 10 minutes. He really enjoyed it and didn’t want to leave.

He also liked standing on the spot that spurted water up at him. Each time we passed that we knew we’d have to stop as he stood on it and watched the water shoot up.

We met the Spain’s for lunch at Coral Reef over near the Finding Nemo ride. One wall of the restaurant is open to the giant aquarium tank. We saw sharks and rays and at the bottom of the tank right in the front was a giant turtle. The boys enjoyed watching the fish go by during our meal and they could identify them with a fish guide that was at the table. Nicholas’s favorite meal choice was pizza. He had it so many times during our trip. Nathan changed his up from meal to meal. They sure enjoyed having dessert with every dinner though!
 

We finally made it to World Showcase after our late lunch. We went through Mexico, which was really cool. Nicholas was so excited to finally see the pyramid in daylight and be able to go inside. The marketplace is indoors and the sky is a deep blue. The boys tried on these giant sombreros while Chris was taking pictures of the fountain. We also went on the Three Caballeros ride.

After we were done in Mexico Chris stopped to get a margarita so I took the boys to a Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure station. We all became super secret agents and got a Kimmunicator" (cell phone) to help save the world. In 7 of the countries there was a super villain that we had to prevent from achieving global domination. Our first mission was back in Mexico. The boys had so much fun with this. You listen to the cell phone and watch the screen and it directs you to a certain something in the country. Then you push OK when you’re standing in front of it. It might light up or spin or do something that you would never see if you weren’t on the team. After you find all the clues you save the day! It was so cute watching the boys try to find the different spots and listening to/watching the cell phone give them the next steps.

I got quite a chuckle out of Chris because one point I had to remind him that this was for the boys and he needed to share the phone with them! He was totally hogging it. We also did a mission in Japan and at the end of the evening we caught back up with the Spain family just as we were starting our final mission in the United Kingdom. I was so glad they got to join Nathan and Nicholas because I knew Sean and Mark would really have a great time with the mission. Chris went to get a Guinness beer because as he told Amy “It would be unpatriotic of me not to have a Guinness.” since we were in the United Kingdom. The boys started their mission and it was so much fun to watch them. This villain, Duff Killigan, didn’t have a dark intentions, he simply wanted to turn the earth into a giant golf course. The boys did a great job sharing the phone and they all crowded around to listen. We had to find a certain street, a red phone booth, a butterfly house in the tea garden and a couple things in the shops. They even got a golf ball at the phone booth and had to put it somewhere else to get a secret message. I think this is Disney brilliance to keep the kids interested in visiting the countries.

Nicholas loved watching the trains outside of Germany. He stood there and watched them for some time. He pointed to them and got all excited every time he saw one go by.

Nathan really liked seeing Rapunzel’s tower and wanted a picture next to it. When she sang her blond hair that wrapped around the tower lit up.

When we were looking for the last clue during our Kim Possible mission one of the boys said “Oh, Tigger is in there.” So I said to Amy “Let’s go get our picture with Pooh and Tigger.” She said her family was over having family pictures with characters so we decided to have our picture alone with them. Tigger commented on how we both were wearing stripes.

Somehow after our picture we convinced the boys to all get together for a picture with Pooh and Tigger. It probably had to do with the fact that I told Sean and Mark I had a special gift for them if they would pose with the characters. I’m not above bribery!

Amy made a comment about Mark not smiling because he was 10. The photographer heard that and at the end told Mark to go over and pose for a picture of just him with Tigger and Pooh. What a smile he got on his face!

Then each of the other boys went up for their own picture with the Hundred Acre Wood characters. Nicholas was so cute because he kept hugging them and holding their hands. He was really getting into seeing them.

Then we said the big boys had to have their picture with them since Amy and I had our picture with them. At first Andy said no so I told him “Amy has something special for you if you have your picture taken.”

Chris didn’t want to either so of course I had to run with it again and I told him I had something special for him if he did and everyone got a great laugh over that. The photographer even told us he really enjoyed it our photo session.

I really wanted to get all four boys on one ride together and preferably one that they take a picture on. It was the end of our trip so this was our last change. We asked the Spain’s to go on Test Track one last time with us. We had four Fast Pass tickets left from earlier in the day. We heard from someone that you can use them anytime during the day after the first ride time goes by. Unfortunately by this time Sean was too tired to go on the ride so I went with Mark, Nathan and Nicholas. Chris and Andy stood in the single rider queue line and I asked if they could come on with us and the ride operator let us! So all six of us were in one car. We decided to put our hands in the air and scream when it takes your picture when you are driving towards the wall during the crash test. It was a fun ride, but a little cold when you go outside for the 65MPH cornering test because it was now dark out and the temp had cooled off.

That pretty much concludes our trip to Walt Disney World. We went home on Friday and wished we had stayed through the weekend. We weren't ready to leave yet - there was so much left we didn't get to do!