Disney - Days 1 & 2

We had told "the kids" that we were going to Disney World, and they were so excited during the 3 day trip from St. Louis. A month earlier we had changed our reservation from a Disney hotel to the Disney campground. After considering the cost of boarding 3 animals for 10 days, it was actually cheaper for us to stay at the Ft. Wilderness Campground and pay for the dining plan even though it had been free in our initial package. Well, it only took a few moments for the kids to sniff around and have a look on their faces of disappointment. It was as if they were saying, "what's so special about this place? It's just like all the other places where we've been staying." Now Ft. Wilderness Campground might quite possibly be the nicest campground that we stay at during our travels, but the kids were right in that some of the Disney magic is missing. Oh, well, guess we just need to go to the parks though that won't help the kids much.

This trip begins at Epcot since we had dinner reservations for Restaurant Marrekesh in Morocco. We had made all our dinner reservations a couple months before we arrived since many of the restaurants fill up quickly, and in many instances you are not able to just walk up and get a table. This trip we decided to try the Disney Dining Plan, which includes 1 table service meal (appetizer, entree, non-alcoholic beverage, & dessert), 1 counter service meal (entree, non-alcoholic beverage, & dessert), and 1 snack coupon per person per each day of your stay. Now we've heard that the only complaint people really have about this program is that it's too much food. Since it's part of our package, guess we'll just have to find out!

Now for those of you who don't know, Epcot is divided into two separate sections: Future World and World Showcase. Future World consists of a variety of pavilions that explore innovative aspects and applications of technology. World Showcase contains pavilions representing eleven countries, each containing representative shops and restaurants and are staffed by citizens of these countries, many of them college students living in Walt Disney World College Program housing.

The first thing we always do when we arrive at Epcot is to visit our "photo" on the "Leave A Legacy" sculpture, which is basically a “photo time capsule”. A digital image is taken of you (for a fee), the image is etched onto a 1"x1" piece of steel, and then mounted on the Leave a Legacy sculptures, which are granite monoliths arranged under Spaceship Earth just inside the gates of Epcot. (Spaceship Earth is the big golf ball thing everyone associates with Epcot.) The program was started in 1999 and unfortunately discontinued this year. So no more images will be added, but those over 550,000 that are there today will remain. We had our image taken back in 2003, and every trip we find it using our specific locator number and together touch our image.

After doing this, we started in Future World by going through The Seas pavilion, then over to The Land pavilion. Then it was off to Morocco! We had never eaten there, but it did not disappoint though by the time dessert arrived we were already pretty full. We generally don't order dessert except maybe to split one, so perhaps everything we've heard is right....it just might be too much food! During dinner a belly dancer entertained as a "combo" played (not sure what you'd call them in Morocco!) After dinner, it was time for Epcot's fireworks called IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, a thirteen-minute fireworks show that takes place in the World Showcase Lagoon every night at the park's closing. The show features fireworks, lasers, fire, and water fountains timed to a musical score. A large rotating globe of the Earth with curved LED screens is the centerpiece of the show and is used to project images of people and places. It takes 67 computers in 40 locations to operate this show, and it is truly spectacular. It's something we generally make a point to see several times during our trips.

The next day, Saturday, it was back to Epcot and on to our favorite ride, Soarin'. This is a very popular ride, and the lines can be extremely long and the Fast Passes run out quickly. On Soarin' you feel as if you are hang gliding across the vistas of California, but you're actually just sitting in a chair watching a movie (remember....it's magic!) Essentially it's an indoor ride where you are strapped into a row of seats which slowly rise about 40 ft. off the floor and in front of you is a huge movie screen on which the scenes are projected. Add to this that you can feel the wind in your face and smell the evergreen forests and the orange groves, and it is truly a spectacular ride. The first time we ever went on it, Russ was nervous and held on to the seat handles for dear life not knowing what to expect! Now he sits back, arms crossed, relaxed and enjoying the ride.

First thing we do after we get off is to go get a Fast Pass, which allows guests to avoid long lines at the attractions on which the system is installed, freeing them to enjoy other attractions during their wait instead of standing in line. The service is available at no additional charge, and why more people don't use it, we cannot understand! You return to the attraction during the specified time you've been given, and enter a special line that gives you priority access to the attraction.

While we were waiting for our specified time, we took the slow-moving boat ride called Living with the Land. The first part of the ride focuses on the relationship between humans and the environment, and the ways that humans modify the environment. The second part focuses on new technology making agriculture more efficient and environmentally friendly by traveling past working greenhouses and laboratories where some of the food is grown for the restaurants in the pavilion. Then it was to to soar again!

Using two of our counter service coupons, we ate lunch at Sunshine Seasons, a food court offering guests a more "high-end" selection of choices including seared tuna salad, asian themed items, sushi, gourmet sandwiches, grilled items, and an incredible bakery (for that dessert!). Many of the vegetables grown in the onsite greenhouses are used at the food court and the other inhouse restaurant. Then it was time to head back to the RV to let the dogs out and for us to rest.

Dinner was at the Concourse Steakhouse at the Contemporary Hotel. The atmosphere left a little to be desired (though the monorail comes right through the hotel above the restaurant, which is cool), and the service wasn't the best (very unusual for Disney!), but the meal was phenomenal! Being a steakhouse, we of course both ordered steak, which was so tender and flavorful. This time I did have to get half my dessert in a to go box!

From here we walked over to the Magic Kingdom to watch Spectromagic, the incredible electrical light parade,which combines lights, fiber-optics, and music. In the parade your favorite Disney characters are transformed into magical musical light forms. There are a grand total of 36 units (floats) in the parade along with many performers walking between. Each unit has a driver cleverly hidden, and the main control center is located under Main Street USA. There are 600,000 miniature lights and over 100 miles of fiber optic strands. The lights are dimmed along the parade route, and the sights and sounds are truly amazing.

The parade is followed shortly by Magic Kingdom's fireworks show called "Wishes", which is narrated by Jiminy Cricket. "Wishes" tells of making wishes come true, using classic Disney songs and character voices accompanied by meticulously choreographed fireworks. We have found that the best place to view them is standing right in the middle of Main Street U.S.A. The fireworks appear to be coming from right behind Cinderella's Castle and is a sight to behold.