Today started a little later than the last few days as it was an EPCOT day and EPCOT opened at 11:00am so there was no real reason to get up at the crack of dawn. So, I tried not to, but I was wide awake a little after 6:00am, so I just laid there for a while. I finally got up, got cleaned up and made my protein shake and drank it SLOWLY as to kill more time. I read a little, watched some stupid TV and finally left at about 9:30am. The plan was to meet the gang at 10:00am or so at the Skyliner station near EPCOT. When I got to the Skyliner station, I find out that the EPCOT line is down and I’d have take a bus. So, I headed to the bus stop and hoped that the line wasn’t long. The line wasn’t bad and I got on a bus pretty quickly. I noticed on the bus that the standing handles were no longer tied up to the pole and not useable, but were hanging normally ready to be used. Yesterday, we were limited to the number of seats on the bus, now there can be standing in the aisle. Speaking of which, today was the first day where masks were not required anywhere except Disney Transportation. It really was no big deal. I never felt packed into an area where i felt uneasy, people were pretty good at practicing social distancing - which they should ALWAYS do going forward. Many people, mostly tweens, wore masks in the park, but everyone seemed to be on board with the new policies. It certainly made ride photos better!
Anyway, got to EPCOT before “rope drop” and connected with everyone else and arranged to meet as soon as we could near Test Track. We met up and found Test Track had a “delayed” opening so the kids and I went on Mission Space - the Orange side. The spinning side… the story of the ride is that you are on a mission to Mars and this is the training mission. You are placed in a small simulator and are talked through a launch and then flying through space. Think i about the Gravitron at the county fair and amp the entire thing up 50x while watching a video. It’s some intense spinning, but it’s fun. I’ve been the the Orange and the Green side as well - the Green side doesn’t spin. I like them both. However, it definitely a “one and done”on each visit.
We got on Test Track after Mission Space. It’s the forerunner of the Radiator Springs Racers Attraction at Disney California Adventure, Same ride system, etc. Test Track goes really fast, but I like Radiator Springs Racers better. Afterward, we headed t the Seas with Nemo and Friends - which is basically the submarine voyage at Disneyland without the submarine and with real fish as well. That’s always a good time.
Spaceship Earth was yet, the ride that is housed in the EPCOT Geodesic Sphere icon- it’s NOT A BALL - and that’s all I’m saying about THAT!!! Anyway, I think we were lucky to be able to go on this attraction before it will be closed and re-imagined in the near future. It was suppose to go down last year - but because of COVID, it is being delayed and in the meantime, we get the current attraction -which is narrated by Dame Judi Dench.
Heading on the World Showcase, the afternoon got crazy. Staring in Mexico, we popped into. the pyramid, but it was really crowded and we didn’t stay long. When we got to Norway, the ponchos came out and by the time we got to China, it started to rain. Now, it always rains everyday in Florida for at least 1/2 hour a day- but today - it never really stopped. We ducked into the American Adventure Pavilion for lunch at the Regal Eagle Smokehouse. It was an OK lunch, but it got us out of the rain. The rain subsided and we headed back to Norway to ride “Frozen Ever After” - which we find out is down - and it starts to rain again - HARD. So, what do you do when it rains hard? You go back to the Italy Pavilion for gelato, which we ate huddled in a doorway to a store in the Italy pavilion.
We walked through the major store in Japan and while it wasn’t really raining when we went in, it was pouring again when we came out. We ended up walking back to the Yacht Club - and it stopped raining - and we took a bus to Disney Springs shopping district to kill some time before dinner. We walked around, found the Disney Store very overwhelming and then hopped on the bus to Old Key West Resort where we had dinner reservations at Olivia’s Cafe. Dinner was fantastic. The food was fabulous and the company was stellar. I had some delicious prime rib and a cocktail and we had such a great time. We decided to take the bus back to EPCOT to go on Frozen Ever After - which we did - and after, I strolled around the promenade while the rest of the gang went back to the hotel. On the way out, I may have geeked out and spend a little too much $$ on Skyliner merch. Gotta have a “thing” I guess! I got on the Skyliner, with a very noisy family - with a very opinionated and loud male person. I’ll just let that go - the wife apologized to me as they exited at the Riviera Resort. Made for a great side show.
Tomorrow is Animal Kingdom - meeting at 7;30am and will be on time!!!
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