A couple of weeks ago, I planed a short two night getaway for our family. On Father’s Day we drove down to Oceanside Beach, which is just north of San Diego. First, we picked up lunch at Mr. Bibi. We each ordered our own bowl, but in retrospect, sharing three bowls would have been a better idea.
You choose a base (rice, noodles, salad, etc.) and a protein (chicken, beef, pork). Then there are a bunch of toppings to choose from:
Kale
Carrots
Corn
Jalapenos
Cucumber
Pineapples
Onions
Potatoes
Cheese
Kimchi
Bean Sprouts
Eggs (Served Sunny Side Up)
Spinach
Mushroom
As you can see, they are not all traditional Korean ingredients, but I had all of them, and it made for an interesting bowl. My noodles and pork bowl ended up being a little too saucy, but it was still good!
We were able to stay socially distant on the sand. There were also a lot of people fishing from the pier.
Later in the afternoon we checked into our AirBnB tiny house rental in nearby Vista.
I have yet to watch any of the Tiny House shows on television, but I have always been fascinated by them. This one is in the owner’s backyard, but it had a nice private separate entrance.
Look at those stairs to the loft (with a queen bed)! It would not be safe for younger kids, but our kids loved it up there.
This is the second “bedroom”.
Small, but complete kitchen. (The coffee maker and coffee was much appreciated).
Loved the stylish bathroom. The shower was nice and hot and had good water pressure.
We ordered two gyros and a chicken salad. The gyros were absolutely packed with meat and quite filling. We were unable to finish our chicken salad so we kept it in the refrigerator.
After dinner, we took a walk around the neighborhood.
At night we stayed in and had a mini Diners, Drive-Ins and Dines marathon. Not too exciting, but it was nice to have a change in scenery after being in our own house for so long.
During our yurt stay at Cachuma Lake, we made advanced reservations to take a nature cruise. Since it happened in December, it was called the Eagle Cruise. Cachuma Lake in Santa Barbara County is man-made, but it is quite large. We were told that the cruise would take about two hours (it ended up being about 1 hour and 45 minutes).
The weather was nice and clear. It was a lot colder when we were in the middle of the lake than when we were on shore, so be sure to bundle up!
The boat is quite spacious. There are thirty swivel seats which are quite convenient for bird-spotting. There is no restroom onboard, so make sure to go before boarding.
If you are age 12 or under, you are required to wear a life jacket while on the boat. If you are over 12, you just need to keep it nearby. n was not too happy about this rule, but it is a good precaution.
They had enough binoculars for all the passengers to borrow. They were good ones, too!
Our tour guide was a park ranger who was quite knowledgeable about all of the birds and other wildlife that we saw. We also happened to go during their annual bird-counting day, so there was another ranger who recorded all of the birds that we saw.
Here are just a few of the birds that we spotted. We also saw multiple hawks, coots, and many others I do not remember the names of. I do not believe we saw any eagles, however.
On the way back to our campsite, there was a flock of what I think are turkey vultures?
This outdoor restaurant is actually located between two buildings. You order and pay at the cash register and then find a seat among the picnic benches. It was pretty chilly that day, but there were some heat lamps that helped somewhat.
We ordered the four sausage sampler for $24.95. We chose the Rod Polse, Currywurst, Chicken Apple Sage and All-Beef Frank. In addition, we ordered a side order of fries and a soft pretzel.
Time to dig in!
There was a large variety of serve yourself dipping sauces. The flavors were interesting and it was fun to try them all out.
The pretzel was good, but the accompanying cheese sauce was a little disappointing since it was room temperature.
Aebelskiver Cafe
n started to not feel well all of a sudden, so I escorted him quickly to the car. While he rested, D and k brought back some aebelskivers from Aebelskiver Cafe, which I had seen on Yelp. I thought the aebelskivers were pretty good. However, D said he did not have a good feeling about the place, which was hidden in a strip mall and also offered Chinese food. I guess we will have to try another place next time.
Strolling Through Solvang
D’s co-worker’s relative owns this windmill-winery, so he stopped in out of curiosity.
Love the European-style architecture!
There were a lot of tempting offerings at the several bakeries around town, but we resisted.
Since n was feeling better, we walked up and down the main streets and did a little window shopping. It was fun to visit Solvang in December because the Christmas decorations added another layer of charm to the already charming village.
I was kind of surprised to see a brand new ramen restaurant, which seemed a little out of place.
Solvang is one of those touristy places in California that everyone should visit at least once. Be sure to add it to your itinerary if you are ever in the area!
The second stop of our winter break road trip was the Cachuma Lake campground near Santa Barbara. According to Google Maps, the driving time from Ronald Reagan Library should have been about an hour and half. However, it took us a grueling 5.5 hours! I blame it on the fact that I-5 was shut down due to snow and everyone and their mother decided to take the 101 instead.
How to Reserve A Yurt
Cachuma Lake has seven lake-side yurts available. Reservations can be made online here and range from $75-$100 per night, depending on the size. If you are not going to arrive at the campsite before 4 or 5 p.m., be sure to call ahead and let the ranger know. I called since we we were stuck in traffic, and the ranger kindly left the light on for our yurt and left the key inside for us. Since we arrived in pitch black darkness, our yurt was a bit difficult to find on our own, but thankfully we made it! Such a relief!
I reserved the Sage yurt for two nights right after Christmas. We could not even see the lake until the next morning, but what a view!
The Amenities
Each yurt has a door with a lock. The window coverings can be rolled up or down.
The Sage yurt is one of the smaller yurts available, sleeping 4-5 people. There were two bunks, with one of the bunks having a bigger mattress on the bottom. This worked our perfectly for our family of four. The kids slept on the top bunks (they still think this is fun!) while D and I slept on the bigger bottom mattress. We used the other empty mattress as a storage area for all of our stuff. We brought sheets to cover the mattresses and then used our sleeping bags and extra blankets on top. It was actually quite comfortable compared to camping! I seriously slept like a baby!
Besides the bunks, there was one small table and a small space heater. There was also an overhead light and a couple of electrical outlets. We brought an electric kettle to heat up water for cup o’ noodles, oatmeal and coffee/hot chocolate. There was also a fire pit right outside each yurt.
The not-so glamorous side of #yurtlife.
At night we played Bananagrams and Spot It, and read books in our cozy yurt. It was nice to spend some quality family time together.
The Restroom Situation
The closest bathroom was a bit of a trek from our yurt. It was perfectly fine during the day, but kind of a pain at night. However, the bathroom was one of the cleanest we have used at a campsite. Part of the reason may have been because it did not seem to be getting much use from fellow campers. (Who else is crazy enough to camp in December?) We never even ran into one other person while using it! I should also mention that here was a trio of port-a-potties that were closer to the yurts. D used one of them at night, but it was pretty bad, so this is not recommended!
A Spectacular View
Each yurt has a wrap-around deck that maximizes the lake view. Our deck had two plastic chairs for hanging out.
The Sage, Poppy and Lupine yurts have a nice sunset view, while the Oak, Sycamore, Pine and Redwood yurts reportedly have a glorious sunrise.
You could also see tons of stars once the sun went down. The nights we stayed in December were definitely cold (mid 30’s), but the space heater really helped. I would highly recommend the Cachuma Lake yurts if you are looking for a budget-friendly yurt experience in Southern California.
Our second and last stop in the Bahamas was at Royal Caribbean’s own private island, Coco Cay. Thankfully, the kids and I were feeling better, but still not 100%.
We ate breakfast early and debarked before most of our fellow passengers. We wanted to avoid the crowds and the heat that was to come later in the afternoon. It was nice because our ship was the only one docked that day.
As you might expect, our experience walking off the ship was vastly different from our experience at Nassau. No one was trying to sell us anything, and the grounds were well-kept and beautiful.
n did not spend much time in this hammock, but you could if you wanted to!
The umbrellas and chair were set up, free to use, and ready to be used by guests.
The lagoon was pretty, but the kids preferred the pool.
This was the beach that led out to the ocean. D and the kids did some faux snorkeling with regular goggles.
I waded in at one point, but spent most of my time on a beach chair under an umbrella!
A free lunch buffet was set up on the island. My appetite was still not great, but I did have some of a Cubano sandwich. There were also hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, taco bar, etc.
The mango was refreshing, and there was also a soft serve ice cream machine.
Back to the pool!
We returned to our cabin in the afternoon. This picture shows our crazy sleeping arrangement. See the two bunk beds on the top? That’s where k and n slept. It was cozy, to say the least!
Here is a peak of the multi-story dining room. I could not believe it was already our last dinner!
Shrimp Cocktail
Wedge Salad
Celebration Cake
Too sweet, even for n!
The nightly entertainment on the ship did not sound too exciting to us (ice-skating clowns?) so we skipped out. Plus, our dining time made it difficult for us to even make the shows. However, the wait staff put on a little dance number on the last night that was pretty entertaining (Gangnam Style!)
It really was too bad that we were not able to fully enjoy our cruise due to illness. However, we made the most of a bad situation and for D, it was the best part of our whole vacation! We’ll need to look into a cruise to Mexico next!
Sometimes you need a vacation from your vacation, right? After spending five hot days with so much walking at Walt Disney World, a three night cruise to the Bahamas was just what we needed. Unfortunately, k, n and I all came down with something, so we were not able to fully enjoy it. I will spare you the details, but at least D was healthy and we did have a good time at the end.
Port: Port Canaveral
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean
Cruise Ship: Mariner of the Seas
Ports of Call: Nassau, Coco Cay
Due to not feeling well, I hardly took any pictures the first couple of days. 🙁 This is all we have from our first day on board. It was nice to have a ocean view, although it does not compare to having a balcony!
On Saturday morning ate breakfast at the Windjammer Cafe (buffet-style). Food just does not taste as good when you are not feeling well. We thought the selection was pretty good, though.
We debarked from the ship early, before 9:00? at Nassau. We were not up for much sightseeing, so we decided to walk to the closest beach, which is called Junkanoo Beach. On our way there, we were bombarded by locals offering us taxi rides, tours, carriage rides and hair braiding. The kids found this a little off-putting, but we explained how they are just trying to make a living. The walk to the beach was not the most pedestrian-friendly, especially in flip-flops. It was quite humid, and I was still feeling weak, so I requested that we make a stop at McDonald’s so that I could get a Sprite. The A/C was so nice and much-needed. We ended up with some Bahamaian coins for change. That ended up being our only souvenir!
I know there are nicer beaches on Nassau, but Junkanoo would have to do. D was impressed by the white, soft sand. We knew we were not going to be able to stay long, so we did not rent beach chairs and an umbrella.
We headed back to the ship and rested. The kids and D also went swimming in the pool and tried out the water slides.
Saturday night was the first time we were able to make it to the Dining Room. It was Formal Night, and we were ill-prepared. Some people really went all out, which I would not expect on a three night cruise. We found out that we were supposed to be at a table for 8 or 10. I was not up for small talk with strangers, so we requested a table of 4, and they were able to accommodate our request.
When we told our waiter about the kids’ nut allergies, n’s Caesar salad came without croutons. Doh! I guess we should not fault them for being overly-cautious.
For some reason, I neglected to take pictures of our main courses. I guess I will need to see if D has any pics on his phone.
Jumping to dessert, this was the tres leches cake.
k was happy with her creme brulee.
My beignets were eh.
n’s chocolate cake was a winner!
At the end of dinner, the waitstaff did a little parade around the dining room and n joined in the napkin swinging!
We spent our final day at Walt Disney World at Animal Kingdom. This park did not exist when I visited as a child, so it was the first time for all of us.
Our FastPass schedule was as follows:
9:40-10:40: Avatar Flight of Passage
11:10-12:10: Kilimanjaro Safaris
12:30-1:30: Expedition Everest
I had heard about the crazy crowds due to the popularity of the Pandora rides, so we made sure to arrive early at the park. I guess a lot of other people had the same idea!
At rope drop, we headed straight for Na’vi River Journey, since we did not have a FastPass for that ride. (You cannot pre-reserve a FastPass for both Avatar rides). We followed the herd, but it turned out that about 95% of the visitors were headed straight for the Flight of Passage ride. If you are going to Na’vi River Journey, just stay to the left so you do not get trampled! Na’vi River Journey had amazing detail and really felt like we were in the middle of Pandora. We had the kids watch Avatar before we left just so they would have some context. (I had forgotten about some inappropriate parts. It is PG-13, after all!)
Next we went on the Klimanjaro Safari ride, before our FastPass time. We needed to kill some time before our Flight of Passage FastPass.
My phone pictures are not the best, but it was quite amazing for us to ride so close to the animals!
Then it was time to use our Avatar Flight of Passage FastPass. We had high expectations for this ride, and it lived up to the hype! It really felt like we were flying through Pandora.
Even though it was not in my original plan, we went on Kali River Rapids. I put my poncho on, but we did not end up getting too wet. On our raft, another father and son did get pretty soaked, so beware.
We ate lunch at the counter-service Yak & Yeti restaurant.
We ordered the Sesame Chicken, Teriyaki Beef and Chicken Salad and a side order of Chicken Fried Rice. It was a little better than the Chinese food at Epcot since the dishes included vegetables.
After lunch we rode Expedition Everest, which is a really fun roller coaster. We ended up riding it three times that day!
It started heating up in the afternoon and we really felt it while trying to walk through the Maharaja Jungle Trek. We took refuge in the Tree of Life to see It’s Tough to Be a Bug. We had been planning to skip this one since we have seen it at California Adventure, but we needed the AC!
Those clouds are deceiving. It was really hot that day!
We wanted to watch the Up! A Great Bird Adventure show, but we had to watch a modified version since they were experiencing technical difficulties.
We were able to relax in an indoor setting by watching Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo The Musical, both of which were excellent.
Stick with the Dole Whip at Magic Kingdom. For some reason, it just was not the same at Animal Kingdom.
For dinner, we ate at Flame Tree Barbecue. We ordered Ribs, Chicken Salad, Onion Rings, and a Chicken Dinner.
This ended up being our favorite meal at the parks! It is nice that the eating area is covered, since it was raining. At least the rain brought cooler temperatures, which was a relief.
After dinner we visited the Dinosaur Land, which did not really seem to fit in with the rest of the park. I would not be surprised if they eventually end up replacing this land with something else.
We rode Triceratop Spin and the Dinosaur ride. The Dinosaur ride may be frightening for younger kids (just look at the kids in the front row!) We also rode Expedition Everest one last time!
We found seats at the amphitheater to watch the Rivers of Light show. I liked this one because it was scaled for the amphitheater, unlike at Epcot. Also, I did not have anything to compare it to, like Fantasmic. It was a wonderful way to end our stay!
When we first started planning our trip to Walt Disney World, I actually debated whether we should even visit the Magic Kingdom while we were there. After all, we live near Disneyland, so I was not sure it would be worth it. In the end, we decided to go, and I am glad that we did. It just would not have seem like our trip to Disney World was “complete” if we had skipped it. Plus, D had to be able to check off Magic Kingdom on his Theme Park Excel spreadsheet. No, I am not kidding.
It’s funny how first entering Main Street and seeing the castle made me feel “at home”. My first job was at Disneyland, so these familiar sights always bring back a lot of memories for me.
Our scheduled FastPasses for that day were:
9:30-10:30: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
10:50-11:50: Peter Pan’s Flight
12:50-1:50: Big Thunder Mountain
Our Morning
We arrived before the park opened and rope dropped Space Mountain. This is one of my all-time favorite roller coasters.
We always make D go with strangers if there is a three-person situation-ha!
Love that we were able to capture our memories of this ride on video and a picture with Disney’s Memory Maker!
Next we went on It’s A Small World and Peter Pan’s Flight. I cannot even remember the last time I went on Peter Pan’s Flight. Because the line is always so long, we usually skip it at Disneyland. It was nice to have a FastPass this time!
Lunch At Be Our Guest
The only time we made restaurant reservations during our trip was for Be Our Guest. Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney movies, and I must say the ambiance was amazing. It really felt like we were in the Beast’s castle!
We had tried ordering online the night before, but the system was down when we arrived, so we had to place our order again.
They gave us an electronic tracking rose and our order was brought to our table.
Since the lighting was dim, it was difficult to take appetizing photos. We ordered:
Braised Chicken (Coq Au Vin Braised Chicken in Red Wine with Bacon, Mushrooms, Roasted Asparagus, Blistered Heirloom Tomatoes, and Braised Leeks served with Mashed Potatoes)
French Onion Soup
French Dip Sandwich (Served on a Baguette with Au Jus and Pommes Frites)
The braised chicken was a recent menu change. When I was doing my online research, they still had a similar pork dish on the menu which people seemed to enjoy. The chicken was a little disappointing in that there was not much of it considering the price. The French onion soup was over-the-top cheesy, but manageable since we all shared it. The kids liked dipping the French Dip sandwich in the Au Jus. One bonus was that D figured out that fountain drinks were included in the lunch price. (I am not sure how I did not realize this after all my research–ha!) Overall I would say this restaurant is more about the experience than the food.
Our Afternoon and Evening
After lunch we rode Big Thunder Mountain, always a favorite. Next we saw The Hall of Presidents show, and yes President Trump was included. We relaxed at the Tiki Room and had to have a Dole Pineapple Whip Float, of course.
Out of the three (yes three!) parks where we had Dole Whip, the Magic Kingdom was the best.
The Disney photographers put our acting skills to the test!
Guess none of us were prepared for this picture on Pirates of the Caribbean.
I miss the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover (aka “PeopleMover”) at Disneyland. I remember it used to be one of my favorite rides, for some strange reason. It was fun to introduce this ride to the kids. We even rode it twice, since the line never seems to be too long.
The People Mover moves a little faster than you would expect!
D and I were wondering if the cast members that work the Speedway are paid more than cast members at other rides. They have to deal with the noise, the exhaust, and heat, not to mention that they also have to wear steel-toed shoes-ugh!
n says he really wants to drive. This will have to do for now.
Next we watched Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress show. This was a surprise hit with our kids. Maybe it was the catchy song, “It’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow…”
Trio Platter (a combination of Fried Shrimp, Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggets and Battered Fish served with Hushpuppies and a choice of Green Beans & Carrots or French Fries)
Lobster Roll (Chilled Lobster with a touch of Mayonnaise on a New England Style Bun, served with House-made Potato Chips)
Grilled Salmon (Grilled Salmon served with Vegetable Rice and Green Beans and Carrots)
This was a nice meal, and we were able to eat inside, so that was a plus.
We went to Monster’s Inc., Laugh Floor and were glad not to be one of the featured audience members!
We also went on Buzz LightYear’s Space Ranger Spin since we were able to grab a FastPass.
Post-dinner Starbucks treat: Dragonfruit Acai Refresher and Vanilla Creme Frapuccino.
Love how these “Magic Shots” turned out!
D and the kids decided to go on the Tea Cups since the app showed there was a short wait time. While they were waiting, it started to downpour!
We ended up seeking shelter in the nearby Winnie the Pooh ride. (A lot of other people had the same idea).
Tip: It is a good idea to wear shoes that do not require socks since it rains so much in the summer. Walking around in wet socks is the worst!
The ponchos we had been carrying in our backpacks every day actually came in handy!
Because of the rain, we decided to head back to the hotel instead of sticking around for the fireworks show. I was a little disappointed, but we definitely had a magical and “full” day.
It was nice to have an extra day at Epcot because that meant I felt like we could have a more relaxed schedule. After staying at the parks from before rope drop to the end of the nighttime shows two days in a row, it was nice to have a break.
Our FastPass schedule for that day was:
9:10-10:10: The Seas With Nemo & Friends (I cancelled this one since we were able to ride it the first day without a FastPass and we did not want to ride it again).
10:10-11:10: Living With the Land
11:20-12:20: Frozen Ever After
Since our first FastPass was not scheduled until 10:10, we arrived at the Epcot a little later in the morning. We decided to start out our day with a Baymax meet and greet since we needed to kill some time. Fun fact: Big Hero 6 is k’s favorite Disney movie.
Baymax showin’ off some of his moves!
Then we headed over to the Living With the Land ride. When we were about to get in line, D saw someone we know from church and said hi. I had been wondering if we would run into anyone we know.
Living With the Land is a slow boat ride that gives you a glimpse into the history of farming, along with a “backstage” look at some of the innovative techniques used at WDW. This was one ride where I actually took a lot of pictures since it was slow and had natural light.
Tip: If you are near the Journey Into Imagination building, look for the popcorn cart nearby. It sells three flavors not found at any of the other parks, and if you have the refillable popcorn bucket, it is still only $2 for a refill:
Sour Cream & Chives (it is more of a glaze rather than powder-yum!)
Cheddar (n’s favorite)
Buffalo Bleu Cheese (a little too artificial looking and tasting for us)
The World Showcase opens later in the morning (11 a.m.?) than the rest of the park, so plan accordingly. D decided he *needed* another School Bread, so we stopped in Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe in Norway before going on the Frozen ride.
This picture was from the day before, where I neglected to mention that we also tried Rice Cream and School Bread. School Bread is described as a Sweet Roll filled with Custard and dipped in Coconut while the Rice Cream is basically rice pudding with strawberry sauce.
Frozen Ever After was a cute ride. I find these ride pictures with us and complete strangers kind of funny.
While we waited for The American Adventure show, we were treated to a performance by the Voices of Liberty. It is worth it to look up the showtimes and try to catch one of their performances; we just lucked out.
We headed back to France for a late lunch. n really wanted another ham and cheese croissant!
D and I decided to try their sandwiches:
Jambon Beurre (Ham and Cheese, Dijon Mustard Butter on a Demi Baguette)
Dinde B.L.T. (Turkey, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Garlic Aioli)
Both were good choices. Les Halles Boulangerie and Patisserie ended up being one of our top Epcot restaurants. I just wish that it had more places to sit down and eat.
We caught a little bit of Sergio the Juggler’s act.
Club Cool
One place that should be a must-stop on everyone’s Epcot list is Club Cool. I am embarrassed to tell you how many times we stopped there during our two days at Epcot.
Club Cool is a place where you can try different flavors of soda from around the world, and it’s free! The flavors on tap were:
Beverly (Italy)
Pineapple Fanta (Greece), my favorite
Melon Frosty Fanta (Thailand), k’s favorite
Vegitabeta (Japan)
Bibo (South Africa)
Sparletta (Zimbabwe), n’s favorite
Inca Kola (Peru), D’s favorite
Guarana Kuat (Brazil)
n’s face after trying the Beverly soda!
Disney Springs
We were ready to leave Epcot around 3:30 in the afternoon, but the direct bus line from Epcot to Disney Springs did not start running until 4 p.m. We ended up doing a transfer that involved multiple stops at Port Orleans. In hindsight, we should have just stayed at the park a little longer and taken the 4:00 bus. Oh well.
We walked around a little but did not do much shopping. We ate dinner at Guy Fieri’s new fast casual restaurant, Chicken Guy!
The menu prices were a little shocking (shockingly cheap!) after being used to inflated Disney World prices. Considering this place is still in Disney Springs, we thought they would charge more.
The kids and I all ordered a Sauce Boss chicken sandwich and D had the BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad. For the Sauce Boss sandwiches, you pick two flavors of sauce (there are a LOT to choose from), and they put one sauce on the top bun and the other on the bottom bun.
We also shared the Triple Double Mint shake for dessert. (Hand-spun Mint Chocolate Soft Serve, Crushed Oreo® Cookies, Chocolate Mints, Chocolate Syrup and Fresh Whipped Cream).
We took the bus back to our hotel. D and the kids went swimming again and then they watched some of the Warriors basketball game in our hotel room. It was definitely nice to have some down-time so that we could re-charge.
For our second day at Walt Disney World, we visited Epcot. Since we had scheduled five days at the parks, we chose to visit Epcot for two days, back-to-back.
It was the very last day of their Spring & Flower Festival, so there were flowers and topiaries everywhere.
Our previously scheduled FastPass line-up was:
9:50-10:50: Test Track
10:50-11:50: Mission: Space
11:55-12:55 Spaceship Earth
I believe we arrived at the park close to an hour before the 9 a.m. opening. I had read that the security lines take the longest at Epcot, and that was definitely true for us!
We “rope-dropped” Soarin’ Over the World and ended up riding it twice in a row. (Love that ride!)
The queue is fun for this ride because you design your own car using a touch screen computer.
The set up of this ride reminded us the Cars ride at California Adventure. n’s car ended up “winning”.
Next we used our FastPass for Mission: SPACE. There are two levels to this ride, and I debated back and forth about which one to go on. The fact that there are barf bags provided on the ride gives you some indication about the intensity of the ride. In the end I opted for the milder Green Mission around Earth while D and the kids went for the Orange Mission to Mars. They said it was not too bad but that they could definitely feel the G-forces during take-off. I was fine on Mission: EARTH and appreciated that there were two options and that we could use our FastPass for either one.
Since we knew that there would be a lot more eating options in the World Showcase later in the day, we split:
Energy Salad With Roasted Chicken (Fresh greens topped with Roasted Chicken, Seasonal Fruit and Feta Cheese)
Chicken Prosciutto Mozzarella Sandwich (topped with Sun-dried Tomato Aïoli and served with French Fries)
After our early lunch, we used our FastPass for Spaceship Earth. This is the ride inside the famed Epcot “ball”. I really enjoyed this slow-paced journey through time.
In the afternoon we made our way over to the World Showcase. This is where different countries have different pavilions around the lake. Our first stop was Canada.
We went up the stairs to watch the O Canada! movie. This turned out to be perfect timing because it started to rain while we were inside the pre-show area. A bunch of others came in sopping wet because they were looking for shelter. By the time was movie over, the rain had stopped!
Tip: If you buy the refillable popcorn bucket, be sure to stop in Canada for the maple popcorn. The refill still costs only $2, and it was one of our favorite flavors!
The fish was nice and crisp and popping hot. Only wish the serving size could have been a little bigger.
The next stop on our culinary journey was Japan for some refreshing Kakigori (shaved ice) from Kabuki Cafe.
Rainbow Kakigori With Sweet Milk Topping–eat it fast before it becomes a soupy mess!
Our next stop was France. We watched the Impressions de France movie. This was a nice theater and offered a welcome respite during our long day. n had a quick cat nap–ha!
We split two Croissant Jambon Fromage (Ham, Cheese and Béchamel in a Croissant) and a raspberry dessert (not sure name). The kids loved the ham and cheese croissant. Ask for it warmed up (I think the Bechamel sauce is what makes it!) I don’t think you could go wrong with any of the desserts.
I really liked these photos that the photographer in “France” took. See the Eiffel Tower in the back?
Quick stop in Morocco
By the way, my shirt looks wet in some of these pictures because I was often wearing my cooling towel around my neck and shoulders–oops.
We headed back toward the park entrance since I managed to schedule a FastPass for a character meet and greet.
We decided to also ride Nemo & Friends and see Turtle Talk With Crush since the lines were so short. (I did not think Nemo & Friends was worth it, so don’t feel bad if you have to skip it).
Even though we had been doing a lot of snacking throughout the day, we also ordered the Orange Chicken and Sichuan Chicken for “dinner” at Lotus Blossom Cafe in the China Pavilion. These dishes were OK (think Panda Express) but I wish they included some sort of vegetables. (I had packed us some baby carrots).
After dinner we found a spot to watch the Illuminations show and waited.
We shared a Dole Whip while we waited for Illuminations. Looking back, I can’t believe we ate so much that day!
It is a good idea to ask a cast member where they think a good spot is and to make sure that you are allowed to stay there. I enjoyed the Illuminations show, but k and I agreed that the scale of the show seemed too small compared to the huge lake. I gave up trying to take a good picture with my camera phone, and tried to be in the moment and take it all in.
After the show ended, we followed the mass exodus back to the entrance of the park to wait for the bus to take us back to our hotel. It was a food-filled, fun, but exhausting day!
