Cruisin’ to the Bahamas (Nassau)

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!

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Display Your Memories With Canvas Factory: Review + Giveaway

Disclosure: I received a sample in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

When Canvas Factory reached out to see if I would like to partner with them again for a review and giveaway, I did not hesitate to say yes! I had a great experience ordering from them last time, and my experience this time was no different.

The Canvas Factory website is very user-friendly. It literally takes a few minutes to create a personalized canvas with a photo of your choice. The most difficult part is choosing which photo to use!

We took tons of photos with Disney’s Memory Maker during our Walt Disney World vacation last month, so I had a lot to choose from.

I ended up ordering a 16″ x 20″ canvas of k and n standing in front of Cinderella’s castle at the Magic Kingdom. After I placed my order, the canvas promptly arrived in a carefully-wrapped package on my doorstep. I love how it turned out! The picture is nice and clear and the quality of the workmanship is high.

I hung the new canvas next to another Canvas Factory canvas I had previously ordered of our family at Disneyland. I really like how the pictures complement each other. I am also impressed with how well the older canvas has held up over time in comparison to the new one I just received. There are no signs of fading and it is still nicely stretched over the wood frame.

If you have a lot of pictures sitting in your phone or on your computer, I would encourage you to make some of them into prints. Displaying photos in your home allows special memories to be enjoyed everyday. Canvas Factory offers a lot of different types of printing options, so be sure to check out their website! (If you are in Canada, visit them online here.)

One of my readers will also win a code for a free custom 16″ x 20″ canvas, so enter today!

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Be Prepared With SCOUTbox: Review + Giveaway

Disclosure: I was provided with samples in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Both of our kids have been scouts since the first year they were eligible. k started as a Daisy in Girl Scouts and is now a Cadette and n started as a Tiger and is now an AOL. Therefore, they were both excited to have the opportunity to check out SCOUTbox, a monthly subscription box for scouts, curated by scouts!

SCOUTbox sent us two of their previous boxes to review.

The first one was called “Tame the Wild”, which contained:

  • First Aid Kit-Right Response
  • Water Purification Drops-PURINIZE
  • Trail Markers-VSSL
  • Edible Plant Guide-National Book Network
  • White Fandana-SCOUTbox

I was most excited about the Right Response First Aid Kit. With the recent earthquakes in Southern California, there has been a lot of renewed talk about the importance of being prepared in an emergency. It is a good idea to have an emergency kit in different places in your home as well as in your car(s). This kit is nice and lightweight for hiking and traveling. This particular brand can be sold by scouts as a fundraiser, which sounds like a great idea to me.

The second SCOUTbox was called “Communication”. It included:

  • Self Reliance Outfitters-All Weather Notebook
  • Nite Ize-Inka Key Chain Pen
  • Waterford Press-“Signaling for Rescue” Waterproof Folding Guide
  • UCO AIR Headlamp

I like how the notebook and pen are fun and useful. The notebook is waterproof, and contains helpful information such as knots, tarp-configuration and animal tracks. The pen can write upside down, in extreme temperatures, and at any altitude!

n really liked the headlamp. We own other headlamps, but this one is nicely padded to make it comfortable. It is rechargeable, its brightness can be adjusted, and it can change to red night vision mode for signaling and communicating. We will be sure to bring this on our next camping trip!

I was impressed with the variety of items that we received in each SCOUTbox. Each one contained products that would appeal to both kids and adults. SCOUTbox offers monthly subscription of varying lengths, as well as a unique selection of products designed for camping, hiking, etc. SCOUTbox would make a thoughtful and useful gift for any scout, as well as anyone who enjoys spending time outdoors!

Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win a SCOUTbox!

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Animal Kingdom Trip Report

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!

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Bring the Outdoors In With Succulents Box + Giveaway

Disclosure: I received a sample box in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

I am a huge fan of succulents. They are an easy way to add a dash of fresh and modern decor to your living space. Having plants in your home can improve indoor air quality, improve your mood, and reduce stress. I also appreciate succulents because they are low-maintenance. (I have a tendency to kill houseplants.)

Succulents Box is a website dedicated to providing organically grown succulents directly to your doorstep. Succulents Box recently sent me one of their boxes with four different succulents. Each succulent was individually wrapped to minimize damage and soil spillage. I was impressed with how healthy the succulents looked.

I re-planted a couple of the succulents in glass jars that I had saved. So easy, and environmentally-friendly, too!

Love how these succulents look like miniature flowers!

Each box comes with a postcard with care instructions. In the summer, the succulents only need to be watered once every 1 or 2 weeks. In the winter, they only need to be watered once a month!

I added the other succulents I received to my ever-growing collection. They fit right in and I like how they provide contrasting colors and textures.

Succulents Box has an amazing selection of over 200 varieties of succulents, both rare and popular. Keep them in mind when looking to add succulents to your home. Their subscription boxes would also make a great gift idea!

Enter below for your chance to win a 4-pack of succulents from Succulents Box! Please note that by entering this giveaway, you are agreeing to be added to the Succulents Box e-mail list.

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Magic Kingdom Trip Report

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!

Next we watched Mickey’s Philharmagic, which was new to us. After that we used our FastPass for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride, which is not at Disneyland.

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!

Next we went on the Tomorrowland Speedway.

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…”

We ate dinner at the Columbia Harbour House.

We split the following dishes:

  • 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.

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Play, Study & Rest With Simply Earth Essential Oils July Recipe Box + Giveaway

Disclosure: I received a sample box in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Sneak Preview of the July Simply Earth Essential Oils Recipe Box

This month’s Simply Earth Essential Oils Recipe Box is filled with fun essential oil recipes for kids! Here is what is included:

Fir Needle Essential Oil
Lavender Essential Oil (40/42)
Tangerine Essential Oil
Sweet Dreams Essential Oil Blend
Simply Earth Balloon
Psyllium Husk Powder

July’s recipe cards include:

  • Homework Diffuser Blend
  • Lavender Scented Bubbles
  • DIY Scented Stress Ball
  • Natural Slime
  • Sweet Dreams Bath
  • Sweet Dreams Roll On

These recipes would be a fun way to keep the kids occupied during summer vacation. My kids had fun trying out two of the recipes at home.

DIY Scented Stress Ball

The directions were easy to follow. I had never heard of making a stress ball with flour and a balloon. The essential oils were a nice addition. (I really like the tangerine scent!)

Natural Slime

I have to admit, I am not the biggest slime fan. Since this recipe uses natural ingredients, I was willing to let my daughter try it out. Because we did not have any natural food coloring on hand, it ended up being a not-so-appealing “natural” color-ha! But, thanks to the essential oils, it did smell good, and I liked not having to worry about my kids handling toxic ingredients.

Simply Earth Promo Code

Simply Earth is offering a great deal for my readers! When you start an Essential Oil Recipe Box Subscription, you will also receive a Big Bonus Box AND a free $40 gift card when you use the promo code LIMBYLIMFREE at checkout. (New subscribers only).

I am excited to announce that Simply Earth is also generously offering my readers a chance to win an Essential Oil Recipe Box plus a Big Bonus Box!

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Exploring and Eating Our Way Around Epcot, Day 2

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
Baymax

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 2
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.

We also rode Journey Into Imagination With Figment.

Look at those clouds!

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.

We also went on the kitschy Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros ride in Mexico and and watched the Reflections of China movie.

We finally made it to the U.S.A. Pavilion!

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.

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“Kinda Dangerous” Family Devotions Review

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

The Very Best, Hands-On, Kinda Dangerous Family Devotions, by Tim Shoemaker, contains 52 devotions for parents and their kids. These are not your ordinary “read a short story, read a Bible passage” type devotions. Instead, each devotion includes an object lesson that engages kids while teaching them valuable lessons at the same time. Each devotion also ties the activity with Biblical principles and verses.

Some of the devotion activities include: making an electric pickle, using invisible ink, making a water slide and lighting toothpaste on fire. These types of activities definitely have “kid-appeal”. I can see how kids would be more apt to remember the lessons associated with this type of “active learning” as opposed to passive listening. However, I recognize that the preparation required from parents would be much more involved than just opening up a book and reading from it. There is a range of complexity for the different devotions, so it is probably best to start out with some of the simple ones first instead of feeling like you need to go in order. This book would also be good for teachers or speakers who need ideas for reaching young people for Christ.

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Exploring and Eating Our Way Around Epcot, Day 1

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.

Epcot Ball

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!)

Next we rode Test Track.

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.

We ate an early lunch at the Electric Umbrella.

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!

Our next stop was England, mainly to try the Yorkshire County Fish and Chips.

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!

The highlight of the France pavilion was definitely Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie.

So many tempting desserts!

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.

k hugging Mickey

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!

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