Disney Day 2

Day 2 was EPCOT for Meg and I. This is only my third time going to Epcot and I still haven't taken the time to do a lot of the hands on things since I am a thrill ride nut I like to focus on rides that go wild and fast. There is so much to do though at Epcot for all ages though so it is something that you cannot miss if you are there for multiple days.

First off it was Spaceship Earth (the big silver ball). This ride is not the most exciting thing in the world, but it is fun and relaxing as you take a journey through the history of human communication. It is a nice slow ride with high educational value. What I find funny is that a lot of the "future" stuff placed in the ride is not so far off from the technology that we currently have. Rating 8.

Then it was off toward the Land and Sea pavilions. We wanted to grab a fast pass for "Soarin" so we could come back to it. Travelers note: Make sure you go to the Land pavilion FIRST to get your fast pass for soarin. We were there at 10:45 and they had already distributed all of the fast passes at the attraction which resulted in a 90 minute wait later in the day. This is the most popular attraction at EPCOT right now so get there early and grab a fastpass or ride it right away. We stopped briefly at "The seas with Nemo & Friends" which is the home to the "nemo" attraction and "turtle talk with Crush" but saw that the line was very long. Traveler's note: Skip the seas early in the day and the lines will die down later.

Since we couldn't get on soarin at the time we went ahead and caught the "living with the land" boat ride. This ride was much better when it had a guide, but the park has resorted to using a track now. Basically it is a ride through how the land flourishes in various environments followed by a short trip through the Disney greenhouses which shows a lot of neat stuff about plants and how they grow. This is really a good place for a science lesson. Rating 7.5

After leaving the land pavilion we made a quick stop at the Coca-Cola Club Cool which is a store dedicated to Coke merchandise and a place where you can sample coke products from around the world. Travelers Note: this is a great place to stop periodically throughout the day for a drink as there is no charge for the samples and you can drink as much as you like. There are about 5 different varieties from countries around the world.

Next we grabbed our fastpass for "Test Track" and then headed toward my favorite Disney attraction "Mission: Space." This is my personal favorite because it gives a space case like me to live out a dream of mine. Growing up all I wanted to be was an astronaut and this gives you the chance-although it is not real, you almost have a sense that you are actually travelling in space. There are two versions of this Orange team (more intense) and Green Team (less intense). Basically they put you in a centrifuge and spin you to simulate zero gravity and space travel. Rating 10. Traveler's Note: If you deal with motion sickness avoid the orange team as this is a spinning attraction. If you don't you'll wind up like this...and yes there are motion sickness bags on the attraction.

Also if you are claustrophobic you may want to go with the green team or avoid the attraction all together as it does place you in a very tight spot. Even if you skip the attraction, go to the space base area as there are some really cool games to play and other neat things as well. Megan took on the green team and I of course hit the orange team. I've included a couple pictures to summarize the experience...

After Mission space we had a little time before we could hit Test track so we headed into the World Showcase. This area is a great place to give your children a geography lesson. There are several different pavilions representing countries from around the world. Just like you would expect from Disney, you actually feel like you are in the country. We took in Mexico (which does have an attraction that was being refurbished), Norway (which has a great little short boat ride called Maelstrom-skip the movie at the end though), and China (which has a Circle-vision movie about the country-basically this is a movie where the entire room is a screen and it is a 360 view all around you). We stopped in Germany as it was time to hit Test Track and took the boat across the lagoon to keep from walking as far. There are several more countries and it is well worth walking through them if you get the chance. Traveler's note: The one cool thing about World Showcase is that there are several "Kidcot" stops where your children can make a craft from that country at no charge.

Test Track was our next attraction. It is basically a walk through how they test cars before you buy them. The queue line is great as you have all the dummies and get to see various tests taking place. The ride itself is a high speed fun attraction where they take you through the various tests the car goes through. Definitely take in this attraction. Rating 9.5

After test track we headed over to the seas with nemo and friends to catch the ride of the same name. This is brand new at EPCOT and again is a great work of Disney magic. The coolest part is that they have included video footage of the characters from finding nemo right over the aquarium. It is like they are in the aquarium with the fish. AMAZING. Rating 8.5. After that we went to "Turtle Talk with Crush" which is a show where you get to interact with an animated Crush (from the movie) and he answers your questions. Again the magic is amazing. Rating 8.5

We decided again to eat off property so before we left we decided to make the wait for "Soarin" and again let me tell you it is worth it. This attraction is amazing. You take a journey flying across California. I don't want to ruin it for you, but it is better than any film in an IMAX theater you could ever dream of. Again Disney puts you in the attraction. Don't miss this one while you are there. Rating 10+

That about sums our day up at EPCOT. Here are a couple more things to remember. There is so much to do here that is educational and I would advise taking your time doing it, I try to knock a little of each time I go, but definitely plan to spend some time here. Also make sure you wear comfortable shoes as you will do A LOT of walking at EPCOT. That is the only thing I do not like about the park, as it seems it is so spread out. It is a Disney must see though!