Cindy D. - September 2005

Epcot - 4 Hours At Epcot
Cast: Cindy D. (age 41)

I had a business trip that took me to the Orlando area, so I drove over to Epcot on Wednesday afternoon. I arrived at the parking gate just a few minutes after 4:00. I asked the CM what time the Disney Dining Experience Card would let me in for parking - she just let me on through, although I found out since then that the paperwork I rec'd with it said 5:00. Oh well - $8 saved!

There was no line for bag check or entry into Epcot, so I breezed on through. It was an overcast afternoon with Ophelia looming off the coast. I went over to Guest Services where I made ADR for The Garden Grill for 6:20, asked where and how long the Disney Visa photo opportunity was (til 4:30 in Innoventions West - which I finally know is to the right as you're coming into the park). It was 4:15 then, so I went straight over, asked a CM which way once I was inside, and there were two CM's standing outside a black curtain just waiting for me. I showed them my Visa card, they gave me a voucher and then asked me to give them a minute to make sure the characters were awake and not snoozin' on the job. I went back and there were Mickey and Pluto. One of the CMs asked if I had my own camera I wanted to use, too, so I gave him my digital and he took a snapshot after the photographer took five shots of me with Mickey, me with Pluto and me with both. Then they gave me the Photo Pass card, explained how it worked, and I went merrily on my way.

I wanted to try Soarin', so I went over to the Land. It was 4:25 then, and I noticed that the Behind the Seeds tour would be going at 4:30, so I inquired about it. I had wanted to do this tour before, but with Soarin' going in, the tour had been stopped for a while. They also raised their prices for it. It's $12 for adults, but with my season pass, I was able to save 15%. I was the only person going on the tour, so I dashed over to Soarin's FP machine and got a FP for after the tour.

The Behind the Seeds tour takes you literally behind the scenes at the greenhouses for Living with the Land boat ride. I got to see where they breed "beneficial parasites" and see how they work. Then we went into the greenhouses where people on the boat could see me walking around and wondering how come I was able to be back there and they weren't (LOL). It was really interesting to see up close how the techniques for growing the vegetables and fruit are done. They even have samples of some of the vegetables like cucumber slices that you can have (I don't like cucumbers so I passed on them). We walked through the fish / alligator area and the CM fed them while I was there, so that was cool to watch.

After the tour, I went through to Soarin' -- it was amazing. I was in the third tier so I had "feet dangling" in front of me, but it really didn't detract from the ride. I was also on the end of the row, so I was able to look "behind the ride" to see how it works - it's very cool. I can't wait to go back in two weeks for my DS's birthday - we are so going on that ride!

It was drizzling outside when I got off Soarin', but I had 40 minutes til my ADR time for dinner. They didn't seem busy, so I checked to see if they could just go ahead and seat me (they could). The menu had changed since my last experience there, but it has returned to family style again. I was seated at an outside booth which was cool, and whenever new parties would walk by, they were looking to see what I was eating :) I took pictures of the food (LOL) and it was delicious. Bread, salad, flank steak, pork, fried catfish, potatoes au gratin, vegetables... and dessert - oh my! The key lime tart was divine, and the chocolate brownie and cake and something else chocolate -- well, I had a bite of all of them except the key lime tart which I finished :) Mickey, Chip and Dale all came by and let me take their picture. I also saved 20% by using my Disney Dining Experience card - which brought me to a total of $13 saved on the first day I used it (it cost me $50 and is valid til Aug. '06 so I'll definitely make my money back and then some).

It was still drizzling after dinner, so I dashed back over to Innoventions and played a bit. They have some new-to-me interactive games that the kids will love, including one like the "Dance Party" game where you step on arrows corresponding to the screen. I also sent digital postcards to various friends and family (I tried to send one to the list but not sure it made it).

It stopped raining while I was in Innoventions, so I went out to walk around the world showcase. I got a times schedule and saw that I had about 45 minutes until Off Kilter was going to perform again at Canada. I always try to catch their show if I can. I bought my favorite Epcot snack - the cinnamon glazed almonds - at the stand just at the neck of the World Showcase - where I always buy them!

I took some photos around the world showcase as there were hardly any people milling around so I could actually get some decent shots without someone else's family in the middle :) It was still dreary out so they aren't the best photos, but still... It was nice to have a good walk after dinner :)

Off Kilter was as good as ever and I enjoyed their show as always. It started raining again during their show but I was sitting on a dry bench under one of the umbrellas, and I had the foresight to bring my poncho with me, so after the show, I put it on and stayed dry on my way out. I did remember to pick up my Mickey / Pluto photo from the Camera Center, and then said goodnight to Epcot.