EPCOT

For the second day of our vacation, on Tuesday August 10th, 2010 we went to EPCOT. There were quite a few newer things we wanted to try, but with a height restriction, we just decided to spend the day doing things we all could do together.

We did get to see the updated "The Seas" attraction, featuring the "Finding Nemo" characters. The funnest part of it, I think, was the "Turtle Talk With Crush" show. They have a room set aside for people to go in and sit down and we face a screen with computer generated coral reef images, so that it looks like we're looking into the coral reef through glass. Once the show starts, Crush makes his appearance, and asks the kids sitting in the front questions. They have technology where the person talking for Crush can see and hear the crowd so he can react to the things the crowd is saying and the computer generated Crush on the screen moves his mouth/body in reaction to the things that the person speaking for him says/does. It was so much fun! Crush picked a boy out of the crowd and asked him a question. The boy's name was Evan. The second boy he asked a question to said his name was Evan. So, when Crush said "What's your name?" and the boy answered "Evan." Crush just sat (swam?) there for a while saying nothing. Then he said "Ooookay!" Then when he asked another boy a question the kid said his name was "Michael" and Crush said "Whew! I thought you were gonna say 'Evan'!". He was funny, but it was a "you had to be there" sort of thing.

Pictures!


The classic EPCOT photo op:





I was feeling bad that Magic Kingdom's Toon Town didn't have the special "Meet & Greet" Mickey Mouse thing like they used to have and I was beginning to think that the kids would miss out on meeting Mickey. While at EPCOT we came upon a "Character Greeting" spot that is indoors and has an indoor queue which was a permanent place to meet not only Mickey but Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald as well!




Peter didn't want to sit still...


Minnie signing one of the kids' autograph books:


Since Peter didn't want to sit in the pictures, I just held him. Daddy wasn't able to be in the pictures, because he was taking them, but this way all three kids were in the shots:







Inside "The Seas" ride/attraction/aquarium:


Outside "The Seas" attraction, the sign featured some "seagulls" from "Finding Nemo". I think they must have been motion activated because occasionally they would "come to life" and say their famous line from the movie: "Mine! Mine! Mine!!" It was great!



Of course, no trip to EPCOT is complete without a visit to Figment!


Figment's Upside-Down House:




While walking through "The Land" attraction, we went past a character dining restaurant where Mickey was waiting to make an entrance into the restaurant. He was gracious enough to pose and wave to those of us who didn't have the $$$ to shell out for the restaurant:


Looking across the Seven Seas Lagoon at the U.S.A section of the World Showcase:

China:



Germany:

The miniature train was parked in a tunnel because it was raining off and on that day, but the kids still enjoyed the little village:


Italy:


U.S.A. again:


Japan's coy pond:



Ever since I was 7 and my parents hosted a Japanese exchange student (the first of many from Japan) I've been fascinated by Japan, so the Japan pavilion and store are always a "must see" for me when at EPCOT. In the store, they had a display of a man's and woman's kimono. The ladies' kimono was ORANGE!! I just had to take a picture of it:







Morocco:


Paris, France:


The UK:


Canada:


While we were trying to decide what to do next, some ducks came up to us hoping we had some food to share:


Getting ready for the fireworks, lasers, fountains, and lights show:




The show:









After the sun went down they shone different colored lights on the "Spaceship Earth" globe. It really was much prettier in person: