We embarked on another exciting journey for the day. Epcot has a lot of attractions, rides and a World Showcase.
We were hungry and couldn’t really find anything bigger and cheaper than the soft and chewy pretzel to fill up our stomachs!
Inside Disney’s Store.
Lively and colourful Disney characters posters and paintings.
We didn’t take many photos in Epcot as we kept our camera in the locker. It would be a hindrance to bring valuables along for the thrill rides.
We had a good meal at The Land Pavilion, delectable and quite cheap.
There is something really COOL in Epcot – FREE Drinks! Located in Innoventions, Club Cool has free samples of Coca-Cola soft drinks from different countries around the world.
Unlimited samplings: the tasting area has self-serve soda dispensers, dispensing Coca-Cola products for any thirsty visitors in the torrid afternoon. Some are really nice, but some just taste weird.
Our next Mission: SPACE. There were two teams for this ride – one was more intense than the other. We were “macho” enough to join the more intense ride and spent two hours queuing up with some rowdy school kids behind us. When we were nearer to the entrance of the ride, the wall became an interactive playground where all of us could literally wave our arms to create images and even compete among ourselves by hitting ball images virtually.
When we were about to take the Space ride, I nearly chicken-out when I read the notice warning us that we would experience G-force and might feel dizzy after the ride. I hate dizziness! That could make me vomit! But after two hours of queuing up, how could I just give up?
After the long wait, we finally entered the zone where we were grouped into a team of four, each of us being assigned an on-board role – Engineer, Navigator, Pilot or Commander. We were given two tasks each to perform the mission by pressing a specific button in the simulator when told.
We boarded the simulator, plucking up the courage to set off to “space”. I was quite blur with the buttons on the dashboard and anyhow pressed them. We were like astronauts, experiencing the G-force of blastoff. Our capsule simulated the illusion of speed by spinning and tilting the capsule during the four-minute mission. I was a little dizzy inside, so scared that I might vomit after that! We had a bad feeling inside us after the mission.
Next, we embarked on a free-flying adventure – Soaring. This was a very relaxing ride as compared to our previous space mission. Again, we queued for another two hours for this very popular ride. We should have bought Fast Pass for the express queue, though the express queue was also very long but shorter waiting time.
Soaring is a simulated hang glider tour flying over beautiful sceneries in different cities around the world. We were restrained with seat belts in the carriage under a wing-like canopy, with our feet dangling free. The carriage was lifted into a huge IMAX dome movie screen and as the carriage was moved forward into the dome, we could only see the images projected on the screen and were given the sensation of flight. Movements of our seats were synchronized to the film.
As we “soared” over the orange field scene, we could even smell the scent of orange blossoms. The mountain scenes were accompanied by the aroma of evergreen. The ride also featured river rafting, hot air ballooning and other action-packed adventures. We were virtually soaring over different cities in the world, with wind in our hair and our feet hanging in the air, letting our imagination run wild. The actual show lasted for about five minutes.
We spent the whole afternoon queuing up just for two thrill rides but it was well-worth the wait.
Our next ride was a kiddy ride at The Seas with Nemo and Friends. The queue wasn’t long as most kids could have already taken the ride in the morning. Inside the ride, we “sailed” in a cup-alike and watched Nemo and friends in a long movie screen.
Outside the ride is The Seas with Nemo and Friends Pavilion. There were big aquariums with marine creatures as seen in the movie of Finding Nemo.
The “real” Nemo and his father gliding through the coral.
“I’m Dory.”
“Fish are not food, they are our friends.” Bruce, the great white shark.
We watched a 3-D show – Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. In the show, we were like being “shrunk” as the 3-D images were enormous, every objects in the movie were amplified. The show is quite old but entertaining.
So much for the rides, we walked to the World Showcase where it contains pavilions representing eleven countries: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, U.S, Japan, Morocco, France, U.K, Canada. Each of these contains representative shops and restaurants and is staffed by citizens of these countries.
I was dog-tired at the World Showcase and was literally dragging my feet along the World Showcase Lagoon – a man-made lake. I nearly dozed off despite having a cup of coffee in my hand! Everyone was waiting at the lagoon for the firework display – IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth would take place in the lagoon for thirteen minutes.
Soon, awe-inspiring fireworks filled the sky with stunning illuminations and not only that, an extraordinary Earth Globe floated across the lagoon. It was the centrepiece of the show and projected images of people and places on its curved LED screens. The show also featured lasers, fire and water fountains timed to the musical score.
After the end of the fireworks display, we called it a day and took quite a long walk back to the bus terminal to catch the last shuttle bus back to our hotel.
We missed out a lot of rides due to the lack of time. We missed Test Track – another popular speed ride – as it would take us more than two hours just for the ride. Nonetheless, we enjoyed all the 3-D shows that we watched for the day!
For supper, we ordered a set meal with sausages and wedges at Denny’s restaurant adjacent to our hotel. We thought we could just pack and go back early to rest, but end up we waited for more than half an hour. A gentleman couldn’t wait anymore and told the waitress he was leaving but would pay for the food. How kind! I never see such an act before except customers complaining.
Next day: Walt Disney World – Magical Kingdom!
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