Orlando, FL 2016 - Day 3

Chad and I woke up early and went on a long run before working out at the gym. Just kidding. We actually lounged on our patio drinking coffee and moved as little as possible. I just wanted you to like me. On our drive to Epcot, we annoyed the kids by singing everything to the tune of either The Little Mermaid’s “Under the Sea,” or the hit song “The Right Stuff” by New Kids on the Block. The kids were relieved that the drive only lasted eight minutes. 

Norway Pavilion

As we entered the park, we stopped to marvel at the giant, 18-story geosphere, Epcot’s iconic symbol. I learned that it’s actually a ride called Spaceship Earth and not, in fact, an enormous tribute to golf. We walked straight to Norway to ride Frozen Ever After, a new boat ride that is so popular I couldn’t get FastPasses for it. There were maybe sixty people in front of us in line and we learned the ride was having technical difficulties. The park hadn’t officially opened yet, so we hung out in line playing Twenty Questions. Ali and Jackson saved our places while Chad, Ashley, and I walked to Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe, Norway’s bakery. We bought lefse and a Norweigan Club sandwich to eat while we waited for the ride to be fixed. The problem was resolved and I am so glad we waited; the ride was fantastic.

Next, we headed back to Future World to use our FastPasses for Test Track and Mission: SPACE. On Test Track, we got to design our own virtual race car, and then take it for a speed trial on a track. The ride only went 65 mph, but it sure felt like we were flying. On Mission: SPACE, we were astronauts and Gary Sinise was our Capcom who debriefed us before sending us on a mission to Mars. Don’t worry, it wasn’t real; it was just a simulator. But it came with barf bags and I took one as a souvenir. Later in the day, Chad summed up our space adventure perfectly: “We astronauted the crap out of that ride,” he said. 

Finished with Future World, we walked to World Showcase to explore the eleven countries represented there. The countries border a giant lagoon and we spent the day wandering through all of them. In the Mexico Pavilion, we rode the Gran Fiesta Tour, which is like Mexico’s version of It’s a Small World. We explored Norway and China before heading to Germany for lunch. Chad and Jackson spoke with the accents from whatever country we were in, and Ali entertained us with geography puns like, “Norway. Yes way!” There were more but I didn’t write them down because I was too busy hiding.

China

Mexico Pavilion

We had lunch reservations at Biergarten Restaurant, a German buffet-style restaurant with community seating, an oompah band wearing lederhosen, and all the schnitzel you can eat. The food was delicious, and our waiter was a nice German kid named Paul. When Paul brought our bill, I noticed that the recommended tip was $37.00. We dished up our own food, in fact, all Paul did was bring our drinks and remove our plates. Paul must love his job in America.

Chad's dream onesie

As we left Germany, Chad saw a baby wearing a onesie and said, “I want that outfit.”

The baby’s dad looked down at his little boy, confused, and said, “You want that outfit?”

“Heck yeah,” said Chad.

“How much are you willing to give me for it?” the dad asked. 

Before Chad could answer, I moved us along to Italy. because I did not want to hear the end of that conversation. We arrived in Italy just as Sergio the Italian Mime was beginning his street performance. Jackson was livid because Sergio used props and Jackson felt Sergio should be miming without props because that’s the whole point. So we moved on while Jackson showed us the classic "trapped in a box" mime trick. 

Sergio the "Mime"

We visited Japan before stopping at my favorite country of all: Morocco. I wanted to purchase every single thing I saw. The smell of incense, the colorful tiles, the brass lanterns that probably contained real genies... I was in heaven—especially because Chad and Jackson can’t do Moroccan accents.

We passed by the United Kingdom and Canada because we were heading back to Future World for some more rides. We spent a couple hours indoors riding attractions and watching a Pixar short film festival. By the time we came back outside, it was dark and the park was absolutely gorgeous lit by all the lamps and Christmas lights.

We went to the Boulangerie Patisserie in France for dessert, I bought a Moorish coffee in Morocco, and Chad bought a beer in Germany. While Chad and Ashley waited in line to meet Snow White, Ali walked to Mexico to buy a souvenir, and Jackson and I sat along the edge of the lagoon and played Twenty Questions. He guessed that I was thinking of John McClane after asking just 6 questions, and I realized maybe I shouldn’t be so predictable.

The kids resting in Morocco

Ashley and sweet Snow White

Once we were all together again, we rode Spaceship Earth, the ride inside the sphere at the entrance to the park. Then we perused artwork in the Art of Disney store and continued our search for the perfect piece that will one day hang in our living room. We didn’t find it tonight. Epcot was almost closing, and we had walked 14 miles since morning, so everyone was ready to go home. We enjoyed our day, but while I planned for us to spend two days at Epcot, the kids don't want to come back, so we'll see where we end up tomorrow.

There is just one moon and one golden sun
And a smile means friendship to everyone
Though the mountains divide and the oceans are wide 
It's a small world after all.

-The Niemeyers