It’s true; EPCOT really does stand for “every person comes out tired”. This has always been my favorite park, mostly because there are so many gadgets and so much techno-stuff– but also because of the pervasive spirit of optimism that pervades both halves of the park. When we arrived, we headed straight for Test Track and got FASTPASS tickets for it. While Matthew and I strolled around people-watching (and eating popsicles, of course), everyone else went to Ellen’s Energy Adventure, which broke down mid-ride on our last visit. It got good reviews this time; Mom and I traded groups, so they went to bird-watch while the rest of us rode Test Track. David loved it as much as he did last time, and Arlene and Thomas both were impressed (although it didn’t make GM look so good when our car got stuck three times, once in the “cold climate” test room). We puttered around for a while afterwards until it was time for our Mission: SPACE fastpasses. How was it? It’s so good that I am prepared to forgive HP for their long history of writing crappy Mac software for their products. Thomas and I rode (David chickened out at the last minute), and you should have seen the look on his face! He got to be the mission pilot and was enormously proud of his accomplishment. The ride itself was really slick: very immersive, with a terrific blast-off sequence that gives realistic G-loadings and buffetings. IMHO, Walt himself would have approved (although this story about Disney freaks points out how many of them talk about what Walt would, and would not, have liked– eek! am I crossing the line and becoming a Disneytrekkie? Let’s hope not.)
While Tom and I were riding, everyone else headed over to the World Showcase. I’d never been there before, and it was quite enjoyable, even though I didn’t do anything more than stroll through the pavilions. We had lunch at a surprisingly good Japanese yakitori restaurant, then walked around a bit more until it was time to go. Arlene and I had set a hard departure time of 1530 because we had tickets to the 1800 performance of Cirque du Soleil‘s La Nouba. What a show! I’d never seen Cirque before, but I’d heard a lot about the athletic skill and design of their performances, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s hard to summarize it, so I won’t try– but if you go to Orlando, see the show if you have time. It’s well worth the (rather expensive) ticket price, and there’s not a bad seat in the house. While we were doing that, Mom and the boys ate at Downtown Disney, and then to bed. Pictures:
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