It was nice to have an extra day at Epcot because that meant I felt like we could have a more relaxed schedule. After staying at the parks from before rope drop to the end of the nighttime shows two days in a row, it was nice to have a break.
Our FastPass schedule for that day was:
9:10-10:10: The Seas With Nemo & Friends(I cancelled this one since we were able to ride it the first day without a FastPass and we did not want to ride it again).- 10:10-11:10: Living With the Land
- 11:20-12:20: Frozen Ever After
Since our first FastPass was not scheduled until 10:10, we arrived at the Epcot a little later in the morning. We decided to start out our day with a Baymax meet and greet since we needed to kill some time. Fun fact: Big Hero 6 is k’s favorite Disney movie.
Then we headed over to the Living With the Land ride. When we were about to get in line, D saw someone we know from church and said hi. I had been wondering if we would run into anyone we know.
Living With the Land is a slow boat ride that gives you a glimpse into the history of farming, along with a “backstage” look at some of the innovative techniques used at WDW. This was one ride where I actually took a lot of pictures since it was slow and had natural light.
We also rode Journey Into Imagination With Figment.
Tip: If you are near the Journey Into Imagination building, look for the popcorn cart nearby. It sells three flavors not found at any of the other parks, and if you have the refillable popcorn bucket, it is still only $2 for a refill:
- Sour Cream & Chives (it is more of a glaze rather than powder-yum!)
- Cheddar (n’s favorite)
- Buffalo Bleu Cheese (a little too artificial looking and tasting for us)
The World Showcase opens later in the morning (11 a.m.?) than the rest of the park, so plan accordingly. D decided he *needed* another School Bread, so we stopped in Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe in Norway before going on the Frozen ride.
This picture was from the day before, where I neglected to mention that we also tried Rice Cream and School Bread. School Bread is described as a Sweet Roll filled with Custard and dipped in Coconut while the Rice Cream is basically rice pudding with strawberry sauce.
Frozen Ever After was a cute ride. I find these ride pictures with us and complete strangers kind of funny.
We also went on the kitschy Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros ride in Mexico and and watched the Reflections of China movie.
We finally made it to the U.S.A. Pavilion!
While we waited for The American Adventure show, we were treated to a performance by the Voices of Liberty. It is worth it to look up the showtimes and try to catch one of their performances; we just lucked out.
We headed back to France for a late lunch. n really wanted another ham and cheese croissant!
D and I decided to try their sandwiches:
- Jambon Beurre (Ham and Cheese, Dijon Mustard Butter on a Demi Baguette)
- Dinde B.L.T. (Turkey, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Garlic Aioli)
Both were good choices. Les Halles Boulangerie and Patisserie ended up being one of our top Epcot restaurants. I just wish that it had more places to sit down and eat.
Club Cool
One place that should be a must-stop on everyone’s Epcot list is Club Cool. I am embarrassed to tell you how many times we stopped there during our two days at Epcot.
Club Cool is a place where you can try different flavors of soda from around the world, and it’s free! The flavors on tap were:
- Beverly (Italy)
- Pineapple Fanta (Greece), my favorite
- Melon Frosty Fanta (Thailand), k’s favorite
- Vegitabeta (Japan)
- Bibo (South Africa)
- Sparletta (Zimbabwe), n’s favorite
- Inca Kola (Peru), D’s favorite
- Guarana Kuat (Brazil)
Disney Springs
We were ready to leave Epcot around 3:30 in the afternoon, but the direct bus line from Epcot to Disney Springs did not start running until 4 p.m. We ended up doing a transfer that involved multiple stops at Port Orleans. In hindsight, we should have just stayed at the park a little longer and taken the 4:00 bus. Oh well.
We walked around a little but did not do much shopping. We ate dinner at Guy Fieri’s new fast casual restaurant, Chicken Guy!
The menu prices were a little shocking (shockingly cheap!) after being used to inflated Disney World prices. Considering this place is still in Disney Springs, we thought they would charge more.
The kids and I all ordered a Sauce Boss chicken sandwich and D had the BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad. For the Sauce Boss sandwiches, you pick two flavors of sauce (there are a LOT to choose from), and they put one sauce on the top bun and the other on the bottom bun.
We also shared the Triple Double Mint shake for dessert. (Hand-spun Mint Chocolate Soft Serve, Crushed Oreo® Cookies, Chocolate Mints, Chocolate Syrup and Fresh Whipped Cream).
We took the bus back to our hotel. D and the kids went swimming again and then they watched some of the Warriors basketball game in our hotel room. It was definitely nice to have some down-time so that we could re-charge.