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Hi, welcome to the Bradley family Travel Blog! The point of the blog is to let our family and friends see what we are doing and if they ever go to these places they can choose what to see and what to avoid. We tend to lean toward the more active side - like "leave no stone unturned" so if you want to go at a more leisurely pace, you can just pick and choose. Choose a destination above, on the map, or in the groups on the right hand side of the page.

Happy travels, Phill, Shellie, Bix, Brooke

DisneyWorld - Epcot

DisneyWorld - Epcot (Day 3)

Epcot Map


Today we are headed to Epcot - home of the giant silver ball.  I have fond memories of Epcot as a kid - going to all of the Nations around the large central lake and experiencing the "world" for the first time.  This park opened pretty late, but learning from the previous days, we went a little early to hopefully get in early and it paid off.  


Some other ride
test drive shhhh. don't tell



We were in the doors at 9:30, which allowed us to get in a (relatively) short line for Test Drive - the Chevrolet sponsored roller coaster.  On this coaster, two people are in an individual "car" and you test drive it for traction and aerodynamics, eventually taking it on a high speed track.  It's a fun ride with long wait times, so getting this done first was a priority.


World Showcase

If you have not seen Epcot, there are  basically two sections - the World Showcase, which are replica "countries" around a big lake, with food and shopping representative of the countries.  And the "Front" section which has rides and Learning.

Epcot Map
After Test Drive, we hauled a** to Norway to ride the frozen ride. Even getting there at 9:30 AM we still had to stand in a 40 minute line. This is one of the more popular rides at Epcot and it was pretty fun. After the ride we stopped to eat some breakfast in Norway - lefsa and troll horns. Then we went next door to Mexico. 

I remember Mexico from when I was 16 and the strange thing I remember was that the ride was inside of a restaurant, which I thought could not be true, but it was. Once we got inside of the Mexican pavilion, the line went through some shops and a restaurant before it started. The ride is a water ride and ours broke down right before we got to the end. We had to listen to the final song by the Panchitos for about 5 or 6 minutes for the ride got started again. After the ride Shellie and I sampled some tequila and margaritas at the CAVA inside the pavilion. After Mexico we headed to the other side of the world.


Tequila!

The right side of the world, started with Canada which only has one attraction, a 360 degree film about the provinces in Canada. The scenery was nice, but it was very boring (sorry Canada). After Canada we had a lunch time reserved at the Rose and Crown in England.  The nice people at Rose and Crown accommodated our request to increase our reservation by three people so Kim and her boys could eat with us.  Most of us had fish and chips which was a very generous portion and delicious. The waiter at rose and crown was also great.  After Canada, I was technically not drinking around the world, but I was able to get draft Boddingtons at Rose and Crown.

Moving around the world took us past the mostly useless International Gateway (alternative park entrance/exit) and then to France.  We were disappointed the Ratatouille ride was not yet open (2021), but we did find the bakery in the very back and the kids had ice cream at a shop.  Morocco was fun to look around and then we got to Japan.  


Brooke was in love with the store in Japan and wanted to buy it out.  She asked if we could come back at the end of the day to get a katana (Japanese sword) and we said yes, so we left the store empty-handed.

After Japan we got to the United States pavilion, where there was a stage show and we waited for the American Adventure show, where animatronic historical figures walk through our history.   Shellie though it would be more patriotic (music wise), but it was more like a history lesson with US achievements and struggles.

Then we hit Italy and Germany and I finally got a beer.  (I am SO looking forward to Oktoberfest in Germany in 2022).   Then we were back to China (shopping) and Norway and Mexico again.  

Front of the Park

Now it was time to hit the rides.  Kim had been to Epcot before and wanted to go to Soarin', but I had that last on our schedule, so we went to Mission: Space instead.  We were in line for this "motion ride" when I read that it could be very disturbing for people who get motion sickness (aka. me).  But, we found out that we could switch from the Orange to the Green line and go on a milder version.  The milder version was fun enough for me.  Both rides had barf bags in the ride - that should tell you something.  Bix said I would not have made it through the orange one, and Brooke was sick for half an hour.  Orin wanted to go again.

Then we went straight to Soarin' which was on the other side of the park.  It was a pretty long slow line, but we finally made it and we could tell why it was Kim's favorite ride, it was really fun.  You are in a hangglider (seated) and you soar over various places of the world.  Very fun.

We at dinner at the Coral Reef, which was OK, but a little expensive for the quality and selection.  Then Brooke and I ran to Japan, while the others went to Nemo and Soarin' again.  

We were to meet back at the big ball "Spaceship Earth" to do it before park close, but no one made it.  Brooke and I had to travel over two miles to get to Japan and back and the Soarin' line was still long.  

  



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