Trip Log:

Started off the morning walking over to Epcot and arrived around park opening at 9am.  Strolled through a nearly empty World Showcase taking pictures.  Made my way over to Test Track and used the single rider to walk right on.  Stopped by the Fountain View then continued on to the Land to see the gingerbread display.    Walked by the Imagination Pavilion and out to World Showcase Lagoon for some more pictures.  Slowly made my way back to the Boardwalk to rejoin my group for lunch.  Took a bus to Downtown Disney.  Disembarked at the Pleasure Island stop and walked through the West Side.  Hopped on a boat to the Marketplace from there and wandered around a bit.  Then took a boat up river to Port Orleans French Quarter.  After wandering around took a bus back to the Marketplace and transferred to a bus back to the Boardwalk.  Disembarked at the Swan and walked back to the Boardwalk.  Ended up calling it an early evening.

Thoughts & Observations:

• I started off my day at Epcot. I always enjoy walking the parks during the uncrowded morning hours when they are just coming alive. The stroll from the International Gateway to Future World in the morning is among my favorites. Since World Showcase is not open yet and the Epcot Resorts are not that large you can find yourself alone on the walkway some of the time.
  
  
• I wandered around and slowly made my way to Future World. Decided to use single Rider for Test Track since there was no wait. Then crossed over to the other side of Future World to the Land. Neither side was too busy yet. On the way I stopped by the new Fountain View Cafe (Starbucks). What a disappointment. It is basically a large queue inside. The view is behind you while in line and there are no tables inside and only a couple outside. I thought the ice cream shop was better there. But based on the crowd inside I am definitely in the minority. Everyone needs their coffee it appears.
  
  
• The large gingerbread display in the Land featuring some recognizable Disney landmarks was fun. It seemed in a really awkward location right along the walkway, but it was in a fairly visible spot thanks to the number of guests Soarin draws in.
  
  
• For lunch I headed to Downtown Disney to join the rest of my group and I wanted to check out the construction work on the Disney Springs project. I disembarked the bus at the Pleasure Island stop which offered a clear view of the parking garage work and then walked through the West Side. The plan was to try out the food trucks for lunch but they were not open yet and no signs of what time they were to open so that plan failed. Nothing else to note except a lot of ongoing work around Downtown Disney.
  
  
• After walking around Downtown Disney a bit we traveled up river to Port Orleans. I grabbed a bite to eat at the French Quarter and then hopped on a bus back to Downtown Disney and the Boardwalk. I drew a bad bus on the way back to the Boardwalk. Every time the poor the driver turned the steering wheel the horn honked. This was annoying to say the least, for him and us. Plus it troubled quite a few other drivers and walkers that we passed. Due to this I disembarked at the Swan and walked back to the Boardwalk, since our room was on the Swan side this was a relatively short walk.
  

Pedometer Information for the day:

Enough with the text.. onto the pictures

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