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Trip Log:
This morning I slept in until 7am, picked up breakfast at the Beach Club Marketplace and did some packing before setting off for EPCOT to meet some friends. Spent some time around World Showcase lagoon visiting then explored the United Kingdom doing the twelve days of Christmas scavenger hunt. We stopped by France for a snack and the American Adventure for some to eat an early lunch as we visited. Hid under cover from a passing rain cell then continued on to Germany to do some shopping. As we neared Norway it started to drizzle again so took cover near Mexico for this one to blow through. Then headed to Connections for the rest of the group to eat lunch. Bid our friends good bye and we set off for the Animal Kingdom. As we neared the bus stop it started to rain so we ran for cover at the bus stop and as luck would have it our bus was there. At Animal Kingdom walked out to the Safari and right onto a truck without even having to stop. Once back headed to the front of the park and boarded a bus for the Grand Floridian. Took a look at the gingerbread house and Christmas decorations then boarded a Monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Made a stop at Sleepy Hollow for a snack then caught a bus to the Boardwalk to check out the gingerbread display and Cake Bake Shop. Stopped by our room to get a sweatshirt and drop off some items then caught a Friendship Launch to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Roamed around Hollywood Blvd, Echo Lake and Sunset taking a look at the Christmas decorations and Sunset Seasons Greetings. Took the Sky Liner back to EPCOT arriving a few minutes before a SpaceX launch. Found a spot along World Showcase lagoon for the launch. After the launch decided to try single rider for Ratatouille. Then walked to the front of the park. Took a look at the wait for the Land Greenhouses, decided it was too long and hung out in World Celebration Gardens for a bit. Then returned to World Showcase Lagoon for Luminous the Symphony of Us. After the show joined the crowd exiting the park. Returned to my room to call it a night.
Thoughts & Observations:
- Thanks to favorable weather and crowds I had managed to work through almost all of my to-see list already so we were in no rush to start the day today. We opted for a relaxing breakfast in the room then walked over to EPCOT and hung out waiting for some friends then spending time visiting with them.
- The United Kingdom in World Showcase is hosting a Twelve Days of Christmas hunt this year. They have displays representing all 12 days from the song throughout the shops. There is no official map or guide and you are on your to know the song and find them. Cast members had cheat sheets at the registers and many were willing to offer hints if you looked lost or asked.
- Throughout the day there were passing showers, basically cloud bursts. We opted not to carry rain gear and instead just seek cover each time one happened. They were gone usually within a couple minutes so it was more an annoyance than anything but we did make sure to have one eye on the clouds as we walked around so we did not get caught too far from cover and at the first drops we moved quickly for cover before the heavier rain started.
- Stopped by Connections for a late lunch and timed it right to be out of the rain. While eating we noticed a good number of tables in the area were missing chairs. Some had an extra one but quite a few were missing at least one. At one point one table had no chairs.
- We had time and the wait time looked favorable so we decided to head to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for a quick Safari. Our timing was perfect as we were able to walk the queue and right into a truck only pausing for a moment for the gate to open. We had a great guide and a good number of animals were in sight and active this visit. All in all it turned out to be a wise decision and experience.
- Visited the Grand Floridian Resort to see this year’s gingerbread house. We lucked out with it not being overly busy and much more enjoyable than last year. The house itself is basically the same with only the decorations on/around it changing each year. This year was on par with recent years.
- Before heading back to the EPCOT area stopped by the Magic Kingdom for a funnel cake that someone in the group wanted. The wait times were longer than our patience so we just mobile ordered, ate and left the park. It was nice to be able to mobile order at Sleepy Hollow vs waiting in the lengthy queue.
- Stopped by Disney’s Boardwalk Resort to see the gingerbread display at the Cake Bake Shop. The gingerbread was on par with recent years and nothing different/unique/interesting jumped out to me. The Cake Bake Shop really seems out of place on the Boardwalk. It seems like it would be more at home at the Grand Floridian both in terms of its look, design, and price points. We were not planning to eat there and after looking at it I do not see myself going there.
- I cannot believe I made it to day 7 without boarding a watercraft as transportation. I opted to take a Friendship boat from the Yacht Club to the Studios this evening. I was about to walk to the SkyLiner when I saw the boat at the Boardwalk so decided the timing was good. I did not think about the crowd and for the first leg I was standing. At the Swan/Dolphin a few guests exited so I was able to get a seat. It is still a slow mode of transportation and not nearly as enjoyable as the Skyliner for me.
- At Disney’s Hollywood Studios I took a look around Hollywood Blvd and Echo lake at the Christmas decorations then spent some time on Sunset Blvd for the Sunset Seasons Greetings show. It is a shell of its former self with no display screen again and no lasers either. The projections seemed the same as they have always been (I only watched three sequences before moving on and saw nothing new).
- I moved quickly to the Skyliner with the plan being to make it to World Showcase Lagoon for a SpaceX launch. It was going to be close and as I approached security I saw a few guests in the secondary line and I had under 5 minutes until launch. As luck would have it I did not trigger a secondary screening so I was able to make it out to the terrace to see the launch. There were some clouds but lucked out with a launch trajectory that took it more to the west so we were able to see it for a ways. It was fun to see and listen to some other guests in the area that were watching too. I have become very spoiled though with the view at home of the launches from Vandenberg more impressive to me as they basically fly right by our house most launches.
- Enjoyed my final evening in the park hanging out in World Showcase, World Celebration Gardens and then Luminous.
Pedometer Information for the day:
| Steps |
23,129 |
| Miles |
10.59 |
| Walking Time |
3:42 |
| Total Time |
14,30 |
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Part 1: EPCOT
Spent the morning at EPCOT visiting with friends and walking around World Showcase.
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Part 2: Disney's Animal Kingdom
Stopped by Disney's Animal Kingdom for Kilimanjaro Safari in the afternoon.
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Part 3: Grand Floridian Resort
Visited Disney's Grand Floridian Resort to see the gingerbread house celebrating its 25th year and a quick stop at the Magic Kingdom for a snack.
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Part 4: Boardwalk Resort
Stopped by Disney's Boardwalk Resort to see the gingerbread display then some Crescent Lake pictures this evening.
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Part 5: Disney's Hollywood Studios
A quick visit to Disney's Hollywood Studios to see the Sunset Seasons Greetings.
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Part 6: EPCOT
Spent my last night at EPCOT closing out the visit with Luminous the Symphony of Us.
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Addition Blog Picture Posts from today:
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