Trip Log:

Set out for the Beach Club around 8am to grab some breakfast.  Took the boat across the lake to save some steps.  After eating we took our time heading to EPCOT.  The park opened at 10am today, 9:30 for resort early entry.  We were done eating and approached the International Gateway at 9am.  They were letting you into the park so we looked at the moderate crowd for Ratatouille and decided to see what Frozen looked like.  So we hiked around World Showcase and found a fairly small queue at 9:15ish so decided to wait.  The doors were opened about 5 minutes early and we were let inside and they started to dispatch boats.  We were on a boat by 9:35am.   Once back ashore decided to head to the front of the park and some stopped by Creations.  We then looked at the wait times and times guide and decided to go for a Monorail and Ferry Boat ride to the Magic Kingdom.  Arrived on Main Street USA just after 11am.  Decided to visit the Carousel of Progress then PeopleMover.  Caught a performance by the Main Street Philharmonic then the last few notes from the Dapper Dans.   Headed for the Express Monorail at 12:30 and transferred to the EPCOT line arriving at Spaceship Earth around 1pm.  Ordered lunch at Connections.  After eating walked out to the American Adventure to catch the 2:15 Voices of Liberty followed by the 2:45pm American Adventure show.   Worked my way around World Showcase watching some of the entertainment including Atlas Fusion in Morocco, Les Raftsmen in Canada and Mariachi Cobre in Mexico.  Took in a showing of Reflections of China followed by Awesome Planet in the Land.  Met the rest of my group at the International Gateway and took the Skyliner to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.   Waited just under 20 minutes Toy Story Mania.  Looked at the other wait times and decided nothing held our interest so took the Skyliner back to EPCOT. Stopped by France for a snack then walked out to catch the 8:00pm Sugar Ray set.  After his performance noticed Italy was not blocked off tonight but had over 20 minutes until Luminous so decided to walk around a bit. Ended up on the lower level of Terrace des Fleurs.  After the show walked back to the Boardwalk to call it a night.

Thoughts & Observations:

• This morning EPCOT had a delayed opening due to the race.  So we decided to take our time and visit the Beach Club to grab some breakfast on the way to the park.  We opted to go with the Beach Club Marketplace since everyone wanted waffles and those seemed easier than going to sit down at a table service option.  
• We were done eating and decided to just walk around a bit and see what was going on. We noticed they had started let the early morning guests into World Showcase by 9am so we decided to head into the park.  There was a group of guests waiting on the bridge toward France for Ratatouille. We decided to walk around and see what the Frozen queue looked like.   We were  able to walk all the way to Norway arriving around 9:15 to find a fairly small queue.  The opened the doors a few minutes before 9:30 and we were on the attraction shortly after with a minimal wait. It seems most of the early morning guests had made their way to Cosmic Rewind, or maybe because of the race there were fewer early morning guests today? 
• Realized we had not ridden the ferry boat at the Magic Kingdom in a while, last visit we did not at all.  So took the Monorail to the Transportation and Ticket Center then the ferry across the Seven Seas Lagoon.   For anyone who is a first time visitor to the Magic Kingdom we always recommend trying to arrive by Ferry Boat.  Seeing the park from across the water and watching it grow as you get closer is a unique Walt Disney World experience and a great first impression of the park.
• This morning the crowd did not seem that bad but they opted to use the second floor exit ramp. This is one of the few times I have experienced this since we rarely ride the ferry during crowded times.
• We had no real agenda at the Magic Kingdom.  Ended up stopping by the Carousel of Progress.  I enjoy the show but would like to see some updates to it.   Also noteworthy is the air conditioning was not the best today. It was on the warmer side inside the theater.
• We wanted to see the Main Street Philharmonic and the Dapper Dans, and their set times overlapped, so it was a bit of a challenge to see them both today during our visit. With only two atmosphere live entertainment options it would be nice to see them spaced out.
• Decided to return to EPCOT for lunch. We were going with quick service and Connections sounded better than anything at the Magic Kingdom.   The burgers there are among the best quick service we have had over the years.
• We trekked out to the American Adventure for the Voices of Liberty followed by the American Adventure.  The Voices have new costumes since my last visit. They are much better than the previous contemporary ones they had but not nearly as nice as the Dickens or the older colonial ones.
• I spent the afternoon circling World Showcase and taking in some of the entertainment.   Nothing really caught my eye, and having to see the performances during the heat of the day was less than ideal, with little shade at some of the venues. 
• Took in a showing of Reflections of China.  Wonder if the new digital film will ever materialize.  That project seems to have disappeared.
• The rest of the group had not ridden the Skyliner yet this visit, so we decided to go for a flight in the mid-afternoon to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.   The wait was minimal going to DHS, but coming back there was a few minute wait and a switchback in use.
• Decided to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios vs returning to EPCOT right away.  The Toy Story Mania posted wait was 30 minutes but we hoped for less as we entered the queue. It turned out to be under 20 minutes, so not that bad. Looking at the park guide, there was nothing else that drew our interest, so after a quick visit, we returned to EPCOT.
• This evening Sugar Ray was performing at the Garden Rocks Festival.   It is always nice to hear a shout-out to USC.   He is an alumni of the communications school.
• This evening, there seemed to be very few private events going on during Luminous, with most areas open. I ended up down on the waterfront of Terrace des Fleurs, which is a great location and a nice short walk out of the park to the International Gateway after.

Pedometer Information for the day:

	Part 1 - EPCOT Arrived at EPCOT for the Early Morning entry and visited Norway then roamed the park a bit. 3 Images Per Page Our traditional format with medium size images and you can click to enlarge 1 Large Image Per Page A large image and you can navigate using buttons on the screen or your arrow keys Mobile Device Friendly One image per page and you can swipe
	Part 2 - Magic Kingdom Traveled to the Magic Kingdom by Monorail and Ferry Boat then spent some time enjoying the Philharmonic. 3 Images Per Page Our traditional format with medium size images and you can click to enlarge 1 Large Image Per Page A large image and you can navigate using buttons on the screen or your arrow keys Mobile Device Friendly One image per page and you can swipe
	Part 3 - EPCOT & Disney's Hollywood Studios Returned to EPCOT via Monorail and spent some time exploring the park. Then met up with the rest of my group for a Skyliner trip to the studios then back to EPCOT for the evening. 3 Images Per Page Our traditional format with medium size images and you can click to enlarge 1 Large Image Per Page A large image and you can navigate using buttons on the screen or your arrow keys Mobile Device Friendly One image per page and you can swipe

Addition Blog Picture Posts from today:

• All My Picture Posts from Sunday, April 6, 2025
• Pictures: Frozen Ever After at EPCOT 
• Pictures: EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival Trashcans
• Pictures: EPCOT World Celebration from Monorail 
• Pictures: Sugar Ray Performing At EPCOT Garden Rocks