Disney Day 2: Epcot

Day 2 was another packed day, spent entirely at Epcot. Drew's other big obsession since finding out we were going to Walt Disney World has been the big, giant ball. I have always called the ball itself Epcot, too, but really it's name is Spaceship Earth. It was naturally the first thing we rode when we go there. I guess Drew is going to be kind of a different kid, much like I was, because he loved it. The ride is basically a trip through the history of man and communication and how it has always shaped our future. They had redone it since I had been there last and instead of having scenes of the future- because now is the time we were supposed to have been flying and living underwater according to the original ride- there is computer animation about the future. They take your picture at the beginning and then put your head on a funny person and let you know what the future might look like based on things you select on the computer screen.

After successfully completing our mission of riding the giant ball, we came across the most genius thing ever at WDW. Up until a few years ago there were no characters at Epcot. Today, not only are there characters, but they are all set up in one spot so that you wait for about an hour, but get to meet Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, and Goofy all at once. So that is what we did next. Drew had a blast. This was when he really started becoming more comfortable with the characters and talking to them and giving each of them big hugs. He even told Goofy that he had stinky feet because he had seen a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode about it. We took some time to get some family pics as well.

Then we went to the Nemo ride, where afterwards Katie and Drew dared to enter the jaws belonging to Bruce the Shark. The best part about Epcot these days is a relatively new ride call Soarin'. It gives you the feeling that you are hang gliding over different parts of California. Not only are you flying, but they also incorporate the smells of what you are seeing- the forest, orange groves, and the ocean. After that we took a tour around the world in the World Showcase. The International Food and Wine Festival was going on, so there were kiosks all around with samples of food and drink. Unfortunately, we apparently started on the wrong end, because at the end opposite from where we started was all the good stuff. Unfortunately by then it was time for dinner so we had to pass. Drew didn't take too well to world travel for the most part. He did enjoy hula hooping in America, eating some Mickey Mouse ears ice cream somewhere in Asia, playing the drums in Morocco, and posing with a Viking in Scandinavia.

By then it was time for dinner at the Coral Reef, next to the Nemo ride, which has an aquarium inside that we could see while we ate. We finished the night with the fireworks show at Epcot known as IllumiNations. It started to rain right before the fireworks so we ducked into a gift shop where we got a picture of Drew and Papa in some goofy hats. Upon returning to the room at night Drew was the first one in and claimed he saw a tiny frog at the door. None of use could even see what he was talking about and were sure it must have been a bug of some kind. But he was right and we did find the littlest frog we had ever seen who we let out before calling it another night.