December '14 Walt Disney World Trip Report : Part 4

By Nick

Tuesday, December 9th

Barbie, me, Jill, Josh and Nicole

We started our day early at Epcot, having breakfast at Sunshine Seasons, and a ride on Soarin', before taking the Behind the Seeds tour.

This tour at the Land Pavilion takes you backstage to see their pest control and Biotech Labs, before walking through the various greenhouses seen from the Living With the Land attraction.

The tour lasts a little over an hour and is a pretty good bargain at $20 for adults and $16 for children.

We headed over to World Showcase for a visit with Father Christmas at the United Kingdom Pavilion, followed by a visit with Winnie the Pooh and Rabbit.

Our friend Jill LOVES Tigger. A LOT. So Barbie and I went off to see Santa and Mrs. Claus at The American Adventure Pavilion...

...while Jill, Josh and Nicole stayed in the UK waiting for the arrival of the one and only Tigger.

See, I told you Jill LOVES Tigger.

We all met up in Germany for a late lunch at Biergarten. I'll have a more complete review of this great buffet in the future.

Afterwards, we stopped at the Italy Pavilion just in time to watch their holiday storyteller, La Befana, one of my favorites. Please stop back on Christmas day for a more in depth look at some of World Showcases storytellers.

We then made our way to the America Garden Theater for the 5pm Candlelight Processional. We'd booked the Candlelight Processional Package, so we had reserved seating.

The line started forming early, and at 430pm, it was past Japan!

We got in, and had pretty good seats, despite being so far back.

Our speaker that evening was LeVar Burton. As we are Reading Rainbow and Star Trek the Next Generation fans, this was truly amazing.

If you are in Walt Disney World during the holidays, this is highly recommended. It is a wonderful and moving event.

Next stop- Norway to see Julenissen and Sigrid, the funniest of the storytellers.

On to Mexico, and a photo with Donald.

Once inside, Nicole and I had a shot of Tequila at La Cava Del Tequila and then took a Gran Fiesta Tour.

We headed into Future World, and rode Nemo. We'd intended on riding Imagination, but it was closed at 8pm, apparently.

We got one last photo, before Barbie and I called it a night, while Nicole, Jill and Josh stayed to watch Illuminations.

You can find the first three parts of the Trip Report Here(1), Here(2), and Here(3)

The Best Halloween Pumpkin!

by Gaylin

In The Land pavilion at Epcot there is the Living with the Land boat ride. I go on this ride at least once every trip, I find all the eco systems quite fascinating and I also enjoy the nice, slow pace of this ride. A great way to rest sore feet.

While they are not on display every time I have gone on the ride, I do get excited when the Cinderella Pumpkins are on display – especially when the Mickey head shaped one is right at the front, waiting for all of us to try to get a good photo.

I admit I went on the ride twice, just to get the second closer photo. Anyone else like to see the Mickey head pumpkin or the cucumber in the Mickey head form?

I love Hidden Mickeys!

by Gaylin

I have always liked looking for hidden Mickeys, I will even make them using my spare change for a quick Mickey fix at home. A quarter and 2 dimes will form a terrific Mickey!

When you take the Living With The Land ride at Epcot you can often see this hidden Mickey in the aquatic part of the tour. Makes me smile, every time.

And if you ever use the women's washroom (sorry Nick) just outside of the Cirque du Soliel theatre at Downtown Disney, you will see this Mickey - set in tile. I actually did a double take when I saw it, as it is actually cut and set in tile, not stickers on top of the tile.

 

And this great Mickey head is somewhere in the Africa section of the Animal Kingdom, I was so excited to find it that I took the photo without really paying attention to where it is. Now I look for it every time I go, haven't found it again. Next trip!

And finally there is this hidden Mickey, it has been seen by very few people and you won't see it at any of the parks . . . unless I am there. Yes, I am a big enough Mickey fan that I have a tattoo! Sorry for the blurry photo - turns out it is very difficult to take a selfie of the back of your own ear.

Living with the Land at Epcot

 

by: Barbie

Living with the Land ride at Epcot isn't just for education and entertainment. Did you realize that more than 30 tons of fruit and vegetables are grown there every year for Disney restaurants. Fish, alligators, and other water creatures can also be seen there, used to help fertilize the plants growing there and when grown, to send to the restaurants as well.

So next time you're down there grabbing your fast passes to Soarin', why don't you hop on one of the boats and take a ride. Disney's Sustainable Agriculture, Production and Research Center is constantly changing. Check out what is being grown for lunch. You can even book a "Behind the Seeds" Tour, which is a much more in-depth walking tour which we really enjoyed.