Thanksgiving at Disney – Epcot

We were blessed with great weather our entire trip. And Saturday was extra sunny as we ventured over to Epcot. It was another late morning, so the kids took advantage of one more Animation Academy class before heading out.

Highlights of Epcot include:

• Soarin’
• Living with the Land
• Serveur Amusant Acrobat Show in the French Pavillion – Stinky got to be a part of the show!!
• Matsuriza Drummers in the Japanese Pavilion 
• Jeweled Dragon Acrobats in the Chinese Pavilion
• Candlelight Processional (at least the snippets I got to enjoy)

The Festival of the Holidays, which runs through December 30th, is a great way to explore the countries. We saw Pere Noel in the French Pavilion, listened to a story about the Daruma doll – a good luck charm for the New Year in the Japanese Pavilion, and enjoyed the songs of The Canadian Holiday Voyageurs in the Canadian Pavilion.

You could spend the entire day just exploring World Showcase.

By the time I made dining reservations for Teppan Edo, there were no more dining packages for the Candlelight Processional. (BTW, Helen Hunt was the celebrity narrator this night.) The standby line was insanely long, but we did manage to secure a decent view from a distance. That is until Blinky had a huge meltdown. (Remember it was incredibly warm, even in late November!). So we gave up to find refreshment. I did get to see the choir march in and hear the first part of Helen Hunt’s narration, so there’s that.

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Several things happened which caused us to be late for our dining reservation. They eventually seated us, but by the time we left Teppan Edo, Epcot was closing. Because of the tiered FastPass system, I had to choose between a FastPass for Soarin’ and Test Track. I chose Soarin’ and the plan was to get in line for Test Track just before park closing. (That’s a little insider tip for you.) That didn’t happen unfortunately as we made friends at the table and chatted the night away. Stinky took it OK, especially since he got to drive himself the day before at Tomorrowland Speedway. But he made it clear that Test Track gets priority next time. Agreed!

Photopass photographers were going strong at the exit, so we got in line for one last picture in front of Spaceship Earth. I just love the way it looks at night all lit up. Can’t wait to see how they revamp the attraction.

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So ended our magical stay at Walt Disney World. We had a grand time!! And the magic’s not over…we’re surprising Stinky and Blinky with a Disney cruise for Spring Break and they don’t have a clue!