Today is our second Epcot day.

We arrived at the park early and found it more crowded than our first visit. We headed immediately to The Land for our Soarin’ ride. The wait time by now is 80 minutes but we walked right in after scanning our Magic Bands. We were assigned to row 3 although we had really hoped for row 1. Once we were secured in our seats, we embarked on a hang-glider tour with IMAX-quality images projected all around you, and with the flight simulator moving in sync with the movie. The images are well chosen and drop-dead beautiful. Special effects include wind, sound, and even smell. The ride itself is thrilling but perfectly smooth. After our ride, we stepped into Sunshine Seasons, housed in the same building for breakfast. We ordered a Breakfast Platter and a Danish for sharing. I was ogling at the Carrot Cake Cupcake but could not bring myself to have it as it would have been too sweet and filling for breakfast.

Our next ride was The Seas with Nemo & Friends. This is a high-tech ride featuring characters from the animated hit Finding Nemo. We boarded a “clamobile” and descended below the waves into a “Big Blue World” where Nemo and his friends flit through brightly colored coral reefs and gently swaying sea anemones. The attraction features technology that makes it seem as if the animated characters are swimming with live fish. It was very cool. After the ride, we walked around the massive 5.7-million-gallon saltwater aquarium filled with marine life and some of the real-life counterparts of the characters from the film.

After which, we had wanted to go for Turtle Talk with Crush but had missed the show and needed to wait for another 20 minutes. We decided to come back for this later and proceeded to a FP+ Kiosk to see what we can get. Unfortunately, no luck for Test Track which we really wanted so we proceeded to make our way to the World Showcase.

 

The sweltering heat was taking a toll on us so for a change, we took the Friendship Boat to take us across the lagoon to Germany. This was the first time we tried the boat and it was very relaxing.

We arrived at Germany and walked towards Katsura Grill in Japan for lunch. Although this is a quick service restaurant, the servers were all Japanese. Ashley ordered the Tempura Shrimp Udon and the rest of us had Chicken Cutlet Curry. For dessert, Ashley had the Green Tea Ice Cream, ZA the Azuki Ice Cream and Jarod and I had the Green Tea Cheesecake. We enjoyed our lunch and felt the food authentic and tasted even better than last year especially our Chicken Cutlet Curry where the curry even contained chunks of beef.

After lunch, we visited Mitsukoshi Store located in the Japan Pavillion. While Jarod was hunting for his anime stuffs, Ashley was immediately attracted by the Pick-A-Pearl station where the atmosphere was festive with lots of cheering and drum banging. There was a large, shallow tank of water with several oysters placed on the bottom. At the station, you get to choose an oyster and at the count of three to one in Japanese, the cast member cracks opens the oyster in front of you. Ashley was so amused by it so we purchased a ticket at the counter and she picked an oyster. Ashley then began her countdown ‘San, Nin, Ichi’ and out came her whitish pearl! The cast member measured the pearl, which was a size 7. She then cleaned and displayed the pearl in a dish filled with a white sandy salt. She told us this was good for the pearl. She banged her drum and everyone cheered as she shouted how lucky we are! Ashley could not contain her excitement as she headed over to the jewelry counter to have her pearl mounted to a piece of jewelry. She had been eyeing a heart shaped pendant and settled for it together with a necklace. We would have to come back in 2 hours time to pick it up.

We then made our way towards Mexico, stopping by in China for Ashley loves to play with the puppet. A pre-Columbian pyramid surrounded by lush landscaping fashioned after a Yucatan jungle is the first introduction to the Mexican pavilion. As we entered, we would almost immediately notice the darkened interior. It is the perfect backdrop for the smoking volcano and the grand Mayan pyramid in the background. There are colourful carts and shops offering Mexican jewelry, Kahlua, pottery, clothing and leather goods. The pavilion also houses the San Angel Inn Restaurant, an incredibly romantic place and the Gran Fiesta Tour starring The Three Caballeros. A pity I did not like Mexican food so we did not dine there and proceeded to the Gran Fiesta Tour. This attraction features Donald Duck, Jose Carioca and Panchito from Disney’s 1944 animated film ‘The Three Caballeros’. We rode this gentle boat ride and took in the sights and live-action footage of the people and places of Mexico.

We made our way back to the Future World and since we did not score another FP+ for Test Track, decided to queue for it so we could finally see the displays of sleek, futuristic concept cars in the wait area. Throughout the queue’s walls are glossy video screens where engineers discuss the work of car design and consumers explain the characteristics of their ‘perfect car.’ Jarod decided to conquer the ‘Responsiveness’ category this time round with his car design. His design did come in amongst the top! ZA and I went for ‘Efficiency’ and top the category too!

We crossed back to the World Showcase since I promised that I would stop at Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie for one of the mouth watering snacks. We ordered the Creme Brulee, Brioche Choco and Bisque de Homard (Lobster Bisque). The Lobster Bisque came from the same kitchen as that of Chefs de France and were delicious. Ashley loved the Brioche Choco but we did not like the Creme Brulee which was served cold.

Then it was back to Mitsukoshi Store to collect Ashley’s necklace. The cast member who presented the necklace told Ashley that they used glue to set them, so no wearing them for 24 hours and no wearing them in water. She was kind of disappointed but nevertheless, in love with her new piece of collection.

We walked towards Germany next for Meet and Greet with Snow White. We already have photos with Snow White but Ashley had wanted to do it again since she was dressed as Snow White, As we walked, it began to drizzle but made it to be the last in queue for the current session. Ashley made friends with some girls in the queue and played bubbles together, Unfortunately, it began to pour and Snow White left to ‘comfort Dopey’ who was extremely afraid of the rain according to the cast member. Ashley decided to stay put and remained the first in line for the Meet and Greet while all her friends left. Snow White eventually appeared and Ashley enjoyed chatting and dancing with her.

 

By now, the sun has set and we made our way back to France, stopping by Italy. France and Italy are the two most romantic countries in the World Showcase especially at night.

  

We had dinner reservation at Chefs de France and there were many people waiting to be seated. We were seated very soon though and we had a hard time understanding our server who is a French and spoke softly. Ashley ordered the Breaded Chicken Strip with Pasta, Jarod ordered the Grilled Tenderloin while ZA and I had the Duck Confit with Cherries. For desserts, Ashley had Vanilla Ice Cream, Jarod had the Chocolate Mousse and both ZA and I the Profiteroles au Chocolat. We enjoyed our dinner but Ashley got so tired and was almost falling asleep at the dining table.

After dinner, we decided to call it a day but on our way out, the nighttime extravaganza Illuminations greeted us, Since we managed to find a good spot and Ashley had not watched the entire show the last time, we stayed and watched this stunning display once more. We concluded our day as we lamented at how time passes so fast, we are already at our mid point of our Disney vacation.