Epcot Day 2

*December 17, 2015*

Thursday of our Disney week was our latest start of all.  By the time we rode the bus over to Epcot, it was lunchtime.  So we filled our bellies at Sunshine Seasons and then rode the Seas with Nemo and Friends.  The Big Blue World was ringing in our heads as we then explored the massive aquarium to view "Barbara" Manatee, sharks, scuba divers and even a hidden Mickey.

Next came Turtle Time with Crush and a quick visit to see Bruce the shark.  Doesn't he know "fish (and kids) are friends, not food?"

Then began the trek back around the lagoon to explore the world pavilions.  I can't even express how thankful I am for "the big siblings" who saved us a stroller rental that day...

This day we worked our way counter clockwise around the lagoon and our first stop was to view Oh Canada! in the Maple Leaf Mine.

From there we moved on to jolly old England where to toy shop provided lots of window shopping and another chance to battle Doofenschmirtz.

From there it was on to France.
And since it was snack time, we treated the kids to sorbet from L'Artisan des Glaces and ourselves to pastries from Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie.  Perfect break for the day!!!

(Did I mention how our Magical Vacation Planner ~ Rebekah Crowell...use this link to contact her yourself ~ watched prices and specials and AFTER we had already booked our vacation let us know that if we moved one week later and switched from one value resort to another we could save $400 AND get a free dining plan???)

Of course Ian and I had to pause for a moment in "Paris" as it had been 12 years since we lived in France and had visited "the city of Lights" for the first time.

Because of meal timing, we walked past Morocco and on to Japan to explore next.

Mom and DQ contemplating the beauty of the zen garden.

While Japan doesn't have any "feature attractions," it was a popular one with our family because of the "Kawaii: Japan's Cute Culture" display.  Caleb was excited to see Pikachu!

Daniel enjoyed all the warrior statues scattered throughout the pavilion.

And DQ enjoyed being fitted for a kimono in the Mitsubishi Department Store.

Finally it was back to Morocco for some leisurely shopping and dinner at Tangierine Cafe...one of our favorite meals all week.

We had already ridden Test Track 1 1/2 times, but with our additional fast pass we just had to go again.  And yes, I said 1 1/2 times.  The first go round Ian and I were with four of the kids in one car with Mom and Daniel behind us in the next one.  Just as we were being "launched" for the speed test, our car came to a screeching halt, our seatbelts remained locked and the lights shut down.  Apparently one of the cars in the attraction somewhere had gone "offline" and so the computer couldn't guarantee they would be properly spaced.  So we sat for about ten minutes waiting for a Disney escort to come free us from our seats and take us on an impromptu "behind the scenes tour" of the ride to access the stairwell and leave.  At least we got an additional fast pass.  And we just happened to be standing nearby when the ride opened again, so we got a bonus ride in exchange for a five minute wait.  

We finished up the night with one more pass through Spaceship Earth.  Darcy had missed the hidden Mickey at the painter, so we just had to ride again.  The games at the end of the attraction were a draw as well.

Finally, at about 11:30 we decided we didn't need to necessarily close the park down and began to make our way back to the bus stop.