JJ and I left Hattiesburg at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday the 14th heading to Orlando.  We hit Walmart the night before we left to pick up snacks and travel equipment.  We were hoping to cut down on some of the cost of the trip by not buying snacks every time we stopped.  The drive took about eleven hours and was actually not that bad.  We were in no hurry and took our time making our way to Orlando.  We stayed in the Marriott Village at the Fairfield Inn on Vineyard Ave.  A month before the trip I received a coupon since I am a Marriott Rewards Club member for a 4th night free.  The room ended up costing us less than $70 a night.  We were thrilled with the hotel especially its location.  We were less than a mile from all the Disney parks and less than that from a huge outlet mall.  There were also numerous restaurants located almost within walking distance from our room.  Staying off Disney property was not that bad.  It actually made it quite convenient to go see other things in Orlando.  We got to our hotel and decided to just stay in, mix a few drinks, and get ready for the next day at Epcot.

I  bought our tickets about two months before our trip.  We purchased a two day pass to the parks and tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.    This made things a lot easier as we did not have to wait in line once we got to the park.

We got up early and made our way to Epcot.  Our hotel had a shuttle to the parks, but we decided to take our car in case we wanted to leave early.  Disney being in the money making business charges $14 to park in their lots.  You would think after paying almost $85 a day for tickets per person you would get to park for free.

Epcot Map

We took a couple of photos outside of the Space Ship Earth, and then walked inside with little to no line.  I ended up only bringing my small camera as I didn’t want to walk around all day with my DSLR.  Looking back, I kind of wish that I would have brought my big camera as there were some photos that I would have liked to have taken.

The Big Golf Ball

The street performers were out even though it was chilly. I believe that these were the only performers that we saw out in Future World.

We spent most of the morning in Future World since The World Showcase don’t open until 11 a.m..  We rode a few rides and basically watched what we could.  The two highlights were Soaring and the Test Track.  We had to get a Fast Pass for Soaring but it really was worth it. Basically, it was a movie that you watched while be suspended in the air like you were on a glider.  It moved with the movie, and it was a incredible experience. I suggest that you line up in row one so that you are the highest in the theater. We also watched Captain EO in 3D which was okay, but dated.

One of my favorites was The Living Land. I can’t believe that I didn’t get any photos. It was a short boat ride through Epcot’s nursery.  The innovative growing techniques were interesting and the large size fruits and vegetables were awesome to see.

The World Showcase! Photos Borrowed From Disney.com

We made our way around the Showcase of Countries starting in Canada.  We checked out the Circle Vision Film O’ Canada narrated by Martin Short.  We both thought it was well done.

We spent awhile looking at each country’s pavilion and really just enjoyed walking around and doing a little bit of shopping.  “bit” is the key word since everything was fairly expensive.  We both have been wanting to visit Germany and Italy in the real world, and this visit to Epcot really made us realize that we need to get started saving for our European trip.  We spent most of our time in both of these “countries” while at Epcot.

Spaceship Earth as Seen Through Japan

We had lunch in Germany.  $36 for two beers and two fancy hotdogs.

Expensive Beer and Sausage

We took our beers and we watched these guys for a bit. They were actually pretty good. Listen to the short clip below to see what I am talking about. I believe that JJ enjoyed seeing them in their “skirts”.

I believe this is Père Noël

We were both tired from the full day and the miles and miles that we had walked, so we didn’t stay for the fireworks.  We knew that we were going to see the Magic Kingdom’s fireworks the next day, so we both decided that we had been in the park long enough.  Epcot can easily be done in a day.  Many of the countries can be seen in less than hour or so.  I have also heard that some people drink around the world but don’t know if I have the fortitude or cash to do that.

We had a great day in Epcot although we both wished that the weather would have been warmer, but this likely kept the crowds to a minimum.  We really didn’t have to wait in line for any of the attractions which was nice.  We both felt that Epcot was geared more towards adults than children.  We really felt like this after we had visited Magic Kingdom and Disney Studios which I will write about in a couple of days.

We left Epcot and went to a local Korean restaurant for dinner.  It was extremely overpriced and actually was not that good.  The service was terrible, and the meat was not fresh.

Fall Road Trip Day 3 Coming Soon.