23rd: EPCOT

EPCOT is really big. It is made up of areas called Future World and World Showcase. FW has most of the rides and WS contains the pavilions of different countries.

We arrived at opening time - 9am - and headed for the most popular ride called Soarin' to get a ticket to ride it later in the day. The ticket machines were down - not an uncommon thing - so we headed for Finding Nemo, a new ride that SHOULD be more popular. You enter the building and into a beachy theme and gradually you start to think you are UNDER the sea. You can see a boat floating above your head and bouys too. The hand rails are all crusty like they have been rusting for years.

You get on ride vehicles that are upright clam shells and they take you on journey to find Nemo, a fish. If you haven't seen the movie the whole storyline might be confusing. Anyway, Dad is trying to find Nemo, his son.

Embedded into the rocks and ships AND the REAL aquarium are LCD screens that have animated characters on them like in the movie. Since the screen's edges are surrounded by rock you can't tell where the screen stops or starts. It makes for a great illusion and a wonderfully "magical" Disney ride.

After a couple of rides on Nemo we stopped back at Soarin' and got our "FastPass" for later then headed for TestTrack. You ride in cars and they take you over a simulated car testing course consisting of hills, bumpy roads, braking area, curves, and a high speed section that everyone REALLY gets on the ride for. The ride broke while we were in line. We waited 15 minutes and then headed for the next ride, Mission Space.

Mission Space simulates taking off from a launching pad and zipping around the moon on our way to a Mars landing in our Shuttle-like vehicle. People get sick on this ride because not everyone is cut out to be an astronaut. They have two versions of the ride - one side spins you and creates high G's and the other side is doesn't.

They have a new "game" you can play at EPCOT called the Kim Possible Adventure. They give you a cell phone and it gives you clues to follow to different areas in one of the pavilions. When you push the SEND button at each of the spots you get to it activates a physical object that is in the area. It might light up a lantern or play wind chimes. It is a really fun thing for Karen and I to do and they were other people at different stages of the challenge that we could see walking around with the "Kimmunicators" also. Eventually one of the things you are supposed to do is open a door and drop the communicator inside to end you challenge. Fun stuff.