Day 4 - 5 January 2013

Today we are up early for Epcot rope drop. We had a bagel in our room (shipping bagels and snacks ahead worked wonderfully!). We chatted with a mother and son at rope drop, they were from Ohio and have been to Epcot a lot! We went in and went to Soarin' first, grabbed fast passes for it for later then rode it. It was a great ride, the music was wonderful and the scents pumped in was great. I can see it getting old quickly, and I hope they change the movie a bit every few years. After that we went over to Test Track, standby line was 45 min already, so we hung out for a bit until time can we could grab passes... return time was 2pm (it was not even 10am)! Wandered around a bit and then went back to Soarin' to ride time 2 with the Fastpasses. Then we headed over and rode Nemo (seats not really big enough for 2 Pooh size plus 5 year old). Snack time...Got Mickey ears ice cream! Rode Spaceship Earth (LOVE it still!) and by this time Bek REALLY needed a break so we went back to the Resort for lunch and a small break. 

Pretty much the only Holiday decorations left at EPCOT

Bek waiting at EPCOT for Rope Drop

So then we headed back and rode Test Track. It was awesome!! We went 64.8 mph on the fast part. The build a car things was not worth the wait, though...and I was looking forward to the Hot and Cold tests but they took them out of the new build! We finaly then headed over to World Showcase. Mexico was good, waited 45 min for Maelstrom (totally not worth the wait!), wandered around Norway, and then over to China and we watched Reflections of China (WANT to go now!!).

Zoom Zoom!

Coloring Duffy in Mexico

Norway Troll

Ceiling in China

Terra Cotta Warriors

By this time it was close to supper ADRs. Quickly we went into Japan to find the pearl place and then over to Morocco for supper at Marrakesh. Its setting is very nice, if it was not at Disney it would be too fancy for kids, but we felt comfortable. The food was plentiful and tasty! I got the Chicken Couscous, John got the Chicken Kebabs and Bek got the Moroccan Style Pasta (basically spaghetti and red sauce...she had some of my couscous and chicken, though). For desert we I had the Moroccan Symphony (different Baklavas), John had the Bastilla (Crispy leaves of pastry topped with vanilla ice cream and sprinkled with toasted almonds) and Bek had mint ice cream.

Inside Marrakesh

Belly Dancer as entertainment

Other part of the restaurant

After supper we wandered in Morocco for a bit then over to Japan. We stopped in and got our pearls (mine 6 ¾ pinkish, Beks 7 and white) and the experience/show they did was wonderful! We could of dropped a TON of money in Japan, LOVED all the Studio Ghibli merchandise! 

the Pearl guy

taking Beks pearl out

Showing Bek her pearl

Measuring Beks pearl

Then we wandered for a bit more and then found our place in Italy on the water to watch Illuminations. That was wonderful (I remember more fireworks last time, though...). Then we prepared to be mushed and herded and have a downright bad experience leaving the park, but it was really good! Not crowded, nice and slow and when we got to our bus, we waited maybe 5 min and a Disney Cruise Line charter came and took us home!  The worst part about EPCOT...the L O N G walk to the buses!