WDW Trip 2016-Part 12: One More Day In The Kingdom

Blogger's note: Since I'm writing this post nearly 2 months after our trip, I must admit something. While I do remember what we did in Fantasyland during this visit, I'm not sure if I recall the exact order. If anyone who was with me remembers it differently, I apologize. This is the way I believe it happened. 

After 6 days in Florida and a long night in Epcot we had one last park admission left on our tickets. Where we would go on our last day? That had been decided even before we left Kentucky. 

Back before Paula & I decided to go along Brandi had started making trip plans on her own. She got lucky enough to get advanced dinning reservations in New Fantasyland  for an11AM lunch at the Be Our Guest restaurant. 

We arrived at the TTC a little behind schedule. By the time we passed through the train station tunnel it was already 10:45. There was only 15 minutes to get to the restaurant. 

Brandi & James got into the park ahead of us so they headed straight for the Beast's Castle.

Speaking of "castles", let me take this opportunity to show you something that really bothered us during our two visits to the Magic Kingdom. 

No Cinderella's Castle did not grow an extra spire on the right side. That's a construction crane towering above the popular park icon. It's not really that big a deal but it does kind of take away from the magic of the pictures a bit. 

Now back to the start of our day. 

Although the original reservation was made just for 3 people; Paula and I could have probably gone with Brandi, James and Aria and gotten into eat with them. But we decided not to go. We had something else on our agenda.  More on that coming up. 

Here are some of the pictures Brandi took during their BOG experience. 

While Brandi and James were having their lunch, Paula and I headed to Adventureland. 

Our destination was not an attraction or a restaurant, it was a snack. 

All week long Paula had been wanting a Dole Whip.  She had her first one when we were visiting the Polynesian resort during our anniversary trip last December. She got hooked right away. I had promised her that we'd get one before we left for home. 

It was a very warm sunny day in the Magic Kingdom and Paula wanted to get a hat to protect her from the sun. We stopped at the Agrabah Bazaar souvenir shop where she picked up a yellow hat that had a light aqua colored ribbon around it. 

Now, this may seem like an ordinary hat but let assure you this is a sun shade with a story. One that gave our day in the MK just a bit more excitement. 

You see, the hat is rather light weight and has no means to secure it to your head. No ribbon or string to go under the chin or anything. 

As we walked around the park that afternoon the South Florida breeze picked up. A couple of times while we were walking along the wind got underneath the brim of Paula's hat blowing it off her head. Sending it scurrying along the ground behind her.

Here's where my limitations became an asset. Because of my bum left leg, I walked a lot slower than anyone else who was with me. I usually found myself behind the rest. Making sure I didn't too far behind them, Paula occasionally dropped back to make sure I was okay; walking with me a lot of the time. 

So when the wind tried to take her rather expensive hat (after all it was purchased in a Disney gift shop)by blowing it off her head and shuttling it along the ground, luckily, I was a couple of paces behind. 

I reacted with lightening quick reflexes (come, give me this one, ok?) and stepped on the brim of the hat, saving it from ending up in the park's lost & found collection. 

This sequence happened about 3 times during the day. The hat was still with Paula when we left the park. Needless to say when it came to her hat, I was her hero.  

On our way through Adventureland to get our treat, I decided that we'd stop and see the show at Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. 

We had visited this attraction on our first trip back in 2004. But since then a fire had damaged the building. After the refurbishment the "Under New Management" show featuring Yago from Aladdin was replaced by the original show as it had been when the attraction opened in 1971. 

I had seen the video of the show and listened to the soundtrack, many times and I wanted to experience it for myself. 

We went in and found seats the last row close to the exit and got ready to enjoy the show that features 225 autoanimatronics. I really liked Jose', Pierre, and Fritz and Michael, the four Macaws, the main characters.  

There were also Birds of Paradise...

And chanting Tiki statues.

I totally enjoyed the show. Paula, who was not familiar with this version said she liked the show with Yago better. 

I can understand that but for those of us Baby Boomers who grew up seeing "Uncle Walt" on TV talking about Disneyland and all its attractions this was a time warp back to our childhood. 

After 10 minutes of jokes, singing, and special effects the show was over. Paula immediately change gears and got into her "I want my Dole Whip" mode. 

Fortunately, the one place in the Magic Kingdom to get a Dole Whip, The Aloha Island counter service restaurant is right outside the Tiki Room building. The Dole Whip is an extremely popular, almost legendary, pineapple flavored frozen dessert treat at Walt Disney World. It is delicious. 

While we were enjoying our treat we got a call from Brandi & James. They were finished with their lunch at BOG and wanted to meet up in Fantasyland. We finished our Dole Whips and headed that way. 

When we found the Conner family they were on their way to The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh ride. But just as they went to get in line the attraction broke down. The cast member at the turnstiles told them to come back in an hour. 

I checked my Lines app on my phone and saw that "It's A Small World" only had a short wait time. I really wanted Aria and Brandi to see this iconic attraction.  

We walked back into Fantasyland to into the stand line of Small World. Less than 10 minutes later we were getting in our boats. Paula and I sat in back of the kids and it was fun to watch Aria's reaction to each and every room that we floated into. 

But it was the last room where signs with word for "good-bye" in many languages are on display that made this ride a memorable one. 

This was the first day that video monitors, which had replaced the signs, were displaying personalized departure greetings to guests wearing Magic Bands as they passed by. 

I won't get into a lengthy explanation as to how this happens. Just let me say that it involves information shared by a guest on their Disney account which is linked to their Magic Bands.  

It may not seem like much but its the first step in Disney's effort to make the guest's visit more personal; increase the value of their vacation.

After riding "Small World" I saw that there was almost no wait for Mickey's Philharmagic. We went inside and chilled for a while. 

After the show, Paula and I went off on our own again, but I don't remember why. I think it was to use the rest room. 

We headed back to the Winnie The Pooh ride but it was still down. We found Brandi sitting on a wall next to the Mad Tea Party attraction. 

Aria decided she wanted to ride the "spinning cups" so James was in the Mad Tea Party line with her. I decided to go on too. But I couldn't get cut the line to ride with them. But I did get a picture of their ride and one of the best "daddy/daughter" moments of the trip. 

Here's a couple of selfies I took proving I was also on the ride and that Disney cast members love photo bombing guests. 

Once our adventures on the tea cups were finished the 3 of us rejoined Brandi & Paula who were still sitting on the wall right outside the attraction. 

James went off to find Brandi something to drink so she could settle her stomach. 

As 4 year old has a tendency to do, Aria was exploring her surroundings while we waited. 

As she entertained herself along the top of the wall out from underneath the plants behind us came a little tiny lizard. 

My granddaughter, who loves almost any kind of animal, was fascinated. 

I sat right next to her and helped her "play" with the tiny reptile; encouraging her to be quite and still so it would stick around. Soon after a few minutes something "spooked" the critter and it raced away back into the plants. 

Aria was a little disappointed that her new friend was gone but it didn't last long. Soon she was on to something else. I think it was the specialty frozen drink her daddy brought back for her mom.  

Finally, we headed back to the Winnie The Pooh ride. The experience with this ride was memorable for me because I got to spend most of it with or near Aria. Now I know that seems a bit strange because I'd been with her all week. But I mean "with her" in the same way we interacted on Tuesday afternoon in the pool. 

We were happy to see that the ride was now up and running. There was about a 20 minute wait in the standby line. Brandi explained to the cast member why we were back and he let us go in through the Fast Pass line. 

We did have a wait in to get on but only a few minutes. I didn't mind. I got to stand next to Aria and play with her a little bit in the queue. 

This is one of my favorite Aria pictures of the whole vacation. Not only did she find a place to sit while waiting for her trip through the Hundred Acre Wood, it shows the outfit she wore to the park that day. I bought it for her specifically for her first trip to visit Mickey. 

When it came time to climb into our Hunny Pots, Aria climbed onto my lap to ride with her Papa. It would be the only ride she shared with me and Paula during our trip and I'll always remember it. 

It was about this time of day that I realized we needed to head toward the front of the park. We were going to try to return to our spot in Town Square to watch the afternoon parade. 

We were leaving Fantasyland for the last time when we all agreed that it was about time for us to have something to eat. 

Since we were on the north side of Tomorrow-land I suggested that we stop at Ray's Starlight Cafe. I wanted Aria to see Sonny Eclipse. 

Unfortunately the restaurant was rather crowded and we couldn't find a table down in the area where you could see the singing wise-cracking autoanimatronic. We ended up with a table in the section just inside the north end of the building. 

Our lunch was good but nothing special or unusual.

After we finished eating, as had become a very beneficial habit, I checked the wait times on the Lines app just to see if there was anything we could catch or do on the way to the front of the park. I saw that there was a less than 15 minute wait to meet Tinkerbell down at the Town Hall. 

The Neverland fairy was the only character on Aria's list that she had not yet met. I suggested that I go find us a spot to watch the parade and they go take Aria to meet Tink. 

Somewhere along the walk down Main Street USA, Aria got herself a helium balloon featuring a classic Mickey head inside a clear balloon. 

James went to off to get coffee, the girls went to the meet & greet, and I went to find a parade watching spot. More on that last one in a bit. 

Inside Town Hall, Aria was getting her autograph book signed,... 

...posing with a Disney character,...

...and smiling with happiness one last time.  

I was a little surprised that the Town Square and train station area were as crowded as they were for the afternoon parade. 

I had to get us a spot before they were all taken. I finally managed to get a place just to the right of the entrance tunnel walk way. It was behind a trash can, between a snack cart and a white line of tape on the ground marking a parade specific boundary. If you are familiar with the Magic Kingdom, look at the picture below. You may be able to get a perspective as to where I was.  

I made a little small talk with the cast member directing guests away from the "keep clear" area beyond the white line. It was an emergency exit way into the tunnel.   

Soon the area where I was started filling in as well. I was getting nervous about being able to save the spot. But then James showed up with the 3 girls close behind. 

The Festival Of Fantasy is one of the most popular parades to be introduced into the Magic Kingdom in quite a few years. It is a spectacular show with floats featuring characters from some of Disney's most popular and classic stories. 

Because of where we were standing we couldn't take very good pictures. But here are a few of the better ones.

Just from the pictures taken with our phone cameras you can see how magnificent the elements of this parade are. 

For me the outstanding thing was the Maleficent dragon. It's a 53 feet long, 26 feet high articulated sculpture that breathes fire; extremely impressive. 

There is nothing that is not colorful and full of whimsy in this parade. Even the dancers and entertainers in between the floats have amazingly vivid colorful costumes.

I have to share with you some of the pictures of the Festival of Fantasy participants that I got as part of our Memory Maker photo package from Disney. 

                         

Once the parade floats were all safely tucked away back stage after exiting the park by way of the gate next to the fire station, it was time for us to say "good-bye" to the Magic Kingdom. 

Ironically, I didn't get emotional about leaving the place "where unforgettable happens." Well, at least I didn't get as sentimental as I usually do. I guess I was too tired to be. But what great memories we had made over our 2 days there. 

Once we were through the exit gates we decided to get back to the TTC by boat rather than monorail. We got aboard the Admiral Joe Fowler riverboat. 

It was about a 10 minute ride across Seven Seas Lagoon passing all the Magic Kingdom resorts. 

Soon we were past the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian. I looked back and in the distance I saw the train station where, just 5 days earlier we started out watching the Kingdom's opening ceremony, and the spires of Cinderella's Castle. I've already shared all the magic and memories that happen there.

Soon we were docking at the TTC and it was time to head back to the car. As I looked back at the dock, the riverboat, the lake, and the panoramic view of the heart of Walt Disney World, that's when the sentimentality kicked in.    

I couldn't help but be happy about what we had done, a little sad that it was over, glad that we were heading home, and optimistic. 

The optimism stemming from the hope that perhaps in another 5 years or so, we can come back and have a new type of vacation with Aria when she's older and another "first visit" with our new grandchild. 

While our time at the parks was over and our minds had started to switch over into "its a long drive home" mode, we still had one more place in Walt Disney World left to visit. We were going to a place that Paula fell in love with during our December 2015 anniversary trip. Yes, we were going shopping. Make sure you check back for the details. 

Coming up in the final chapter: Return to Puck's, Papa in the fountain, a stroll through the "World of Disney" and the road to the Grove. 

WDW Trip 2016-Part 11: The Long Way Around The World

Blogger's Note: Ever use the phrase "I'm so tired I can hardly think straight"? Well, in this edition of my WDW trip report that applies to me. My family was pretty tired too. I'll explain as I share our evening in Epcot's World Showcase. 

As we headed into World Showcase plaza from Future World West, the intentions of our group were rather vague to me. I knew that we were looking for more of the Flower & Garden topieries and that James wanted to get something to eat in Germany but other than that I wasn't sure what we were going to do. 

I was very tired from the long day we'd had up until this time. I wasn't thinking straight. For the first time in our vacation I was about to let my family down in my capacity as their guide.

When we came out of Future World West we should have gone to the left. We could have boarded a water taxi, which would have taken us across the lagoon right to the Germany pavilion. That would have made our night so much easier. But here's how it did happen. 

We made a right and headed toward the Canada pavilion. There we saw topiaries of Bambi and his friends. 

No one seemed interested in going into the pavilion to look around so we continued our counter clockwise journey. This told me that, with Germany being one of our destination, there was a good chance that we may be in for the entire 1.2 mile walk around the World Showcase lagoon.  

As we approached the United Kingdom pavilion we saw a couple of Aria's favorite topiaries. Captain Hook and Tick Tock the Crock. 

There were also some floral versions of the friends from the 100 acre woods. 

At this point Brandi needed to eat to settle her stomach. So finding a place to get something she liked so she'd feel better became a priority. This was something I totally understood, no problem. The place we needed to go was the quick service window at the American Adventure pavilion. That was 4 pavilions away, still about a 1/4 mile from where we were at the time. So we headed that way. 

It's at this point in my story that I'd like to pause for a moment to describe what the atmosphere and crowd were like as we walked through the World Showcase on this night. 

In addition to all the topiaries and special floral displays, a big part of the Flower & Garden Festival is the international foods and specialty "adult beverages." This is true especially in the World Showcase. During the festival alcohol, already a big part of World Showcase (just google "drinking around World Showcase) becomes an even bigger part of the experience. Because of this being in this section of Epcot felt more like we were in the middle of an international street party than anything else.

There were people walking around with drinks, some obviously on the verge of having one too many; others clearly having that as a goal. Also there were groups of people standing in the middle of the walk ways socializing; making walking along the pomade like a serpentine obstacle  course. 

The best way I can put it is that there was a lot of carousing. I know that's an old fashioned term but it fits. This made me feel very uneasy. 

Now let me stress that no one bothered us nor did we have any issues due to what was going on. It just wasn't exactly the kind thing I felt comfortable having my granddaughter around. 

It was a very very different experience than any other we'd had all week. It didn't feel like Disney. But we were in the middle and we had to make the best of it. 

We managed to make a stop at the France Pavilion long enough to get our pictures taken in front of the Beauty & The Beast topiary. 

I also snapped a couple of shots of flowery versions of my favorite castle characters. 

Near Morocco, we saw a sand sculpture promoting the soon to be released remake of The Jungle Book. 

Finally, we made it to the American Adventure and found the Liberty Inn counter service restaurant. We got our food and sat at an outside table overlooking the promenade and lagoon. Brandi got herself a burger and shared it with Aria.

As I stated before, James wanted food from the German pavilion. So he went on down to Germany. We would catch up with him after we finished eating. 

Although eating did make her feel better, Brandi was still very tired. I thought it might be best if we left after we met up with James and headed for the front gate. But the American Adventure pavilion is the midpoint of the Showcase. I knew we had as much walking ahead of us as we did behind us. 

But that's when my mind kicked in and I thought of an easier way to go. We could catch the water taxi from this side of the lagoon and cut down on the walking. 

I asked a cast member where we could catch the taxi. He said right outside of Germany (great! we were going there anyway) but because of the Illuminations fireworks show at 9 o'clock the last one ran at 7:30. It was 7:45. 
We couldn't catch a boat or a break. 

So it looked like we were taking the long way around. 

We said "howdy" to the Woody topiary before leaving the American Adventure area. 

 Along out trek to Germany we saw Mufasa, Sarabi, Simba and Rafiki from "The Lion King."

When we caught up with James he was standing at a table next to the lagoon across from the Germany pavilion. He was eating and talking with some guys he met while in line for his food.

Once we started back on our way the other members of my family decided they wanted to do a little browsing of some of the shops and kiosks along the way. 

Paula went into "Karamel Kutche" the Wurther's Original carmel candy shop just before we left Germany. She bought a chocolate covered carmel filled turtle and a paper cone full of carmel drizzled popcorn. She shared some of the popcorn. It was very good.  

James and Brandi explored a few of the kiosks. Somewhere along the way Aria picked out another novelty toy in one of the souvenir shops. 

Although half of it was concealed by walls because of the construction of the new Frozen Ever After attraction, we stopped by the Norway pavilion to take pictures of the royal family of Arendelle. 

 By the time we got to the Mexican pavilion area most of us needed to find a restroom so we headed to a building the park map calls "The Odyssey Center." From what I later found out it's used to be a restaurant and is now only used for special events.   

We were lucky enough to find an open bench along the wall next to the restroom walkway. Paula and I took advantage and sat down to rest our legs. 

It was about 8:30 by then and the crowd started to gather around the World Showcase Lagoon in anticipation of the start of Illuminations:Reflections of Earth. 

James & Brandi decided that they wanted to stick around and let Aria enjoy the fireworks. 

With the available viewing places filling in very quickly they decided to go get their place and wait until the show started. 

Paula and I opted to stay on the bench. Initially, I thought we would have a good view of the lagoon from the bench we were sitting on but as it turned out there was a building in the way. I was too tired to even consider moving to a place where we could watch it. 

At about 8:55 an announcement came over the PA system advising guests to stay in one place when the lights around the World Showcase dimmed. At 9PM it became much darker and the crowd became one continuous silhouette around the lagoon. 

From our vantage point we could see the highest fireworks but most of the show was blocked. But that didn't bother me. I had found the place where Brandi and James were standing. Aria was perched securely on her daddy's shoulder's enjoying the show. I enjoyed watching her reaction to night time spectacular. 

Thirteen minutes later, the show was over. It was time for us to head to out of the park. So the 5 of us along with thousands of other guests headed for the inevitable bottle neck that was the walkway between Showcase Plaza and Future World. 

As tired as I was, I really didn't like being forced to bunch up with strangers. We would be a part of the moving hive until we reached the Innoventions Courtyard and the crowd spread out into Future World. 

But as we turned the corner onto Odyssey Bridge, I got an unexpected surprise. There were some graphics projected onto Spaceship Earth. 

This was something I had never ever heard of before. Even with all the travel guides, trip planning websites, and podcasts I listen to I had no idea this was going on. Seeing it came as a complete and pleasant surprise. 

The sea of humanity moved along at a slow but steady pace. It took us about 15-20 minutes to get out of the park and head toward the parking lot. 

Earlier in the evening, I had agreed to drive home. It was the only time I drove to and from the park that week. All of us were very glad the day was over. Soon after arriving back at the house, everyone said "good night" and retreated to the serenity and comfort of our bedrooms.  

The task of visiting all 4 parks during our vacation was now complete. But we still had one day to go in our vacation; one more park admission left on our tickets. We would use it for our second trip to the Magic Kingdom. 

There were some first time experiences yet to be enjoyed, Paula had yet to enjoy her favorite Walt Disney World snack, and there was a dragon in our future. Be sure to check back soon for the conclusion of our week. 

In My Next Post: Lunch in a castle, a show for the birds, going for a spin, and a good-bye cruise. All that and more in Part 12. 

   


  





  


   

• Anna and Elsa from Frozen
  Located at Norway Pavilion

WDW Trip 2016-Part 10: Morning At The Beach/Afternoon At "The Living Seas"

The white Chevy SUV that had taken us to Walt Disney World each of the 3 previous days took a different route to another highway on day 4. James drove 5 miles north on I-4 and then headed east on Rt 528. An hour or so later we were at Lori Wilson Park walking onto the sands of Cocoa Beach. 

Four of us put their toes in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. (Being a born & raised "Jersey Boy" I'd done it before at "the shore" when I was growing up.)

The beach was beautiful and the sun was bright. It was a very nice day. 

Aria was very excited to be on the beach.

She played in the sand... 

...and so did I

While I did keep up with the tradition of drawing a sand heart on the beaches we visit; unfortunately I did not get a picture of Paula and I together. Just one of those things that got lost in the excitement of the day. 

James pitched in and helped Brandi with the task of collecting sea shells souvenirs to help remember their daughter's visit to the ocean. 

Because she loves being by the ocean so much, my wife was thrilled to be back at the beach. But this trip was mostly about the Conner family of three sharing this first time experience together. 

Of course, this was a special day with my family and will always hold a lot of great memories for me. But it was the things common to spending time at the beach that ended up influencing the rest of our day.

I'm referring to leaving the beach and driving home with sand everywhere and later on in the day the effects of spending time the sun. 

About 2 o'clock we left Cocoa Beach and headed back to Kissimmee to clean up, get some lunch and rest up. 

Back on Tuesday morning when I discovered that our plans to visit 2 parks in one day with out the Park Hopper feature was not possible; it was decided that we would visit Epcot on Wednesday sometime after getting back from the beach.  

Other than the first glimpse of Cinderella's Castle from the far end of Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom, the initial sight of the Epcot's icon, the Spaceship Earth geosphere is my favorite "view" in Walt Disney World.

Upon entering the front gates we took advantage of the first of many photo opportunities afforded us by the Disney Photopass photographers stationed throughout the park. 

The annual Epcot Flower & Garden Festival had just started a few days earlier. This topiary greeted us at the entrance. 

Donald Duck & his nephews with their gardening tools were the first of many topiaries that enhanced our afternoon & evening. A lot of them became the back-ground for some memorable pictures. 

As we headed into the park our plan was to just go to a couple of attractions,grab some dinner, and then head back to the rental. We were all tired and sunburned from the beach that morning and really needed the rest. But, as we started to enjoy the park, things changed. 

Our first task was to get something to snack on. Our path took us really close to Spaceship Earth. 

We got our late afternoon snack at the Electric Umbrella on the east side of Future World. Based on our previous 3 Epcot visits, Paula and I like this place. Its location and the food's pretty good. While munching on our late afternoon snacks, I found our first destination on the park map. 

We walked across the Future World, passed the Innovention Courtyard fountain and behind Club Cool. There we found the "Butterflies On The Go" garden.

Since the festival was just starting the garden, didn't have that many butterflies. There were a lot of chrysalises which held the promise of many more but not at the time at our visit. We were only able to get a couple of actual butterfly pictures. This is one of the monarch's that we saw.

Ironically, the most impressive butterfly we saw in Epcot turned out to be made of flowers. 

Upon leaving the butterfly garden we passed a floral display that we all really liked. Although the F&G festival added a lot of wonderful foliage we were really impressed with these "everyday" Epcot flowers.  

Next on our agenda was a visit to "The Living Seas" area and attractions. This was the main reason for spending the afternoon at Epcot. 

Initially, James wasn't all that enthusiastic about going to this park. But I had an ace up my sleeve. 

In the last few years James has become quite the fish keeper. He has a rather large salt water tank at his house. He is really into anything that has to do with keeping salt water fish.  

Knowing this I counted on him getting on board with visiting Epcot once he realized that it is home to a 230 foot wide, 27 foot deep, 5.7 million gallon salt water tank. And I was right. He was interested in both the wide variety of fish and the coral. 

In 2007, "The Living Seas" area was rethemed to include the group of characters from the movie "Finding Nemo". It's official name is now, "The Seas With Nemo & Friends."

This area has a couple of cool looking outside displays featuring the characters from the Pixar film. The above picture features 3 of the animatronic seagulls who continuously repeat their catch phrase: "mine, mine, mine"
Before we went into the pavilion, I wanted a group picture in front an outside display. We found a photopass photographer stationed at one of them.   
He took quite a few shots of us. This one is the best. 

For a few shots he asked us to pose in our best fish impressions by putting out hands up to our faces like fins. 

Aria's pose was more "Home Alone" than "Finding Nemo." Brandi tried to teach her how to do it but she never got it quite right. 

But that's okay she's still my little cutie. 

With only a few minutes waiting, we were soon in our "clam-mobiles" and cruising through the "The Seas With Nemo & Friends" dark ride. The Havens were in one shell and the Conners were in another. 

It was the first time on this ride for all of us. It was a fun trip through the "ocean" with the animated Nemo characters "swimming" among the real fish. 

Next, we went to "Turtle Talk with Crush." Brandi and Aria set down front with the kids. James, Paula and I sat a few rows back.

I don't remember if Aria told me what she thought of the show. I liked it though because Dory was part of it. 

Right next to Turtle Talk is a play area called "Bruce's Sub House" themed to the Nemo shark characters. 

There was a great photo op here. A life size walk-in model of Bruce, himself.  Aria wouldn't pose with me so I "braved it" alone. It left me feeling a little down in the mouth. 

Our tour through the pavilion continued on to Sea Base Alpha, the aquarium area. We walked around exploring both floors. Paula and I got separated from Brandi, James & Aria so I don't know what their first-time reaction actually was. 

From what James told me, he enjoyed it but wasn't as impressed as he thought he would be. Still I'm glad he got to see it. 

Once we left the "Living Seas" pavilion we walked around looking for more topiaries. 
Here are some of those we saw. 

And of course, I save my favorite for last. 

At this point, other than crossing back over to Future World East to ride Mission Space       (I never did get to ride it), there wasn't anything else I had planned to do. 

But as we explored Future World West area we came up with some ideas. Paula said that she would like to see more of the topiaries. James remembered the good food he had in the Germany pavilion back during our 2004 trip.     

Soon it was decided that we would head deeper into the park. We passed the Imagination pavilion heading toward the World Showcase.The 2nd half of our visit to Epcot was about to begin. As the park began to fall into the twilight of evening we would soon have an "Illuminating" end to our day.  

Coming Up in Part 11: Terrific Topiaries, Tiredness, and Taking the long way. Be sure to come back for the rest of our Epcot story.