Disney’s Epcot and Hollywood Studios

Thursday was the day we planned to spend at Epcot.  It’s amazing what you learn through experience or after the fact.  We did learn that the Fast Passes work best if you book them days in advance.  Other people do.  We planned our trip to Epcot just like we plan most of our RV travel.  In other words, we figured we’d just wing it.  Over all, it worked for us.  Considering we were at Disney it was a good day to go.  Lines weren’t terribly long even though there were a lot of people there.  For Disney the crowds were low.

Parking is not free.  We expected to pay.  We knew Disney wouldn’t let us park for free.  However, we were a little surprised at the $20 fee!!  Visiting Disney can definitely be expensive.  The parking is just a start.  Should you decide to visit and pay the daily fee that’s a whopping $97.  Once inside you’re not going to find a lot of cheap drinks or food but after all, it’s Disney.

We started our visit in the front of the park, just like everyone else.  Since we already had our tickets, we were able to bypass the long entry line.  Thank goodness for that!

Our first adventure there was right at the very famous golf ball, Spaceship Earth,  as we were taken back in time.  We liked that. 

We also enjoyed Ellen DeGeneres’ Universe of Energy.  That was fantastic.  Our third ride was quite different and a little unexpected for a Disney adventure.  

Ever been to Mars with the Orange Thrill? We were a little surprised with the simulation of g-forces.  This ride was changed from the Space Mission a few years ago due to a couple deaths and illnesses associated with the ride. Now they offer a green ride and an orange ride.  The green ride is "soft" compared to the orange ride.  There were plenty of warnings for both but I think folks ignore most of them. After all, this is Disney.

We discovered what we felt wasn’t necessairly unusual as after-effects are common including dizziness, nausea and disorientation.  Those feelings don’t go away for quite some time.  It definitely put a little damper on the Epcot experience for some time afterwards. Would any of us but Terry think this ride was a fun one ... not at all.  He liked it.  We didn't.

The temperature was hot – nearly 90 degrees but we occasionally did find shade and even found seats at times.  We didn’t do a lot of rides but the rides we did do offered air conditioning, entertainment and inside seating.  You can’t do everything in one day.  Really you can’t.  You have to prioritize and if that doesn’t work, you just have to move on to the next one or come back.

We visited during Disney’s International Wine and Food Festival. 

It was definitely fun visiting all these countries.  Most of them we’ve really visited but at Epcot it doesn’t cost as much, takes less time to get there and no passport or flight required.

All the countries in the World had three small dishes you could taste ….. for a fee, of course.  This was the best way to snack through Epcot.  The sizes were small but still worth sampling.

We opted for the Kefta  Beef pocket at Morocco along with the Fisherman’s Pie and Cheese plate in Ireland.  Yummy.

Even our northern neighbor was represented and we thought of a few Canadian friends and relatives.


Canada had a beautiful display to represent their country.

I probably don’t need to mention how tired we were.  Maybe the word “exhausted” would be a good description though.

Even though we had visited Epcot and the Magic Kingdom at Disney World before, we had not been to Disney’s Hollywood Studio. On Friday we did that.  Everything we saw was new and different.  Using the FastPass+ was impossible at least for the most popular events.  That’s not to say that we couldn’t have stood in line for upwards of 2 hours at some of them. 

The backdrops at the studio were amazing.  We enjoyed walking through, fighting the crowds and especially those with all the strollers.  There were an awful lot of little kids at this park.  Weren’t they supposed to be in school at this time of year? 

The Great Movie ride was amazing and we did enjoy it.

The big guitar marked the beginning of the line for Aerosmith’s Rock’n Roller Coaster.  When we checked it out the line was only about an hour long .. an hour long!

Streets of America and Sunset Blvd were other areas at the Hollywood Studio.

We did learn how to jump from park to park.  With the buses, boats and monorail getting around is pretty easy.  After a day of rest we plan to go at it again.  On Sunday we’ll visit Magic Kingdom and Tuesday we’ll go to Animal Kingdom.  We’ve even booked what FastPass+ selections we could. 

Back to reality, I received an invitation to a formal event in Austin.  Sure, I knew it was coming but now I have to decide whether to plan on going or send regrets.  My traveling wardrobe does not have anything formal in it and Terry certainly doesn't have a tux in his closet!  Hmmm.  I'm not so sure I'd be welcome in a pair of capris and a t-shirt!

‘Tis life on the road.