Soarin' At EPCOT

Another beautiful day in Orlando but it was cool, 69 degrees and no humidity. We decided to dine off-property for lunch. We ate at Pebbles, a beautiful Key West-style restaurant. We were served by an adorable waitress, named Ashley. Not only was the food great but the service was A-1. We've decided to dine there again next week and will call to find out what Ashley's shift is. No we aren't stalking her; she was just that good.

We arrived at EPCOT at 1:00 p.m. We decided to tour Future World today and do the World Showcase and fireworks on another day. EPCOT is the largest park of the four and it is a killer to try to do it all in one day. That's why we like having the annual pass. We do 4 to 6 hours and then head home or to some other activity. I call it pacing. Mel is starting to appreciate my plan instead of doing the Bataan death march every time we go somewhere.

As we had been told, the crowds were down. We were walking right onto the attractions. My favorite ride remains Spaceship Earth, a timeline of communication and transportation and their effects on history. It is a lovely peaceful ride. Mel's favorite ride is Test Track. The Land has a new ride, called Soarin' that is a hang-gliding (think Batman ride) ride over California scenery. You feel the wind rushing through your hair, your feet dangle and you can smell the pine forests and orange groves. This was outstanding and we will return as often as we can just for the experience. We finished the day by taking a ride on the EPCOT monorail so we could see the Christmas lights that were very beautiful and keeps us in the holiday spirit.

We are watching the news as I write this. There is a story about gas prices in Orlando. Some stations have lowered prices to $1.97. Yea! The stations on Disney property are selling gas at $2.03 for regular. That isn't bad at all.