German Dining!

 I am sure I have shared before about how I used to skip the World Showcase because it did not interest me at all.  Well, times are changing, and I have started forcing myself to spend time exploring the countries.  My husband has always wanted to do this, so he is happy about my change of heart.  My 4 year old daughter seems to enjoy doing the kidcot fun stops, so I really have no excuse. 

I am surprised to learn that I actually enjoy these explorations and have spent more time on the two most recent trips enjoying the world showcase than I ever have in the entire time I've been going to Disney. 

Over the Christmas break, we wanted to do the Candelight Dinner package, and at the prompting of some friends, tried Biergarten in the Germany Pavillion. 

This place was amazing!  The food was great (I could eat pretzel bread until I passed out if you let me) and the entertainment was even better!  It was interactive, information and just plain fun! 

What world showcase pavillion is your favorite? 

The Land has a "tomato tree" that is the only one of its kind in the United States. The massive plant has produced a world-record harvest of more than 32,000 tomatoes from a single vine.

I love tomatoes!

At Spaceship Earth, Mickey Mouse is hidden in his own constellation just beyond the attraction's loading area.

Where are your favorite hidden mickeys located?

Watch for loose change in the prize scene -- Hamm is carrying more than $6 in coins when his cork pops.

Another Midway Mania Fact.  For a more educational pig with change, consider heading over to Epcot.  Innovations hosts "The Great Piggy Bank Adventure" where through a series of mini-games you can try to save up for various items, as well as learning the importance of saving and investing.

Humans sighted!

This is a fun little sign I saw while hanging out at the Seas with Nemo and friends.  Once you exit the ride, you're only really halfway through the attraction.  Like an aquarium, there are several viewing rooms to see all kinds of different sea life.  There is also a children's playground area where we took a few minutes to relax and explore.  Here's a little hidden blog contest:  On your next trip--if you send me a picture of someone from your family next to this sign, I'll send you a $25 disney gift card.  This offer is only good for the first person who does it...but that doesn't mean it won't be around for a long time.  If anyone ever finds it, I'll post their story here, and I'll delete the contest.  Happy hunting!

The fountain at Innoventions Plaza can shoot water 150 feet in the air--within 30 feet of the top of Spaceship Earth.

Here's another little fact about that fountain:  If all the shooters fired at once, there would be 2000 gallons of water in the air. 

Watching the fountain is a great way to keep kids entertained while you rest for a few minutes.  It's relaxing and fun all at the same time.  Here's a tip: Grab a snack to boost your energy and then relax watching the fountain for a few minutes.  It's a great time to regroup before continuing on your day.  

Spaceship Earth, the centerpiece for Epcot weighs 16 million pounds. The outer skin is made up of 11,324 aluminum and plastic-alloy triangles.

Also: Rainwater never falls off the sphere.  It's channeled into the ball and funneled away.  

When I first read this, I thought: that is a lot of weight!  Then, when I learned about the rainwater, I was completely blown away.  This is a perfect example of Disney's attention to detail. It rains a lot in Florida.  Some people say that in August it rains every day.  So, the simple fact that Disney didn't want rainwater pouring off the edge of the attraction onto unsuspecting guests shouldn't surprise me.  It still does though.  Mix that with the fact that I can be a doubter--and well, next time I'm at Epcot in the rain, I'm going to head over to Spaceship earth and see for myself.  

More than 30 tons of fruits and vegetables grown at the Land paviliion at Epcot are served on property at Walt Disney World Restaurants

What?  You mean that there's more than Soarin' over at the Land pavilion?  Aside from the boat attraction "living with the land" that takes you on a brief trip through the Disney greenhouses, you can also take a behind the scenes tour called "Behind the seeds".  This inexpensive walking tour takes you through the greenhouses offering more information about how everything works.  It gives you a much more interactive experience, doing different things such as feeding the tilapia or releasing lady bugs.  Like everything Disney, each tour offers something different, and promises to be an enjoyable experience.

Delicious Dessert!

This beautiful, perfectly browned creme brulee is one of the regularly featured desserts at the Coral Reef. 

The Coral Reef Restaurant is housed in the Seas with Nemo and Friends, and while you dine, you can relax and enjoy the wall to wall view of the Seas aquarium.  It makes this restaurant a place you must try-and of course, follow up with something delicious like this.

More than 26,000 feet of lights outline the World Showcase pavilions. Thats enough to stretch across the golden gate bridge more than 6 times.

It's confession time here at the blog.  I have never really enjoyed the World Showcase until this last trip.  On our last trip, we were collecting smashed pennies and exploring the shops in each pavilion to do so.  I also, other than running through at night to get to illumination had never seen it all lit up.  It's really very beautiful.

Have you ever neglected an attraction to fall in love with it later?  While I'm not yet "in love" with the World showcase, I'm going to try and spend more time there each trip, exploring all the things I've missed for years.

June has a theme!

I'm going to try something new for the month of June.  All the Fun Fact Friday's will be themed.  The theme: Epcot.  As the second oldest Walt Disney World park, it will celebrate it's 30th birthday this fall, so it seems a good time to learn a little more about it.

Epcot is the park I usually take for granted.  It has a lot of things I enjoy, but it's something I usually just put on my schedule.  When I stop to think about all of the great things that Epcot actually has, it makes me wonder why I don't spend more time there.  Each trip, we find something new or different to explore.  This last time it was the World Showcase, but in passing through innoventions, I think I will spend some extra time there on our next trip.  There are tons of things to do for every age group, so don't just think of the big name attractions or restaurants and ignore the rest.  Take some time on your next trip to really explore and enjoy Epcot.

Donald Duck!

A little time with Donald? Sounds like a great way to spend the afternoon. Donald was hanging out not too far from the Mexico Pavilion, with no line. We had a great time getting a little extra time with one of Ruby's favorite characters. She told us he was wearing a funny hat. Her dad, always the teacher, tried to explain to her that it was called a sombrero. All she cared about was that she was getting extra time with Donald because there was no one lining up behind us. The world showcase is a great place to see lots of characters. Several of the princesses make appearances near their home countries. It's worth checking the times guide to see who you can meet!

Free Soda!

Ok. So, as we have discussed on more than one occasion, I LOVE soda (or as some people call it..pop). Anyway, club cool at Epcot has free soda from around the world. It's a fun little place. We stopped in twice, and they have some cool coke items for sale as well as the great free tasting machines. We all had different favorites. Ruby liked the one that tasted like watermelon, while Scott liked the one with ginger. My brother had no favorite, and I liked the german option, which was coke with an orange flavor. This is a great place to cool off on a hot day, or just to stop by to taste some really different flavored sodas. No matter what, you won't be disappointed, it is free soda after all.

*If you emptied the water from The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion in Epcot into one-gallon milk jugs and laid them side by side, they would stretch from Orlando to New Orleans,– 540 miles. And the recipe for the artificial seawater called for 27 truckloads of sodium chloride, or common table salt.*

That’s a big fish tank! It’s the second largest tank it the world, taking second only the Georgia Aquarium. The Seas with Nemo and Friends brought life back to the pavilion in 2007. The re-designing and opening of the former Seacabs became Clamobiles. But this ride is only a small portion of what The Seas offers. An interactive children’s play area, several aquarium viewing areas, a few interactive exhibits, and cast members available to answer questions have turned this informative ride about sea life into an afternoon event. It also has been re-imagined thematically to the elementary and toddler aged children.

The Seas with Nemo and friends is also home to the very popular attraction “Turtle Talk with Crush”. This interactive Question and Answer session with everyone’s favorite sea turtle. Families could spend an afternoon exploring the Seas with Nemo and Friends and not be disappointed by all there is to discover.

Toilet Paper!

Once upon a time, my sister-in-law Rachel got hurt. This injury resulted in her being in a wheelchair for part of the week. It also resulted, apparently, in her needing to examine EVERY bathroom on property. As the only other girl on the trip, I also got the joy of examining these bathrooms. We know Disney loves details, so I couldn't resist taking this picture on a recent trip. It's at the American Adventure in the World Showcase.

The Japan Pavilion, and the art of candy making

I used to walk through the World showcase if I were looking for a place to eat or seeking out a specific character.  Only recently have I started actually exploring all of the things that the World Showcase has to offer.  
The Japan Pavilion is one of the original countries to open in the World Showcase.  It offers 3 different dining options, a department store size shopping area, and a Pagoda that if the focal point of the Pavilion.  It the store, you can harvest a pearl, which is a really cool thing to do.  They also offer several jewelry settings for your pearl, and helps transform a Japanese trade into a magical memory. 

One of the coolest things about this pavilion is the candy artists that do demonstrations throughout the day.  You can see Miyuki, the only female artist out of the 14-15 various artists that work in the Pavilion.  If you check out this week's Magical Monday, you can see her in action!

The Japanese art of candy making goes back over 250 years.  The artists create animals, flowers and other designs from the hot soft rice dough that hardens as it cools.  They use scissors and tweezers to mold and shape the dough.  It's awesome to watch, and I found myself mesmerized by the details of the final product.  If you get a chance the next time you're at Epcot, take some time to really explore Japan.  You won't be disappointed. 

Candy Making

Candy making demonstrations occur throughout the day at the Japan Pavilion. We enjoyed lunch at Yakatori House and then watched this candy artist sculpt several different creations. This is only one of many different experiences in the world showcase.

To learn a little more about the Japan Pavilion at Epcot, check back Wednesday! Have a great week!