DISNEY: EpcotFilms/WDWMagic Post

On Saturday, my friend Billy and I went to Epcot to take first-hand pictures of the wand removal and Soarin' queue, and to checkout all of the World Showcase films.

Here's a picture of the work being done on Spaceship Earth. I'm glad that the icon is going back au naturale:

The first headed towards the Land Pavilion, to Soarin'. We went Standby (55 minutes) and saw the new, huge screens that had interactive games to occupy (and tire out) the people in the queue. Billy and I really got into it, waving our arms over our heads, clapping our hands, leaning left/right; it was a really good workout... and a really good way of getting slapped in the face. Anyways, the 55-minute wait still felt like 55 minutes. Here's a screenshot:

After that, we were toured the World Showcase (clockwise):
      Mexico -- skipped because we've ridden the new Gran Fiesta ride a number of times already.
      Norway -- rode the Maelstrom then watched the exit film.
      China -- ate Orange Chicken at the Lotus Blossom Cafe then watched Reflections of China.
      Germany -- drank a pint of Beck's Premier.
      Italy -- oogled the guy working the Kidscot area.
      USA -- skipped because Irene&Masayo and I watched/slept-through it during our last visit.
      Japan -- ate honeydew (me) and tangerine (Billy) Kaki Gori, and a pack of dried snow peas.
      Morocco -- looked around the marketplace then oogled the desserts.
      France -- ate a chocolate croissant then watched Impressions of France.
      United Kingdom -- sniffed the fish and chips then toured the shops.
      Canada -- watched the O Canada film.

By that time, it had started raining... hard. We found shelter at Innoventions. There were also a number of fun interactive stations there. One thing we did was the "Where's the Fire?" game. Paired up, we go to virtual rooms and use flashlights to find fire hazards and score points. It was fun.

After an hour or two the rain stopped, and we got in line for Test Track's post-weather reopening. We rode it single-riders and I ended up in the car ahead of Billy. And my car was also the last car that was allowed past the barrier test before it was stopped again for inclement weather (HA!). They did send Billy's car through. We headed to Universe of Energy next for the 37-minute show -- it's been a while since we've been on it, and we just needed a sit-down, slow-moving ride.

Anyways, it was getting late, so we headed out of the park. It was still raining a bit. On our way out, we spotted a sign still up for the discontinued "Leave a Legacy". I snapped a picture to post on the WDWMagic message boards. Here's a screenshot:

That was a great visit to the park. It was a much-needed diversion. It should hold me over til the next time visit in a couple weeks when my mom's over to visit. :)