Disney World: Day Four

We took one last long look out our balcony at the beautiful view with all the animals before checking out of our amazing hotel.

We decided to drive to Epcot so we could stay late at the park and not worry about the crowds on the buses going back to the hotel. Being able to ride on the Tram might also have had something to do with it.

First stop: the Universe of Energy. This was a moving theater show set up as a dream Ellen Degeneres had about needing to find alternative sources of energy. We were both extremely excited so there was a little disappointment when we realized how outdated the dream was and that it was clear some oil company paid for its creation. How did we know this? Things like, "We only have 50 years of oil but don't worry, we're finding more every day" and "Sure, we could use solar panels but they're awfully expensive" and "We don't know much about wind energy so we shouldn't rely on it" were said. Also, Ellen had a cell phone as big as a home phone.

Across the way we decided to brave the long lines at Mission: Space, a simulation of blasting off to Mars. As a trend, there was zero wait for the green team, the less intense version. Sarah was our team's navigator and Halley was the pilot. Our commander and engineer were a much older couple who were quick about pushing the correct buttons at the right time so we had a safe landing. Yay!

We then ran to Spaceship Earth, the ride that takes place inside the iconic structure that is Disney's Epcot. Once again, we had absolutely no wait (we seriously could not believe how lucky we were) and had a fabulous time listening to Judi Dench explain our progress through documenting our history. Our first time around, the ride stopped three times which was only slightly alarming. We had to go on the ride two more times before we left because on the decent from the top of the dome you get to run through a computer program which creates a small video of you in the future. Our favorite is still the first one.

We were lucky enough to snag a seat next to a sea turtle for lunch.

While we waited for our tummies to un-fill themselves, we took a ride on the Finding Nemo ride and listened in on Turtle Talk with Crush. This was most definitely geared toward little kids but it was still fun. We manged to see a dolphin show and manatee feeding before heading to The Land for Living with the Land and Soarin'.

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Living with the Land was incredible. It's a boat ride through a living laboratory which showcased new ways veggies and fruits are being grown. Halley did not take pictures (she is still upset) but there were eggplants hanging upside down and lettuce growing in water pots. It was just waaaay cool.

And then we had a little wait for Soarin', a wicked cool ride that simulates flying over the country. Since we have already seen some of the most beautiful sights in the country, we kept our eyes shut for most of it, not wanting to ruin our travel experience (and wanting to stop the waves of nausea caused by the realistic flying movements).

We still had over an hour before our dinner reservation at La Hacienda de San Angel so we checked out the three amigos ride with Donald Duck. Once again, just not the same with newer technology but a boat ride is a boat ride so we did it again.

Halley really wanted this hat but Sarah convinced her it wouldn't fit in the car.

Dinner was good but we were both incredibly exhausted and cold so we headed back to the entrance of the park. We rode Spaceship Earth the last two times and took a few photos before heading to an Orlando hotel for the night.

Happy Holidays from Epcot! If we paid $14.95 per photo, we could send you this with a border. Unfortunately for you, we are cheap so this is all you get.