Trip Report The Audrey’s 3rd Birthday Trip Trip Report…!!!!!

Who: myself (Steve), my DWifey of 35+ years (Carolyn), oldest DD (Megan, turned 33 today), DS (Matthew, 31), youngest DD (Sarah, 29), SonIL (Daniel, oldest DDs husband, 34), oldest granddaughter (Emory, “Emmy”, 5) and youngest granddaughter (Audrey, turned 3 during the trip) for who the TR title is obviously dedicated to…!!!

When: June 26th to July 2nd, 2024.

Where: Old Key West Resort. First time ever staying there…!!!

Some initial fave PP pics below…!!!!!

More to come, soon…!!!

 

[donaldtoo]

Saturday, June 29th, and our EPCOT Center day continued…!!!

After havin’ a buncha’ fun with our animated and real sea creature friends, we headed for…

Classic shot, but it always makes me happy…!!!

It was about 11:35a at this point, so we decided to grab some grub from Sunshine Seasons for lunch…

No, not that kinda’ grub(s), Simba…!!!!!

I got the Mongolian beef with vegetable fried rice, and it was, surprisingly, very flavorful and delicious…!!!!!

I have no pics, and, for the life of me, can’t remember what everyone else had (bad Pappy ), but everyone was satisfied, and we all then headed for a certain boat ride…!!!

A sealing wax palm, below.
I had to Google it. It’s actually not named for any amazing quality it provides…!!!

Pineapple and breadfruit.
Love me a good Dole Whip (preferably ones without a “Dole Hole” ), but don’t believe I’ve ever had any breadfruit before…?

And, finally for this post, I do LOVE me some water chestnuts in a lot of dishes…love the texture and the crunch…!!!!!

Up next: Saturday, June 29th, and our EPCOT Center day continued…!!!

 

[MinnieM123]

Saturday, June 29th, and our EPCOT Center day continued…!!!

After havin’ a buncha’ fun with our animated and real sea creature friends, we headed for…

View attachment 813917

Classic shot, but it always makes me happy…!!!

View attachment 813918

It was about 11:35a at this point, so we decided to grab some grub from Sunshine Seasons for lunch…

View attachment 813921View attachment 813922

No, not that kinda’ grub(s), Simba…!!!!!

I got the Mongolian beef with vegetable fried rice, and it was, surprisingly, very flavorful and delicious…!!!!!

View attachment 813924

I have no pics, and, for the life of me, can’t remember what everyone else had (bad Pappy ), but everyone was satisfied, and we all then headed for a certain boat ride…!!!

View attachment 813927View attachment 813928

A sealing wax palm, below.
I had to Google it. It’s actually not named for any amazing quality it provides…!!!

View attachment 813932

Pineapple and breadfruit.
Love me a good Dole Whip (preferably ones without a “Dole Hole” ), but don’t believe I’ve ever had any breadfruit before…?

View attachment 813934

And, finally for this post, I do LOVE me some water chestnuts in a lot of dishes…love the texture and the crunch…!!!!!

View attachment 813935

Up next: Saturday, June 29th, and our EPCOT Center day continued…!!!

I really like your photo of (the exterior) of The Land. The tile work is so impressive.

For me, it's always a toss-up for whether The Land, or Spaceship Earth, is my favorite in EPCOT Center. Today, it's definitely The Land. (Tomorrow, it might be Spaceship again -- I'm fickle! )

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Loving your trip report, your granddaughters are adorable.

How many here remember the Hydrolators, Seacabs, etc., from the original The Living Seas…?!!!!!
I really miss that awesomely creative (for the time ) Imagineering…

I remember clearly riding these on my first visit in 1991 I think. I was convinced they were real, and I was an adult, kids must have loved them

 

[donaldtoo]

I really like your photo of (the exterior) of The Land. The tile work is so impressive.

For me, it's always a toss-up for whether The Land, or Spaceship Earth, is my favorite in EPCOT Center. Today, it's definitely The Land. (Tomorrow, it might be Spaceship again -- I'm fickle! )

Indeed, the tile work at the entrance is beautiful…!!!

There are actually some more (and different) pics of The Land coming up down the road from a second ride, and, of course, some of Spaceship Earth, so you can fickle back and forth some more…!!!!!

 

[donaldtoo]

Loving your trip report, your granddaughters are adorable.


I remember clearly riding these on my first visit in 1991 I think. I was convinced they were real, and I was an adult, kids must have loved them

Thank you so very much for following, and for your kind words regarding our granddaughters…!!!

Yep, I first visited The Living Seas on our honeymoon back in ‘88 at the age of 26, and it was all still very cool to me even at that age…!!!

 

[donaldtoo]

Side trip thread interlude…

Yesterday, we decided to all (the usual 8 of us) head to the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas.
Yes, Waco.
On our drive through Waco along the Brazos River to the zoo, there were at least, what musta’ been about a coupla’ hundred swimmers in the water, with people in kayaks along the perimeter for safety, competing in the swimming portion of a triathlon. It was pretty cool to see…!!!
Waco and the surrounding area are actually quite beautiful. It never received much attention until recent years, mostly because of Chip and Joanna Gaines, I’m sure.
Sarah wanted to visit The Silos and the Cameron Park Zoo for her 23rd birthday back in 2017, and we really enjoyed the zoo, as well as The Silos, but figured Emmy and Audrey would probably enjoy the zoo more…!!!

Emmy wanted a pic with the “old” car full of animals near the entrance…!!!!!

One of the monkeys (they have orangutans in another exhibit)…

And, in the same exhibit, a capybara just above Emmy’s head, with scarlet ibis on the rocks above…

Emmy and Audrey really enjoyed the zoos nice aquarium exhibits, as well…

Mountain lion exhibit…not your average kitty cat…!!!

The highlight for Emmy and Audrey was when they got to feed the giraffe…!!!!!

The white rhino was takin’ a siesta, and the elephant was off in the distance…

They also have lions and tigers and bears (oh my…!!!!! ), along with an extensive aviary, reptile house, nocturnal animal exhibit, etc., but I didn’t want this to extend into another post in a WDW TR…!!!!!
Just another great family day, yet again, with wonderful memories, and I will never regret spending one single second with treasured family…!!!!!

 

[donaldtoo]

Now, back to my irregularly scheduled WDW TR…!!!

Saturday, June 29th, and our EPCOT Center day continued…!!!

More from our first Living with the Land ride, and a date palm…

I don’t eat dates…

We then saw some fish, and a hidden Mickey…

And, then another “hidden” Mickey…!!!!!

Next up was Cut Melon. Had to Google that too.
It’s, essentially, a name for any melon plant, but those don’t look like any kinda’ melons I’ve ever seen…!!!!!
(Oh, boy howdy, am I gonna’ hafta’ edit this part soon enough…!!!!! )

Then, more fish, the finale, and the end…such a great attraction…!!!!!

Up next: Saturday, June 29th, and our EPCOT Center day continued…!!!

 

[rshell68]

Audrey looks so cute in her glasses!

 

[John park hopper]

Very cute granddaughters- remind me of my 2 at that age --they are now 11 and 9

 

[donaldtoo]

Audrey looks so cute in her glasses!

Thank you so much, and she does indeed…!!!
When our special needs son Matthew (Audrey’s uncle) first saw her in her glasses on our “Familia“ text line he texted “Cute she’s like a tiny librarian”…!!!!!

Very cute granddaughters- remind me of my 2 at that age --they are now 11 and 9

Thank you…!!!
It’s just so cool to be a grandfather, isn’t it…?!!!!!
We’ve got a little ways to go yet ‘til they get to those ages, but I know they’ll be there in no time.
They just need to stop growin’ so dern fast…!!!!!

 

[John park hopper]

Thank you so much, and she does indeed…!!!
When our special needs son Matthew (Audrey’s uncle) first saw her in her glasses on our “Familia“ text line he texted “Cute she’s like a tiny librarian”…!!!!!



Thank you…!!!
It’s just so cool to be a grandfather, isn’t it…?!!!!!
We’ve got a little ways to go yet ‘til they get to those ages, but I know they’ll be there in no time.
They just need to stop growing so dern fast…!!!!!

Tell me about it my 11 yearly grand daughter is going on 18 Ha Ha they grow too darn quickly

 

[erstwo]

Now, back to my irregularly scheduled WDW TR…!!!

Saturday, June 29th, and our EPCOT Center day continued…!!!

More from our first Living with the Land ride, and a date palm…

View attachment 814136

I don’t eat dates…

View attachment 814137

We then saw some fish, and a hidden Mickey…

View attachment 814139View attachment 814140

And, then another “hidden” Mickey…!!!!!

View attachment 814141

Next up was Cut Melon. Had to Google that too.
It’s, essentially, a name for any melon plant, but those don’t look like any kinda’ melons I’ve ever seen…!!!!!
(Oh, boy howdy, am I gonna’ hafta’ edit this part soon enough…!!!!! )

View attachment 814144

Then, more fish, the finale, and the end…such a great attraction…!!!!!

View attachment 814145View attachment 814146View attachment 814147View attachment 814148

Up next: Saturday, June 29th, and our EPCOT Center day continued…!!!

I can smell every picture in this post! LOL So wild how LWTL has such a distinctive smell in each room.

 

[donaldtoo]

I can smell every picture in this post! LOL So wild how LWTL has such a distinctive smell in each room.

Yep, yet another great thing about that attraction…!!!
I also remember when they still had live CMs doing narration on the boats…!!!

 

[donaldtoo]

Saturday, June 29th, and our EPCOT Center day continued…!!!

A coupla’ more pics from The Land…

Mickey at Garden Grill…!!!

And my “artsy” balloon shot…!!!!!

Then, it was off to France for a rat…!!!

No pics of the actual attraction, but Emmy and Audrey and, most, of the rest of us definitely enjoyed it. It’s a bit not as enjoyable for my beautiful DWifey Carolyn, but she’ll do anything for our granddaughters…!!!!!
I, on the other hand, enjoyed it even more this time around than last October…it’s just a hoot…!!!

One more rat fountain pic, as I just love it, and one of the original fountain, ‘cause I love it too…!!!

And, the gift kiosk below always reminds me of Megan and Daniel’s first Halloween with Emmy, when she was less than a month old…!!!!!

Up next: Saturday, June 29th, and our EPCOT Center day continued…!!!

 

[k8einwdw]

And, the gift kiosk below always reminds me of Megan and Daniel’s first Halloween with Emmy, when she was less than a month old…!!!!!

Great minds think alike

 

[donaldtoo]

Great minds think alike

View attachment 814463

Indeed…!!!

 

[fractal]

I like the silhouette balloon photo!

 

[donaldtoo]

I like the silhouette balloon photo!

Thanks…!!!
It came out better than I thought it would…!!!

 

[donaldtoo]

Saturday, June 29th, and our EPCOT Center day continued…!!!

After Ratatouille, we then headed to Morocco…

Morocco used to be such a fun pavilion, but now it’s just pretty dead, unfortunately.
No Restaurant Marrakesh, no bazaar, no other shops, etc.
And, the new tile on the fountain and 4 planters out front is even more disappointing in person than it is in pics.
For those that may not be in the know, Disney recently replaced the original Moroccan zellij tile on the above mentioned, installed by artisans that the king of Morocco himself sent to the pavilion when under construction, to give it authenticity.
The tile they replaced it with looks like HS bathroom floor tile they picked up from Home Depot or Lowe’s, IMO anyway.
Just plain lazy, and definitely doesn’t look authentic.

What used to be…

What is now…
And, as you will notice, they even filled in the original larger fountain and built a much smaller one on top of that.
Not even remotely close to as beautiful as it was.
My apologies for the rant, but I hope this isn’t an indication of how Disney will continue to “refurb” this pavilion in the years to come.

Anyway, the last few pics of Morocco, including one of where there’s always been some form of Hidden Mickey…!!!

Up next: Saturday, June 29th, and our EPCOT Center day continued…!!!

 

[MinnieM123]

Morocco used to be such a fun pavilion, but now it’s just pretty dead, unfortunately.
No Restaurant Marrakesh, no bazaar, no other shops, etc.
And, the new tile on the fountain and 4 planters out front is even more disappointing in person than it is in pics.
For those that may not be in the know, Disney recently replaced the original Moroccan zellij tile on the above mentioned, installed by artisans that the king of Morocco himself sent to the pavilion when under construction, to give it authenticity.
The tile they replaced it with looks like HS bathroom floor tile they picked up from Home Depot or Lowe’s, IMO anyway.
Just plain lazy, and definitely doesn’t look authentic.

Morocco was one of my favs as well. Since I haven't been to EPCOT in over 5 years now, do they have any entertainment anymore? I used to love Mo'Rockin' and also the dancer as well. It was so festive, especially in the evenings, strolling through that area. (I know Mo'Rockin' has been gone for some time.)