Saturday, September 13, 2014

Orlando: A short day at Disney World

Snapshots of our day at Disney World!

Ok, I sort of lied when I said we went to Orlando solely for Harry Potter. That was the main reason. But we also had complimentary tickets for Disney World, thanks to WL. Yay! Who could resist a little more magic?

Epcot Centre - lunch & short stroll


We only had a day to enjoy Disney so we selected two out of the four theme parks. We chose Epcot Centre for the food, and Magic Kingdom for the rides.

We headed straight for lunch when we arrived at Disney, following Disney Nerds' recommendation for cheap and good rice bowls at the Japanese Pavilion in Epcot. He actually had other great recommendations for food. But after two days of western cuisine, we were ready for good old Asian staples i.e. rice and noodles.



True to his word, Katsura Grille served great food at decent prices. Spent about 20 bucks for two main and a side. After days of 'drought', the first sip of soup was absolutely heavenly.

This air conditioned eatery, well hidden behind the trees, also offered immediate respite from the Florida heat. We were ready to melt like Olaf.



After lunch, we hung around Epcot for a while more to check out some of the World Showcase. I like Morocco the best because the set is not cheesy, unlike some other countries'. And it has character. Every corner exudes a mysterious charm.



We popped inside one of the shops to check out the merchandise, and noticed that the staff is not your usual smiley Disney crew. We wondered if Disney hires locals or people in character for their World Showcase. We received suspicious and disapproving stares, probably because we were obviously window shoppers. 

Wow. Talk about the whole experience.



Magic Kingdom - the magic is in you!


We scooted off to Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day, deciding it's more interesting than Epcot. I would never get tired of seeing the Disney castle, nor the festive colours of Main Street. The sky behind the castle was actually threatening to rain, but nobody seemed to care. 

The party must go on!




And Panda bought me a Minnie Mouse cap so that I won't feel left out of the magic. Thank you- I love my new ears!



Magic Kingdom was also hosting Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party on that day - the first for 2014. The park was overwhelmingly decorated with Mickey pumpkins, wreaths, ribbons and drapes.

I actually liked the overdose of red, orange and yellow. Fall colours rock!



What I found most impressive were the visitors' costumes. Some looked so impeccable and real, they made us grab our cameras but go "Hang on, I don't think they are Disney crew!" at the last minute. Princesses were a dime a dozen. And we are talking about adults!



And then, there were the hilarious, home-made costumes. Winnie the Pooh and Tigger seemed to be hot favourites among grown men. I thought they looked really cute, especially with the beer belly.



What I loved most about these costumed visitors was that they seemed to transcend age. We saw grannies and gramps dressing up, Dad and Mom and Kid doing a family theme. That's what made it so special.



I'll be sure to make costumes for me and Panda the next time we return to Disney. Adds on to the fun, huh?


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