Probably the hottest, rainiest trip we’ve been on. We’ve done at least 17 trips since 2008 so that’s saying something. My initial comments on EEH at Epcot were worse. I’ve toned this down…
We had park hoppers & pre-booked Lightning Lanes for Dinosaur, Kali river Rapids & Navi River. We also paid for ILL for Flight of Passage. We stayed at the Swan Hotel. We ate breakfast at the hotel & took the bus to Animal Kingdom in the late morning. We went on Dinosaur & Kali River Rapids then got ice cream from Anandapur Ice Cream truck. I got a LL for the Kilimanjaro Safaris when we were waiting to board Dinosaur. We stopped to dance and enjoy Viva Gaia performing as we headed across the park.
It was pouring when we got on the jeep for the Safari! The animals loved the rain and we stayed nice and dry. It was a great way to ride out a storm.
Next we went to The Festival of the Lion King. This show is breathtaking, fun and an absolute “ must see” in my opinion. Meeting the lead actors from the Lion King was a huge thrill for my theater obsessed daughter. I still cannot get over how NICE they were to her!
Then we went to Pandora and rode the Navi River Ride & Avatar Flight of Passage. Had lunch at Satu’li Canteen. Even though it rained hard at one point, It was a lovely morning.
After scanning in to the Lion King show I started adding attractions at EPCOT for the evening. Booked Soarin’ , Living with the Land and Spaceship Earth. We enjoyed a nice stroll through the animal exhibits. The rain meant the temperature was actually pleasant and the animals were all pretty active. Went back to the hotel for a break and a quick swim then took the boat to EPCOT.
At EPCOT we on the three rides we had LL for. Wanted to eat at Sunshine Seasons but it closed at 7:00 and we missed it. Walked over to World Showcase and got some egg rolls and drinks at Joy of Tea and watched the fireworks. It was our first time seeing Luminous and it was great!
It was extended evening hours at EPCOT and I will flatly state that it was the worst experience I’ve ever had at Disney. The wait times for Frozen, Remy and Gaurdians were all well over an hour as soon as the fireworks ended so we went on Three Caballeros. That was a nightmare because an “influencer” asked the CM if they could have the first row of a boat to video tape. Instead the CM made everyone waiting for a boat miss a boat, put the influencer on a PRIVATE boat and put the rest of us who had been waiting on the next boat.
So we decided the night was a bust and thought we’d head through the World Showcase and out the International Gateway. OH NO - We were forced to walk the complete distance around the World Showcase, through Port of Entry, past Canada and to the back entrance. In all we spent an hour and a half of our “special” evening backtracking through the park with no open food or concessions except one in Mexico and one in England and got on one ride. Worst night I’ve ever spent in a Disney Park.