After flying in on Sunday and visiting Downtown Disney, we had started to create our battle plans.  EPCOT would be first come Monday morning.  This was due to the facts that there would be a fireworks show, and open stay until Midnight.

After waiting on a full bus, our first stop was Spaceship Earth.  Most of the ride was the same, but there were a few recent updates.  There is a fun interactive video screen in the vehicle.  After that we got a Fastpass to Test Track, then went a rode Mission:Space.  Since we went last time, there is a easier version that doesn’t spin.  The ride and experience is the same, but does not have quite the G-force as the regular version.  Test Track is still just an awesome ride.
After that, we headed to World Showcase.  There is a new  Kim Possible adventure, where you pick up a ‘Kim-unicator’ which tells you of a plot to take over the world happening in a given country.  Our first mission was to save the Jade Monkey in China.  It led us into shops and museums where - what you thought were artifacts - would interact with you.  Very clever and well done.  The videos on your Kim-unicator would give clues and not tell you what was next until you found where to be.  We did a 2nd mission in Germany.

This was a really cool idea, because it made kids interested in going around different countries, and got us into places you would never notice.  Awesome idea.  The EPCOT food and wine festival was also going on, so we ended up tasting wine from Australia and German beer.

We had some time before our lunch reservations, so we went back to Future World before going to lunch in China.  This was far too much backtracking, as your feet would tell us later in the day.  We had a great sit down meal, eating up another $100.  Sit down meals are a great break while at Disney.

After lunch, We had to check out the rest of the big attractions.  The Wonders of Life place has shut down, and it was acting as the convention center headquarters of the Food and Wine festival.  The shows, signings, and demos were here with a few vendors.  We then took in the Imagination pavilion doing both the ride and the Honey I Shrunk the Audience 3D show.  Disney has several 3D, if not 4D movies.  The whole theater moves and shakes, bubbles float by, things run around under your seats, and water sprays during the 3D movie.  Out of the 4 like this, I would probably rank this one last.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s still awesome.

We stopped by the land, and there wasn’t much to catch our fancy at the moment.  The new ride, Soaring, had a huge line, and we didn’t feel like doing a show.  The Living with the Land boat ride was actually being redone.  However, I caught at the desk that the ‘Behind the seeds’ tour had openings for the tour starting in 20 minutes.  Each Disney park has a few premium tours that you do have to pay extra for.  I think this one was around $15.  During the tour, you get to walk through all the greenhouses for 75 minutes and see how they actually work and all the odd things they manage to grow.

The Living Seas has been converted into Nemo-land.  There were a few attractions there 5 years ago, but this is now the main theme.  I’m glad, I never really enjoyed the original version.  The ride was cute, and amazing on how they got the animation inside the real tanks.
After this Reagan went back to the hotel to crash, while Mason and I got on Mission:Space and Test Track again, followed by a trip to the other side of World Showcase for English Fish and Chips.  We camped out on a great lakeside spot ate and relaxed for an hour for the firework show.  IllumiNations has got to be one of the best firework/laser/fireball/light show I think I’ve seen.

After the show, there were hordes of people making their way out of the park.  I was about 9pm, and the park was open until midnight.  We watched the Circle of Life show and went back and hung out in the Seas area some more.  When we finally left, the bulk of the crowd had thinned out.  We only missed Ellen’s energy adventure, thinking we could do it during the late night, but it stops early.
Day 2 - Hollywood Studios

If we didn’t take Mason to the Star Tours stuff first, he would have exploded.  After that, we were around the corner from Muppet Labs.  We caught the 4D type show here which is very funny, has a live actor, and the theater ends up very damaged from a battle between the shotgun toting Swedish chef in the projection booth and the orchestra penguins that somehow gotten their flippers on a cannon.  This one is the oldest interactive 3D movie here, but does a great job surrounding you with action. 3rd on my list.

We wrapped around the back of the park quickly, taking in a show on Disney animation.  Since we have an older boy, we got to skip: Narnia, Little Mermaid show, Playhouse Disney show, and the Beauty and the Beast show.  If Mason was younger, or was a girl, we would have had to figure out how to fit all these in.  Luckily, he’s a 10 year old boy which means…..

Next stop, Rock N Roller coaster.  The limo needs to get across town to the Aerosmith show.  Mason was way too short 5 years ago, so he went on this time.  Me and him got the front row.  I forgot it started with a massive loop, then had an inverted corkscrew thing later on.  I don’t think Mason minded too much, since he did really notice or believe me when I said he was upside down.  He has since told everyone that he was upside down - twice.  We had some bribing to do to get him on the Tower of Terror.  Listening to people scream on it all day doesn’t help little nerves.   I know it was recently re-programmed to be more random.  It still starts out cool, but it went through 4 main drops, not just the 2 it used to.
We watched the Indiana Jones stunt show and the great movie ride. Before calling it a day.  We didn’t stay for Fantasmic, nor did we have a chance to see the new Lights Motor Action stunt show.  Sounds Dangerous was being redone, and we skipped the backlot tour.  We had no cares about seeing American Idol.  Easy day.