Howdy! After a very gloomy day in the rain yesterday, I was thrilled that although overcast it wasn’t raining. Today I started my morning in Disney’s Animal Kingdom to see the progress of the destruction of Dino-Rama. I almost immediately park-hopped to EPCOT to experience the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind new standby queue, but in EPCOT there is always more to see.
Good Morning from Disney’s Animal Kingdom
If this is not your first photo report from me then you probably guessed where I was starting my day. Good morning from Disney’s Animal Kingdom where it is still chilly but not raining so I am not complaining today.
Pin Tuesday!
On my walk to Dinoland, I stopped through Riverside Depot to see if the final pins of the month had finally been released. It is Pin Tuesday after all. I was shocked to see the line already forming outside the store for the new Dining with Disney PizzeRizzo pin. It is a very cool pin, but Nana is on pin duty this morning so I got to skip the massive line.
I hear the PizzeRizzo pin is already selling on eBay for well over $100, and unfortunately, the pin is now sold out.
Dinoland Distruction
I was shocked to see that TriceraTop Spin was completely taken apart. Without peeking over the wall like a miscreant you can see all that remains of our once vibrant Dino-Rama is the Cementosaurous. I suppose that is only a matter of time. I enjoy when Disney does overnight construction and waking up to a surprise every morning.
Good Morning from EPCOT
Good morning from a festival-free EPCOT, well for a week. We don’t start the Flower and Garden Festival until next Wednesday, even though my brain wants it to start tomorrow. I love a quiet EPCOT, but today is not a quiet EPCOT day.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Standby
I got in the new standby queue for Guardians this morning around 9:20 a.m. and only waited a little over an hour even with a posted wait time of 170 minutes. Granted the Cast Members are still learning their standby flow, but that seems a bit of an overshot when you’re also charging guests for Lightning Lane access.
To be fair, it seems management was a but overzealous or overprepared, whichever you prefer with setting up the extended queue that went backstage. The picture in the bottom right is what the queue looked like by early afternoon, and by the time I left on the monorail, it was into the building with no outdoor queue needed.
Needless to say, this was the first day, and the kinks will be ironed out with time.
Butterfly Topiary Returns
One of my favorite topiaries is the Butterfly topiaries at the start of the World Showcase on either side. I think because it is a classic, and screams Flower and Garden to me. I find beauty in the simplicity and time taken to create these topiaries.
Mexico Pavilion
The Cast continues to use the dry-erase board to quiz guests looking to engage with the cultural representatives. This addition has been here for most of the time that the Gran Fiesta Tour has been down for refurbishment. I think this is a fun way to engage with guests who may be too nervous to speak otherwise.
Oh, Canada
I just want this saga to be over to be perfectly honest. The Canada pavilion continues construction. It almost looks like they have gone backward and undone some previous work, but I am certainly no expert.
France Pavilion Gardens
The garden in France has started to take shape although no topiaries have popped up yet. If you look over the bridge from France into the United Kingdom pavilion on the left you may notice a gorgeous Mickey in the foliage.
The way the flowers fall on the ground so perfectly is obnoxiously aesthetic.
Tiny Village Drama
There isn’t much in the form of drama in the tiny German village. The roof of a small home in the square has yet again fallen, banners remain hung for the Festival of the Arts like the park, and our tiny friend remains waving her white handkerchief for help.
Some changes include, the tiny village is now offering rentable bikes for their citizens located in the town square. I also noticed a dramatic scene between a couple at the blue apartments at the back of the town.
Finally, I want to talk about the picture on the bottom right. The tiny villager in the black shirt stands and watches while everyone else works around him. There is always at least one.
EPCOT Moments
In the Norway pavilion, I noticed horticulture added a snowflake to the Frozen topiary of Anna and Elsa. The Tower in Italy remains in refurbishment although the scrim and scaffolding continue to climb.
I saw Pooh making magic in America Adventure. Then I saw Aladdin doing the same in Morocco. These special moments are what the character attendants like to call a “surprise and delight” so there is no way of knowing when this will happen, but it’s a surprise and delight when it does.
Finally, I noticed that no one had purchased the expensive Figment from Art of Disney during the Festival of the Arts. Granted $8,000.00 is a little above my budget for a Figment figure I figured it might fit someone else’s.
On my way out of EPCOT, I caught the newest installed topiary, Woody, Bo Peep, and her sheep.
Boardwalk Cleanup
On my walk around the Boardwalk, I noticed there was some hardcore power washing occurring right there in the guest path which seems a bit brave. They were spraying bleach because, by the time I reached the Cake Bake Shop, I was feeling the bleach headache.
Playground in EPCOT
The newest playground in EPCOT looks just about completed. Decals have been added to a few of the poles giving it more of a ship motif. It also appears that the ground is sandy like a beach which will be a ton of fun for kids. I love when Disney gives kids different textures to play with.
Living with the Land
To end my day I rode Living with the Land and was surprised to see that Disney added an artist palette to their decor. This flowerbed has been empty throughout the entire Festival of the Arts, so why now? Still nice to have something. I also saw some of the plant experts caring for the garden. Even as a kid I always thought that job looked like a nice calm one.
I hope you enjoyed our day in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and EPCOT. My favorite moment was simply seeing all the random things to see, there were characters, topiaries, and construction. Let me know if you have a favorite moment or find in the comments below.
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