Thursday, August 2

    The day started off cloudy and not too hot. After breakfast we headed to MGM Studios. The wait for the bus was long and arrived at 9:30.

    The Great Movie Ride had a very short wait, another first for Mike. There was a light rain now and we headed over to wait for Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage. We got there 40 minutes early and grabbed center row seats. The Dapper Dans Barbershop Quartet did a funny pre-show pretending to be maintenance people. The show was a nice Broadway type play.

    After the beast I rode Star Tours while Kelli shopped. We then saw Muppet Vision 3-D; brought a Beaker plush toy for a friend at work; and viewed the museum on Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. We ate a snack for lunch, bagel and a cookie $4.33. It was still raining so we did some shopping on Hollywood Boulevard and more shopping back at Port Orleans. We then rested back in our room. Mouse keeping hadn't come yet so when the maid came by we just asked for towels.

    Our dinner tonight was at the Coral Reef in Epcot. This was the best meal of the trip and easily the best dessert. They sat us on the lowest level next to the glass aquarium. Sharks, sea turtles, numerous fish and a few scuba divers sailed past us as we ate. Two of the divers signaled to us with thumbs up, congratulating us on our marriage.

    We ordered drinks for the first time; The Abyss, and Reef Runner. Kelli had recovered from the wedding after party and was able to drink again!

    Kelli enjoyed

        Mixed Greens Salad - Topped with Key lime-herb vinaigrette.
(pictured above) 
        Grilled Pork Chop - served with roasted vegetables and peppercorn-brandy sauce 
        The Chocolate Wave - Warm Dark Chocolate Cake with a White Chocolate Grand Marnier center with Chocolate Canache and White         Chocolate Ice Cream (Awesome!)

    Mike enjoyed
        Creamy Lobster Soup - Made with Chervil and Brandy (Excellent!)
        Seared Sterling Salmon with ratatouille
        Bavarian Cheesecake with berry sauce

    The Disney dining plan covered $93.33

    The Reef gave us complementary champagne (but not as good as the Polish Center at our Wedding) and a certificate. The desserts also had a congratulatory message.

    We walked to some of the counties and enjoyed the end of the Canadian Band "Off Kilter" Then listened to the first few songs of "The British Invasion" in the English Garden area and passed through Morocco and France and then listened to the Matsuriza in Japan. They said this art form - "Taiko drumming shows the spirit of the Japanese people and reflects the essence of their soul."

    We toured the rock gardens, the koi-filled pools and the stream with the Japanese Deer Chaser. It's a simple contraption where the bamboo tube fills with water till the weight makes it see-saw up and the water pours back out. It see-saws back down and hits a rock making a loud hollow "Tonk." The sound scares away the deer to keep them from eating the plants. In the stores, we brought some beautiful chopsticks that will go with our sushi plates back home.

    We refreshed ourselves with some shaved ice and watched Captain Fantastic (Elton John music) in the America Gardens Theatre. Part of the "Sounds Like Summer" concert series at Epcot. 

    We headed back to Japan to save our positions on the second floor of the pavilion to view IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. This is a great viewing spot.

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth

    We got our extra magic hours bracelets at the International Gateway. We did the new Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros in Mexico. This updated ride was a much needed improvement. The Maelstrom was closed in Norway so we headed over Mission: SPACE. Kelli rested while I did the Orange ticket. I love the G-forces while blasting off from earth. I met Kelli outside where she had met a family from Yonkers! The dad was riding Mission: SPACE as well. It's a Small world after all. This rest gave both of us a second wind. So we did Journey into Imagination with Figment. The interactive area after the ride was empty. The Kodak guy took a picture of us with his giant digital camera and gave us a free print. We also sent an e-mail with photo with our ears on to family back home.

Disney MGM Studios

Its hard to find a good mechanic

The Abyss and Reef Runner at the Coral Reef

The Chocolate Wave

shaved ice, a great way to cool off