Living With The Land Ambience

Disney

This video is so soothing. It is an hour-long journey through Living With The Land at EPCOT.

I love riding Living With the Land. It's fun to see what changes have arrived in the greenhouses each trip.

Free at EPCOT

Last but not least, my favorite park for freebies: EPCOT. EPCOT has the same basic free stuff: stickers, buttons, maps, times guides, and a whole lot more. The best freebies at EPCOT are from their kids activities, and there are several. The biggest kids activity, which will take you around the entire park, is the Kidcot Fun Stops. (Although these stops are intended for kids, I have participated in them as well, saving the charms to use in my scrapbook.) There are 17 fun stops; one in each of the 11 countries and one in each pavilion in Future World. The Kidcot Fun Stops are sponsored by Sharpie and have markers to color the charms or masks at each station. The charms each come in several colors so that kids can personalize their collection. Starting with the Innoventions Pavilions, you can get a Kidcot Fun Stop lanyard to attach paper charms to at each station throughout the park. At Innoventions West, the charm is an ID with a mobile phone from Kim Possible. At Innoventions East, the charm is a 3-D food pyramid with Rufus inside and kids learn about the food pyramid. At the Living Seas pavilion, you can get a shark or dolphin charm and learn about ocean creatures. At the Land pavilion, they have ladybug and Venus Flytrap charms. Kids learn about plants and insects. At the Test Track shop, kids can get two charms: a race car and a caution cone. After completing the 5 stops in Future World, head over to the World Showcase. 

In the World Showcase, the Kidcot cast members are native citizens of their respective countries. As such, they can tell you quite a bit about their country and will often teach kids to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" in their native language. At the first country, pick up a mask for more collecting fun. There are several different types of masks available, including some special seasonal ones. The three masks that are available anytime are an African style mask, an Asian style mask, and a European style mask. Each mask has a paint stir stick handle that will be stamped at each country. At Christmas, you can get a Santa mask and during the Food and Wine Festival, you can get a special mask with a chef's hat on. We usually start with Mexico and work our way around. In Mexico, kids can get a Jaguar charm and the first stamp on the handle of their mask. In Norway, the charm is a Viking Ship. In China, the charm is a Kite with a butterfly punched out. In China, they will also stamp your Chinese zodiac sign on the back of your mask as well as writing your name in Chinese. In Germany, the charm is usually a Teddy Bear, although the last charm I got was a Gingerbread boy. In Italy, the charm is a Half Mask. At the American Experience, the charm is a Rocking Horse. In Japan, the charm is an origami style Butterfly, although a Frog has been available in the past. In Morocco, the charm is a Khamsa, or Hand of Fatima. The Morocco charm used to be plastic, but has since been changed to paper. In Morocco, you can also ask to have your name written on your mask in Arabic. In France, the charm is a Hot Air Balloon with a fleur de lis punched out. In the United Kingdom, the charm is a Dragon. In Canada, the charm is a Dream Catcher, although a Maple Leaf was available in the past. At times, kids are offered a small gift such as a poster or certificate upon completion of the World Showcase masks. While they are not always available, it's worth making sure to visit each country on your way around the lagoon. 

In addition to the masks, you can purchase an "EPCOT Passport" to have stamped as you travel around the world. The cast members will stamp each passport and write something about their country or a message of welcome in their native language. I have not used the purchased passports, but there are a few free ones on the internet that can be downloaded and printed before you go. The first one I used was from a Disboards Dis-Signer. I've also created my own special passport to use at Christmas, incorporating the various holiday greetings from each of the 11 countries. 

Another fun freebie at EPCOT, although one that is only available to Disney Visa cardholders, is a free photo. To get the free 5x7 photo, part of the Visa Meet'n'Greet, you have to go to the Innoventions West pavilion sometime between 1:30PM-4:30PM. You show your card to the cast members and they will give you a certificate for the free photo. You can get one free photo per day, per unique card number. The wait to get in to see the characters can vary, but usually is around 20-30 minutes. While there are usually 2-3 characters in the room, sometimes there are as many as four. The last time we went, we saw Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. It was great to spend a few minutes with the characters as the only family in the room and my niece loved the one on one interaction without all the distractions of other families waiting to see the characters. If you have a Disney Visa, I would highly recommend it. 

Another fun free thing in Innoventions West is the velcro frogs. These are often overlooked and can be a ton of fun. The frogs are available near the Slapstick Studios show. After picking a frog, which come in several colors, you can dress your frog in a wide variety of clothing. They have everything from sunglasses, to capes, to shorts and shoes, to Mickey ears or crowns. There are different accessories and different colors available every time we go. We love to play with the frogs while walking to the different areas of the park, and with EPCOT, there is a lot of walking. When you finish your frog, a cast member will give you a soft velcro bracelet so that you can wear your new creation. The frogs are a blast! 

And don't forget to visit Club Cool in Future World. Sponsored by Coca Cola, Club Cool gives you a chance to try Coke products from around the world for free. There are 8 different flavors to try, ranging from the delicious to the unique. Our family loves the watermelon soda available in China, although we didn't like the bitter Beverly soda from Italy. It's a great chance to try unexpected flavors and also very refreshing on a hot day, although it can get very busy. And there you have it, freebies at Disney World.


**UPDATE**
The Kidcot stations that were located in Future World have all been removed. Whether this is temporary or permanent remains to be seen. I'll update this if the stations are returned.

Coco Poster and Trailer 2

Disney/Pixar

The latest poster for Coco is gorgeous. Divided into the land of the living on one side and the land of the dead on the other, with Ernesto de la Cruz's guitar both dividing and uniting them, the colors and images are quite stunning.

The latest trailer for Coco shows a little more of the story. Young Miguel loves music, but his family considers it a curse. They believe that music caused his great-grandfather to leave, never to be seen again. Miguel unexpectedly journeys to the Land of the Dead, with his dog Dante, to prove to his family that music is not a curse, but something to celebrate. Coco arrives in theaters on November 22.

Mickey Topiary

On our last trip to Disney World, we decided to try out the Behind the Seeds tour at EPCOT. It was a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the methods Disney uses to grow the plants in the greenhouses that are part of the Living With The Land ride. This Mickey topiary is a pepper plant and the oldest living plant in the greenhouses.

Confessions of a Disney Park addict

Someone recently asked me how many times I'd been to a Disney Park. The answer: "More times than you'd think!" I started adding up all of my trips there over the years and realized that the number is rather shocking, especially since I have never lived in Orlando or Anaheim.

My first trip was to Disneyland in 1984. I don't actually remember much about it, even though I was 7 years old at the time. My dad took my sister and I again a few years later, maybe 1988. I went again in 1995, and then again in 1998. That trip I stayed with my cousin Jennifer. She was working at the Gag Factory in Toontown at the time. We had a blast and I went to Disneyland nearly every day that week. They were getting ready to build California Adventure and all of the parking areas were a mess! When Jennifer had to work, I explored the park on my own, and even rode Splash Mountain alone, much to Jennifer's amazement. I attempted to move to California with the intent of working at Disneyland in 1999, but the move fell through.

In 2003, my mom, my sister and I went to Disney World for the first time. I immediately fell in love with the World and all it's spaciousness. Unfortunately, there was just two much to see in a three-day trip. I moved to Georgia when Bean was born and looked forward to experiencing Disney World through a child's eyes again. We took her to Disney World for the first time one day after her first birthday. We stayed on-site for the first time at Shades of Green. She loved It's a Small World and all of the bright colors, sights, and sounds of the park. She took her first steps over a bridge in the Magic Kingdom. It was truly Magical!

In 2006, we moved to California temporarily. Shortly before we had to return to Georgia, we took Bean to Disneyland. It wasn't the best trip, (Bean seemed to be allergic to everything she touched and broke out in hives!) but it was the first time any of us had been to California Adventure, which we loved. Bean's favorite rides were Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue, King Triton's Carousel and all of the rides in Bug Land.

In September 2007, we moved back to Georgia, unloaded the truck, and drove 8 more hours to Disney World. Yes, we're that crazy! Our friend had never been to Disney World before, nor had he been trick or treating, so we went to MNSSHP for the first time. We all loved it! We also caught the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival for the first time. This quickly became our favorite time of year to visit, even if it rained every day and I got stuck in World showcase in a flooded area with a stroller! This was the first time we saw Pixar's Block Party Bash at Hollywood Studios. Bean loved it! We stayed at Shades of Green again which was convenient for transportation into the parks.

In August 2008, we bought Annual Passes. It was a blast! We only spent 3 1/2 days that trip. Bean, my dad and I had just traveled across the country by train and then went to Disney World after meeting up with my sister. Since we now had Annual Passes, we drove down to Disney World several time over the next several months. We went to MNSSHP and the Food & Wine Festival in October. We got our faces painted at MNSSHP for the first time. We also got the clip-on reloadable gift cards for the Food & Wine Festival, which made trying everything much easier.

Our next trip was in November, a week before Thanksgiving. Then we went for 7 days in December and spent Christmas day at the Magic Kingdom & New Year's Eve at EPCOT. It was crazy crowded, but still a ton of fun. Both parks reached capacity by noon or so, but we didn't plan on leaving and coming back, so it was ok. Christmas day we watched Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade. We ended up staying for the fireworks because it was so crowded at the front that we couldn't get off Main Street. It worked out though because the snow and fireworks were great. Bean loved the snow and wanted it to last forever! On 12/27 we went to Hollywood Studios and saw the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights, which were awesome! And it snowed again, which we loved, especially because it was about 75 degrees that day. On 12/28, we went to EPCOT and listened to several of the storytellers tell stories of Christmas in their homelands. We saw the Three Wise Men in Mexico, heard about the Nutcracker in Germany, saw La Befana in Italy (Bean was even selected to help!), Pere Noel in France, and the lumberjack Santa in Canada. We only saw part of the Daruma Doll Sellers story in Japan, and missed all of the others. On 12/29 we went to Animal Kingdom and watched Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade. It was a lot of fun. We went back to Magic Kingdom on 12/30 and it was much less crowded, so we watched the parade again. Then we spent our last night 12/31 at EPCOT. At EPCOT, the World Showcase countries each celebrate the New Year at the hour it occurs in their home country. It's so much fun! And if you stay all day, they hand out party hats and party blowers. The entire park sounds like it's full of crazed geese... And that's just the adults! It's hilarious!! We didn't stay until midnight, but we could see the fireworks from both Disney and Universal from the condo we'd rented. (We stayed in this awesome condo this trip. We got a great deal at $99 a night. It had 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a full kitchen, dining room, family room, living room, all the furnishings, laundry room, a screened porch, and could easily have slept 12-15. Totally awesome for large family groups.)

We went again, spur of the moment in March for St. Patrick's Day. We were in EPCOT and bought green cotton candy and our friend bought green beer and green cider in England in the special Rose & Crown glass.

Our next trip was in September 2009. We went down for a quick 4 day trip. Our last day, we always try to spend at Animal Kingdom. They close the earliest and that way we can stay most of the park hours before we have to make the 8 hour drive home. Our next trip was February 2010. Bean was out of school for a few days, so we took a four day weekend and left. Strangely, we ended up at Hollywood Studios during ESPN Weekend. As a result, it was fairly easy to get on the rides, but the area around the sorcerer's hat was packed! EPCOT was just getting ready for the Flower & Garden Festival so we got an awesome preview of the topiaries. We played the Kim Possible Missions around the World Showcase, which my Bean finds fascinating. At Magic Kingdom, we met Tiana & Naveen for the first time and played on Tom Sawyer's Island for the first time too. We spent half a day at Animal Kingdom and watched Finding Nemo: the Musical and the Festival of the Lion King for the first time too. They're incredible! We spent the end of the day at Downtown Disney and Build a Dino at T-Rex Cafe. It has very cool ambiance.

Our last trip was in August 2010. it was a four day trip and we visited each park. This was the first time Bean and I rode Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. She was fine until we took off and by the end, my sister had to pry her hands off to get her out, poor kid! (I'm not sure if I'll ride it again anytime soon either!) Then we rode Star Tours a million times to make up for it. This was our last chance to ride Star Tours before it was closed for refurbishment, so we made the most of it.

I'm not sure when I'll make it back to Disney World, but I hope that it will be soon... I'm starting to go through withdrawals!

Minnie Topiary

Living With The Land is one of my favorite rides at EPCOT. I love seeing all of the new plants and planting techniques. And it's always fun to search for hidden Mickeys, or Minnies.

Snowmen In The Greenhouse?!

I love the way Disney decorates the greenhouses in EPCOT's Living With The Land. Last year, this sandy snowman family was part of the holiday decor. It's a perfect solution for when you live somewhere that rarely sees snow.

Photo of the Week

I love all of the ever-changing botanical displays in EPCOT's Living with the Land.