Stalzer/Obele Family Blog

Today the weather was somewhat strange. There was not a cloud in the sky but it was really cold (around 16 degrees Celsius).

We decided to pay Magic Kingdom a visit. Barbra Bear was really excited to see some the animals.

Our first stop was at a 3D movie theater where they showed “It’s tough to be a bug”. You get special glasses that will give you the impression that the movie characters are right in front of you. It sometimes seems as if you can touch them. This 3D movie actually also used your sense of smell and during parts of the movie it felt as if bugs and rodents were crawling under your seat. It is quite something if you can see, feel and smell your movie.

After a short stop we went on to the dinosaur dig. While the boys tried to excavate a mammoth Barbra Bear enjoyed the warm Florida sunshine. Then we watched some lazy monkeys who were sunbathing in their tree.

Our journey went on to a jungle. We learned about strange lizards, giant bats, tigers, and many colorful birds.

Before we watched a bird show we learned that owls cannot smell. They actually eat skunks and can turn their heads 270 degrees.

On our way to an African safari we passed an underwater hippo watch point. It is amazing how elegant these huge animals can float under water. Max was comparing the size of a hippo scull by holding Barbra next to it.

Our last ride was an African safari. You actually board a huge safari jeep and drive through the African savannah. There were real trees brought from Africa. We saw more hippos and crocodiles.

By the time we finished the safari it was almost 5 pm. It got really cold and we were glad the park closed at five. Normally when we get back to the car we open the doors for a bit to allow it to cool down. Today we went right in to warm ourselves up.

It was a really impressive day that we all enjoyed very much. While I just type up this days events, the boys fight a fierce air hockey and kickers match in the games room.

Today we decided to go to Epcot. Roger and Kati wanted to go to the beach in Cocoa.

Epcot stands for: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. I love Epcot because there are so many things to learn and explore.

We first went on the Spaceship Earth ride. This ride explains the advances in communication from prehistoric to the 21st century. I just read that the “ball” is a Pentakis dodecahedron it resembles a carbon atom.

Then we went through the “Innoventions” pavilions which focus on technical advancements and their practical applications. We tried out a great driving game. Max and Gabi made first place while Thomas and Felix came in second.

This year we wanted to try out Soarin’. This ride gives you the impression as if you are hang-gliding through the skies of California. When we arrived close to 2:30 pm the stand-by waiting was 80 minutes. So we decided to get Fast Pass tickets. Well, we were lucky to get some of the last tickets. The park closes at 9 pm with a famous fireworks. Our Soarin’ fast pass tickets said we should be coming back between 8:15pm and 9:00 pm. At that point we weren’t sure whether we wanted to wait that long.

As we were already in the building we went on the “Living with the Land” ride.

This is a boat ride through a green house that focuses on new technologies to make agriculture more efficient and environmentally safe.

So we went on to Nemo and Friends and watched “Turtle Talk with Crush”. The boys sat in front and Crush asked Max about his name and where he came from.

Then we went on to observe the great fish tanks and also learned how divers enter the fish tanks.

It was close to 5 pm when we got hungry. So we decided to use the boat to go over to Morocco, walk by Japan to go to the American A
dventure. This is part of the “World Showcase”. We got some coffee with muffins and chocolate chips and relaxed for a couple of minutes.

On our way back we stopped in China to watch some very talented acrobats.

Then we went on the “Mission to Mars” (- we did the less thrilling ride without the spins). The boys enjoyed it so much that we did it another time while Gabi went on the Fast Track.

We went back to check the waiting time on Soarin’. It was around 7:30 pm. The waiting line was 80 Minutes.

So we decided to eat dinner before our fast pass time at 8:15 pm.

Well at last it was time for Soarin’. This is quite an experience – it is super.

After we left that exciting ride it was close to the fire works at 9pm. The fire works is called “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” – it is super. The globe which plays an important part of this show is very impressive (see the linked WIKI article).

All in all – this was a very exciting wonderful day which we enjoyed very much.