FLORIDA 2012

Greetings from sunny NJ, I’m finally back home!!!!

These last couple of weeks have been very eventful for me.  I had finals, graduation, had to move out of my apartment/move back home, job hunted and went to FLORIDA for two weeks which leads me to the theme of this post. 

I’ve just come back from spending 2 weeks in the Orlando area.  I absolutely love all things Disney and love going back to the parks because it makes me appreciate all the hard work that went into making these AH-MAZING attractions.  I was a little disappointed that two of my favorite rides were closed for refurbishment (Test Track and Big Thunder Mountain) but my other favorite rides did not disappoint!!! My absolute favorite ride Expedition Everest never ceases to amaze me and if I could I would go on it over and over again!  Another favorite is Tower of Terror, which I actually didn’t even go on until last year which is embarrassing because I love roller coasters and thrill rides but anything having to do with elevators scares the crap out of me.  With my irrational fear set aside I rode Tower of Terror maybe 15 times and wish I rode it more. 

But the real highlight of my trip was getting the opportunity to do the Around the World at Epcot Segway Tour.  I’ve ridden a segway once before and loved it.  My parents knew how much I enjoyed the experience in DC that they asked me if I wanted to do it again in Florida.  Of course I couldn’t pass up the opportunity so me and my mother decided to take the tour.  The tour is about 2 hours long, with the first hour being devoted to learning about the segway and learning how to ride it.  The second hour is lead by a Disney Guest Relations cast member around all the different countries at Epcot.  Our first hour of training was lead by Mike, who was probably one of the funniest teachers I’ve ever met.  He taught us the ins and outs of the segway and taught us how to maneuver ramps, hills, and the pesky maintenance workers at Epcot, who will not move their hoses to avoid you. 

After the training was over, Conor, the Guest Relations tour guide lead us to International Drive and explained how Mr. Walt Disney came up with the idea of Epcot.  After admiring the World Showcase from International Drive we traveled to China where we learned all about the Foo Dog and the significance of them in Chinese culture.

After stopping at China we made our way over to Germany where we learned that this area was one of Walt’s favorite vacation destinations.  After Germany we headed over to my favorite place, Italy and learned all about the various restaurants which represent Rome, Tuscany,and Naples.  We also learned about Piazza San Marco and the tower that has 5 bells.  Word to the wise, never walk between the two pillars because when the 5th bell is ringing (it sounds like jingle bells) it means a public hanging is going to be taking place and the Italians use to walk the victim in between the pillars.  Our tour guide told us to always enter from the left or right of the pillars.

 

Finally our tour commenced at Morocco, which is a new favorite place of mine.  Morocco is the only part of the world showcase that is actually funded by the country it represents.  The president of Morocco flew artist and designers to Epcot to help make it as authentic as possible, and boy did it pay off.  The design work is impeccable (but not perfect and with out flaws because the only one who can create perfection is Allah)!

Although the Segway tour is a bit pricey it really is a great experience and I learned to appreciate the World Showcase at Epcot that much more.  I will be posting some videos and pictures after this and expelling them a bit more!

The was by far one of my favorite Florida trips!