2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

If there was one thing I REALLY wanted to do when I moved to Orlando, it was the annual Epcot Food and Wine Festival. After seeing other's pictures and reading their stories, this event really looked like some nice, layed back fun. Oh, and I like to eat too. ;)

During the Epcot birthday visit in January, I didn't get to see and do a few things that got picked up this time around. I had 5 minute walk on/waits for The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Imagination, and Captain EO.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends was a fun ride although quite loud in places. Since I can't remember what the original Living Seas ride cars looked like or any of that portion of the pavilion, the clam shells were a neat theme. Also well done on the scenes near the end that seamlessly meshed the animated characters with the aquarium. It looked very much like Nemo was in the tank with the real fish. This was the high point as I exited to the former Sea Base Alpha, which was painted blue and pretty barren. Not nearly the wealth of hands-on displays and the Jim diving suit and it's training stations were long gone. Seas still had the diver feeds the fish show, but it just didn't have the same oomph.

Imagination was ok...I guess...I've only seen pictures of the original incarnations of Journey to Imagination, but never rode any of them. This was my first ride and unless it's improved, likely my last. Sorry guys, but it really felt lacking without Dreamfinder.

Enjoyed the updated Captain EO with it's It's Tough to be a Bug treatment. We all cheered and applauded when Michael Jackson made his Iron Chef style entrance. While I'd seen it as a kid many years ago, I'd completely forgotten the storyline, so it' was like a whole new experience...with a bit of cheese too. Even so, seeing Angelica Houston turn out to be the Supreme Ruler was a great perk. I like her as an actress and still think she made an awesome Morticia Adams. Needless to say, seeing this comeback show was a treat.

Next up was the former Wonders of Life pavilion that's only open during Food and Wine Festival. It was cool and sad to set foot inside the building, and though there were lots of cooking demos and plenty of foodie kitchen stuff to buy, I REALLY wanted to ride Body Wars. You can still make out the hallway to it if you look carefully. Outside, the dome isn't ageing well and is discolored in places. It's also a little sad to see one of the festival signs in place of the quirky sign or genome helix that greeted guests. On the way out, I kept expecting to see Horizons instead of Mission Space and World of Motion instead of Test Track. Good pavilions both, but just not as cool as what I remember in Epcot Center's heyday.

All that said and done, I'd worked up an appetite. Time to eat around the world. Seriously. There had to be at least 15+ sampling stalls as you walked the World Showcase loop. And they all smelled heavenly. Singapore was my first stop on this Taste Journey (yes Todd Lee, I owe you a quarter) with a Shrimp Cake. Basically spicy big shrimp on a stick along with some cold noodles. Next was Germany for Sausage in Pretzel Bread. If you've ever had the German buffet, you know how good the Pretzel bread is. Now by this point, I was filling up fast, even with the small looking portions. They're bigger than you think and the prices per sampling average about $6 with a bottle of water. More with wine or beer. Yes, my brother and sister munchers, it adds up fast.

Thankfully walking, smelling, and gawking at the beautiful countries does burn calories. If that doesn't do it, the rockin' Scots of Off Kelter sure will. This was a rowdy fun show of kilt wearin' lads with guitars and bagpipes. I will never be the same after hearing the Mickey Mouse song played in an 80's rock style...with bagpipes. Ever. And I will go back and gladly see these talented folks again. On a side note, I failed my Irish and Scot heritage by not having a single beer or Bailey's during the night. Yes, I hang my head in shame.

Also discovered more than Hockey comes out of Canada. Choup (Cheddar Cheese Soup) is a popular must do among theme park and Disney fans, and it was available during the fest. I had to get a bowl. Verdict? It's a cheddared out clam chowder or potato soup concoction and most tasty. Glad I had it. Also wish there had been room for a Lobster Roll (America) and Ravioli (Italy). Was just too full and eating was getting pricey.

Lastly, being a pin collector, I picked up a 15th Food and Wine Festival anni pin for achievement. I love pins, and the ones that name a park, ride, or event are a great way to mark the occasion. This one had a chef Mickey using Space Ship Earth as a dome covering a cake slice. SSE even swings up to reveal the cake.

Over all, it was a good day out at Epcot, filled with both happy and sad memories of attractions gone by as well as great food. The relaxing festival was a joy and I'd highly recommend it to any Disney fan, foodie, etc. Oh, and next time, I'm having Bailey's in Ireland. ;)