I walk to the lobby alone this morning to resolve my annual pass issue. It’s bustling at Intermission Food Court but there’s no waiting at Guest Services. I learn I can replace my passes at any park ticket window, but not at my hotel. Apparently, I need only my drivers license to take care of it.  Please don’t let me learn differently when I get there!  We’re going to EPCOT today and then The Wave for dinner tonight.

I retrieve the family and we’re off to the bus stop. No line when we get there and virtually no waiting for the bus to arrive. The bus is empty and I’m excited to be riding with Disney transportation again. What a strange thing to get excited about.

No line to get through security and no line again at the ticket window. Replacing the annual passes was virtually hassle-free. Thank you Disney!! Passes in hand, we glide through the turnstile and head towards Club Cool. It is becoming a regular first stop for us.

The front of the park is far from crowded and the times board shows that the same is true throughout EPCOT. We walk onto Nemo then color at our first Kidcot Fun Stop . Jonah is fascinated with the aquariums. He loves watching the fish and runs from window to window to see them all. Our next stop will be The Land.

We eat at Sunshine Seasons. There is a good variety to choose from here and plenty of seating. Hannah begs to “ride the boat” next, so we get in line for Living with the Land. I think this is the only time we’ve ever stood in line for it, but it’s moving quickly and our wait time is probably all of 5 minutes. My oldest daughter’s friend is a manager here so we are always watching for a glimpse of Laura.

We walk past Innoventions but Andy shows an obvious interest in entering and we turn around to join him.  There seem to be many changes since our last visit and we end up spending a significant amount of time here.  We are lucky enough to meet a wonderful Cast Member at the Kidcot which enhances the experience considerably.  Our visit here is fun and interesting for the entire group.  I’m so glad we stepped inside!

Next Andy and Anton breeze through the Single Rider line at Test Track while the little ones and I share a frozen Coke just outside. Andy’s favorite attraction is Mission Space so we head that way. He and Anton blast into space with the Orange Team as the calmer part of our group explores the tunnels of Space Base in the Advanced Training Lab.

We finish up our EPCOT day with a quick walk through World Showcase, stopping in Japan for candy and counter service. It’s time for us to head to the Contemporary Resort for dinner. We take a Friendship boat across World Showcase Lagoon and walk to the Monorail.

Dinner at The Wave is very nice. Pretty and spacious!  I am happy with my filet and I’m in love with the Shiitake vinaigrette! Service is good and our server is easy on the eyes.  The kids get hard to handle though, and we opt for dessert to-go once again.

We walk to the Magic Kingdom to catch a bus back to All-Stars and stop in our tracks when we notice the incredibly long lines at the bus stop. I refuse to wait in the crowd and we sit on a bench near the water and wait for things to clear out. Seems the value resorts are being ignored and the lines don’t improve. Fine. I’m still not joining them.

We continue to wait on our “private” bench. The kids are having a great time running around and I enjoy looking at the holiday decor, but I’m getting a little worn out from repeatedly retrieving Jonah. Finally, I give in and we walk over to wait with the others. The line at All-Star Movies is much shorter so we take a bus from there and walk back to Music. What an exhausting experience.