We set the alarm for 8am today as we had had an earlier night last night. We got up and showered and had some cereal in the room before setting off to the bus stop. Today we were heading to Epcot!

We weren’t waiting long until a bus arrived and we arrived at Epcot just after 9am. We didn’t make rope drop today but we were close! We headed straight to soarin’ and joined the queue as it was only showing 10mins, in reality it was probably nearer 20mins and in terms of queuing areas in Disney I found this a bit boring! The ride itself, well it was okay, I’d read and heard so much about it that maybe I expected too much. Also we were on row 3 and could see peoples legs above us, I imagine you get
a better experience in row 1. I don’t think I would queue for this ride again but will grab a fastpass if there are some available on future visits.

From here we walked out of Soarin and down the stairs and saw Living with the Land. Neither of us had any idea what it was as we hadn’t read anything about it. DH was worried it might get environmentally preachy but he needn’t have worried! I actually really enjoyed this, I thought it was very well done and educational. Especially coming from a farming village and with my grandparents heavily involved with farming it was very interesting. It was a nice sedate way to spend a bit of time as well, seemed a million miles away from the fastpass rush of Soarin!

We made our way outside and towards Living seas with memo and friends. We took some photos along the way…

Mine! Mine! Mine!

I thought this was a cute little ride, I quite like rides where you just sit and it takes you round, nice and relaxing! Some of the fish were fascinating! While we were in the pavilion we had a wander round to look at some of the displays.

We then made our way into turtle talk as even though we don’t have kids we had heard good things about it. We waited in the holding area an then went into the theatre. This is where things started to go a bit pear shaped! Now I had felt okay this morning and thought finally I was going to be able to get on with out WDW hol without feeling dodgy, I had thought too soon! I don’t think the air con was working properly in the theatre and they packed loads of people in, I just sat enjoying the show and started to feel like I was getting hotter and hotter and hotter! Not a nice feeling when we were say smack bang in the middle! All sorts
started going through my head! I got the map off DH and was wafting that to try and cool me down, stretched my legs a bit and just tried to get some air round me, along with some deep breaths! I then noticed other people wafting maps and thought well maybe it’s not just me and it is just hot in here! I made it through to the end and made my way out with everyone else and went and sat outside for a bit. I felt better being in
fresh air and wanted to carry on. We walked back to the fountains and picked up a drink in case I was a bit dehydrated (I didn’t think I was but thought water wouldn’t harm me!). I wanted to carry on but we decided as it was now just gone 11 that instead of heading to test track and mission space we’d have a steady wander round world showcase instead and come back to the rides later!

We had a sit down near Canada and enjoyed the view over the lagoon and the various landmarks we could see. As we were near England we decided to get some proper chips from the chip shop to see if food would perk be up! I have to say they were yummy and did the trick, I felt loads better after having them! I decided from now on to stop trying to be healthy by just having cereal for breakfast and to have something more substantial instead!

We made our way round all of world showcase going in and out of the various shops etc. We didn’t watch and shows, just wandered round!

Japan!

I think one of my favourites has to be Italy, with the Venetian bridges and the view across world showcase to the Epcot ball from there!

We made our in to Norway and decided to go on the ride! I love water rides and this was no exception! The theming was good and the backwards bit a bit different! Thoroughly enjoyed by both of us! Next of course was Mexico!

It had to be done! we made our way inside and again the theming was fantastic! We went on the ride here and was quite amused by the woman in front of us who must have taken 100 photos on the ride alone! I pitty the people watching her holiday photos! Don’t get me wrong I love photos but that many on that one ride?!?!

We made our way across to the dancing fountains and on our way had a photopass photo done.

We made our way through innoventions and had a go at the one here you star in your own video game. I think we missed a lot of things out as I wanted to go and see what the queue was like for test track. We walked through the shop and had a look round before exiting towards test track.

The queue was showing as 40 mins so we decided to get a fast pass for later. The plan was to head back to the hotel to get changed before coming back for our ADR at the garden grill later on.

We started to make our way to the exit but seen as there was no queue we decided to have a quick go on Spaceship earth! I loved this ride, great idea with deciding your own future and again a nice easy ride to relax on and look at the things around you!

We made our way to the motor coach and were soon back at the hotel. We had a little bit of time so decided to have a little swim in the paddock pool and a relax on the sunloungers. It was nice to take a break, even though it was only for 30mins or so! After a bit of a dip it was back up to the room for a shower and change ready for our first ADR of the hol and on our way back to Epcot!

Once we got back to Epcot it was time to use our Test track fast pass so we headed over there first. We were soon in the briefing room finding out what are trip as a crash test dummy would entail! We both really enjoyed this, the first bit is different to other rides and then the speed test is brill!

It was now time to make our way over the land pavilion and for our first ADR of the holiday!

We walked up to the greeter at the Garden Grill restaurant and gave her the reservation number! Wow! It worked! All the work I’d done 6 months ago to make the reservation had paid off! She gave us a buzzer and said we wouldn’t be long before we were seated.

She was right and in about 5 minutes the buzzer went off and we were on our way to our table. We were given a booth on the lower level which was great as it was like having our own private space!

Our waitress took our drinks orders and we explained that we didn’t like fish so we substituted the fish part of the meal for the chicken drumsticks off the kids bit which was not a problem.

We received our drinks and the characters started arriving! They were all great and we got to see them each at least a couple of times!

Despite being adults Mickey, Pluto, Chip n Dale were all great I think chip and Dale the best tho! The interaction was great and wouldn’t be surpassed throughout the holiday! Chip or Dale (can you actually tell them apart?!) even ended up sitting at our booth stealing my drink (and ended up shooting the straw across the table!) and then trying to eat my pudding! Absolutely brilliant! It really was a great experience!

Two cheeky chaps!

Stealing my pudding!

I also got quite caught up in it all and forgot to take many photos of the food! It was really nice though, the farmers salad to start and the bread was to die for! So sweet!

The main course was just as nice and we could have had plenty more if we wanted. It was really nice having some proper food after a few days of fast food! When it came to the pudding we asked again if we could both substitute the adults for a child’s as we weren’t keen on apple pie and again this was no problem!

This was a much better dessert! We spent a good hour and a half here and didn’t feel rushed at all. Thumbs up Disney!

As we had got changed and freshened up we had a photo in front of the Epcot ball as we were looking a bit more respectable than in our shorts, t-shirts and hats!

They had about 3 photographers there taking photos so there wasn’t a big wait which was good. Once we’d had our photo taken we made our way to world showcase and firstly had a look in the shops before making our way round towards Canada. We were quite surprised how many people were already against the railings waiting for illuminations so decided not to wander too much and find our own spot instead! We continued walking and
decided to stop on the bridge between England and France as there weren’t many people stood there and it appeared to be an unobstructed view. Rob went to get a beer while we waited and we just watched the world go by for a bit until all the lights were dimmed and the show started.

I was quite impressed with Illuminations, especially the fireworks – you can’t beat Disney fireworks! But I was glad we’d got next to the railings as otherwise we wouldn’t have seen the effects on the water. We were also at the opposite side to the globe but that didn’t bother us. One thing that surprised us was we were above where the Illuminations cruise boats stopped…I think if I’d paid that much money I would have wanted a view from the front where you’d get he full effect rather than the side! It did get a little breezy stood on the bridge but this was quite welcome after the heat of the day!

We decided as we were stood next to the international gateway exit we would go out there and have a walk round the boardwalk rather than try and get out the main exit straight after illuminations. This was a pleasant walk round and we stopped for some photos and then walked to the Swan/Dolphin to see where the Fantasia Gardens mini golf was.

We decided we would try this another night and stopped for a rest on the Hammocks on the beach instead!

We caught the bus back to DTD from the Swan and was quite surprised that all the posh resorts round here share a bus service! We stopped about 4 times before even heading off to DTD! We got off the bus at the marketplace and decided to have a stroll through and take the boat back to Saratoga Springs. From the bus stop it would have been closer and quicker to walk but I couldn’t resist another walk through the World of Disney shop!

We made our way round to the boat dock and we were soon on our way back home. We got back to our room and was in bed by 11.30pm. Another excellent day in the magic.

To read more about the story, visit the BBC News website.

All of us here at DigitalFC would like to wish Antonio Puerta a speedy recovery.

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Premiership Preview

Championship Preview

League 1 Preview

League 2 Preview

Tottenham have also spent big this summer, and with Arsenal losing their French superstar, we can see Spurs taking 4th place.

Newcastle look a good bet for the top 6, and we expect Everton to be there or thereabouts too.

Down at the bottom, the promoted three could all find it difficult and we suspect that Roy Keane’s inexperience and questionable signings (Michael Chopra) could lead to Sunderland making a quick return to the Championship.

It’s not all about the promoted three though. Wigan only narrowly avoided relegation last year and we expect Reading’s honeymoon period to be over too.

DigitalFC Premiership Predictions:
Champions: Manchester United
Runners-up: Chelsea
Champions League Places: Liverpool, Tottenham
Relegated: Derby County, Reading, Sunderland

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Sheffield United were unlucky to be relegated last season and they’ve managed to keep most of their squad together and make a couple of good acquisitions in Billy Sharp, James Beattie and Lee Hendrie.

Like Sheffield United, Watford have kept their squad mostly in-tact and we expect Marlon King’s goals to fire them to promotion.

Charlton however, have seen wholesale changes to their squad and although they’ve made some good Championship-level signings, we expect them to struggle to adapt to life at the lower level and take time to find their feet.

The Black Country duo of Wolves and West Brom will be there or thereabouts, however West Brom have been severely weakened with the loss of Jason Koumas and Diomansy Kamara.

Of the promoted clubs, we believe Bristol City have the best chance of staying up and Lee Trundle’s skills and goals should see to that.

Blackpool and Scunthorpe will both struggle, however they will not be alone. Teams like Barnsley, Colchester QPR will have difficult seasons and either of the East Anglian clubs could also be dragged into a relegation fight.

DigitalFC Championship Predictions:
Champions: Sheffield United
Runners-Up: Watford
Play-offs: Charlton, Leicester City, West Brom, Wolves
Relegated: Blackpool, Colchester, QPR

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However, Leeds’ promotion bid looks to be over before its started as the Football League imposed a 15-point penalty for financial irregularities. It could be a long, hard season for Leeds.

We expect Forest to be at the top end of the table, but automatic promotion may be beyond them again.

So who will go up? Luton have made some great summer signings in Paul Peschisolido, Don Hutchison and Darren Currie and we fully expect them to be in the mix come the end of the season. Oldham, Doncaster and Swansea will be up there too.

At the bottom, Bristol Rovers, Walsall and Swindon may find it difficult, but we expect Hartlepool to survive in mid-table. Look for Cheltenham and Leyton Orient to struggle too.

DigitalFC League 1 Predictions:
Champions: Luton Town
Runners-up: Doncaster Rovers
Play-offs: Millwall, Nottingham Forest, Oldham Athletic, Swansea City
Relegated: Cheltenham Town, Leeds United, Leyton Orient, Swindon Town

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We feel that the 4 relegated teams from last year will struggle to make the grade. Stuart McCall will need time to settle in at Bradford, as will Mark Robins at Rotherham.

Paul Ince should have the players to take MK Dons up and could it finally be the year for Lincoln to escape England’s bottom tier?

At the foot of the table, look no further than Accrington and Hereford who will both struggle to keep up with the rest.

DigitalFC League 2 Predictions:
Champions: Darlington
Runners-up: Lincoln City
3rd Place: MK Dons
Play-offs: Peterborough United, Shrewsbury Town, Stockport County, Wycombe Wanderers
Relegated: Accrington Stanley, Hereford United

DigitalFC

5. Titus Bramble
Possibly the worst defender in Premiership history? May provide the mistakes to send Wigan down. Could prove to be a very expensive signing for the Latics, even though he cost nothing.

4. Darren Bent
How Darren Bent is worth more than Thierry Henry is beyond us. Bent is a decent striker and will probably do well at Tottenham, but £16.5m is a hell of a lot to pay for him.

3. Craig Bellamy
If you can’t find your feet at Newcastle and Liverpool are you really going to shine at West Ham? £7.5m is a lot of money for a player with a proven attitude problem.

2. Michael Chopra
Congratulations to Cardiff on pulling-off one of the greatest transfer deals ever! How they got £5m for Chopra we will never know. Although a good Championship player, Chopra is untried in the Premiership and we don’t know if he’ll be able to make the step up. He could be a very expensive mistake for Sunderland.

1. Thierry Henry
We can understand Henry moving to Barcelona (where we think he’ll win the La Liga title next season), but what we can’t understand is Arsenal letting him go. Henry is their all-time top goalscorer, and one of the Premiership’s greatest players. He will be sorely missed and may cost Arsenal their place in the top 4.

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5. Owen Hargreaves
The off-again, on-again transfer has finally gone through. We all know what Owen Hargreaves can do in an England shirt, and we expect him to do even better for Manchester United.

4. Florent Malouda
The Frenchman has signed for Chelsea from Lyon for a fee of around £10m. The pacey frontman will be an excellent acquisition and a good replacement for Arjen Robben should he leave the London club.

3. Ryan Babel
Babel was part of the Dutch Under 21 team that won the European Under 21 tournament this summer. He is a pacey attacking player, and we all know that speed is a great asset in the Premiership.

2. Maceo Rigters
Who? Rigters is a team-mate of Ryan Babel from the Duth Under-21 side. Signing for Blackburn will be a shrewd move by the former MAC Breda star – he should be a regular in the Blackburn starting line-up and will be in the shop window for a possible move to a bigger club in a couple of years. We believe the Dutch Under 21 star will shine in the Premiership.

1. Fernando Torres
Spanish ace Fernando Torres has joined Liverpool in a deal worth around £20m. We believe the powerful ex-Athletico captain will be an excellent acquisition for Rafa Benitez’s side. Can Liverpool break into the top 2 and challenge Man Utd and Chelsea for the title?

DigitalFC

Before our official launch next month, we are looking for 6 local football teams to test the system for us. As a reward for your testing, your website will be free for the first 2 years (a retail value of £100).

There are no formal testing requirements. You will simply be asked to use the system and report back to us on your experiences, such as:

• how easy/difficult it is to use
• any improvements/new features you’d like to see
• any errors you may have found

To become a tester, head over to the DigitalFC website and create an account for your team. When the site asks for your payment, contact us: http://www.digitalfc.com/contact/ and I will set your website to be free for 2 years (be sure to include your team name).

If you have any questions, please email me at: rob@digitalfc.com, or reply to this post below.

Please note that there is a limit of 6 free test accounts on a first-come, first-server basis.

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