We woke up on Day 5 with sore feet & achy legs, but we weren't going to let that stop us from having a fantastic day at Epcot.
I will admit, I was nervous about Epcot. I heard there weren't very many rides & that it wasn't very fun compared to Magic Kingdom, but I LOVED IT. It far exceeded my expectations. I will admit, it wasn't my kids' favorite park, (you just can't compare anything to the Magic Kingdom) but they had a great time.
We woke up early & got there first thing in the morning. It was great to be met with the giant golf ball of Epcot.
It was BEAUTIFUL in person.
There are NOT very many rides at Epcot & we only had fastpasses for 1, so we raced directly over the Soarin' over the World very first since we didn't have a fast pass for it. My mom was with us in her wheelchair, & once again Disney was absolutely amazing & pulled our entire group all the way up to the front of the line. Soarin' was my favorite ride at Epcot. It was AMAZING. My poor brother & poor Lorien, who both have a severe fear of heights, did NOT enjoy it. The ride gives you the sensation of flying over different parts of the world. You are sitting in seats high in the air & your feet are dangling below you. I just loved it.
After Soarin', we noticed the Nemo ride line was SUPER short so we jumped right in. The Nemo ride was adorable & we were SO pleased that when it ended, it left you in a giant aquarium. Bravo Disney. Bravo. My kids could have spent hours in the aquarium. We spent a great deal of time there, but then moved on.
There was even a play structure with Bruce & his friends. This whole building was full of fun things that kids LOVE.
With two big rides completed, we stopped by the character spot to see if the line was long to see Mickey. 0 minute wait!!! Talk about being lucky. We walked right in & I got to meet my favorite character of all time: Mickey Mouse.
I know it was supposed to be for the kids, but you don't understand how much I love Mickey. My whole house is Mickey Mouse. . . my bedroom, my kitchen, my bathroom. I have hidden Mickey's everywhere. I LOVE MICKEY MOUSE. I was SO happy.
We also got to meet Goofy & Minnie as well. The kids were thrilled. Characters are so much fun.
Well, across the way from Mickey we found a little area where Baymax & our friends from Inside Out hung out. Of course we had to go see them too.
I the line to meet Joy & Sadness was pretty long, but we waited, because Joy happens to be my OTHER favorite character. My kids' had heard that Epcot was the place to see characters, so I promised them we'd wait in lines to meet as many characters as we could find.
Oh my goodness. These two were so adorable. Joy just makes me happy. And Sadness cracks me up.
I had to get a pic with Joy! A lot of friends call me "Joy!"so she's my pal.
But it was hilarious because as I asked Joy for a pic with just her & me, poor Sadness looked ever sadder & walked away crying. I actually felt BAD. I ran & gave her a big hug & got a picture with her too. I just love characters. They do bring a ton of JOY to everyone.
After characters, we raced over to Test Track where we had fast passes. Thank heavens we had fast passes for this ride. The wait was 2.5 hours long. We got on in less than 15 minutes with our fast pass.
It was a great ride. First you get to create your own vehicle to test using smart screens. The kids ate that up & created the coolest cars ever.
Then you raced them around a test track at speeds up to 70mph. It was crazy fast & crazy fun. The kids loved it.
After Fast Track, we went straight over to Mission Space with another fastpass & rode it. This one they put you in a rocket simulator & shoot you off into space. It was very similar to the simulator we rode at the Kennedy Space Center. The kids loved it because they got to push a bunch of buttons. Kids & buttons. ha ha ha.
We sat down & ate some lunch & decided it was time to work our way around the "world" at Epcot. This was the part I was most looking forward to. Our first stop, Mexico.
There was an absolutely adorable ride in the Mexican temple that had Donald Duck & the 3 Caballeros. The kids enjoyed it, & I just liked the air conditioned boat ride. It was a nice break from the Florida heat. Inside the Mexican temple was a Mexican food restaurant & a full market to shop in. It was great fun. One thing I completely LOVE about Epcot is that the cast members who work in each country are actually from that country. It makes it even more special.
After visiting Mexico, we visited Norway where we met . . . Anna & Elsa of course.
Canyon was especially excited because he had been planning on spending his money on an Olaf stuffed animal & Norway had SEVERAL. He was so happy.
I was once again just completely impressed with the cast members here. Craiger really wanted a Stitch stuffed animal he had seen at Magic Kingdom, but we hadn't had any luck finding it at Epcot in the style he wanted. Norway had a huge selection of the style he liked, but none in Stitch. The sweet Norwegian lady actually called ALL the stores in the world showcase asking about the stitch doll. She found us one in FRANCE, & they even took it off the shelf & set it aside for when we got over there. Hats off to the amazing Disney employees who really do make the magic happen.
After Norway was China. My parents & Justin enjoyed some amazing Chinese food here. They were also making the coolest flower cotton candy I've ever seen, but it was a 1.5 hour wait just to get one, so we enjoyed it from far.
After China was my very favorite place in the world, Germany. I seriously could have spent my entire day here. There were shops, AMAZING food, & amazing people. I could have talked to the German employees forever. It felt SO great to be speaking German with Germans again.
Cari & I enjoyed the German caramel shop (we bought caramel apples, caramel pecan shortbread bars, caramels, etc.). Lo bought the biggest pretzel I've ever seen, & Cadence went nuts in the German chocolate store. Heaven on earth!
After Germany, we visited Italy. I loved the beautiful facade in front of Italy. It felt like we were in Venice again. Since we had been getting food at each area, my mind immediately shouted "GELATO! THEY'VE GOT TO HAVE GELATO!"
Sure enough, we found a gelato cart & I went nuts. The kids each got a scoop of their favorite flavors, & I got a big cup full of 3 flavors, strawberries, sauce, whipped cream, & a strawberry. Oh, it was SO good. I've missed Gelato.
Each country also had what they called "Kid Cot" where the kids could go to get stickers, coloring postcards, & learn more about the countries we visited. They really enjoyed these. I enjoyed talking with the cast members about where they come from, what they miss, & what is the "best" thing about the country/village/place they come from.
After Italy, we saw the United States, but we since we are from the US, we kind of skipped over that one. (I know, shame on us.)
But then it brought us to Japan. They had some really neat buildings in Japan.
And Japan marked the half way point distance-wise from the big golf ball. Epcot is massive. That world showcase is huge & takes FOREVER to walk around, but boy is it worth it.
We didn't get any food from Japan, but it was fun seeing the different buildings & shops there.
I was fascinated with Morocco. I don't know much about Morocco, but this area of the park was beautiful. Aladdin & Jasmine were there, but we didn't visit them since we visited them the day before. The food there was spicy & awesome. My mom got some kebabs & they were delicious. I love the food experience of Epcot. Amazing.
After Morocco, we came upon another favorite of mine, France. Everybody was excited about France. We heard Sleeping Beauty was there & we also heard they had crepes & French macaroons so we went searching.
Sure enough we found both. I opted for the giant French Macaroon on a stick & let me tell you, that was the highlight of my day. It was beyond fabulous.
And we did find Sleeping Beauty. Taya had been wanting to see her all day, so I'm SO glad we found her.
After France, we ran to the store that had set aside the Stitch doll for Craiger & thanked them for holding it for us. Craiger was SO very happy to have his Stitch.
And then we hit England, Cadence & Lorien's favorite country. And as we walked in, we passed Alice! Cadence reminds me of Alice so it was cute walking into her.
Everyone enjoyed England & we spent quite a bit of time here. There were lots of great shops, concerts, & gardens to look at.
We briefly passed through Canada & picked up some of the maple popcorn there (Fabulous) before we finished the entire world in one day.
We were getting tired & our feet were killing us, but we were determined to ride the Frozen ride before we left. So we headed back to Norway & got in line. It was the longest line of the day. 60 minutes, but the time passed quickly & it was worth it.
The ride was a blast. It was a cross between Splash Mountain & the Ariel ride, but with Frozen characters. You're in a boat & you see all the characters & they talk to you & sing to you. But it gets really fun when you see Elsa singing Let it Go. All of a sudden your boat turns around & Elsa sends you backwards down a small drop. You do a good chunk of the ride BACKWARDS. It was really fun & unexpected. We all enjoyed it.
After Frozen, it was time to go. The sun was setting, & the big golf ball looked beautiful.
It was a magical day I will never forget.
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