Vacation Recap Day 4 - Epcot

On our 4th day at Disney World we headed to Epcot. We arrived at Epcot in the early afternoon due to our late night at the Magic Kingdom the previous night. We also planned to have a later night at Epcot since our dinner reservations were not until 8:20 at the Askerhus Royal Banquet Hall.

Upon arrival things were not looking good. Anna was in an incredibly foul mood and it seemed nothing could alter it. Finally I tried to pry her with ice cream and that mellowed her mood a bit but not a lot. Bill and Ryan ran over to Mission: Space to get Fast Passes. While waiting for their pass time we went through Spaceship Earth. This is the very cool ride that takes you through the famous Epcot Sphere. It takes you through the history of communication from cave paintings to the space age. We liked it so much that we did it again before we left at the end of the night.

Bill and Ryan left Anna and I to go ride Mission: Space and to try to snag us Fast Passes for Test Track and also Soarin'. They really enjoyed Mission: Space although they opted for the milder "green" version versus the high-intensity orange one where the simulator spins very rapidly. They both agreed that the green version seemed to suit then well.

While the boys were doing their thing I searched for something to cheer up Anna. We happened by the Character Connection and Bingo we had our place. For a rather long (about 45 minutes) wait we got to greet and meet Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. Ryan and Bill caught up with us when we were nearly to the front of the line so both kids got to experience this. It was just what the doctor ordered as it completely cheered up Anna.

We went on to see The Seas With Nemo & Friends. This was a very cute ride that was part animated Finding Nemo superimposed onto a real aquarium. When we were done there Bill's sisters and our niece joined us. We tried and tried to get into Soarin' and Test Track but the waits were continually 80 and 90 minutes and we finally discovered all the Fast Passes had been distributed for the day. :-( Sadly both are rides that we have had to put on the list for our next Disney trip.

We headed over to Honey I Shrunk the Audience. This was a 3D movie where we experienced what it would be like if we had been shrunk. I was doing fine until the mice were let out. I knew that they would make it feel like the mice were running by my feet but that still didn't stop my surprise nor my scream when it happened. Not to mention Bill's sister Mary and I grabbed each other's hand. Oh we laughed and laughed and laughed. Anna was smart and had been sitting with her legs crossed and up on her seat the entire time so she never felt it. Thank goodness or I think she would have been really freaked out. Ryan on the other hand was quite amused by my reaction. Did I tell you I hate mice?

Evening was setting upon us so we decided to take the walk around the World Showcase and end up at Askerhus for our Disney Princess dinner. Epot was in the middle of its annual food and wine festival. Because of this there were many additional vendors and food stands scattered throughout the World Showcase. I think this would have been very cool as a couple but it was not the ideal experience for the kids. Dinner was very good as Askerhus but the highlight for the kids (even Ryan) was getting to meet FIVE princesses. First the kids were greeted by Belle (Beauty and the Beast) before we were seated. Then prior to dinner during appetizers we were visited by Jasmine (Aladdin), Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Alice (Alice in Wonderland) and finally the Princess of all Princesses, Cinderella. Anna in particular did not stop smiling. Princess Aurora is Anna's favorite and it was so cute to sit back and watch as she told Princess Aurora this. Ryan ate up all the compliments and being called a "most handsome prince." Unfortunately our dinner was so late that we saw only a small piece of Epcot's night time laser and fireworks display, "Illumination."

After leaving dinner we took two more rides, the first was the Maelstrom a boat ride that took us through Norway. The second was the El Rio del Tiempo which was a tour of Mexico past and present.

Tired out from the long, fun day but disappointed that we didn't get to ride Soarin' or Test Track we headed home ready for a good night's sleep.