Whitley's Week: Disney Day Three: EPCOT

Designing a car with Daddy for Test Track.

On Monday, Jan. 20, we visited EPCOT. We skipped this park last year, so it had been awhile since we'd tried it's big rides- Soarin' and Test Track. There was quite a crowd at EPCOT when we arrived (we'd been spoiled by the early openings the two previous days), so we raced to Test Track to get in before the lines got too long. The ride was recently updated, and now includes a chance for you to design your own car and then see how it performs. I let Whitley and Tom take the wheel on that task. The ride itself was really fun. Super fast. It was Whitley's first time, and she loved it. Afterwards, we headed over to Nemo and Turtle Talk. I left Tom and Whitley with Crush to get in line to meet Anna and Elsa from Frozen over in Norway. When I got there, I saw a long line already formed, but I went ahead and claimed my spot. Then a Disney Cast Member said I was in the line to meet the characters at 2:00. (It was 10:00 at the time.) I was in shock! Apparently, it has been a four-five hour wait to meet those princesses since they debuted around Thanksgiving. Well, I was very disappointed (Whitley was even wearing her Anna dress that day), but there was nothing to be done. I couldn't wait that long, missing our lunch reservations, fast passes, etc. But plenty of people were! Crazy. I walked back over to join Tom and Whitley, and we shook off our frustration with the lines and crowds and set about to enjoy our day. And a good day it was! We rode Spaceship Earth (inside the big ball), Ellen's Energy Adventure, and Soarin' before our lunch with the princesses at Akershus. Belle welcomed us when we arrived for our meal, and we met Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White and Aurora there, as well. The lunch was traditional Norwegian with a cold buffet of salad, vegetables and sea food, followed by an entree of your choice. (I had salmon; Tom, meatballs.) In the afternoon, we explored the World Showcase, met Mulan, rode the Gran Fiesta Tour, Mission: Space, and Sum of all Thrills: Build Your Rollercoaster. The last two were new for us, and very fun! Whitley particularly enjoyed building a roller coaster with me. We selected the different kids of dips, drops, and turns we wanted, and then boarded a robotic simulator to give it a try! The cutest part of the ride was that the screen showed your partner's face in the upper right hand corner. Whitley was settled in her seat first, and cheerfully announced, "I see you, Mommy!" It was fun to watch my baby's excited face while we "rode" our coaster. :) That night we had dinner at the Garden Grill with Chip and Dale, Mickey and Pluto. It is family-style meal in a rotating restaurant that takes you through some of the scenes from Living with the Land. Our service was pretty slow, so the characters came around to see us twice! Afterwards, we took our time walking out of the park, appreciating how nice it looked all lit up. Long, satisfying day!

We made our car pink, of course!

Whitley wore her new Anna dress in the morning.

"A little 'chum' for Chum."

Royal lunch at Akershus. Whitley wore her pretty Frozen dress from Aunt Stacy the rest of the day.

Belle hosts lunch at Akershus.

Cinderella

Aurora

Whitley told Snow White that she sounded just like she does in the movie. (She did!) Snow White replied, "What's a movie?" :)

Meeting Ariel in her dress, this time.

Whitley received two Mulan movies from Santa, so she was very happy to meet the Asian princess this year.

It was such a beautiful day!

I didn't remember seeing this miniature village before at EPCOT, but I do remember exploring one as a child when my family visited Holland. It brought back fun memories for me, and Whitley was quite charmed by it.