It’s EXHILARATING in the BIG BLUE WORLD! *NEW VIDEO- EPCOT DAY* 1/22

[Happy Duck]

The Most Pixie Dusted Magical Parade EVER
April 12

Main Street Electrical Parade!

I think this was actually the first parade I've ever watched from start to finish in Disney. We just never seem to want to stop to watch them!
Tinkerbell!!! Sarah was ecstatic.



I loved that steam came out of the train! Its the little things, people.



What am I watching again?



Snail!



This is when this parade became the most MAGICAL, PIXIE-DUSTED PARADE I have ever seen!!!!!

These little snail dudes kept coming over to me and BOWING! I was so excited!!!! I dont know if it was because of my Princess tiara or my birthday button, but they were so cute!!! I felt so important!



And Alice wished me a Happy Birthday! right from the parade!

Way to go for inserting me into the magic Disney. Bravo.

I dont quite understand this float. But then again, I dont know if anyone does. But its a classic!



MAGICAL MOMENT/ PIXIE DUST ALERT.

CINDERELLA and THE FAIRY GODMOTHER said HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME!!!

FROM THE PARADE!!!!



BIRTHDAY COMPLETE.

Almost.

Because then ANASTASIA got in on the birthday action!



As her float went by, she shouted (obnoxiously) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
So I, feeling no shame, shouted back (obnoxiously) THANK YOU!
She then shouted back (obnoxiously) YOU'RE WELCOME!

It was amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How many people can say they have had a (brief) shouting match with Anastasia? PIXIE DUST TO THE MAX!!!

I am so sad that I decided to take pictures because I wish I had it on video! At least it lives on in my memory.

Watch out Peter Pan! That Hook is one frumpy fella.



Fire-breathing dragon!!!! Ahhhhhh!



And finally, celebrate Amurica. Sam Eagle would be proud.



People always talk about the later MSEP being the one to see, and I would agree! We walked up to Wishes, stayed for a nearly empty Celebrate the Magic, and casually wandered to a curbside viewing of MSEP. Awesome!!!

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[Happy Duck]

MK: The Late Edition
April 12- very early April 13

After the parade, we started at the shop by Casey’s and walked all the way through. I found a few dresses that I liked so I tried a few on. One fit okay, but it was the completely wrong style for me. I liked the red/pink/white hidden mickey one. It was almost perfect! The next size up was too big, so I decided to buy it and then work hard in order to wear it on my August trip. (So far this plan has failed. I really need to get back to the gym!) Sarah got a t-shirt, but I really can’t remember which one.

Once we got out at the other end, we freaked out. Because Main Street was crazy calm.

There were a few random pods of people, but mostly, it was empty.



I think 30th Street station in Philly should take some style pointers.



Sarah was tired, so I told her we would start heading out.

Yeah, right.

You really think I can just walk out of the Magic Kingdom???

I have to have some more fun first!

First, I saw Belle and Beast!



And Jasmine and Aladdin!



And of course, I had to make another stop to say goodnight to my girl.



Mickey! Thanks for a great day!



At this point, Sarah was really starting to fade.



But wait! Look over there!!! (Seriously. No adults on this trip.)

Cindy!



Ariel!



Snow White!



After all of that, Sarah finally realized what was inevitably about to happen.

Yes, Sarah. We have to leave the Magic Kingdom.



One last look!



We left MK almost exactly at midnight. It had “closed” at 11pm. I think we did pretty well!

LITERALLY there was NO ONE at the bus corral. We were the only people there.



It was slightly eerie. But cool.

Once we got there, we found a bus waiting just for us! How thoughtful!

Private Bus Ride!!



Very happy, but very tired.



On the way back to the resort, we had a great conversation with our bus driver. Though of course, I didn't write down exactly what we talked about. But I did write down that it was a "great conversation". So there you go. Great reporting.

We were taken directly to the South Depot, which was awesome. After we got back to the room, we got ready for bed, prepared the park bag for the next day, and I organized receipts, monies, etc. Sarah headed to bed almost immediately. I ate the rest of my pasta from earlier while I organized everything. Because of course I needed some more food.

I was asleep by about 1:30am!

Good night!!!

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[nutz2notz]

I'm really enjoying your trip report.

 

[jecskc]

Joining in !! I am enjoying your report !! How special that you got to take your little sister on a trip to Disney !! I can't wait to see if you get to meet Pocahontas on this trip.

 

[Happy Duck]

I'm really enjoying your trip report.

Thank you!! I'm really enjoying writing it

Joining in !! I am enjoying your report !! How special that you got to take your little sister on a trip to Disney !! I can't wait to see if you get to meet Pocahontas on this trip.

WELCOME! Definitely special, though I don't know how "little" she is We'll just have to wait and see on that one!

 

[OhMari]

What a great MK day. We flew into MCO on the 12th of April. It was a very hot humid day. We went to a car show at Old Towne that evening and didn't feel very good, because we left WI when the temps were 33 degrees, and I remember sitting and watching a car parade and it was 88 degrees. I had weather shock. Total shock to my system.

You take great pictures and tell a great story. I never noticed those windows with the characters. Great catch. We were actually at the MK the next day.

 

[Happy Duck]

What a great MK day. We flew into MCO on the 12th of April. It was a very hot humid day. We went to a car show at Old Towne that evening and didn't feel very good, because we left WI when the temps were 33 degrees, and I remember sitting and watching a car parade and it was 88 degrees. I had weather shock. Total shock to my system.

You take great pictures and tell a great story. I never noticed those windows with the characters. Great catch. We were actually at the MK the next day.

That is quite a difference! I was lucky that the weather in PA was unseasonably warm the week we left. It was already in the 80's! I was glad because I was more prepared!

Thanks very much, although I don't always like the quality. Kodak Easy Share...a few years old.

I never noticed those windows either! I'm going to take much slower walks up Main Street from now on!

 

[danceintherain]

What a fun trip report!
I took my baby sister too, but we had to drag along DH and DS.

 

[Happy Duck]

What a fun trip report!
I took my baby sister too, but we had to drag along DH and DS.

Thanks!
Well, at least you *almost* had a sisters only trip

 

[Happy Duck]

Akershus: Food edition
April 13

Good Morning!

I woke up (mostly smiling) at 6:50am. That means I got about 5 hours of sleep! Go me!

It took me a few minutes to fully “wake-up”, but once I did, I was ready to go. We were in DISNEY!!!!! I had a very important breakfast to get to! There was no time to waste!

Unfortunately, Sarah took a bit more prodding. She is NOT a morning person…and doesn’t particularly like having to get up after only 5 hours of sleep.

We sang the Magic Kingdom “Welcome” song and “Big Blue World” while walking to the bus stop. Spreading the joy!

After our delightful walk, we got on our PRIVATE BUS to Epcot! That’s TWO private bus rides in a row! (It’s like we’re VIPs: VERY IMPORTANT PRINCESSES!)



Good Morning Princesses!





We were at the Epcot gate by 8:00am and headed directly to our destination: AKERSHUS!

The first thing we did was grab a map and a times guide. I didn’t want to miss any important friends throughout the day!



We checked out the sights along the way. We didn’t stop for any pictures, so these are all taken from my video camera.

Grilling out with the family!



It’s so pretty! I love that it “changes” whether you are up close or further away.



It’s the circle of life!



I don’t know about you, but I’m really excited for this movie. Have you gone onto the university website? It is at monstersuniversity.com. It's crazy cool!



What are we reading today, Mike?



We passed by the Duffy store. I was so happy because my Duffy was enjoying his day back at Riverside! Hopefully he wasn’t getting into too much trouble today.

Awwwww! Mickey and Duffy!



Minnie is such a thoughtful girlfriend.



It was so weird to see Epcot “closed”. The garden marketplaces were all covered.





Just passing through Mexico…on the way to Norway. That makes complete sense.



I’ll see you soon!



Norway!



We arrived at Akershus and checked in at 8:16 for our 8:20 reservation.

We only waited a few minutes and pretty soon we were meeting Belle!

She was very beautiful and I loved her dress. It was very elegant and “real” looking. I always felt that the other dress seemed very cartoonish. I could actually believe that this dress would be on a real Princess. Because she is a real Princess. Duh.

The only thing I will say about meeting Belle is that it was very rushed. There was a family with two little girls right before us, and obviously she took extra time with them. I think she rushed us through to make up for it. It was unfortunate, but at least I knew I had more princesses to look forward to!

Lars seated us, our server came (I didn’t write down her name) and we got ready to head to the buffet!

This was carb central!

My first plate: Lingonberry muffin, fruit Danish, cinnamon roll, strawberries, chocolate Danish, and strawberry yogurt.



Sarah’s first plate: fruit Danish, croissant, chocolate Danish, and blackberries.



Next, we meet Princesses!

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PS. Can you give me feedback on the image sizes of this post? Was it easier to read? Do you like the larger pictures better?

 

[Happy Duck]

Akershus: Princess Edition!
April 13

First, we met Cinderella!

She was lovely, but a bit self-centered. She asked us if we liked her dress. Of course I said “yes” (which I do I anyway) but I wonder what she would have said if I replied “No!”.

I asked her to say hi to Jaq and Gus Gus. She said that they were out picking flowers! What sweet mice! Then she taught us how to pose like princesses!





Next, we met Aurora. She was okay. Nothing too memorable about our conversation.





Again, I think her dress is more “real” looking. However, it does remind me a bit more a prom dress. Ah, well. She’s still a beautiful Princess…inside and out!

After Aurora, I got to celebrate my birthday!!!! It was so sweet!!!!
Make a wish!





Yummy! I loved the gummy bears. Green are the best.



Snow White was next!

She was wonderful!!!!! She asked me if I had a wishing well (for all of those birthday wishes) but I said I didn’t. I asked her if a pool would work, and she said, as long as it echoes it will! Good to know.

I don’t like this picture, which is a shame because it was the only time we met her.



Sarah and Snow!



Finally, we met Ariel! She was fun to talk to!

I told her about my little guppy choir and she thought that was cute. The camera was giving us a little trouble and she started talking about how human things are sometimes so difficult to work. How sweet!





Overall the food was just okay. I forgot to take pictures of our second plates, or the eggs, bacon, and potato casserole. I didn’t care much for the eggs and bacon (but I don’t like them in the “real world” either) so I only really ate potato casserole, some Danish, yogurt, and a muffin. Food wise, it wasn’t the best deal. Comparing Crystal Palace and Akershus, there is no doubt in my mind that Crystal Palace was the better deal by far. The Princesses were nice, but I don’t feel a strong desire to return any time soon.

We had asked for a check soon after beginning our meal, so we finished up and headed out. Back to Future World we go!

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[emilyindisney]

I love how excited Sarah looks in all the pictures! Seems like she had a blast!

Who needs sleep in Disney?!

I like the pattern on your dress you wore to Epcot. Very cute!

I love asking the princesses for poses! Those pictures always come out so cute!

 

[Happy Duck]

Mickey proposes and Minnie is NOT happy!
April 13

After breakfast, we headed directly to THE LAND!

Inspired by a few resident Frumps, we immediately smelled The Land upon entering those doors. It definitely has its own smell!

Of course, we had only one goal: Soarin' Fastpasses!!! We pulled them for 10:10-11:10. Not bad at all! Next, we headed across Future World to Test Track.

Along the way, we got a little side tracked...by CHARACTER SPOT!

There was a helpful CM outside that was advertising character spot for a 5 minute wait! YES!!!!

Actually, it ended up being no wait at all. I think we waited for one group ahead of us and then we were in character heaven!

First, we met the big mouse himself: MICKEY!

As I recall, Sarah got his autograph on a very fancy page. Only the best for the Mouse!



Awwwwwww!



I told him he looked very fancy in his tails. So cute!

Next was Pluto! Such a good dog. I asked to read what was on his collar, and he showed me! "Don't worry", I said. "Mickey is right over there. You aren't lost!"



Finally, was Minnie Mouse! She is so adorable! First, we did the normal greeting things, and then, things got very interesting.

Sarah loved getting all of these signatures!



Just the girls!



We even asked her to say "Hello" to Mama! Minnie waved and smiled into the camera, always a princess.



Now comes the fun.

To understand the following story, you have to know that the group just ahead of us was a bride-to-be and her bridesmaids. When they met Mickey, he got on one knee and proposed to the bride!

Fast forward to our meeting with Minnie. Just before we were leaving, Sarah turned to her (all secretive) and said, "You know that Mickey proposed to another girl!"

Here she is saying it. (No, Sarah is not about to backhand Minnie. And if she was, I would have stepped in to take the hit. Minnie Mouse shouldn't be getting into fist fights.)



Well. Minnie did NOT like that news one bit. She was visibly miffed! After a bit of bewilderment, she marched right over to the edge of her greeting area and stared Mickey DOWN.

Mickey, of course, was oblivious.



I have to learn from her, because she has that stare you down teacher look mastered. Her little foot was tapping and everything. Of course, I couldn't leave her all upset. I reassured her that she was still Mickeys girl!

Once we finished up our meet and greets, it was time for TEST TRACK BABY!

The last time we rode Test Track, we thought it was okay but didn't stand out as a favorite. We were curious to see what the remodel was like!
The Stand-by line was already up to 45 minutes. Eh, no thanks. The single rider line was only 10 minutes. Thats better!! We weren't planning on buying the ride photo anyway, so why did it really matter?

I was nervous that we wouldn't get to have any of the design process.

While we didn't get to design the whole car, we could choose a pre-made car of our choice. It's like getting a pre-made Wawa sub instead of one from Subway. Still yummy. Still fun!

We got to the loading area and were pleasantly surprised to be loaded into the same car!



I know that not everyone is a fan of the redesign, but I liked it! Still doesn't top my list of favorite rides, but I'll be happy to take another spin.

At the end, you can see your scores.

My car:



I chose it because it is purple. It happened to be an Energy Efficient model. I didn't care. It was purple. That's all that matters, right?

Sarah's car:



As you leave, you pass by a few games. Sarah tried it out.





The controls were a little wonky though, so we left pretty quickly.

We headed out on a grand adventure: to find the SUM OF ALL THRILLS.

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[Happy Duck]

I love how excited Sarah looks in all the pictures! Seems like she had a blast!

Who needs sleep in Disney?!

I like the pattern on your dress you wore to Epcot. Very cute!

I love asking the princesses for poses! Those pictures always come out so cute!

That's how you have a blast...NO SLEEPING!!!

Thanks! I originally bought it with the thought that it would be a good AK dress...I decided against it because I had something MUCH better in store for AK.

 

[MeeskaMomma]

I am still catching up, but I had to tell you I love, love, love our your shoes, and your scrap book! I love Disney crafts! I love that Love that your momma left you notes.

I would love to have a sister trip! What a fun time. You guys sound like a sweet family. I can't wait to read more

 

[wiigirl]

Great charector pics!

 

[Happy Duck]

I am still catching up, but I had to tell you I love, love, love our your shoes, and your scrap book! I love Disney crafts! I love that Love that your momma left you notes.

I would love to have a sister trip! What a fun time. You guys sound like a sweet family. I can't wait to read more

Thank you! I would say that we are a sweet family...just very wacky!

Great charector pics!

Thanks

 

[emilyindisney]

Your Character Spot pictures look like lots of fun. Love that you got to meet Minnie and Mickey in their everyday garb!

 

[Happy Duck]

Your Character Spot pictures look like lots of fun. Love that you got to meet Minnie and Mickey in their everyday garb!

Thanks! On the August trip, I am definitely going to try and find them in some other garb--like Minnie the Magnifique!

 

[Happy Duck]

Does this tank make me look fat?
April 13

When I left off, I said that we were headed out on an adventure&to FIND Sum of All Thrills. Ill be the first to admit that Im not good with directions but I think that the whole Innoventions East/West thing is confuzzling!

Along the way, we saw an open pin book by the pin store, so of course we had to take a look! Sarah found one that she liked, I was too stunned by all of the choices, and we contemplated those beautiful pins for a minute or so. We started to make our trade and head on our merry way, when the owner of the pin book came back. Apparently, this wasn't a Disney pin book! OOOPS. After much thinking and considering (and more thinking and more considering) on his part, he decided to let Sarah keep her trade- a Winnie the Pooh pin! Yay for keeping the pin but it was extremely awkward.

As we left, I obviously felt embarrassed. HOWEVER. In our defense: Wouldn't you be standing near your book? We were there for more than just a few seconds. You would hope that you would keep a closer eye on whats going on. Anyway, I digress...

We continued on our adventure to find Sum of all Thrills. Of course we went into the wrong Innoventions. We asked a kind-looking CM for directions. I felt silly though. I'm sure they get that question all the time. (When IS the 3 oclock parade???)

FINALLY we got to the right place. It was a 20 minute wait, so we decided to join the line.

This ride is COOL! First you have a movie that attempts to teach you something. I wasn't in a learning mood.

Next, you use tools on a touchscreen that help you build the rollercoaster! There is a little knob and a ruler. You put the tools on the highlighted parts of the screen and you can use them to build your track to different heights and speeds.

Sarah sorta took over the building process, but I didn't mind. It was fast, it went upside down, and was fun! We gave it a super cool name, that I cant remember. Something about a Falcon.

After Sum of All Thrills, we went to SOARIN!!!!

We headed for the fastpass line! (I think the stand-by was about 50 minutes at this point)

While waiting, we decided to show off our favorite pins!

Sarah has a Winnie the Pooh pin!



I found the coolest Donald pin! SORCERER DONALD! He's awesome.


Unfortunately, since coming home and looking it up, I think this one is a scrapper. I haven't decided whether or not I want to keep it in my collection yet. I just dont like the whole idea of having a scrapper. But it's super cute. So I'm very conflicted!

The last trip, I discovered how annoying it was to be on the bottom row, on the corner. You can see the edge of the screen and it ruins the illusion a bit (not that all of the streaks and spots on the video don't do that anyway...)

Of course, with my luck, that was exactly where I was this time around.

Row Three.



On the bottom row, very left hand side. Since I knew the risks of this seat placement, I tried hard to purposefully focus on the middle of the screen. That seemed to help.

I experienced this ride in a whole new way because I remembered to SNIFF. Yes, thats right. I sniffed that air! And it was so yummy! I never noticed this effect this before and it really made the ride so much more immersive for me. I think water was my favorite, followed by the forest and the ski slope.

It was about 11am at this point. Our tummies were a little rumbly, so we went over to Sunshine Seasons. Of all counter services that I had yet to discover, I think this was the one I was looking forward to the most.
The first thing that I noticed was how open that area is. It is so bright and cheery! Then, of course, I noticed the FOOD. There are so many choices! We did the loop, looking at all of the lovely selections, and settled on Sesame Chicken with rice.



Sarah got a crème brulee for dessert, and I got THE strawberry shortcake.


The moment has arrived! After months of seeing this picture all over DIS, I was finally going to taste the deliciousness!

We found a lovely booth to sit and enjoy our lunch. While we were eating, a little birthday troupe was traveling around. Sarah quickly told me to hide my birthday button, but I did no such thing!!!

They spotted my button and serenaded me with a song (and tambourines!) I think Sarah was trying to sink through a hole in her chair. HA! I loved it though! So cheery!

I was a good girl and ate my chicken first, saving my beautifully photogenic dessert for after. That was a good plan, except that I dont think the chicken and shortcake played nice in my tummy. The shortcake was very good, but after a bit, I started feeling very icky. This was on top of my mostly carb-heavy breakfast. While I think I was hungry a bit early because of the lack of protein and such in my breakfast, the addition of these flavors didn't work. Definitely not good.

After a bit, I realized I was never going to get to finish my strawberry shortcake. I had to throw most of it away. It was very, very sad.
We headed outside. I was still not feeling well. In fact, I was really starting to wonder if I was going to be okay. I was really bummed out. Not only was I feeling very sick, I was feeling very sick in Disney! I think I said a few prayers and just hoped that I wouldn't get sick in the middle of a crowded area.

We decided to walk (very slowly) over to Nemo. We expected a walk-on but there were actually a lot of people in line! Normally, I would have said lets come back later, but I thought it might be good for me to just be still in a cool, dark place for a while.

Nearly ½ of the queue was full, and it was probably a 15-20 minute wait, but I was okay with that. By the time we got into our clam shell, I was starting to feel just a bit better. At least nothing was imminent anymore.
I know that not everyone is a big fan of the Nemo ride, but I love it! It even has one of our new favorite songs! IN THE BIIIIIIG BLUUUUE WOOOOORLD!

As much as we had been singing that song periodically since the beginning of the trip, the obsession really began.

As much as it is just a dark ride, I think the technology in it is very innovative. The combo of real life with animation is very cool.

After Nemo, we went to another favorite: Turtle Talk!

There was a wait, but again, I didn't care. I found myself a nice little corner next to a tank and just sat on the floor. I think I even closed my eyes for a bit. Sarah wandered around looking at fish while I tried not to get sick. What fun! In all honesty, it was a great spot to take a much needed break.

We saw this little guy (and his reflection) before going into the show.

He is one self-absorbed fish! Every time I have seen him, even last January, he is constantly staring at himself!



Does this tank make me look fat?

Soon it was time to talk to a tuuuuuuurtle. (I was feeling even better by this point. The break was very good for me!)

Too bad I can't sit sublevel with all the kiddos. I would have some awesome questions for Crush.

During the show, someone's phone went off. Crush was surprised that someone brought their own theme music!

After talking to the turtle, we headed upstairs to see some other fishy friends (who are of course not food.)



I thought these were fun to look at. They were as thin as paper!



I see Fabio! And Bingo! And Nemo!



I see this little dude. Hey little dude.



And this ugly dude. Hey ugly dude.



After exploring the seas, we headed out to explore the World! The question is, did we go to Mexico or Canada?

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