Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Disney, Day 5 - Epcot

Our last day at Disney!  We chose to spend it at Epcot, after much debate.  The attractions didn't seem like things that our girls would necessarily be into, and didn't really excite us either.  I don't remember being the biggest fan of Epcot when I went as a kid...but, in all fairness, that was quite some time ago.  After soliciting input from friends and fellow Disney-goers, we decided to give it a shot.  Mom and Dad were fairly exhausted at this point, so we figured if the park was a fail, the worst that could happen would be that we would leave early, which was not exactly a bad outcome in our minds.

WE ARE SO GLAD WE WENT!  I didn't see this coming, but this park had some of our favorite rides of the whole trip!  We had a great day!  We did feel like we had done everything we needed to do, and seen everything we needed to see by mid-afternoon, but at that point in the trip, that was absolutely perfect.  We aren't sure if/when we'll be back at Disney World again, and we don't regret the decision to hit all four parks while we were there - not. one. bit.

A little more on our day at Epcot...

Obligatory holding up the ball pic.  Check.  (Tourists...)

Thumbs up for conquering our last Disney park!
We were there during the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival.  They had these amazing displays throughout the park.


(Disney animation created the butterflies they're holding, but shhh, don't tell them that.  They think they're magic)
The crowds at Epcot were NOTHING compared to the other parks - YAY!  We didn't have a Fastpass, but had a relatively short wait for Test Track, one of the primary attractions at the park.  This speedster designed her own vehicle, focusing strictly on power.
Taking Hannah's ride out for a spin
Lightning McQueen - made out of flowers!  How cool is that?
We love Mater
After Test Track, we went over to Nemo's Reef to enjoy the show


We had a picnic lunch, rode Soarin' (AWESOME!!, but no photography allowed), then set out to walk around the world.


Look!  We're in Paris!
We enjoyed more of the amazing floral displays along our walk.
Snow White (Duh)
The dwarves
Bambi and friends
Captain Hook
Winnie the Pooh
Lady and the Tramp
Lion King
Farmer Donald, Chip and Dale
We met up with Mulan in China


Another autograph in the books!
We found Buzz Lightyear on our way over to Mission Space
They are just cute.
We had a blast on Mission Space!  There was no line, so we walked off and promptly turned around to ride again.
After a great day at Epcot, we cooled off in this amazing pool (at the resort we were staying).  The girls certainly did not lack for entertainment on this trip.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Disney, Day 4 - Magic Kingdom (again)

After three full days of excitement, I [reluctantly] agreed to let the family sleep in.  (The fact that it was raining cats and dogs when I woke up helped make this possible).  We were headed back to Magic Kingdom again, with a fairly light agenda, so we decided just to rest up and get there when we get there.

Little Miss Snoopy Bedhead was the next Purdy out of bed.
We were prepared, but still wishing for a little Disney magic on the weather...
A perk of the rain:  photo opp with Pluto with virtually no line!



We also found Merida (Brave) - we didn't have her autograph yet, and had almost no competition to meet her.
This rainy day wasn't turning out to be too bad after all


Since we were already wet, we decided to tackle Splash Mountain (Thrill Seeker's idea, if you couldn't tell)
Ready to ride!
The rain cleared just in time for lunch.  We ferried over to Tom Sawyer's Island to enjoy a picnic.
This is quite possibly the coolest picnic they've ever had.
Exploring the island
We caught a ride on Aladdin's Magic Carpets after lunch
The rain had cleared out, and it even got warm enough for them to find these misters refreshing
Adios rain clouds!
We took our afternoon break, then returned to the park for another fun-filled evening.  H insisted on navigating...with a Portugese map...???
Hannah got a role as Felipe (the horse) at the Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction.  
She had exactly one line:  "NEIGH!"
She got some Q.T. with Belle as a reward for a great performance.

Cast photo


After Belle, we got to take another spin on the Mine Ride!




Killing time (i.e. keeping Hannah awake) until the Electric Parade
Seriously love that castle at night
Electric Parade ready!