FINALLY!!! I hear you cry...it's only taken about 7 years...but she's finally on another day. It feels like we have been in the Animal Kingdom for an absolute age and in fact both DH and DD have celebrated another year of their lives since I first began writing about Day 6....ok that's not sounding too great...moving on....
Day 7....Woohoo! Daaaaayyyyy 7...... and I have just noticed that I have not used a banana for a very long time.... (not a sentence I will be sharing with anyone else other than you guys....)...cue...
That's better...ah!
So, having left Animal Kingdom, old and grey, we woke at 7.15 the following morning ready for a day at Epcot. Now, I am sure DH and I are not alone in the frequent 'What's your favourite park?' conversation. Although all of the parks have their pros and cons (not many I admit
) and surely with any Disney fanatic Magic Kingdom must hold a special place....I think if push came to shove...Epcot would probably top both mine and DH's list. It's so varied and the World Showcase is just incredible. So, needless to say, we were fairly excited to be having our first proper day there (you'll remember that we went to Le Cellier for lunch earlier in the trip....oh no, you won't remember...I wrote about that 7 years ago...
)
So after waking, DH made coffee as DD and I got ourselves organised for the morning. DD was particularly excited as we had a breakfast reservation at Akershus...princesses here we come! Strangely enough, DH wasn't quite as thrilled...
DD wanted to wear the very cute dress we'd bought her in Animal Kingdom the previous day (no, amazingly, given the length of time we were clearly there...she hadn't grown out of it...)
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I think she wears hot and sweaty very well for a four year old...
It's possibly worth mentioning at this juncture, that some of the photos (including the one above) are from our photopass...we thought photopass was fab and some of the shots, particularly of DD
, are brilliant!
We hopped on a bus and it wasn't long before we were headed for the Norway pavillion in the peculiarly empty park. We had to wait a short while before our names were called but that gave me just enough time to snap a couple of shots...
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and of course...no don't panic...it's not a Norwegian bus stop...it was me with the camera...not DH
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Yeah!!!!
So, our first stop, once inside the building, was to wait in line to see Belle and have photos taken.
It occured to me that if we make this a fairly regular event it will be really odd to look at all of the Belle and DD photos at once - DD gradually growing up and Belle not changing at all (other than being a totally different person each time...but meh...I'm not going to pick holes...) - I like the idea of Belle aging too...a few more wrinkles each time...maybe some crows feet appearing...some middle age spread...perhaps her dress becoming a little moth eaten and tatty...now that would be an amazing set of photos............no takers???? Ok, I'll keep that idea on the back burner....
Having given that long ramble about the Belle/DD photo....I don't even have it scanned to post it....oops! Sorry....might be able to rectify that if I talk nicely to DH....could well appear in another post....I will, of course, attempt to place it at a totally inappropriate moment...maybe in the middle of SeaWorld or something...hmmmm....thinks.....
We really enjoy the breakfast here and helped ourselves to the cold buffet (smoked salmon, cheese, fruit, pastries) before being brought a plate of sausage, bacon (I know Disney bacon is notorious but I don't mind it....I find its whole bendiness fairly appealing....should I admit to that?.....), potato and scrambled egg. Whilst consuming our body weight in breakfast foods, the main attractions appeared. Aurora, Cinderella, Snow White and Ariel graced us with the presence and were more than happy to have photos and sign autographs. DD went strangely quiet as is evident in the photos...
<a href="http://s1140.beta.photobucket.com/user/Scoobymoons/media/WDW%202011/Epcot%208-8-11/Aurora.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n577/Scoobymoons/WDW%202011/Epcot%208-8-11/Aurora.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Aurora.jpg"/></a>
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There were ones with the other two princesses but they came out very oddly...
It was during this meal we discovered DD's vocation in life...a lady on the table next to us asked DD which princesses was her favourite and DD replied "They're all my favourite" - a diplomat at four ladies and gentlemen!! I still think she'll be a fishmonger (have I said about DD and fish???
) but maybe if that doesn't work out, she can be a diplomat....
So, breakfast done, we rolled our way back to Future World/Land/Ville/The other part that isn't World Showcase ....OMG....total mental block...Epcot shouldn't be allowed at the top of my favourite park list - total and abject failure...I am not a true fan...
Our first port of call was The Land....for Soarin' - I loooooove this ride....at that moment in time it was definitely top of my favourite ride list....I say 'at that moment' advisedly... would it stay top??? Hmmm??? (at least I can remember its name I suppose....) Much to our sheer joy, DD was tall enough...
In 2009, DH and I had to ride Soarin' separately....Much as this was sad, it did allow a little pixie dust moment to happen to DD and I... Whilst DH went on the ride, DD and I bought a Mickey Bar and sat in Sunshine Seasons intending to pass the time eating (or smearing in DD's case - quick reminder...she was 2) ice cream. Well, it must have literally been a minute since we had sat down before the Mickey Bar ended up on the floor....aaaarrrgghhh. Now, that might not sound like an issue but our push chair was outside, I had been left with all of the paraphenalia, plus DD. There was no way I could carry her and all the stuff and juggle with an ice cream bar, and pay etc....it was not possible. It was also not possible for me to leave her to replace said Mickey Bar. Equally, I was now stuck with an ice cream obsessed and now ice cream deprived child...not a good situation. So anyway, I noticed that a family next to us was about to go up to buy some food, so I bravely proffered my money towards them and, very very politely, explained my predicament and asked if they wouldn't mind taking my money and buying a Mickey Bar as well as what they were already getting... Well, they were more than happy to do this and suggested they get it and then let me know the cost once they had the receipt...I was immensely grateful and relieved and it was a matter of minutes before the chap who went to buy it had returned and handed it to DD. My immediate reaction was to grasp money and fling it in their direction...would they take it??? Not at all... as they parted they just said it was nice to buy an ice cream for a cute little girl...
I was stunned...Pixie Dust or what.
Much as we've only just reached Soarin', and at the risk of being in Epcot for even longer than Animal Kingdom...I like that tale as it's a good example of what WDW does to human nature... so I'm going to leave it there for now. Back to 2011 in the next installment