World Showcase at Epcot

We couldn't go to Epcot without participating in the World Showcase. I decided for supper we would get a sample from a few of the different countries. Again, this is where my research came in handy.

Our first stop was Mexico. We went inside to ride The Three Caballeros boat ride and try on a few hats. Here we shared the nachos since Griffin raved about them.

We skipped Norway since we had visited it earlier for lunch. 

After Norway was China. We did not eat anything from here.......just played with puppets.

In Germany, I read you must try the caramel corn. 

We all thought it was delicious!

 

Because we did not want to over stuff ourselves, we did not try anything in Italy, US, Morocco, UK or Canada. Instead we saved the best for last France. I read they have the best baked goods. We headed straight for Les Halles Boulangerie. It is hidden in the back and definitely a place you don't want to pass by.

 

We shared an eclair, chocolate mousse and a croissant sandwich. 

We couldn't leave France without Laney getting a picture in front of her favorite landmark.

 

We ended our time in Epcot with the famous IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.

As soon as it was over, we darted out of there so we could enjoy some Extra Magic Hours at Magic Kingdom.

Next up........Animal Kingdom!

Storybook Dining in Epcot at Akershus

 Once I booked the dates for our trip, I knew I wanted to look into dining with the characters or princesses.  Chef Mickeys and Cinderella's Royal Table did not have any reservations left. I really wasn't sure I would be able to get anything since I read you need to book up to 180 days in advance. I was so excited to see that Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway at Epcot had a few slots open for lunch. I booked right away!
For the record.......I did ask Griffin if he wanted to join us......he quickly said, "No thank you!"
I gave him money and he was happy eating nachos in Mexico.

After we checked in, there was a little wait outside. At 1:30, it was hot but we stayed cool with a fan and ice cold water(provided by the restaurant).

As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by Belle from Beauty and the Beast. A professional photographer took our picture. At Akershus, you are given an 8x10 and 4 4x6 pictures with Belle.

We were seated immediately. Our waitress came to our table and explained how everything worked. Everything is a set price which included  a Norwegian buffet of cold foods, entree, plate of desserts, drink, pictures and lets not forget.........the experience with the princesses!

Here is a picture of my plate after a trip to the buffet. They had several different salads, cold meats and cheeses and bread.

While waiting on our entree to come, the princesses arrived. They started their visit off with a parade around the banquet hall.

Each princess visited for a few minutes at each table.

Here is a video from Cinderella's visit.

I have to say Snow White was my favorite. She was  sweet and so much like her character!

When Ariel came to our table she first asked the girls, "Where did you swim from?" The girls had to think about that one for a minute?

Princess Aurora must have been really tired...she was the quietest of the bunch.

One of the do-it-yourself crafts I made for our trip were these autograph books. I found these small red notebooks from Hobby Lobby. I added the Mickey face and name using my cricut. I added the bow to turn the Mickey into a Minnie. 

Laney loved all the autographs. So much so......she signed her own book.....and then asked the rest of us to sign.

After all the princesses visited our table, we enjoyed our entree.

Ella got pizza. She said it was yummy!

Laney was considered an adult(missed it by 1 year). She was able to choose something from the adult menu. She chose salmon cakes lying on a bed of sliced cucumbers topped with a sauce. I tried hers and it was delicious especially with the sauce!

After everything I read online, a majority said the Scandinavian meatball dish was the favorite. I ordered it and it was scrumptious! I definitely made a happy plate!

At the end of our meal, we were given a plate with 3 desserts. There was a chocolate mousse cake, apple cinnamon bread topped with a whip topping and a rice pudding drizzled with a strawberry sauce. The rice pudding was our least favorite.

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Akershus. It was pricey but worth it!

Before we leave Epcot, I want to share our experience at the World Showcase.

I will save that for another day!

Epcot 2013

On the third day of our trip, we went to Epcot. It has been a while since I have visited there and the kids have never been. Growing up this was always known as the boring park with no rides. I guess the people spoke and Disney listened. It has changed so much in 20 years(the last time I went). I didn't even know my way around. 

 From everything I read, it said the first thing to do at Epcot was to get a fastpass to ride Soarin. This is where my research paid off! There was a minimum wait time of hour and a half all day long. When we came back later to use our fastpass, it was a 10 minute wait. The passes were gone by the afternoon. It is definitely a ride you do not want to miss! 

We were able to ride and do everything with little wait time except for Test Track. It was closed for most of the day due to issues. When it finally opened up in the evening, the wait time was 70 minutes and no fastpass.

Here's a little secret......shhhhhh....don't tell anyone!

While we were in Epcot, Ella's flip flop broke. There were no shoes in this particular store(honestly....I didn't know they sold them in any store) so I went up to the counter. I asked if we could have some tape to fix her shoe. The lady proceeds to give Ella a certificate which allowed her to get a replacement pair at Mouse Gear. I am thinking they must have a few cheaper pairs behind the counter. The lady at Mouse Gear lets Ella pick out any pair she wants for free. 

She chose these cute little shoes. Even better.....they matched her outfit perfectly!

Isn't Disney wonderful!

Another tip I read about during my research was the best/quickest place to see Mickey and a few of his friends was Epcot. We waited maybe 5 minutes to see Mickey, Minnie and Pluto. They were all in one building with.............cool air!!!!!!!!!!!!

Innoventions is a neat place to go. They had different adventures on finance, technology and fire safety. We competed in a game where we had to rush to each room to locate a fire hazard. The girls participated in a pretend house fire.

Ella earned her fire safety sticker.

I snapped a few pictures of rides and landmarks at Epcot.

Yes.....a certain girl decided to photo bomb my picture. So I do what any good mother would do.......post it! 

I am even enlarging it for your enjoyment!

 She did not do it just once but twice!

Maybe she will think twice about bombing my photo!

This is what I was trying to get!

The flowers distracted her long enough for me to get one good one!

I will save the World Showcase and our Princess lunch for later.