EPIC EPCOT

I've always loved EPCOT. I don't know why. I hope they never get rid of the 1960s retro style of the park. It doesn't feel that Disney-ish, but it is full of memories from my childhood, so I love it. I just wish it still had some of the really dated and silly rides from when I was little. Overall, we didn't plan out this day very well. And we kept walking back and forth across the park over and over again. At the end of the day I was left feeling pretty frustrated, but we still had a fun time. Of course the big deal of the day, October 22nd, was that it was Vivi's first day at Disney!

So the main reason we went to EPCOT is because my mom was able to get fast passes on the Frozen ride. They are hard to get and the line is always long. However, since Christy and Cali didn't have them we thought we would head over to that ride first thing and hopefully get to ride it twice. The standby line said it was very long, but it actually wasn't that bad at all and we were on the ride in no time. The kids loved it. It was Vivi's first ride at Disney and I know she didn't know what to think the whole time, and was scared for some of it, but I think she liked it.

So then we wandered over to see the wait time to meet Mickey and Minnie and it was a bit long so we headed over to the ride you should go on first in the park, Spaceship Earth. I LOVE this ride. It is the only remaining EPCOT ride from my childhood and I hope they never get rid of it or change it to be completely different. The way Disney is though, I think it is only a matter of time before this ride is not recognizable compared to the original. I used to think that all of EPCOT was in this one ride so I always love it. Vivi was probably nervous something scary would happen, but she liked it.

Christy and Cali had fast passes to Soarin' so we went on the Nemo ride. When we came out of the ride we found ourselves in a Florida downpour. We waited it out under an awning. I love all of the retro EPCOT stuff so I had to take the girls' picture while we chilled against this cool building. Vivi makes me smile the way she poses...

When the rain stopped we headed over to where Soarin' gets out and waited for our crew.

After riding the Imagination Ride that didn't even work most of the time we realized how late it was getting and that if we didn't head over to China soon we wouldn't be able to meet Mulan. Mulan is one of the only princesses that we have never been able to meet and so it was pretty important. Plus, even though Vivi doesn't care yet about Mulan, I wanted her to meet Disney's Chinese princess. This meant that we had to backtrack AGAIN as we walked to China. We stopped and met Pluto on the way. Vivi acts hesitant to meet the characters, but they are always so good at helping her warm up to them. I love how she smiles in all the pictures, even though I don't think she gets why she is smiling at all.

So I was really emotional about bringing Vivi to China. I don't know why. It isn't really China, but it just felt special. We went in and while we were waiting in line to meet Mulan we met up with my mom. Mulan was beautiful, but to Vivi she was NOT as exciting as my mom. So Vivi did not have any interest in Mulan and only wanted Gamma. Thankfully she posed for us with the princess for a little bit so I could get a picture.

We were all pretty hungry at this point. It was the food and wine festival so the world showcase was a bit crazy. I made the call to go and eat in Italy because the kids all like Italian food. But when we got there we found they only had sit-down restaurants. We decided to stay and eat, and even though it took longer than I would have liked, I did get to enjoy Vivi's pasta which was the best spaghetti ever.

During the food and wine festival they have real actual bands perform. Today was Toad the Wet Sprocket. So Vivi, my mom, and I hung out for a bit and listened to them while Christy took the girls to Soarin'. The concert was a fun surprise and I would have stayed for the whole thing, but we were running out of time and still had a pretty long to-do list.

So we left the concert and I can't remember why, but the rest of our crew decided not to ride Soarin' and to go on the Nemo ride instead. So I rushed around the world (sort of literally) while Vivi was asleep in the stroller so I could get Stella on Soarin' with me. Now, I am pretty adventurous with rides and Lagoon has made me pretty tough with even the spinning rides I used to avoid. However, the last time I went on a ride like Soarin', a ride that moves in front of a big screen, I got so sick. So I don't go on those ever. But I decided to make the sacrifice for Stella. I felt so bad that I had planned our day all wrong, and I wanted her to get a chance to go on this ride. In the end, Christy and Cali decided to ride it with us too instead of going on rides we had missed. I was SO nervous, but I did ok. I felt pretty dizzy after, but not too bad. I don't think I'll ever go on it again if I can help it though. It wasn't really that amazing to me, and not worth the potential for illness. But I'm glad I've been on it once.

One thing to mention that was adding to my irritable feelings is that my shorts were too big. With the humidity, they got all stretchy and they would NOT stay up. It drove me absolutely bonkers. I definitely packed the wrong shorts!

So we had a dilemma. We had not met Mickey yet, and we didn't have time to both go on Frozen and meet Mickey. We had already gone on Frozen, so I thought the best choice was Mickey. However, the whole reason we were at EPCOT was because of the Frozen fast passes. I chose Mickey, and I could tell my mom was annoyed about it. But meeting Mickey at the Magic Kingdom can take an hour and it just made the most sense. Vivi was OVER it. She was crying in the line and I realized that this could perhaps be a disaster. But when we turned the corner and saw Mickey Mouse, Vivi could not believe it! She kept saying "Min-Min! Min-Min! Min-Min!" When it was her chance to meet him, she was scared, and didn't want to get close. But Stella picked her up and helped her meet Mickey. It was adorable.

We met Goofy and then there she was: MINNIE MOUSE! I don't know what it is about Minnie, but Vivi LOVES her. She was less scared to meet Minnie, and her face was priceless. Oh my gosh! She couldn't believe her luck! When we left, Vivi kept telling us about Min-Min and how she held her hand and gave her a kiss. And then Stella said: "Watching Vivi meet Minnie was my favorite part of the trip."

By the time we were done everything was closed, but of course there was a big store that was still open. Vivi wanted to try on all of the Minnie ears and we picked out a pair for her. Then we went over to all the stuffed friends and Vivi was in heaven. I turned my head for like 10 seconds and when I turned around her arms were full of every single Minnie Mouse they had in the place. I'm convinced she was walking around trying to figure out a way to hold more. It was hilarious. I let her pick one Minnie and she was thrilled. It has now been two full months since she got that Minnie and we have taken it pretty much every single place we have taken Vivien. She is a constant friend.

So that was the end of our day at EPCOT. If only I had worn different shorts and we had planned our day better...but still it was a great day, and for Stella it was like visiting for the first time because she doesn't even remember the first time she came to EPCOT. Vivi had the best day too, and little did she know we had a full day of magic at the Magic Kingdom in the morning.