Disney World- Day 3

We spent our third day at Disney at Epcot and got off to an early start because we had an 8:00 reservation for breakfast with the princesses at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway. The park wasn't open yet, so we had a great first impression of Epcot without the crowds.

The girls brought their own princess gowns to wear to breakfast, but decided at the last minute that they did not want to wear them. They opted for simple crowns instead...

Upon entering the hall, we met Belle and had our picture taken. The girls were so excited, but a little shy.

Sutton wasn't interested at all. The hostess seated us at the best table--right in the center. As we were getting settled, Ella left the table and introduced herself to Cinderella. Next thing we know, Ella and Cinderella are leading a procession through the restaurant.

Our breakfast was wonderful! They served scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes family style, and then they had everything else in a buffet. It was so fresh and yummy, and we would definitely do it again. We met all the princesses--Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Belle. And we didn't wait in line!

Sutton spent most of his time under the table. Snow White told him that she'd let Bashful know that he said hello.

We left Norway and quickly headed to pick up Fast Passes for Soarin'--the flight simulator. Then, we went to the Finding Nemo area and rode the Nemo ride. The girls thought it was super cool, but Sutton was afraid and clung to me the whole time. Next stop: Turtle Talk with Crush. We all loved this! In true form, Ella found a spot front and center, and then Grace and Sutton joined her. Crush was hilarious and interacted so well with the kids.

After that, we toured some of the exhibits and then did the Mission Space ride. It was awesome! It's inside the giant Epcot ball, and the kids loved riding the moving walkway to the top. After all that, it was finally time to ride Soarin'. Ella and Sutton aren't tall enough yet, so Grace and I rode it together while Travis stayed with them. A little background: whenever Grace makes a wish, like when blowing out a candle or wishing on a star, she always wishes that she could fly. She finally got her wish! Soarin' was amazing and felt so real. She loved it so much, that we got two more FPs so that she could take Travis!

After finishing Soarin', we took a little boat ride through an agricultural exhibit. As boring as it may sound, it was really neat and just what Sutton and Ella needed. We saw some amazing gardens filled with all kinds of fruits and veggies, and then we saw tons of fish and even baby alligators!

All that action made us hungry, so we stopped for pizza in Italy. It was a perfect lunch and gave us energy to keep touring Epcot. We rode the viking ship in Norway, toured all the different countries and saw lots of cool things.

The art exhibits in China (Sutton did not want his picture taken)...

A stinker who kept playing in his stroller and hula hoop fun in America...

Then, Travis and Grace rode Soarin', and Ella, Sutton and I did the boat ride again. I think they loved it more the second time.

Our Epcot experience ended on a sour note...We stopped in France for a chocolate croissant and someone helped themselves to our saved table. Sutton threw a raging fit because he just wanted to eat his croissant, and as I was pushing him in his stroller in a quest to find another table, he threw his head forward and fell out of the stroller and onto the brick road. His head hit the ground so hard, and the noise was so loud that everyone gasped. The most enormous goose egg developed within seconds, and I was concerned he might have a concussion. Once Sutton got over the shock, however, he just wanted that croissant. We watched him very closely, and thankfully, he was fine. I think the chocolate made him feel better...

A precious Mouseketeer...

We left Epcot and headed back to the hotel for a little rest and some dress up.

Later that evening, we took the Monorail down to the Grand Floridian, complete with Ella clad in her Belle costume.

The kids loved playing on the beach...

We took a boat from the GF to the Polynesian, and we saw the light parade on our way. I really need to figure out how to take pictures of lights at night. It was so cool, but none of my pictures turned out. The kids look deliriously tired (and goofy) here...

After seeing both those hotels, we're confident that when we return to Disney World, we'll stay at the Contemporary again. It's just so modern and convenient. While the Grand Floridian is beautiful, it's very spread out, and depending on where your room is, you could have quite a hike to the monorail station. With our crazy crew, we need easy access to the parks.

It was another fun, exhausting day, and we're all glad we got to experience Epcot!