Walt Disney World Trip Report: Day 5

Day 5 - March 3

When we had originally planned our trip for January we had planned on going to Princess breakfast at Akershus in Norway for Melinda’s birthday. It was originally planned for just us. When we decided to reschedule for March we kept the Akershus breakfast reservation for just the two of us, figuring it would give Mom and Aunt Joyce some time to themselves. Earlier in the week we had checked to see if we could change ours to include them, but it was completely booked. So the plan was for Melinda and I to head to EPCOT and have them meet us. Aunt Joyce wanted to go to the Magic Kingdom so they decided to go there and we agreed to all meet up at 10:30 near Spaceship Earth.

It was extra magic morning hours at EPCOT that day so the first thing we did when we got there was get fast passes for Test Track. I had reach an agreement with Melinda earlier in the week that if I went on Test Track, she wouldn’t make me go on Splash Mountain. With our fast passes now in hand we headed towards breakfast. It was strange walking around World Showcase before it was open. There was no one else around until we got to Norway.

An empty Norway



We checked in at the podium and waited in line. When we got inside we had our picture taken with Belle who looked so cute in her ball gown and matching cloak since it was another chilly morning. We were then seated at our table, which ironically enough would have fit 4 people. We weren’t really sure if we were going to like the food, but we quickly discovered it was all wonderful, especially the biscuits. They bring out a plate of hot foods that included eggs, sausage, bacon, and a cheesy potato casserole that was excellent. Melinda didn’t try any of that.

My plate



Melinda's plate



The hot food



While we dined the princesses greeted guests. First to stop by was Aurora, which is Melinda’s favorite princess. This Aurora didn’t seem as friendly as some we’ve met before and didn’t stay too long.

Me with Aurora



Before the next princess stopped at our table they brought out the surprise I had ordered for Melinda. I felt bad that we had rescheduled the trip and she couldn’t come on her birthday so I had ordered one of the Princess surprise cakes through Disney dining. That was one of the hardest secrets I’ve had to keep! She was so surprised! It was awesome! She loved it.

Melinda's surprise - The photo is blurry, but you can at least get an idea of what it looked like.



Next Jasmine and Snow White stopped by. The last princess to visit us was . . . MULAN!!!! YAY! I was so happy since she is my favorite “princess-like” character. She was really nice and funny. She said Mushu had started a fire in her closet that morning. That silly Mushu!

Me with Jasmine - Again the photo is slightly blurry.



Me with Snow White



Me with MULAN!!!



Norway



Mexico



After the most perfect and delicious breakfast ever we left to head back towards the gate to meet up with Mom and Aunt Joyce. As we were walking past the Character Spot we saw the Queen of Hearts and Marie!!! Melinda and I have been wanting to see Marie for a really long time so we quickly got in her line. She is so cute! So soft and fluffy. She was shocked when we told her how many kitties we have at home. Then we met the Queen of Hearts. She had fun looking at our pins and sharing her thoughts on each of them. She seemed to approve of Melinda’s Maleficent pins. She was less impressed with mine.

Me with Marie



Me with the Queen of Hearts



Since we still had time before we had to meet up with Mom and Aunt Joyce we decided to go to the Seas with Nemo and Friends since in the past there never seemed to be a very long wait. The queue is lots of fun and seems to go on forever. The ride isn’t very long, but it’s cute and the song at the end almost always gets stuck in my head. After we were done with the ride we got some photos of us with the sharks at Bruce’s Sub House. It’s always a pain in the butt to get a photo with Bruce since there always seems to be young children running in the way when you go to snap the picture.

Me with Anchor from Finding Nemo



By this time it was time to meet up with Mom and Aunt Joyce. Before we had left we had given them Melinda’s cell phone so we could call to let them know where we were. We tried calling and no answer. Ugh. So we went to where we said we were going to meet them. Nothing. We decided to head closer to the entrance so we could see them as they came in. We waited. And we waited. And waited. Nothing. It was almost 11:00 am by this point so we decided to go look around Spaceship Earth to see if we had missed them. We had also been trying to call them, but still no answer. As were finishing our walk around Spaceship Earth we found finally found them. YAY! Since we were right by Spaceship Earth we decided to ride it. I haven’t been on it since 1987. I sort of freaked out back then because I didn’t know it went backwards. So Mom kept bugging me about that. She rode with Aunt Joyce and I rode with Melinda. I didn’t really remember it from 1987. It was OK. Though I still didn’t like the backwards part. I felt like I was going to fall out.

After Spaceship Earth we decided to go use our fast passes for Test Track. I was quite nervous. As we were working our way to the front of the line the nerves increased. Melinda reassured me that I could chicken out, but I didn’t want to chicken out, even though I was terrified. I was determined to be brave. I wanted to sit in the back and the Cast member was nice enough to seat us in the back and I took the seat on the left side which had a shoulder harness. The first part of the ride was OK. Though I didn’t like the braking test very much. The speed barrier part of the ride was what I was not looking forward to. The first part of it was fine and I even managed to open my eyes for part, but for some reason the second part totally freaked me out. My mouth went completely dry and I couldn’t even scream. I was shaking when I got off the ride. It scared me that my mouth was completely dry. Melinda was proud that I actually rode it. We then made our way to the gift shop where we told Mom and Aunt Joyce to wait for us. After they finalized their purchases we decided to head towards World Showcase.

We decided to go to Mexico first. The last time we went to WDW the ride in Mexico was closed. Melinda and I both thought it was sort of lame, though the parts with Donald were kind of funny at points. We then did some shopping before heading onward to Norway to ride Maelstrom, which is one of my favorites at EPCOT. There was like a 20 minute wait, but it didn’t seem like it was that long. We were seated in the back of the boat. I seriously love this ride, which is strange since there is a hill and it goes backwards, but for reason this one is super fun. The only thing I don’t like is that they make you wait to watch a movie, so even though you are done with the ride, you can’t leave. It is also really dumb because almost no one stays for the movie. Once we were free to leave we quickly got through the gift ship to head towards the American pavillon where we were going to have lunch.

View of Spaceship Earth from Japan



The lines were quite slow at the Liberty Inn. They didn’t look that long, but were very slow moving. Aunt Joyce, Melinda, and I each had a grilled chicken sandwich and fries. Mom had a bacon cheeseburger. For desert Mom, Melinda, and I each got an apple cobbler, which was really good. We finished lunch in time to see the next showing of the American Adventure. This was a priority on my list since they added Michelle Kwan to it after our last trip. A group of singers were singing out in the lobby before we were seated. Their rendition of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” was interesting. The “American Adventure” show was interesting. Some parts were definitely better than others. Aunt Joyce sort of dozed off at one point. Melinda and I both cheered and clapped when Michelle was shown! :)

We decided to continue our trip around World Showcase and headed towards Canada to see the improved “O’ Canada” movie. We stopped in the United Kingdom and looked through some of the shops. I think Aunt Joyce really liked the gardens in both the United Kingdom and Canada. We didn’t have to wait too long for the movie to start. The last time we went to WDW they were still showing the old version of O’ Canada and it was in desperate need of an update, which they did. They added Martin Short who was funny. I liked how they kept a lot of the original movie and added in new parts.

The Canadian gardens



After walking all the way around World Showcase, Melinda and I decided to go get fast passes for everyone for Soarin’. This was the one ride I wasn’t sure if Mom and Aunt Joyce would like. So we left them looking at some gift shops while we went to get the fast passes. When we returned with our fast passes in hand we went back to World Showcase since we had dinner reservations at the Biergarten for 6:30 pm.

We stopped in China when we saw Mulan and Mushu. It was the same Mulan as at breakfast. We told Mushu that he needs to stop trying to break Mulan and Shang up. Since we had some time before our reservation we decided to look around the China pavillon. We went to the Tomb Warriors exhibit, which was really neat. By this time we were all getting pretty tired since we had been going nonstop. We found a bunch and sat down for a minute or two. This really cute little girl just laid down on the floor. I turned to Melinda and said that she had the right idea. I wish Ellen’s Energy Adventure would have been open because it’s a great place for a nap! But there was no nap for us.

China Pavilion



After China we continued on towards Germany. We explored the stores in Germany since we still had time before we needed to check in for our dinning reservation. I love the stores in Germany. Melinda and I each bought some Haribo gummi candies. I never can find the twin cherries near us and get some each time we got to WDW. It seemed like they had more kinds the last time we went to WDW. We also bought some fudge, but I don’t think it was as good as Mackinac Island fudge.

We then checked in for our reservation and waited to be seated. At the Biergarten you are seated with other families, which is interesting. Melinda and I tend to not talk to other people, but Mom and Aunt Joyce had fun conversing with the other people at our table. We booked our reservation at 6:30 so we would have some time to get our food before the show started. The food was wonderful! It was food like we would eat at home. We knew Mom and Aunt Joyce would like the food there. The chicken was really good. The carrots were awesome. The pretzel were super delicious. The deserts were all amazing. The show was terrific, though they didn’t play the bells like last time or the horns. Overall it was a wonderful meal. We were all stuffed when we left!

Melinda and I at the Biergarten



My plate



Yummy chicken!



Photos of the show





With our tummies full of delicious Germany food we headed back towards Future World to use our Soarin’ fast passes. I think the queue at Disneyland is more fun than at WDW. Like we did at Disneyland we asked the cast member to be seated in the back row since we really don’t like heights . And since Mom and Aunt Joyce were with us and I wasn’t sure how they would respond to it, I thought the back would be the best choice. The cast member was great and we were seated in the back row. I was kind of nervous that my Crocs were going to fall off! LOL I had to shut me eyes a few times. I don’t think it was a good idea to ride it on a full stomach, but it was fun. Mom and Aunt Joyce LOVED it! They talked about it the rest of the night. They were just amazed by it.

Soarin!



After Soarin’ it was almost time for Illuminations. We didn’t see Illuminations on our last WDW. So we headed back to find a spot to watch Illuminations. We found one of the areas reserved for disabled guests. Melinda and I sat on the ground next to Mom. We had a really great view. I was able to use the fence railing to put the camera on to try to get some photos. The show was AMAZING!!! WOW! We all really loved it.

Aunt Joyce with Spaceship Earth



Since the park was closing after Illuminations we headed back towards the car. It was so cold! This probably one of the coldest nights. Since it was going to be Aunt Joyce’s last night we too her to Downtown Disney to go to World of Disney. She was amazed at the size of it. We were there were a while. By this point Melinda and I were extremely tired and left Mom and Aunt Joyce to shop while we went to go sit in the car. I managed to get a short nap in.

Illuminations



After they had finished shopping we headed back to Pop. Finally! It had been a fun day, but an extremely LONG day. We had to go to bed so that could get up early to drive Aunt Joyce to the bus station.

We had another split day planned the following day, so it was going to be another long day.