Day 5: Epcot - Part 3 - Video

We continued on our world tour

Next we entered France, with its quaint Cafes

and this beautiful fountain, which Holly liked very much

It was actually a little cooler here, a slight breeze off the water was nice

But it was all I could do to keep Holly from trying to climb right in.

There was an arching bridge that connected France to England

Reminiscent of the English Channel, and you could look across the water and England

In France was Belle, Holly was super excited to see her in her "work" dress

But I did have a schedule and it was already getting late in the day, almost 5:00

The line to meet Belle was super long and if we waited I was afraid we would not get to meet our friends in England

So we pushed on and said Goodbye to France, Holly didn't mind too much since we had met Belle Earlier at lunch.

In England at the first stop was Mary Poppins, she looked very elegant according to Holly

We met her during our first trip to Disneyland, but Holly was eager to move on, so we didn't stop

and then we made it just in time to a little corner to England where Christopher Robin lives

and here in his house we got to meet his friends

Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too

Both Oma and Holly were very excited to meet Tigger

Because of course Tigger's like Holly love to Bounce, Bounce, Bounce

After our world tour ended we were all very tired and hot and ready for a rest

Holly discovered another fountain, and this time she would not be deterred.

I am pretty sure you are not supposed to climb in, but she was hot and very insistent and I was ready for a break and a snack

We made friends with a squirrel who was practically domesticated, it was uncanny like he understood our conversation and practically ate right out of our hand.

We shared with him a piece of peanut butter sandwich which he liked very much.

Next we went on the Soaring California Ride, This one was a little tricky because before it starts it gets dark and you go up.  Oma was scared of heights and Holly was crying a little and hiding under her blanket.

The attendant was worried I think but I assured him she would be fine once the ride started and it was the anxiety of anticipation of the unknown and unexpected that was upsetting her.  True to my prediction she loved it.  On this ride you are "flying" over California, in reality you are seated about 20ft up in a 10 person sky ride type contraption that sways and swings as you watch the film of your flight super sized ahead.  It was very realistic and I had to tell Holly it was pretend.  We flew over Disneyland Fireworks and saw Tinkerbell which she loved and she recognized San Francisco.  When we went over the Ocean there was a wave that "splashes and Crashes" into you, this scared her a little but was also exciting, since the wave didn't get her. When it was over she was all smiles and excitement, which relieved the attendant.

Here we are in one of the Ecology area's learning about sustainable farming and Holly was excited to see all of the plants and crops growing, they were giant fruits and vegetables she said Daddy would like this ride a lot.

Next was the Finding Nemo Ride/Show.  We were a little nervous because there is a part in the show with the shark which is a little scary, but she did great.

These are the Jellyfish that Dory gets lost in

Afterwards, it was getting late, and the park closed at 9:00.  We never expected to be here this long, but found a lot to do.

There was no line to meet Mickey whom Oma didn't get to see at Magic Kingdom, so we stopped in.

Holly was much more comfortable this time around and even asked Mickey if she could touch his nose

and she gave him a big hug.

Then of course Mommy and Oma joined the picture

We also got to meet Pluto.

Holly was actually quite proud to point out that Pluto was as big as Chewbacca

Which if Chewbacca was standing on his hind legs like Pluto he would be.

And of course when he was on all fours he was about the same size

Holly was super delighted to meet her next friend

Minnie Mouse! She gave her a big hug and told her she loved her hair bow

Holly has a Minnie Mouse Bow-tique game she plays quite a bit and was excited to meet her

She also taught her the Princess Curtsy, it was super cute.

Holly wanted to know why Minnie didn't talk.  I think that's a tricky thing for the non-princess friends we met.

Holly also alerted us that she did not have a Minnie Mouse Dress, but Oma made sure to remedy that before the Night was through.

I swear I intended to leave at this point, but it was just about time for the Fireworks and light show to start and I just didn't want to miss it.

Holly and I did decide to sit far back behind the crowd closer to the exit (learning from experience) and to not be too close so it wouldn't be scary.  We had a wonderful time at Epcot, and I highly recommend this park for younger kids.  I thought it was for older ones, which it could be, but there was a ton of stuff for Holly to do.

My Mom took four video's of the Epcot Fireworks and Light and Fire show, which you can watch here:


Epcot Fireworks 1
http://youtu.be/f_Wa1IXcc_g

Epcot Fireworks 2
http://youtu.be/ublxwCFMjd0

Epcot Fireworks 3
http://youtu.be/tBVk18IlWuE

Epcot Fireworks 4
http://youtu.be/sOd86ODJCFY

Day 3: Magic Kingdom - Part 1- Video

Here we are on our way to Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom.

Oma found an awesome double stroller on craigslist that we used the entire trip

It was super comfy for Holly with a front seat or a back seat and plenty of basket space for our bags

Not that we didn't want to buy food there, but we brought along several bottles of water and tea

and lots of really yummy snacks.  We were spending 4 days total at the parks so we were not trying to do everything

Our first day ended up being a slow start, and it takes a lot to get to the actual park

First the parking lot, then a monorail.  On the first day we had to buy tickets too, so it was several lines

Finally we were in the entrance and they were just finishing up the morning parade

Holly was excited to see Woody and Jessie

It was super cool to see her watching the parade

Last time we were at Disney land the parade was too much for her, she was scared and covered her ears

This time we was excited to see it.

But first thing first she wanted to meet some characters.  The line wait was short so we decided to head right in.

While we went to see Mickey, Oma waited in line for us to see the princesses since that line was longer

They have an area right in the front where you wait indoors and meet him, it is like Back Stage

The room was really cool, with magic posters

Holly was super nervous and needed a lot of encouragement to go up to Mickey, Mommy had to go with her at first

She had a little card for him to sign, we had forgotten to get a signature book

It helped her to have something to do, like a transitional object

Holly was pretty star struck

We finished our visit with just barely enough time to get to Oma at the entrance of the princess room

But at least that meant we didn't need to wait in another long line.

Holly Meets Rapunzel

http://youtu.be/6eyG0OOWG6U

Holly was even more star struck meeting the princesses, She loved Rapunzel's long hair

And she loved Aurora's Dress

It was so cute when Aurora was teaching her how to curtsy and hold her skirt

Then we all took a photo with Aurora

Lastly we met Cinderella, She is Holly's favorite princess

She had a pink signature card for her to sign

and then we all joined her for a picture together

After we got back outside and made it past the entrance of the park we went shopping for a signature book

Holly picked the one with princesses of course

Here is Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket

Next we headed down Mainstreet USA

Holly posing along the way in front of Cinderella's Castle

Until we came across Merida's area

We had a guest assistance pass for the park, but it worked only on rides

Holly was eager to mostly meet all her favorite characters and that took time

We still had to wait for Character meetings

The Merida area was really neat, so beautifully decorated

There was a fun bow and arrow for the kids to play with

And a coloring area.  Oma waited in the line for us while we played

Which was mighty nice of her

It is such a great idea to have stuff to do while waiting

and it was nice to be able to see Merida while we waited, so she could watch her and be near by

Until it was finally her turn to meet Merida

Merida is one of Oma's favorite princesses

She is mine too.  She is a rare princess who actually doesn't get married at the end of the movie

Holly was excited to meet Merida too

So far we had been having a really great day

We got a cool photo pass for our trip so we could have the Disney guys take pictures for us

Not that it stopped us from taking lots of pictures too

Holly is such a happy girl!

We were just starting our day and we had already had so many highlights!