Belle of the Ball

This morning we had Grandpa and Grandma meet us at our hotel room. They dropped off a few things and joined us on the shuttle to EPCOT. Marina was excited to see them. She wore her Belle dress because we were having lunch at Akershus Royal Hall and she remembered you see Belle first there. We started our day at The Land building. We got Fast Passes for Soarin’ then went on the Living With the Land ride.

From there, we went to the World Showcase. We stopped to see Duffy the Bear again. Then we went over to Akershus for lunch. Marina was delighted to see Belle was still there. We sat down and ordered our lunch before heading to the appetizer bar. As we ate, Sleeping Beauty came by our table. After she left, they announced a “Princess Parade.” Cinderella came by our table and took Marina by the hand. All the princesses and children marched through the dining room before returning to their tables. It was quite fun for them. During the rest of the meal, we had Snow White, Cinderella and Ariel come by to see us. Marina just loved it!

After lunch, we went on the Maelstrom ride in Norway and the Three Calleberos ride in Mexico. Marina really loved the Three Calleberos, so we went again. We also met up with Donald Duck in Mexico.

We went back to the Land to ride Soarin’, which everyone loved. Then we went to The Seas. First we rode the Finding Nemo ride. Marina and Grandpa really enjoyed looking at the aquariums. We saw the end of a dolphin demonstration. They were quite fun to watch. We all went to see Turtle Talk with Krush where Marina asked Krush how far turtles can swim in one day. We rode Finding Nemo one more time before heading out to Future World. The line for Mission Space was really short, so we rode it twice. (Marina’s grandparents rode the wilder version the second time!) Finally, we went on Spaceship Earth. We were all tired, so we headed back to the hotel early.

Marina and I spent a little while at the hotel pool. She was quite happy to do so. She wasn’t happy when it was time to go to bed. She would have been happy to stay in the pool much longer!

Snow White Adventure

After discovering the Snow White ride, Marina decided to dress as Snow White today. I thought that would be an easy character visit for us, Snow White had been appearing next to City Hall all week. But, as it turned out, she was not appearing in the Magic Kingdom that day. That was disappointing. The Move It, Shake It parade was going on as we walked into the park, so we stopped to watch it for a while. Then we went to Liberty Square for Mickey Mouse waffles.

We did our usual trip through Fantasyland. Naturally, we went on Snow White’s Scary Adventures, plus all her favorites – Mickey’s Philharmagic, the Carousel and It’s a Small World. We also caught most of the Dream Along with Mickey Castle Show. We did a meet and greet with Mickey and Minnie before taking a trip to EPCOT.

Since Snow White was not in the Magic Kingdom, we went to EPCOT to see her. We took the Monorail to EPCOT and then the ferry to Germany. We made a quick stop to see Duffy, the Bear, a new arrival since our last visit. When we got to the German Pavillion, Snow White wasn't at her spot yet. So we had bratwurst and frankfurters for lunch. Very German! Once we were done eating, we found Snow White and had Marina’s picture taken with her. We stopped in Italy for sorbet, then headed back to the Magic Kingdom.

Marina wanted to try Pirates of the Caribbean this time, last year she didn’t even want to get near it. She was not only not scared, but she liked it! (Perhaps the pirate exhibit we saw earlier this year changed her mind about pirates.) We went to Tomorrowland for Buzz Lightyear. We also gave the People Mover and Carousel of Progress a try.

We did our usual visit with the princesses in the Theater before we left. Marina visited with Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Cinderella. She didn’t want to stay for fireworks, but we were able to see them from the ferry. That did get us back to the hotel a bit earlier than usual.

Pocahontas at the Parks

We slept in again today. Three nights of fireworks will make one tired! Today’s first stop was the Animal Kingdom. It was a very hot day. Marina was dressed as Pocahontas, but she wanted a hat. So we picked up one as we entered the park. She also bought herself some binoculars. She certainly looked ready to see some animals. Our first stop was the Kilmanjaro Safari. This year they let Marina sit next to the window. She was happy about that. We got a good look at quite a few animals including hippos, elephants and giraffes. It was as good as we remembered from last year. The train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch was near Africa, so we went ahead and took it. We met with Pocahontas and Jiminy Cricket while we were there.

We were both hungry, so we stopped at the Yak and Yeti and had honey chicken for lunch. We had a hard time finding a place to sit, but a nice newlywed couple from Georgia offered to let us share their table. The food was really good and perked us both up. We headed deeper into Asia and went to the Kali River Rapids ride. It looked like river ride at our local amusement park but, as it turns out, you get much wetter on the Kali River Rapids. Marina was not pleased about how soaked she was. When we talked about the ride, she said, “I hated it!” Then we walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek where we saw a tiger playing in a fountain. She kept roaring. The guide said she was calling to her sisters to come play. We also saw bats, birds and snakes on the Trek.

We decided to Park Hop today and went over to Hollywood Studios. We found out that the unscheduled character visits still happen at the same time, so we were at the right place to see that. Marina got to meet Stitch, Goofy and the Queen of Hearts. But the best part was, Pocahontas and Meeko were there. So Marina had her picture taken with her again. It was fun for all of them.

We went over to the Streets of America to meet Phineas and Ferb. She loves that show and they are new to Hollywood Studios. It was a long wait, but we were entertained by songs from the show while we waited. Lightning McQueen and Mater were just around the corner, so we stopped to see them as well.

After dinner, we watched The Voyage of the Little Mermaid show. Then we went to the stadium to watch Fantasmic. We missed this show last year – it was canceled due to technical difficulties. This year it was delayed by weather, but it finally started. It was an amazing show. Marina loved it – especially since it featured Pocahontas. She definitely wore the right costume today.

Tangled up in the Magic at the Kingdom

After a day at EPCOT, Marina was ready for another day the Magic Kingdom. Today, she dressed as Rapunzel. Shortly after we arrived, we saw the "Move It, Shake It" parade. This year Marina has been more interested in the parades, so we stopped to watch it.

We decided to meet Rapunzel early to get it out of the way. The lines for her are always long. Marina was quite excited to talk to her. She also grilled her on the absence of Flynn Rider. Poor Rapunzel looked a bit uncomfortable.

We headed into Fantasyland to ride Marina's favorites, Prince Charming's Carousel, It's A Small World, Winnie the Pooh. She even agreed to try Snow White's Scary Adventures - and learned it wasn't so scary after all!

Next we went to Adventureland. We rode the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and the Jungle Cruise. We also went over to meet Jasmine - Aladdin was not with her today. Once we'd finished with that, the Celebrate A Dream Come True parade had started. We got a great spot for that because a ton of characters came over to see Marina.

We went back to Adventureland and met Tinkerbell and Vidia, the wind fairy. This was our first time meeting her. Not the nicest fairy ever, but we already knew that.

Tomorrowland was our next stop. Marina loves the Tomorrowland Motor Speedway. I pressed down the gas pedal and Marina steered. The whole way, she shouted "Let's go, people!" to the cars in from of her. We rode the Buzz Lightyear ride and went to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor. This time, Marina was featured onscreen during a "Parade of Princesses."

We went through the Theater to see the Princesses again. Today we met Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Cinderella. Then we settled into a spot along Main Street for the Electrical Parade and fireworks. It has been another fun filled day!

Rainy Day at EPCOT

Marina and I slept in a bit, but we got ourselves going for a day at EPCOT. Marina wore her Jasmine costume today. When we arrived, Daisy Duck and Stitch were near the entrance. So we took the time to meet them. Then we went over to The Land - a building we missed completely last year. We got Fast Passes for Soarin', then looked at the Living With the Land and Circle of Life attractions.

The Seas was next for us. We rode the Finding Nemo ride. Then we went to Bruce's Shark World and Turtle Talk With Krush. Marina remembered all of that from last year.

We entered the World Showcase and took the ferry to Morocco so we could meet Aladdin and Jasmine. We had lunch at the boulangerie in France and looked at the model trains in Germany. We went to China to meet Mulan, but before we did that, Marina wanted to change into her Mulan costume. As we waited to meet Mulan, the rain started. We hung around the China pavillion for a while, but Marina wanted to move on. So, we put on our ponchos, and headed out.

We went over to France where we managed to find Sleeping Beauty, Belle and the Beast in the French theater. Then we walked over to the UK where we found Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger in a toy store.

We went back to Future World and rode Soarin' which Marina loved. We learned where we could meet Snow White and Marie the Aristocat despite the rain, so went over to see them. Marina also wanted to see Mickey Mouse again, so we caught him as well as Minnie, Pluto, Donald Duck and Goofy.

By then, it was time for the IllumiNations show. So we watched that before heading back to the hotel. It was another full day.

Part of Your World - Disney World, that is!

After a restful night in the hotel, we headed out to the Magic Kingdom for the day. Marina dressed as Ariel today. Christina wore her Rapunzel costume and Leisa was Sleeping Beauty. It was exciting to be back at Disney World!

We met Mary Poppins on the way in. Then we went over to Fantasyland where we took advantage of short lines. The girls all wanted to sit together. We rode nearly every ride in Fantasyland - including Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, It's a Small World and Dumbo. At that point, it was time to say goodbye to Linda, Christina and Leisa. They were off to meet their grandmother while Marina and I went off to have lunch.

We had reservations for lunch at Cinderella's Castle - exactly one year after our first visit there. We had a lovely meal and got to meet Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel and Belle.

After lunch, we headed over to Adventureland. We rode the Magic Carpets of Aladdin and the Jungle Cruise. Marina met with Ariel and Prince Eric there as well. We watched the Celebrate A Dream Come True parade, where Ariel excited waved at Marina, and the Dream Along With Mickey castle show. We also met with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen.

After that, we walked over to Tomorrowland. We rode the Tomorrowland Motor Speedway, the Buzz Lightyear ride and saw the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor show. During the show, Marty Wizowski had a few princess jokes. He asked for a kid to help him. Suddenly, Marina was on the screen. He asked her name and called her "Princess Marina." She loved doing that!

We watched the Main Street Electrical Parade before going into the Main Street Theater to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse as well as three princesses - Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Cinderella. Marina never gets tired of talking with princesses. We don't get much of an opportunity at home, so we're doing that while we can.

Our day ended with the Wishes fireworks show. I'm amazed at how long we spent at the park today. But it was fun!

Dinner fit for a Princess - or three!

Marina slept late again this morning. We had decided to go to church with Christina, Leisa and their parents today. Marina got to go with Christina to her Sunday School class. She seemed happy to do so.

We had lunch with Uncle Bob and Aunt Mary Ann. Marina has taken to calling them “Grandad” and “Gram” like Christina and Leisa do. It seems pretty natural. We packed up our bags and got ready for the drive to Orlando with my cousin Linda. The three girls were in the back. Leisa took a nap on the way while Marina and Christina played with the DSI. They all did really well on the trip.

We checked into the hotel and got ready for a very special dinner. The girls put on their princess dresses. Marina dressed as Cinderella, Christina as Rapunzel and Leisa as Sleeping Beauty. I even put make up on them all. One we were all ready, we headed to the Grand Floridian hotel. We had reservations at 1900 Park Fair with Cinderella and her friends.

Dinner was a buffet, which made it a little hectic. But the girls were all ready to meet the characters as they came to our table. We met Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella. Some of the characters weren't so nice, but what do you expect from Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters?

After dinner, we had planned to take the girls swimming, but the weather did not cooperate. So we all ended up back at the hotel. The girls didn't seem to mind. They just like being together.