Disney World! Part 2

Wednesday we went back to EPCOT to do the World Showcase. We went right to Norway to do the Frozen ride and didn't have any wait, then we did Test Track with a fast pass. Then we went back and started in Mexico to make our way around the world. My mother-in-law bought the kids passports so in each country we would find the station where they could get their passport stamped and talk to someone from that country. It was fun to talk to all the people and ask them questions. Our usual question was what they missed most from home and at least 80 percent of them said the food.

So in each country we looked around, did the attraction, stamped our passports and got a treat to try. In Mexico we got churros, served with a dulce de leche dip that was amazing. We all enjoyed the boat ride, trying on sombreros and seeing Donald Duck. Next was Norway. We all loved the Frozen ride and got what was called a school cake that was a cream-filled pastry that had a unique flavor. I think Josh told me it was cardamon. It was different but we all liked it well enough.

On to China where we watched the movie that surrounds you and played with some puppets. That was the lamest treat; Josh just got some orange hard candy so nothing fresh. That was kind of a low point of the day energy wise and I was getting frustrated with how hard it was too keep everyone together without the orderliness of lines.  But we did see Mulan from a distance and pressed forward. Next was Germany. We looked around the stores and then got a big pretzel to share and also a butter bar, both of which were tasty. I was a bit disappointed that for some reason none of the performers were out that day so no Chinese acrobats, Japanese drummers or Liberty Singers, and it was kind of crowded with the food and wine festival going on. Then it was Italy where I think we missed getting a treat because Brandon threw a fit, then America where we saw the show and then we moved on to Japan. We got terriyaki chicken buns there that were amazing and the girl there was probably the most friendly and fun to talk with. Then Morocco where we somehow missed getting food and then France where we got a lot of food. We tried a sandwich on a baguette that had brie and apples on it that was so delicious and a couple of other pastries.

England was fun because we looked up our ancestor's coat of arms, saw Winnie the Pooh and the guy there doing the passports was super funny. Canada was last and we got maple popcorn there but skipped the movie because the kids were done. The kids didn't really seem into it at the time but later Curtis told me it was his favorite day. Soon there will be a Ratatouille ride in France and England is getting re-done to look like Cherry Tree Lane so that will be cool. I am excited to go back!  We went back to the hotel, chilled for an hour, then went to Magic Kingdom to shop a bit and see the regular fireworks. It was crazy crowded but we had great seats at the end of Main street so we were able to get out of there fast after it was over so it all worked out.

Thursday we went to Animal Kingdom. I loved it. I think it is such a beautiful park. It doesn't have the magic of Disney but I like its vibe. We did the Bug's Life 3-D  movie, then did pretty much everything else (Flight of Passage, Lion King show, the bird show with the Up characters, the rapids ride, the drawing class up at the outpost, the safari, the Nemo show, and the little kids even did TriceraTop Spin.) Josh and I even got to hop on Expedition Everest while everyone else watched some drummers. It was all amazing! The only thing we didn't do was Dinosaur since there wasn't much interested in being totally scared. Everything is such high quality in this park. The shows were all stunning and so much fun and Flight of Passage is as amazing as people say; it ended up being Lily's and Curtis's favorite ride. Unfortunately Brandon was crying the whole time we were on it so I missed a bit of its magic but it is a pretty genius and idea and very realistic and fun to feel like you are actually flying. I would have loved to stay for the night show but Josh and my in-laws were done with this park so we went back to Disney Springs, had an amazing dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express, finished all our souvenir shopping, got some treats and called it a day.

Friday we park hopped. We started off going back to Hollywood Studios early to get on the Star Wars ride only the little kids didn't want to go so I stayed with them and had breakfast there (so gross; worst meal in Disney) and Josh and the big kid rode it. They were a bit disappointed and said actually that the original Star Tours ride is better. I did not like Star Wars land; a bit too immersive for me and while I like Star Wars I am not a die hard fan so it was a bit too much. The storm troopers walking around and bothering people was kind of funny though. We rode Toy Story Mania one more time and then I wanted to ride Tower of Terror but they don't have a single rider line anymore and the line was over two hours long. I was disappointed but we moved on to Magic Kingdom. We rode the Mine Train twice and the carousel, did Mickey's Philhar-Magic and some did the Carousel of Progress while others of us did the Laugh Floor again. We also got huge cinnamon rolls at Gaston's Tavern. It was raining off and on all day on Friday which was annoying but didn't slow us down.

We headed over to EPCOT for dinner and got pizza in Italy, a hot dog for Brandon in American and I got more terriyaki chicken buns from Japan. We also went to Mexico for more churros and some tacos. That is a fun place to eat! Josh and Curtis went to ride Mission Space one more time and we were just killing time waiting for 10pm fireworks when my sister-in-law ended up falling and dislocating her knee. It started raining again and my kids were freaking out and crying and so we called it a day and headed back to the hotel while Josh stayed with his family and ended up going to the hospital with them. The EMT popped her knee cap back in place then they did x-rays at the hospital to make sure she hadn't done any damage to her ligaments, which she hadn't so that was good. I got my kids to bed and Josh finally made it back around 1am.

We were supposed to leave at 7am but left closer to 9am so that we could eat breakfast, cash out our last few dining credits on snacks for the car and then say goodbye to my in-laws, since the night before had been so crazy. We had a really easy drive home and made it just before 10pm.

It was an amazing family trip. It wasn't without a few hiccups but overall, the kids did amazingly well. No one fought, they were polite and kind to their grandparents, they were grateful and fun to be with almost all of the time. My in-laws stuck with us a lot but took breaks when they needed and I never felt like the big group was tough to handle, except maybe a bit in EPCOT when it was just hard to all stay together and we kept losing people. I had a lot of fun riding the rides and playing with my kids, which is why I wanted to go. I feel the magic and still love being a kid there and it was so much fun. I could go every year if we could afford it. There are other trips I want to take but I imagine we'll be back three or four years. The kids all loved it and it was a wonderful experience we will always remember.