Block Leave-Epcot

On Sunday we got up bright and early and headed to Disney!  I was super excited for Mara to experience it because she is seriously obsessed with Mickey Mouse and so happy that one of my besties and her hubby were able to join us for the day.

We started early and headed straight for the most toddler friendly ride in the park, The Seas with Nemo and Friends.  It was a super slow ride where you sat in a moving shell and it took you "under the water" with Nemo.  Mara loved following Nemo from scene to scene and really like the large fish at the end of the ride.  After getting off we spent some time exploring the tanks in the rest of the exhibit.

Disney here we come!

After Nemo, we headed to A Journey into Imagination with Figment.  This ride was pretty similar in concept to Nemo where we sat in a moving car and were taken through different scenes.  As this is about as much excitement Mara can do right now it was perfect.  She also really loved the exploration center at the end of the ride where she could make music with her feet and conduct Figment.

It was still early (the countries hadn't opened yet) so we headed to the butterfly garden.  It was Flowers & Gardens time when we visited so the park was decorated with beautiful character sculptures and flower arrangements.

Checking out some of the large fish after Nemo

Then it was on to the countries!  We decided to go round from Canada to Mexico.  As things were still closed we quickly found ourselves in Great Britain.  Here we spotted Captain Hook and Smee.  Now these aren't normally characters I'd get in line to see but we were curious as to how Mara would react and the line was super short.  She was terrified.  Was perfectly calm until it was our turn then immediate tears and desperation to get out of my arms.  We took the obligatory picture and got out of there.

So not happy

It was then onto Morocco where we had lunch reservations at the local restaurant.  Josh and I were super excited as we had spent our honeymoon in Morocco and loved the cuisine.  It was awesome.  Jill and I had the special and Adam and Josh got the lemon chicken.  It really took me back to our time in Morocco and was delicious!

Stopping to pose in Japan

After lunch we headed to the America Pavilion and got a few beers.  Epcot is known for being able to sample different adult beverages from all the countries and we wanted to get in on that.  In Germany we ducked in a few shops to escape the heat before stopping to watch the 360 movie in China.  In Norway we grabbed a few pastries and then some frozen margaritas in Mexico.

some of the flower sculptures

At this point we decided that we should try another ride.  For the most part the lines were long on the main attractions.  Mara obviously couldn't do those anyways so we decided to go on Spaceship Earth. It was fun to walk down memory lane with this ride.  Josh had done it when he visited the park as a kid and I had as well.  Mara did great during the ride and seemed pretty content to ride alone in the car.

Mara gets a ride from Daddy in Great Britian

Our next stop was one of mine and Mara's favorites.  Jill was awesome and told us about this opportunity she has as a Disney credit card holder to meet some of the major five characters at the park (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto).  We crossed our fingers that it would be Mickey for Mara and it was!!  Mickey, Minnie and Goofy!

Mara did awesome.  I thought she would be scared based on our experience with Captain Hook but she was excited.  She didn't go running to give them a hug but she pointed and said their names.  We talked about their clubhouse (she's an avid Mickey's Clubhouse fan) and she gave everyone high fives.  We even got a free photo that she still points at and talks about today.

So good to see her

The rest of the day we hung out in the Mexico area.  They had a great little sit down place inside where we grabbed chips and dip while relaxing.  Our last ride was the Grand Fiesta Boat Tour with Donald Duck.  Mara probably loved this ride the most as she was able to follow Donald throughout the ride.  She is still making Donald Duck sounds to this day!

On the way out of the park we grabbed a small souvenir for Mara to remember the trip by and said our goodbyes.  We had so much fun spending the day with Jill and Adam.  We don't get to see them nearly enough and it was so much fun to explore Epcot with them.

Mickey Mouse!