Day Four - Epcot, more Princesses and the Hoop Dee Doo Revue!

As we start day 4 on our Disney adventure, I am reminded it is election day back home. Hope everyone got out to vote! In case you are wondering, yes, we voted in the advance polls!

Everyone is still sleeping as I am writing in the journal. I have been trying hard to keep up Erin's journal like I told her I would her journal up while we were on vacation, then I would transcribe it into the blog. We always forget a couple of the little things, so on occasion, I have remembered to take a travel journal with us when we travel. I have to try a bit harder now, especially since Erin is at an age where she will remember most of what happens on our trips!

We don't have a breakfast reservation this morning, so everyone is sleeping in (except me!) and Erin really does need some rest. We are planning a day at Epcot today. Erin will be dining with Princesses again today at lunch. We have a reservation at Akershaus in Norway of the World Showcase. I really hope she will be able to meet Ariel today. If not, we will have to brave the LONG line at Magic Kingdom to meet her there. She is without a doubt Erin's favourite Princess - heck, she was always pretending to be a mermaid this summer in the pool - so I know how much she wants to meet her! Well, I'm off to take a shower and get some coffee!

Tuesday is behind us now and here's the re-cap.

It was another fun day for everyone. Sleeping in did help everyone today. We stopped for a quick snack at Roaring Forks, the quick service spot at Wilderness Lodge before hopping on the bus to Epcot. We got to Epcot around 10:00am and took the customary picture in front of the orb!

Unfortunately, I think the good the sleeping in did for Erin was short lived. It wasn't long after we arrived that Erin started in with the fear and whining about rides again. We convinced her to go to the Seas though, where she ended up having a ball. We went on the Nemo ride then spent a good hour looking at the aquariums and doing a kids' activity.

We decided to head out to see some other sites, and Erin spotted Mickey and the gang signing autographs, so we hopped into line for that. It took about 45 minutes to get through that line, but Erin got to meet Mickey, Minnie (yeah!!), Pluto, Donald, and Goofy - complete with pictures and autographs!

Donald is Gord's favourite character, so we couldn't miss a photo opportunity!!

Afterward, we decided to head to the World Showcase to look around. It was 1:00pm by this time (I am always amazed and convinced that time moves faster while at Disney... must be the lines!!). We had some time to look around but wanted to be a bit closer to Norway for our lunch reservation with the Princesses at 2:30pm.

We decided to stop by Canada - how patriotic! Erin unfortunately had another meltdown. We both lost our patience with the performance and almost took her back to the hotel and cancelled the lunch. She calmed down after we both did, and we ended up having fun watching the 360 degree movie 'O Canada'. It was well done, but I am amazed at how much stuff they didn't put in. The movie basically ignored everything between Calgary and Toronto, not even mentioning Edmonton! There was a huge focus on British Columbia, so I am wondering if this is part of some tourism videos aimed at getting people to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler.

Next we decided to head toward Norway since it was pretty much on the opposite side to Canada. We took a quick peek into some shops then checked in at the restaurant. It wasn't long before we were called in - funny enough, as we got chatting with a family from Nashville during the wait, and we ended up sitting next to them in the restaurant! I always enjoy the commonality everyone has at Disney - standing in line and waiting. I have met some great people during those waits!!

We really didn't wait very long to get into the restaurant. Erin first had her picture taken with Belle in her ballgown, so that was very exciting. We got another great photo package included with the lunch - I love that!! There was a small buffet as an appetizer for the lunch, then we ordered our meals. Erin absolutely wolfed her food down, at which point I commented on how hungry she was. Turns out her meltdown was based on hunger! We told her to make sure we knew if she was hungry at any time. She said she tried, so we apologized and all agreed to be more in tune with each other. No harm done, and Erin's mood immediately picked up!

Erin loved this restaurant, and so did we! The atmosphere and food were just wonderful. Even better, Erin got to meet four more Princesses! Cinderella was the first to arrive - I was surprised at this, because the folks told me at the time I made the reservation that it was rare that Cinderella was ever here. Although Erin had met her at Cinderella's Royal Table the day before, she just about hit the roof with excitement when she saw her! Cinderella was followed by Sleeping Beauty and Princess Jasmine, then the best of all - Ariel!! Ariel was in her wedding dress and Erin just about lost her mind she was so happy!!

I had mentioned that during booking of reservations, I told the Disney folks we were here for Erin's birthday, and it was noted on some reservations - this one included. There was a cute little cupcake with a candle brought to her which please her to no end! The part Erin loved the most about this though, was that she got a birthday card signed by all of the Princesses!

When we finished up, we had originally planned on heading back to the hotel, but everyone was in such good humour that we decided to stay and explore the countries in the World Showcase. This is my favourite part of Epcot bar non, and I think Gord's too! We all had so much fun!

We finally started to head back toward the bus area just before 5:00pm. We only had to wait about 10 minutes for a bus, then we were on our way back to the hotel. We got back around 5:30pm, freshened up with showers, and grabbed some drinks and chatted about the day and how much fun we had.

We met up with Jo, Chris and the boys shortly after 6:00pm and caught up with each other's day. We all then caught the boat to Fort Wilderness for our dinner reservations at the Hoop Dee Doo Revue. This resort looks pretty neat and right up Erin's alley! We had a bit of time before we were called in for dinner, and Erin spotted some ponies, so we took some time to explore around a bit. They have some cute ponies and some pretty impressive horse stables. Erin would have stayed here all evening if we let her!

We had a family picture taken then were called in to our table shortly afterward. What a fabulous show! It was a slapstick wild west show. The characters were great and the food was fantastic! There was cornbread - Erin's favourite - baked beans, mashed potatoes and fried chicken and ribs by the bucket full! Very yummy! Dessert was strawberry shortcake - so yummy!!!! The funniest part of the night was the Gord and I were carded. Of course I had no id with me, so wasn't served. Good grief..... I haven't been carded since I was 20. I just laughed it off. I guess our waiter was the only one in the place who did this though - Jo and Chris were sitting somewhere else and were not carded. I laughed at the guy and told him he was carding a 40-year old and just ordered a soft drink!!

Erin the hillbillie, playing the washboard! It was great how they got the kids involved in the show!

When we left, it was shortly after 9:00pm and we went down to the dock to catch the boat back to Wilderness Lodge. We had a great spot to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks, so all enjoyed the show. On our way back, there was a delay docking, so we were able to watch the nightly water parade on the water. The captain of the boat told us this is the oldest running parade in the world. It was neat to have a front row seat. Unfortunately the pictures didn't turn out all that great of this parade, so I have none to share. We got back to our rooms, said our good nights and all proceeded to CRASH!!!

We will be off to Disney Hollywood Studios for Day 5!