We left early in the morning on the day we visited EPCOT because we had reservations at the Akerhus Restaurant in Norway with Belle and other princesses. Belle was the hostess and greeted the kids once we arrived. Then several princesses came by the table to meet with the girls and boy including Cinderella, Princess Aurora and Snow White.
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After breakfast, with Belle and friends, we went to a couple EPCOT rides. The first one was the Energy ride which I remembered from years ago was the ride with dinosaurs. They updated the ride with a lengthy story featuring Ellen DeGeneres going back in time (in a dream sequence). The whole ride lasted about 45 minutes which is way too long for a ride anywhere at Disney. The dinosaur part was only about four minutes of that time. While we were among the dinosaurs (and Ellen), Chloe Jane asked Cara if she thought we really went back in time. Cara said, “No, I see light bulbs.” The next ride was much more fun for them. At the Living Seas pavilion, we rode the Finding Nemo undersea ride and the very funny and interactive Talking with Crush where the animated Crush from Finding Nemo chats with audience members and cracks jokes. As an interesting aside, after three rides at EPCOt, we might as well have been on the Ellen DeGeneres tour because she was featured on the Energy ride and Dory made appearances during the Finding Nemo ride and the Talking with Crush experience.
We then stopped for lunch in Great Britain and then headed back to the resort. I wanted us to get a chance to see Illuminations light and firework show and I knew there was no way were going to be able to spend 14 hours at EPCOT. So we took a long break and Tommy was able to get a good nap. Some of us were tempted to stay put in the resort, but I insisted we all head back to EPCOT. Everyone had a good time once we were there. We had dinner reservations in Germany at the Biergarten. They had a German band performing and everyone shouting, “Oy, Oy, Oy” as the bandmembers sang. I got to taste several German brews and raise a glass with every, “Oy, Oy, Oy!” Ruth and Tommy went down in front of the stage and did the chicken dance. In the photos, you can see Tommy explaining to his sisters and me how he did the chicken dance.
We ended the evening with a boat ride in Norway and then staked out a good spot for the Illuminations show. Near where we were waiting for the lights, I found a kiosk selling champagne and small dessert samples. The kids got the desserts and Ruth and I toasted with champagne as we watched Illuminations.
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