Epcot

Our first official day at Disney was Sunday, we went to Epcot. We started the day early... park opened at 8 am. So we loaded up lunches, stroller, people and headed in. Everyone was perky, slept well and very excited about the adventure ahead of us.

We got into the park and headed to Spaceship Earth... the big silver ball that is so recognizable... but it was broken, so with much hoping that this was not to be a theme for the day, went on around and headed the opposite way most people go... we headed to the right towards Great Brittain and that area. I cannot tell you how cool this park is and how authentic they try to make every building, gift shop and restaraunt to be like the actual countries they represent, complete with interns from every country working the shops and stuff, talking to the kids in their home languages and all that. THIS IS COOL!! We walked, and shopped and enjoyed the sights and a few ride thru attractions that day. Ate fish and chips in Brittain and then enjoyed feeding the seagulls on the bridge over into France. The kids were really liking the Kidcot stations at each country . These were little tables set up with a craft project. They gave us a mask at the first station, and at each country you got to add something to your mask representing that country. Most of them were little die cut shapes, some were plastic little charms, stamps and stickers and such and at each station were the interns, and they liked to write the kids name on their project in their native language. The kids loved hunting for the Kidcot stations in each country. Another thing they loved, was hunting for the penny presses. We gave each kid a roll of quarters and a roll of pennies and they had to find the penny presses around each park to get cheap 50cent souveniers... they LOVED this!!! and kept them occupied in a not so exciting park for kids. They did not complain and really with kids this is the park to begin with because they have no "disney expectations" so it was all new and exciting to see.

They loved all the fountains with the dancing water, and trying to catch it.

The best part at the end of the night they had an open area that squirted up water from the ground... the kids saw it and wanted to walk thru it, but it was just "trick"-ling a little bit, so they did not know it would soon shoot up high into the air... so they are skipping and running thru it getting their shoes wet and just laughing... then all of a sudden.... YEP... it came on FULL blast, and little Mia got caught in the middle. She just DIED laughing and just turned around and around giggling, and people were stopping and laughing with us, and we heard many people were like "that is sooo cute" and it realllly WAS!!

That night, we had dinner in America... Hamburgers and fries for everyone....( I know i know... so crazy considering the FOOD all the countries represented... but we were STARVING, and the lines to sit down and eat anywherelse were just tooo long.) So after eating we then headed across the street to the pavilion for the Candelight Processional. It was just beautiful. They had the HUGE choir come down the street carrying candles (they were electric) in a looooong line, up to the stage all decorated for Christmas. Then sang traditional american and other countries Christmas songs in between the reading of the Christmas Story... FROM THE BIBLE!! (which i loved)by Angela Bassett and Courtney Vance (who by the way did a phenomenal job of reading it with enthusiasm and just a bit of dramatic voice.) At the end of the traditional Christmas Story, Courtney Vance gave the crucifixion and ressurrection a very nice moment, and we cheered when he said the "tomb was empty, He IS RISEN". It was just beautiful, really.

OH!! I need to tell you how cool, while we were sitting down to dinner, the kids noticed an airplane flying over the park skywriting... something....

JESUS LOVES U :)

that was so cool and they did it over every park that week... some big church down there does that... and i think what a cool way to reach SOOO many people!!!

When that was finished, we headed over to Italy got some cappuccino, and got near the water to watch the evening fireworks show. Then we headed home... tired and happy from a great day.

The Christmas lights were wonderful, the music piping around the park was Christmasy and cheery, the cast members at the park were so incredibly sweet and we had a wonderful first day.

We met Donald Duck in Mexico... and Aladdin (not the genie, the boy) in Morrocco. We caught a glimpse of Snow white and a few dwarves somewhere around Germany, but the line was too long to wait cuz she was leaving. We met Mulan and Mushu in China, and i think that is all the characters we saw that day. But it was enough to get the kids really excited about their autograph books!