We rode the roller coaster Expedition Everest and saw the Finding Nemo show. We also went on the Kilamanjaro Safari which was great, very up close and personal with the wild animals. Disney hides the fences so well that it really doesn't feel like a zoo at all. 
I was thrilled to see that Pocahontas was still greeting guests here. Just like probably half of the people here on the East Coast, I can trace my ancestry to this Indian Princess. Tessa was excited to see her too, it kind of looks like she is saying "How!" 
But best of all was Camp Minnie-Mickey. Based on reviews in my guidebook, I was inclined to skip this section of the park. I am so glad I didn't! We saw all the characters with practically no lines. Tessa just doesn't know how lucky she is to hop from Mickey to Minnie to Donald to Goofy on a whim. 
We ate an early dinner at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and watched the animals roam free on the hotel grounds. Back to the hotel at a reasonable hour, tomorrow is another big day.
Ariel was one of the princesses that morning. She spent so much time with Tessa, her little mini me. Ariel told Tessa that her father, King Triton, had made her dress out of seaweed. They chatted, hugged and Tessa got Ariel's autograph. 
When Aurora visited our table we told her that she sings Tessa's absolute favorite song. So these two sang "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream" together and did a little twirl. I loved it! Look how tightly they hugged each other before saying good-bye. 
Snow White visited next and Tessa was excited to see this sweet princess again. No hints of bashfulness this time. 
Cinderella signed our autograph book, again, and I think they talked about how wonderful Prince Charming is.
One of the fun things they do at this breakfast is have a Princess Parade. My darling led the parade with Cinderella while I hopped around like a member of the paparrazi trying to get their picture.
Outside the medieval fortress, Ryan and I took a picture. We have almost this same shot from our trip 11 years ago. I'm not planning to wait that long between visits this time though, better start saving. 
While the boys waited in the long line for Tinkerbell, we saw Max. He is Goofy's son, which I didn't know before we started planning this trip. Tessa thought he was great. And we also saw Jiminy Cricket. Tessa may not have liked Pinocchio in the Magic Kingdom but she sure was happy with this guy. 
Time for Tinkerbell and Terrence. I think it surprised Tessa that Tink was full size. I could see the look of confusion on Tessa's face and she was very hesitant to approach the fairies. But Tinkerbell made her feel more comfortable by talking about their matching shoes. Apparently those little fluffs are dandelions just in case you were wondering how a fairy chooses to bedazzle her footwear. 
After so much excitement, it's no wonder that Tessa passed out in the stroller. We pushed her her around while we toured the different countries. It was opening day for the Flower & Garden Festival and the landscaping was gorgeous. I had worried Tessa would be bored with this part of the day so it was just as well that she slept. 
The weather was perfect and we had a very relaxing lunch outdoors in France, complete with French champagne. It was a totally opposite dining experience from our intense character meals. 
I couldn't believe Tessa was still asleep after lunch. When I saw Beauty and the Beast I considered waking her up, but I didn't have the heart. 
Tessa slept through Aurora too! But, in a way, that's fitting isn't it? Sleeping Beauty is Ryan's favorite princess and we laughed that she remembered us from earlier. I probably don't want to know what makes our family so memorable. The Disney photographer wanted us to pose like I was jealous that this beautiful girl was hanging all over Ryan. But, while I was trying to make a face, I started laughing and the picture didn't turn out like he planned. 
Our Sleeping Beauty awoke and we headed for the Nemo ride and Turtle Talk with Crush. While I think Finding Nemo the movie is too scary, we still like the little fish and his friends. Crush, the turtle with a surfer dude accent, is awesome. In Turtle Talk he interacts with the kids and answers all of their questions. We still aren't sure how Disney does this, but it's really neat. Then we rode in cute little clamshells though the ocean with Nemo. 
We took turns riding Soarin'. Tessa is so close to 40 inches tall that I had really thought she would be able to ride this one. She stood up as straight as she could but just wasn't quite there. Next time. Back to the hotel for a late swim, we were pretty off schedule by this point. Oh well. 
It was getting so late that we almost talked ourselves out of returning to Epcot that evening. But, Epcot at night is wonderful and I'm glad we went. We had missed Maelstrom that morning so we rode it first. Then we had margaritas in Mexico at the new tequila bar and Tessa played the maracas in the marketplace. Next was the 3 Caballeros boat ride, it's like Small World but with Donald Duck. We had no lines because everyone was staking out a space to watch the fireworks. And the fireworks were beautiful. 
When we got to Italy we realized it was so late that all the restaurants had stopped serving. Good thing our hotel had a great snack bar open 24 hours. Another long and successful Disney day. 
It was raining when we arrived at Hollywood Studios but that didn't slow us down. With a cute raincoat like this a little Florida thunderstorm is no problem. It also helped that the rain soon stopped.
A perk of the morning rain was that there were no lines at Tower of Terror or Rock-n-Roller Coaster. So, we tackled those super headliner attractions first. Both rides were awesome, total thrill rides.
Then it was time for Beauty and the Beast. The singing and dancing were excellent and the costumes were beautiful. A little taste of Broadway on our Disney vacation. 
Another live show, this time with our favorite mermaid. You would think a 3yr old wouldn't be so impressed with shows but Tessa was captivated. Ariel has special effects like misting water, laser lights and bubbles that add a whole new element of fun for the audience. 
Next up was Playhouse Disney, an adorable puppet show featuring Disney network cartoons. It had been closed for refurbishment but, luckily for us, it re-opened ahead of schedule. Tessa's face positively glowed when she saw the Mickey Mouse clubhouse. The kids were encouraged to participate by dancing and wiggling and singing along with their favorite characters. Probably the most fun we had all day, and it was a very fun day so that's really saying something.
At this point, the plan was to head straight to Dumbo. No pictures, no breakfast, no detours we were on a mission to get there before the line got long. My plan lasted all of five seconds. Tessa spotted Daisy and we HAD to stop and see her. Tessa was so cute, I couldn't say no. Dumbo could wait.
Might as well stop for pictures now. Oh darn, twist my arm! We took a whole family shot in front of the castle. An unadvertised tip is that professional Disney photographers will take pictures with your camera too, all you have to do is ask. 
My princess could not wait to get to the castle. Another moment that made this Momma's heart want to burst with happiness.
Tessa could have spent all morning in the breezeway of the castle, it was that exciting to her. The mosaics tell the story of Cinderella and Tessa is pointing to the glass slipper.
Just on the other side of the castle we found the Fairy Godmother. She and Tessa discussed all the different princesses pictured on the front of our autograph book. 
And then we made it to Dumbo where there was a 45 minute wait. This is the advantage of traveling with four adults and one kid. We parked Ryan in line (lucky him) and wandered around while he waited. Pinocchio was greeting kids next door but as we got closer Tessa wanted nothing to do with the puppet boy. In fact, all week Pinocchio was the only character who scared her. When Ryan finally made it to the front of the line, Tessa and I joined him. Funniest line of the whole vacation - we were sitting on Dumbo looking back at the line of tired, hot parents and their squirmy, whiny kids. Ryan pointed to the line and said "Happiest place on Earth, just look." Every time we saw a long line we laughed about his joke.
Then we headed to the tea cups. Tessa is a huge fan of Alice in Wonderland and she did a happy little dance when she saw this ride. We rode with my parents and we had our little cup spinning super fast. Good thing no one had eaten breakfast. 
Yep, you guessed it. Tessa wanted to go again. Luckily, the tea cup line moves pretty quick. Ryan is saying "whoa!" as we spin round and round. 
Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder were just around the corner from the tea cups. So we put on our Rapunzel dress and headed over to see the long-haired princess. 
Then we visited Cinderella's wishing well/photo op. Tessa and I could just stare at the beautiful castle all day long. 
Daddy helped Tessa throw a coin and make a wish. Notice we have changed into our Cinderella costume:-) 
Ahhh, Cinderella's Carousel was up next. My baby does love her carousels. Who can resist a royal pony pracing around in front of the castle? In Fantasyland we also rode Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan. They are both sweet and fun rides, perfect for a three year old. Tessa fell asleep while we were in line for Small World and she missed the whole thing. Don't worry, we rode it again another day. 
After lunch we were supposed to head back to the hotel to rest while my parents shopped. That plan went out the window when I saw Snow White on Main Street. Yes, I was the mom toting her kid and shamelessly chasing Snow White. But it was a bonus princess sighting and she was so worth it. Snow White is very pretty up close and everything about her was just perfect - hair, costume, even her voice. She really looked and sounded like Snow White. Tessa was charmed and so was I. She even gave Tessa a kiss on the cheek, precious! 
We did finally have a short nap before our dinner at the Contemporary Hotel. It was fun to see the Contemporary again because that is where both Ryan and I stayed when we were growing up. Back in the old days they didn't have this cool character meal though. 
Another intense and exciting meal, this time with Mickey and his friends. Fur Faces, as these characters are called, don't actually talk. But they are so entertaining you almost don't notice. Donald camped out at our table and played with Tessa. She showed him her new doll. It looks like a normal Ariel doll, but then you flip her skirt and she turns into Aurora. Tessa was tickled that Donald knew the trick and they had so much fun together. We laughed and laughed - maybe that was the margaritas. It was a great dinner. 
I had pre-ordered a special birthday cake for Ryan. After all, what is more special than having Mickey Mouse deliver your birthday cake? I would say Ryan thoroughly enjoyed his big day. Happy Birthday Honey! 
And as a special treat, my parents took Tessa back to the hotel and we had a free night in the park. I felt like a kid again running around with my best friend after dark. We rode all the rides Tessa wasn't old enough to ride. Thanks to a weird fluke earlier in the day we had bonus fast passes. Disney customer service is absolutely incredible! The best part was we didn't wait in line for anything. We walked on to Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear and more! 
