Good morning Epcot! Belle welcomed us to the Storybook Princess Breakfast, a highly recommended character meal at the Royal Banquet Hall in Norway. Nothing beats starting your day with five princesses.
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.
A family tradition in our house is chocolate pie. And I'm not talking about pudding in a pre-made crust either. It's my great grandmother's recipe of thick, rich chocolate in flaky homeade crust and topped with light and fluffy meringue. Tessa has developed a serious interest in cooking and she helped me make this special dessert for her Gamma. Having Tessa in the kitchen slows me down and makes a huge mess - just imagine cracking 6 eggs with a 3yr old. But the quality time is priceless and our end result was deeeelish. 
Gamma is so sweet, even on her birthday the present is for Tessa. We now have Rapunzel and friends plus a magical tower. Thank you and happy birthday!
We meet Chip & Dale in Tomorrowland.
And then Tessa rides Astro Orbiter with Gamma. I think they were the highest rocket ship, these two have no fear of heights. 
A last stroll down Main Street U.S.A. and we meet the Mayor. Pretty cool. Last minute shopping and another chance to see the princess show in front of the castle. We notice the spring breakers are all starting to arrive and the park is getting crowded. Perfect time for us to head home. 
Back to the hotel for a late lunch before we load the cars. We had planned to be on the road hours ago but couldn't tear ourselves away from the fun. Oh well, behind schedule till the very end. 
Wow! Let's drive this home.
Our child was exhausted. What a wonderful trip, we can't wait to go back!
We had sent my dad around the corner to stand in line for Jasmine. I forgot to tell him that she was taking a break and wouldn't be back until 10:30. Admittedly, it was confusing when he got to the designated spot and there was no princess. But he stood in that empty line and, by the time we were done with Ariel, we were rewarded with almost no wait for Jasmine. Aladdin teased Tessa that she had stolen Belle's ball gown. Jasmine was precious and acted like she wanted to take Tessa home with her. We took a trip on the Magic Carpet ride and managed not to get hit by the spitting camel. 
Then we found Ryan in the multi princess line. He had gotten stuck with the longest wait. Behind the curtain were three of Tessa's favorite princesses, including her twin Belle. We hugged, kissed and talked to each one in turn. These meet and greet stations are Disney genius. The kids get to see their favorites and the moms get plenty of time for photos and videos. My favorite is when Tessa posed like Belle for the final picture. 
And then it was off to the castle for lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table. Did I mentioned that we are infatuated with the castle? Cinderella herself welcomed us and then we climbed the winding stairs to the dining room. My princess held court, waving her little magic wand for all she was worth. The waiter heard Tessa asking for Sleeping Beauty and promised to immediately awaken her from her nap. While we waited, Tessa played with her new princess figurines. 
As each princess approached our table, Tessa would pick up the matching figurine and show it to the real princess. With four princesses in the small dining room we had wonderful one-on-one time. They would patiently let me take a million pictures while they loved on Tessa. In the past few days we had spent so much time with the princesses that they felt like family. 
We visited Colonial Mickey in Liberty Square, isn't he cute all dressed up? Speaking of dressed up, Tessa did not want to change out of her princess gown. So, we carried her around the park - hoop skirt and all. And she got so many compliments from total strangers.
More rides including Small World, this time with an awake Tessa. A relaxing tour on the riverboat and then it was time for the parade. We watched it from an elevated spot in Frontierland. Singing, dancing and all the favorite characters made for an awesome parade. When the Beast spotted our Belle he made a big deal and even blew her a kiss. She was transfixed by him. 
Over to Tomorrowland where we met Buzz Lightyear. He bowed to our princess and then took her hand for a picture, adorable! 
We headed back to the hotel to rest before a late dinner. Tessa fell asleep and we were finally able to change her clothes. But the hair piece and crown remained intact, it would eventually take a lot of shampoo and hot water to deconstruct that up do. Off to the Polynesian for dinner where Tessa perked right back up. She did the limbo and played coconut games while we adults struggled to stay awake. 
Tessa can get a little fussy about people messing with her hair. So when she got squirmy, I hopped into the chair and held her. No hardship for me to share the royal seat with my own little princess. The boutique theme song is "Every Girl Can Be a Princess." If only I had brought a crown for myself too. Ha! Once her hair was finished, Tessa selected make-up colors and a sparkly jewel accent. A sprinkling of fairy dust and we were done. Presenting the beautiful Contessa Belle!
While we were looking at the Cinderella memorabilia, the Fairy Godmother came to check on us. She wanted to make sure all of our dreams had come true. What a wonderful experience! 
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!" 
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.
