Disney Day One: Epcot

When we woke up in our “vacation house” on Sunday morning, Kenny’s sister Debbie and her family had magically appeared overnight. They got in really late from California but woke up raring to go. The kids were, shall we say, a bit excited.

We decided to go to Epcot on our first day since it was likely to be the least crowded. Riley was mesmerized by the big ball, as well as by the first of many trams we would ride throughout the week. After a few family pics just inside the entrance, we set off to figure out what we wanted to do first.

As we got closer to the big ball, Riley ran underneath it and stretched his little body as high as it could go, exclaiming that he was trying to reach it and hold it up. So funny.

While the others got in line to ride Spaceship Earth, Grandma, Grandpa, Kenny, and I took Riley to meet his first Disney character: Daisy Duck. He didn’t want to go at first, but he eventually warmed up as we waited in line to see her. When it was finally our turn, he kept a solid grip around my neck, but I think he actually flirted with her a little towards the end of our meet and greet.

Waving goodbye to Daisy, we met up with everyone else and took Riley on his first two rides of the trip: The Seas with Nemo and Friends and Journey Into Imagination with Figment. He was fairly wide-eyed throughout the rides; I think he enjoyed both of them.

 

After taking a break for lunch at Sunshine Seasons in The Land…..

…..we headed over to see Captain EO, one of my Epcot favs. The boys had a great time running around the plaza in front of the theater before the show started, attempting to get soaked by the jumping water. James actually succeeded after the show, with a little help from his Uncle Steve.

 

By this time I was ready for a snack, so we decided to walk through the countries at the back of the park in search of treats. I found pastries in France, the boys got ice cream and Jaimi got a daiquiri near Morocco, and the guys got frozen Kirin draft beers in Japan. Everyone was happy!

We ended up walking all the way around the lake and were thus rewarded with a spectacular late afternoon shot of the big ball. So pretty.

At this point Riley had essentially gone two days without a nap, so he was becoming increasingly whiny. Kenny and I had been torn all day between taking him back to rest or staying in the park, and we got a bit snippy with each other when our decision to stay backfired on us a bit. But we got through it and the first day would be our worst day. Riley adjusted to not always napping and being kept up much later than his bedtime, and we were able to do a lot of fun things all week long.

After leaving the countries, we decided to do one last thing before leaving the park, Ellen’s Energy Adventure. We weren’t sure how Riley would do on the 45-minute ride, but he did just fine, as long as we kept steadily feeding him raisins. When we got back outside, the sun had set, and we were all ready to call it a day.

Everyone enjoyed a leisurely dinner of sandwiches back at the “vacation house,” I gave the boys their surprise Disney gift bags (consisting of a pair of Mickey ears, a glow wand, a disposable camera, and Cars gummies), and then we all turned in for some much needed rest. First day: done.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including a very special opportunity for the three older boys, is up next!