Follow Along on our Full Epcot Day

We woke up at a normal time, and my husband ran down to the Beach Club Marketplace to grab Mickey waffles, bacon, and cereal for everyone. Grandma and Grandpa were in an adjoining room, so they came over right away for coffee and breakfast. My toddler was SO excited to see them, screaming “BABA!” at Grandma every time she saw her.

After a slow morning eating breakfast in the room, we headed into Epcot for a few rides and lunch. It was a beautiful morning—sunny, with the perfect temperature. The walk to Epcot was easy, and we made it into the park without waiting in line. Almost immediately, we spotted Daisy in her festival outfit. We stopped for a quick picture and then continued on to Frozen Ever After.

After Frozen, we stopped for a picture with Donald Duck in Mexico. My five-year-old wrote “I love you” in his autograph book, and Donald responded by telling him he was #1 and drawing a heart. It was such a sweet interaction.

While we were flying over the world, my husband, Grandma, and the girls picked up a Stitch popcorn bucket, and my toddler took a little snooze in her stroller. My four-year-old decided the ride was a hard no, so she skipped it while my husband went on by himself. It was a little too scary for her, so they came right back outside.

Next up was The Seas with Nemo & Friends, which everyone went on. It was an easy ride for the whole group, and the kids loved exploring the aquarium afterward. We spent some time walking around and looking at all the fish before heading back out for lunch.

Since it was the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, we were excited to pick out our first festival foods of the trip. I stopped at Connections Café for the kids and grabbed giant pizza slices, french fries, and chicken nuggets. Grandma, Grandpa, my husband, and the kids headed over to the festival booths and got the first Bonfire Brown of the trip. Grandma and I also tried the crab cakes, which were amazing. I had the ceviche too, which was just okay.

After lunch, my husband took our toddler and headed back to the hotel to meet our grocery delivery while the rest of us finished our food and drinks.

Once we were done, we took a slow walk back to the Beach Club, enjoying the sights and sounds of Epcot along the way. The park was starting to get crowded, so it felt like the perfect time to head back for some pool time.

We changed into our swimsuits, put away the groceries, and my husband got our toddler down for another nap while the rest of us took a quick dip. Storm-Along Bay is, in my opinion, the best pool at Disney World. We love the shallow area, the pirate ship slide, the hot tub, and, of course, Hurricane Hanna’s for drinks and food.

After the pool, we came upstairs to rest for a bit and get ready for dinner. We packed dinner for the kids and headed back into Epcot for fireworks and more festival food.

We found a spot tucked away outside Germany where the kids could run around while we waited and still had a great view of the fireworks. We took turns getting food, with Grandma and me finding the Gulf Coast-style seafood at Flavors of America and the boys grabbing the New England sliders. I also picked up a Frozen Rose from the Alps.

We had some time to kill before the fireworks, so my husband bought bubble wands for the big kids and we all relaxed for a bit. The big kids were tucked into the double stroller with cozy blankets, popcorn, and dessert, with front-row seats to the fireworks.

It was magic, as always.

The music, the lights, and the torches lit up all around the park. And the best part? Epcot was relatively empty by the time the show ended, so we had an easy, peaceful stroll back to the hotel. The girls both fell asleep on the way home.

Back at the hotel, we got everyone ready for bed, and my husband took our toddler for a nighttime stroll to help her fall back asleep. She had refused to sleep in the tiny crib the first night, so we decided to just let her sleep in bed with us—and she slept great.

We were all completely exhausted and more than ready for our Saturday rest day and some much-needed pool time.