The spirit of Norway in EPCOT

You are not the first to pass this way.
Nor will you be the last...to experience the peril and adventure of Norway in EPCOT's World Showcase.  My family history takes me through Norway and I encourage you to experience this pavilion for yourself.

You may have walked through the Stave Church or rode Maelstrom.  I hope you stopped to enjoy the film at the end of the ride to get a bit more of the "feel" of the essence of Norway. I always enjoy walking through The Puffin's Roost and taking a picture with the Troll.

Then if you're lucky enough, you'll have the opportunity to meet my favorite fragrance designer, Geir Ness.  He comes to Walt Disney World 3-4 times a year and is happy to share his fragrances.  "Laila" is his women's fragrance that he named after his Mother.  It has a fresh clean scent with a hint of lilac and is wonderful if you have sensitive skin, as Norwegians are known for fair skin.  "Geir" is name of his men's cologne and I love that scent as well.

The Kringola Bakeri Og Kafe is a wonderful quick service meal where you can enjoy the types of sandwiches and pastries and desserts found in Norway.

But if you'd like a special treat, I recommend Akershus.  The host welcomes your Royal Family.  This is a character meal with the Princesses for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I really enjoyed the buffet, as I have experienced breakfast and dinner here.  Your meal includes 4 prints in 4X6 size and one 6X8 size of your party in the entrance with Belle.

It's wonderful to have the Princesses come to your table for picture opportunities.  During your meal, your child can even participate in their form of Prince and Princess Processional where you can parade around the restaurant with the Princesses.  I truly wanted to join in, even though I don't have kids.

The breakfast seems a bit Americanized with eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, yogurt, etc...With all meals in Akershus, your host/hostess brings the hot food to your table and you can go up to the buffet for cold items.  Dinner is much the same.  You select an entree and they bring it fresh and hot to your table.  I enjoyed the "Traditional Kjottkake" which is Norwegian meatballs served with mashed potatoes and green beans with Lingonberry Sauce.


The people of Norway are known for their hospitality, especially when it comes to their native cuisine.  The Norwegian Buffet is called "koldthord" although the literal meaning is "cold table" which includes cold meats, seafood, salads, cheeses, breads as well as traditional hot items.  One thing to keep in mind is that Norwegians do eat a lot of seafood and their buffets are a little different than Americanized buffets.  Take a moment to take in the culture of this great land and enjoy the food and atmosphere.

Merida is a Princess - Limited Time Magic at Walt Disney World

The Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World hosted a Royal Celebration as part of Limited Time Magic on Saturday, May 11 to officially welcome Merida into the Disney Princess Royal Court.  It was a grand event!  

First, we had a chance to see Sophia Grace & Rosie straight from the Ellen DeGeneres show as they rapped a great mix for the day.

Next, we were introduced to Gabby Douglas, the 2012 Olympian Champion Gymnast and her mother.  They compared their relationship to the one between Merida and her own mother, Elinor.  

The next part of our Royal Celebration was a very special treat!  We do not usually see all ten Princesses in Disney's Royal Court together.  We were introduced to each with their special attributes and photo opportunities.  The ten Disney Princesses include:  Cinderella, Snow White,  Aurora, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, Tiana, and Rapunzel.  And now...PRINCESS MERIDA! 

 

 



Merida made her grand entrance riding her steed, Angus.  There was a pathway left open between the media and guests which made a perfect entrance.  Followed by Merida on her horse, we saw her Scottish Klan in their traditional kilts singing - they were followed by a band including bagpipes, of course as well as an entire Scottish band - it was wonderful!

That was quite an entrance & was so exciting to be a part of such a special occasion!  It's not every day that a new Princess is crowned!  After Merida left Angus and came through the castle archway to join her fellow Princess Royal Court, Lady Luellen read the Proclamation and a beautiful banner came down in front of the castle to welcome Princess Merida.  She was even crowned a Princess and we got to see that her Mom & Dad came out to watch her special moment.  I have never seen King Fergus & Queen Elinor before, so this truly was a special day! 

It seemed to me that Merida didn't seem to care so much about the special crown and all that, as she's not into all the "prim and proper" status...but she sure did enjoy the attention and this special honor to be an official part of the Disney Royal Family.  Merida and her Mom had photo opportunities with Gabby Douglas and her mom.  

 

 

After the official ceremony, I got to see Debby Ryan, who plays  "Jessie" on the Disney Channel was in the Media area.  Also after the ceremony, there were interviews with Sophia Grace and Rosie from the Ellen DeGeneres Show and I had the opportunity to say "Hi" to Gabby Douglas, one of USA's Olympic Gymnastic Champions.  Then I had to personally WELCOME Merida as an "OFFICIAL" Disney Princess during her Meet n' Greet time...from one Princess to another.  

By the way...Merida has not let this PRINCESS thing go to her head...we had a few moments to "chat" and she's just as fun and down to earth as always.  Thanks for reading this blog, and if you enjoyed it, I welcome you to share it via Facebook or Twitter.  If you click "Join this site" on the right, you will be notified when I add a new blog.  It's totally free & I do appreciate you.  I enjoy sharing this Disney Girl in Orlando's experiences with you.  Thanks for reading & sharing!

May The Fourth Be With You - at Hollywood Studios

I am a firm believer that things are as good or as bad as we make them.  Just look through the eyes of a child at the wonderment & magic that finds them.  I do admit that I want to LOVE every "extra" thing Disney does!  I appreciate the special things, no matter how big or small...

We had drizzle and rain through the morning, and no special opening show, but I wasn't going to let a little rain get in the way of me STORMIN' into this party!

Some of the limited time character opportunities included Chewbacca and an Ewok by the Speeder Bike near Star Tours.  You could see Rex, Cody, Storm Troopers, Darth Vader, and Boba Fett...You will see these characters during Star Wars Weekends, but they're not around at all times during the year, so it's a bit special to see them at Hollywood Studios right now.

 My personal favorites were Jedi Mickey, Princess Leia Minnie, Storm Trooper Donald and Darth Goofy.  There was even R2MK that was so adorable!  It's amazing to watch R2MK interact with the guests!  I also loved the Autograph card that they give out because these characters do not sign autographs.

The corridor in the background for today and Star Wars Weekends were inspired by a corridor aboard the ship that transported Yoda, Obi Wan Kenobi & their exiles in the Star Wars Movies.

There were extra Jedi Training Academy lessons all day.  They were allowing adults to be a part of the show, but you had to have one adult/one child per party in order to participate.

DJ Lobot's Dance Party was bringing some outta this world hits to the Studios & you could even purchase special merchandise including the Darth Vader cupcake that was a huge hit last year for Star Wars Weekends as well as shirts, a special pin & probably even more to choose from.  And I will tell you that the fireworks was AMAZING on this day!  So I hope you take advantage of Limited Time Magic or even Star Wars Weekends...it all equals fun times for you.  Goodnight & May the Fourth Be With You!