Last year I blogged about my love for the Disney Princess Meet and Greet on the Disney Magic. (Read about that here) Anne was in a really shy phase, but those ladies made her day with their kindness and beauty. But that was a ten months ago, the shy phase is over and we finally entered the Frozen phase. I held off letting them watch it as long as possible, but Anne only had to see it once to be an ardent lover of all things Anna and Elsa. When it was time to actually meet these girls, Anne was over the moon. Ryan was so happy for her, it was really cute. He kept saying, "Are you ready Anne? Are you ready to meet them?" But I knew from the cruise that enthusiasm prior to the meeting doesn't always translate to a bubbly encounter. But let me take a step back. You can meet Anna and Elsa in Norway, which is in the World Showcase in EPCOT. The line is usually 20-60 minutes, and there is no FastPass+ for the Meet and Greet. When we got in line, it was a posted wait time of 25 minutes. Not bad. Rob went to get some Food and Wine snacks while I took the kids in. The line for Anna and Elsa winds through their house. But it's not a castle, it's a little cottage. I'm not sure why they live in a cottage. Um... let me see here (goes to google)ah yes! We meet Anna and Elsa in the Royal Sommerhus. So this is their vacation cottage. Got it. Anyway, the cottage, um, Sommerhus, is full of cool things to look at, throw backs to the old Norway Pavilion before Frozen took over, and hidden Mickeys. You will just have to take my word on this, because guess what! I forgot to take pictures! Spoiler alert! I'm about to ruin some of the magic. So if you don't want to know how the sauce is made, scroll down to see the pictures of our encounter with Anna and Elsa. Once you get to the front of the line, you are divided into a small group. I think maybe 8 people? Then a door in front of you opens to a small hallway and you go through another door to see the ladies. The secret is, there is more than one door off that hallway. So they have multiple Annas and Elsa just waiting to meet you, which is how they keep the wait times down. But because they keep the main door closed while they are opening and closing the doors to Anna and Elsa, the guests don't see the multiple rooms, and kids can keep on believing. Isn't that awesome? When the door opened and our small group went in, I was amazed. They closed the door and the room was absolutely calm and quiet. The adults were talking in hushed voices, and Anna and Elsa were taking their time and chatting with each child. We were at the back of the pack and this actually worked to our advantage. I pointed out to Anne and Ryan how it would work when it was our turn. They got to see how it was for the other kids. By the time it was our turn, they were ready! Up first, the Queen herself, Elsa. Another way that being in the back worked for us, is there was no one behind us. I kid you not, Anne talked to Elsa for about 5 minutes. There was no rush at all. Anne told Elsa about having toothpaste with her on it, which Elsa thought was so funny. She asked Anne if it tasted like chocolate, because that is Elsa's favorite thing. But Anne said it tasted like blueberries, which Elsa didn't think was all that great. Then, Elsa called over to Anna to tell her about the toothpaste, and all 4 of them had a great conversation about it. Priceless. Then, we met Anna, whom I adore. So there you go, another fantastic character greeting at Disney. Anne was over the moon, really, she was proud of herself for not being shy. And Ryan, well, two more princesses found him adorable. "I guess Princesses just like me," was his summation of the experience.
People tell me all the time to "cherish them while they are little." I have come to realize that isn't a criticism of me. When people say that, what they are really saying is they didn't always take a step back and appreciate their kids. I know that these princess days are a short time in a child's life, that's why I love the Disney experience. I will always remember this day!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWe are a travel-loving family. Join us on our adventures! |