This year brought a big birthday for me… my 40th. I knew I wanted to do something fun and as I usually try to be away on a trip to celebrate my birthday, this year was no different. But what to do with limited time off?
I’ve often thought of spending my birthday at Disney World’s EPCOT going ‘Around the World’ and decided this was the perfect year to do it!
I love Disney, and so far, I’ve been to all the parks except for the one in Shanghai, but I have never stayed at a Disney Resort, so that got added to the list for this birthday trip. As I was looking at all the options, I found out that the Art of Animation Resort has a Little Mermaid section, and my decision was made!
This hotel is filled with animation artwork from four films: The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, and Cars, and there are sections of the hotel for each film. The outsides of the buildings are also decorated with images from the films and there are awesome statues of characters around the resort.
Walking into the Little Mermaid section, I was like a kid in a candy store. Disney really knows how to bring the magic to everything it does.
Our room was in Ursula’s building and was decorated for our ‘Under the Sea’ stay. They even had a birthday greeting waiting for me!
After lots of photos and a quick tour around, we headed for dinner at the Landscape of Flavours restaurant and ended with a Mermaid Tail cupcake. It was delicious!!
TIP: If you are staying at a Disney Resort, consider buying a refillable mug like we did. It’s $21.99 but gives you unlimited refills of soft drinks, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate at ANY Disney Resort. When each soft drink is $4.29 and coffee is $3.49, it quickly adds up to being worth it.
On my birthday, after getting a few photos with my faves in my birthday tutu, we set out for EPCOT.
From the Art of Animation Resort, the best way to get there, and also the most fun, is by taking the Disney Skyliner (another reason I chose this resort). These colourful gondolas painted with Disney characters connect several Disney Resorts with both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios and are definitely more fun than taking a bus.
The Skyliner drops you off near the International Gateway entrance at EPCOT. It had been years since I last visited EPCOT, so we started by heading to say hello to Spaceship Earth and get some Mickey ears.
I was also looking for the Disney Passports that allow you to get stamps as you make your way around the world, but found out they have been sold out for months and while they are supposed to be coming back, no one seemed to know when. Likely not until at least the spring. I was really looking forward to doing this, so decided to make my own passport using an Autograph book. Sometimes you just have to get creative! So, with my new ears to match my outfit and my makeshift passport, we set out.
Before heading to World Showcase, we stopped at World Nature. I wanted to check out the new Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana.
It has beautiful, interactive walk-through gardens and water exhibits. You can even make the water come to you!
We also stopped by the aquariums at SeaBase, had a conversation with Crush and friends in Turtle Talk and then rode a seashell around The Seas with Nemo and Friends.
Then, it was time for our Around the World journey to begin. We started in Canada, the perfect place for two Canadians, checking out the beautiful Victoria Gardens in BC, Rocky Mountains and waterfalls, gorgeous old buildings, totem poles, and trading post. We also watched Canada Far and Wide, a 360 film showing the beauty of Canada (although it was missing half of it).
From Canada, it was across the pond to the United Kingdom. One of my favourite things about EPCOT is all the detail put into making each country unique. You can immediately tell when you’ve crossed the border as the buildings, food options, foliage, etc., change. Stepping into England, there were cobblestone streets, beautiful Tudor style buildings, those famous red telephone booths, as well as tea shops, pubs, and fish and chips!
I also found Alice outside one of the buildings who wished me happy birthday and asked if I was going to be having a birthday tea party that she could attend!
Next, we went over the channel to France, where we grabbed our first drink, Orange Slush (Grand Marnier, Rum, Grey Goose, and Orange Juice) and a Grey Goose Citron Lemonade Slush. Both were delicious!
As you make your way through the shops and bistros of Paris, you’ll find Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
However, with a wait time of well over an hour, we skipped that and joined the Beauty and the Beast sing-a-long instead!
Morocco was next. Another thing I love about EPCOT is finding all the artwork of characters whose stories take place in that country, like Abu here in Morocco.
Japanese Taiko drummers met us at our next stop.
There is a variety of entertainment found around World Showcase ranging from musical groups to belly dancing to street performing. Definitely a fun way to see a bit more of the local culture as you make your way through the countries.
I loved the gardens, pagodas, and koi pond found in the Japan pavilion. It’s always been a favourite of mine and the perfect spot to get some great photos and take in some unique Japanese art.
The American Adventure is up next, with a film about America through the years. You can also catch the ‘Voices of Liberty’ concert several times a day.
We stopped for lunch in Italy at Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria for a wood oven margherita pizza, which was amazing! I felt like I was back in Italy.
Before we left, our server, Davide, from Venice, and a couple others, sang ‘Happy Birthday’ in Italian and brought me a little birthday treat!
The square outside is made to look like San Marco in Venice, complete with Italian street performers and gondola parking.
Another favourite spot of mine is Germany. It looks like a fairy tale village and was the perfect stop for another drink—this time a German beer in a souvenir stein!
Several countries have crystal shops filled with beautiful jewels. I can never resist getting my photo taken with a crystal sign and found a few around the world with their own unique way of spelling my name!
We made a quick stop at the Outpost before heading over to China, with a room dedicated to Shanghai Disney, the only one I haven’t been to, and a film, ‘Reflections of China’ inside the stunning red Chinese temple.
We made it to Norway as the sun was setting. Another ride I really wanted to go on was Frozen Ever After, but with a wait time of over an hour and a half we decided to keep going. The beautiful wooden Norwegian building housed a display at the Gods of the Vikings.
But this troll, found inside the shop, was my favourite.
I love wandering through the shops as they are filled with popular items from that country as well as Disney souvenirs for each country and feature the characters whose stories take place there. Beautiful beer steins in Germany, assorted teas and teapots in the UK, trolls and Viking ships in Norway, etc.
The sun had set by the time we reached our final country, Mexico. We headed up into the old Mayan temple to find a lively Mexican street market filled with shops and restaurants and a ride with no wait!
We boarded the boat for the Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros and sailed off for a trip around Mexico.
We did it! We made it around the world for my 40th birthday and I got my ‘passport’ stamped in each country.
In places where they didn’t speak English, I also asked them to write ‘Happy Birthday’ in their language to keep as a fun souvenir of my birthday trip ‘Around the World!’
Even if the official passports aren’t back, I highly recommend doing this. There is a KIDCOT station in each country with a local from that country working there. They stamp your book and write a message in the country’s official language and then also give you a card with some facts about the country and a sticker. I even had a few draw me a picture.
Don’t forget to pick up your postcard from your final stop!
Such a great souvenir from EPCOT for both kids and those of us who are just travel-addicted kids at heart!
EPCOT hosts several festivals every year and this year my birthday was the first day of the International Festival of the Arts which runs January 12th to February 19th, 2024. There was lots of artwork for sale in various sections of the park as well as specialty food and beverage items. But what I was excited about is the Disney on Broadway Concert Series held at the America Gardens Theatre.
The first show featured Caissie Levy and Patti Murin, who originated Elsa and Anna in Frozen on Broadway. A perfect addition to my birthday celebrations at Disney!
While EPCOT is beautiful during the day, there is something magical about seeing the countries and Spaceship Earth all lit up at night.
Our final stop was to watch Luminous: The Symphony of Us at 9 p.m., the firework show which takes place on the water in the centre of World Showcase.
What a perfect way to spend my 40th birthday!
Tales of a Travel Addict 
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