WDW Family Trip, December 2008, Day 3, Part I: Happy @#$^&&)#$!#@$* Birthday!

Looking for Day 2?  It starts HERE


We had the alarm set for around 6:35 so we could catch the bus to Epcot around 7:25-7:30 or so.


 
Fred had other ideas.


 
6:05…awake and galloping to the bathroom.


 
6:10…flush


 
6:12…back in the bathroom.


 
6:16…flush


 
6:21…back in the bathroom.


 
6:25…flush


 
6:27…back in the bathroom…I should be dehydrated by now


 
6:30…flush


 
6:38…oh, come on!!!! Back in the bathroom


 
6:40…flush


 
6:45…This is unreal


 
6:49…flush


 
We were planning on getting donuts for breakfast and using a snack credit for it. Unfortunately, there were no boxes of Entenmann's donuts in the food court. Oh well. I'll survive (maybe). I grab a bottled water and an orange for breakfast. We head out to the Epcot bus stop, and I calculate the odds of actually making it to all the way to the theme park without them having to decontaminate the bus afterward. I decide to make up an excuse and head in to grab a birthday pin. That way I'm really close to the bathroom in case my large intestine decides to try inverting itself again. I get the pin and hear a bus pulling up. I walk (no way in Hell I was going to run) and see that it's not the Epcot bus, but Epcot was coming in right behind it. We hop on, and I was rather surprised to see such a small number of people on the bus…especially a shared bus going to the EMH park.


 
Good…in case we hit a hard bump, that will be fewer people I'll have to be embarrassed in front of.


 
As we get going, the bus driver, who had a striking resemblance to Dennis Farina, starts indoctrinating us. We first had to take the Walt Disney World Oath:


 
I, state your name (yes, we all said "state your name"), promise…to never…ever… nevernevernenver… go …to Universal Studios!


 
He got a good laugh from that one. He then gives us an amazing information spiel on Studios (construction, times, bus stops (with and without sharing), facts, figures, etc...). He was amazing with his information! As we got close, he made the "please make sure you don't leave anything as we will take it and sell it on E-Bay so, if you do leave anything, make sure it's valuable" announcement. I look towards him, and he's looking in the mirror at my general direction, so I ask about leaving the kids.


 
"There's always someone who wants to leave their spouse or kids behind. E-Bay policy won't allow us to sell them on there."


 
That got me laughing!


 
Fred: Don't laugh too hard, Chris.


 
We make it to Epcot at 7:45 and make it through the turnstiles. I've gone about 50 minutes or so without a run to the john (had a couple of close calls, but we're in the clear). We position ourselves at the best place we can to make it to Soarin, knowing that everyone else in a 500 foot radius is doing the same thing. We count down and begin the march to The Land. We park the stroller and make our way in, pondering in amazement just how many people are dashing to the entrance. Geesh…the ride will still be there if you're not there in 20 seconds!


 
They didn't have the wall games going, but it was only about a 15 minute wait anyways. We get queued in and listen to Kronk do his little talk. As we entered the actual attraction, I could tell the boys weren't too sure about this huge Erector-set thing that we were going to strap them in on. Sheri's in first, then Eric, Aaron, and me. The lights go out, and up we go.


 
The music starts, and I look over at the boys to get their first reaction. Well, it's not quite what I was expecting. Their eyes were wide, but Eric was cringing a bit at the volume. I try to point out some of the things as we flew (especially the guy falling off the crest when skiing). Aaron likes it…but he doesn't love it. I again ponder who could really be his father. I worried about the ending with Eric and the fireworks. He complied by completely covering his ears when they went off.


 
We head back down and get the boys' shoes back on (Crocs). I could stay on that ride for an hour. We head out and make our way towards the exit. Up from above, I hear:


 
YO MUUUUSSSHHHHHH!!!!!


 
In my mind, I'm screaming OH MY GOD!!!!!!!


 
There, up above us and ahead a few feet, was one of my students from the past year, decked out in an ISU t-shirt. He sticks his hand out for a High-5, and I comply, completely dumbfounded. Two of my students at Disney World in less than 14 hours!!!!!




Part II is HERE