8/25/07 - Epcot
The alarm went off at a reasonable 7:00 a.m. My sister and I woke up very excited. The plan was to go the Epcot, but the highlight of the day would be the arrival of more family.
We had a big surprise for the boys. My sister's hubby would be arriving this evening and the boys didn't have a clue! The boys are very close to my BIL and spend time with him just about every weekend. They were disappointed at the fact that he wouldn't be able to come along on the trip. They're always rough housing and playing practical jokes on each other, you know, typical male bonding stuff. Little did they know!
My SIL, BIL and 5 year old niece who live in South Carolina would also be arriving. We were thrilled because they had recently moved there from California and we missed them terribly. They would be driving down and were set to arrive at approximately the same time as my sister's husband.
We dragged the boys out of bed and we all got ready. We walked over to Captain Cook's and grabbed a quick breakfast of pastries, milk and fruit and then hopped on the monorail for our short scenic trip to Epcot. Did I tell you how much I loved having easy access to the monorail?
Waiting for the monorail to Epcot. Can you tell my kids aren't morning people? Don't worry, they snapped out of it as soon as we got to the park.
At least one of the boys looked enthusiastic.
The first order of business was to get our
ECVs. This was the only time we encountered a rude CM.
Unfortunately my sister forgot her ID in the room. Of course we know the rule is that you have to be 18 to ride/rent one. She offered to show the CM her bank debit card and receipt for the previous day's
ECV rental which had the partial debit card # on it but she scoffed and said, " That doesn't prove anything!" My sister pointed to her pregnant belly and the CM went on to say, " That doesn't prove anything either, you look 15 to me and there are a lot of 15 year old pregnant girls running around."
Now don't get me wrong, it was my sister's responsibility to show proof of age, I acknowledge that. But the comments of the CM were waaay inapproriate and insulting. It's difficult to convey in writing how rude she was but take my word for it, she had a definite 'tude judging by the tone in her voice. I calmly asked for the supervisor and explained the situation. She apologized and felt that the receipt and debit card were enough proof and was sorry for the rude comments of the CM. So there!
We aren't the types to let something like that ruin our day so we brushed it off and quickly shot on over to Test Track to grab a FP. We were anxious to get our ride on and headed to Nemo.
So we rode Nemo and walked around the aquarium for a while. For some reason we didn't see Turtle Talk.
Gotta add that to the itinerary for next time.
Next we did Journey Into Your Imagination. It was an ok ride, not outstanding but some people really like it. At least it was air conditioned.
After that we rode Ellen's Universe of Energy. I loved this ride!
By this time it was about 12:30 and our tummies were rumbling so we went over to Sunshine Seasons.
We loved it here! They have something for everyone and the food quality is very good, definitely better than average theme park fare. My sister and I had the roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. David had the salmon which he really enjoyed, Daniel had the Cuban veggie sandwich and I can't remember what Damian had. They also have a wide variety of great desserts. I had strawberry shortcake and my sister had sugar free ice cream. That's one thing I can say that WDW has over DL, just about every place we ate was some type of sugar free dessert on the menu.
Another thing we love about Sunshine Seasons is that it's in a large building that also houses a couple of rides. Talk about convenience!
So we sat around for a little while to let our food digest a bit and then decided to get on a few more rides.
We rode Soarin' which was the same as the one at California Adventure with the exception of the queue. We love this ride though so it was a must do for us.
Next we did Living With the Land which was relaxing and informative.
During the course of the day we were in constant communication with my BIL via text message. It was very difficult to contain our excitement and not spoil the surprise for the boys.
Before heading over to World Showcase, we used our FP for Test Track. Wish we had this ride at DL.
Next we did some shopping at Mitsukoshi, the boys' favorite store in all of WDW and in which I usually spend the most money.
While the boys looked for ways to bankrupt me, I was on a quest for one of my sister's most beloved childhood toys, Monchichi. I remembered seeing it at Mitsukoshi back in '04 but foolishly didn't buy it. Unfortunately they didn't have it this time around. Oh well, maybe next trip. WDW, bring back Monchichi!
After checking out a few more shops we got a text from my BIL letting us know his plane had just landed. Woohoo! So we told the toys it was time to head back to the resort for dinner.
We showered and changed and were ready just in time to get a text from my BIL who said he had arrived at the Poly and was in the lobby. Perfect timing because it was also almost time for our ADR at Kona Cafe.
We walked over to the Great Ceremonial house. My BIL was trying to think of a way he could play some kind of joke on the boys but it didn't pan out. As we approached one of the shops where he was waiting, my son David saw him from behind and said, " Hey, that guy looks just like it Jason." And it was! The look on their faces was priceless! There were hugs all around and but I'm sad to say that during all of the emotion and excitement I didn't get any pics.
While my BIL went to the room to drop off his carry on, I checked us in for dinner. It was super busy and we were told the wait would be about 30 minutes. No worries. What better way to wait it out then by going over to the Tambu Lounge for a drink. Or two.
So after after a couple of yummy tropical libations our buzzer went off so we walked back over to Kona and were taken to our table.
Also arriving to meet us for dinner were friends who came down from Jacksonville. Unfortunately it wasn't in the cards for them to vacation with us but at least we were able to spend some time with them. They arrived just as we were seated.
A few minutes later I got a text from my SIL who had arrived in WDW in pouring rain and said she would meet us at the restaurant as soon they checked in to the hotel for their one night stay at Pop.
A very jet lagged uncle.
Our friends from Jacksonville.
Didn't take long for my BIL to start with the pranks and embarrass my sis at dinner. I don't know what the heck he had in his teeth. This from the primary male influence in my son's lives. And I love him to death!
We had a fabulous time at dinner! My SIL, BIL and niece arrived at Kona and it was more hugs all around. The night was definitely worth all the work it took to coordinate everyone's arrival with dinner. Unfortunately I missed out on something that I was really looking forward to. A DIS meet had been planned for this evening with DL Mama, Lauralee, V and Jo (girls, forgive me if I forgot someone). In the midst of the rowdiness of the evening, I was able to wave to them as they headed to the bar for Lapus. Hopefully I'll be able to join them if a meet is planned for next year!
As for the meal, well it was delish! One of the boys ordered pot stickers which were delish and I had the crab cakes which were very yummy. For dinner I had the teriyaki steak medium rare which was cooked to perfection. My dessert was banana creme brulee which was to die for! The service was also excellent and I have to give kudos to our waiter who took great care of our crazy family. We made sure to tip him well to show our gratitude.
After a two and a half hour dinner we headed back to the room. We were all exhausted by this point of the trip and were looking forward to some down time the next day. The boys and their uncle took quite a bit of time to settle down for the night and we didn't get to sleep until well after 1:00 a.m.
Note to self, must make hair appointment weeks before vacation and don't get hair done the day before!
Good to see you're writing this, I can still remember seeing you at Kona 
We hugged and formally introduced ourselves and then went on about getting our families fed.
I say goodbye to Tracy and promise to try to make it to the Lapu meet at the Poly. We deplane and experience our first "ride" and take the monorail the main terminal. First off we make a quick stop at the Croc store to get DS and Dsis some flip flops. Let the spending begin!
At the rate we're going we'll probably end up meeting at WDW before DL yet we only live about 15 minutes away from each other.
to Tracy,thanks again!
Apparently he wasn't aware that you're not supposed to spray suncreen directly onto your face, you're supposed to spray some in your hand and then smooth it on. His eyes started burning immediately but he just kept spraying more sunscreen on his face while wincing in pain and saying "Ooh, ahh, ouch, this stuff burns"! We all said, "Dude, put that stuff down, you're going to blind yourself!"
You're right though, it would've been good to get a picture of you all making a beeline to the bar!
