WHO WE ARE:
Zoe Dog -- Me; 41; went to MK several times as a child and to EPCOT once in late 1980s with DH; compulsive planner, list-maker, and tip-gatherer, but (much to my and my family's relief) was able to be flexible once we arrived
DH -- turned 41 during vacation; late 1980s trip with me was only foray into the World; was a little spooked by memory of how perfect and "Big Brothery" everything was and loved to tease me about my "disney obsession" but is a total kid at heart and began to lurk on the DIS and other helpful sites during the last weeks before departure
E -- DD (11 years) - has an incredibly vivid imagination and so was a bit apprehensive about "spooky" rides, but determined to be a big kid; loves interaction with characters and spotting live animals and noticing all of the little unexpected things
D -- DD (almost 10 years) - wants to do it all and then do it again and again . . . absolutely fearless and utterly enthusiastic
L -- DD (6 1/2 years) - doesn't like to be left behind by the big girls, but is not a thrill seeker; began to swim like a little fish thanks to daily access to warm pools
WHERE: 6 Nights WL; 3 Nights AKL
DAY THREE: Monday June 24
Awoke to more predictions of rain and thunder. Also to three tired, grumpy girls and a grumpy mom. Poor DH! We drove to AK, arriving a little later than we had planned (we would miss the awakening) but it was still right around opening time. But . . . while standing in a very long hot line waiting to have our bags inspected, we realized that we had forgotten to take our park tickets out of the room safe!! At first I thought that DH was teasing me -- just the sort of thing he'd do to get me to laugh and relax and have fun when I was getting into one of my tense moods -- but I soon realized from the look on his face that he wasn't joking. It seemed like a huge disaster for a few moments as we debated what we should do. We had tasted the pleasure of getting to a park at opening the day before (no lines!) and had seen how crowded it became as the morning progressed. Luckily, DH's and my desire to assure the girls that we'd still have a great day put all of us grumpies into a better mood. We drove back to the WL, got the tickets, and decided to head to Epcot -- we reasoned we could do a ride or two in Future World and then head to the World Showcase when it opened at 11:00 and see the countries we had missed the night before. We arrived by bus at Epcot at about 10:15, got a fast pass for Honey I Shrunk the Audience and then went to the Living Seas. We could have stayed there for hours, but left with just 5 minutes remaining on our Honey fast pass and raced over to see it. Really enjoyed the 3D Movie, although L was a bit nervous and ended up in my lap, watching without her 3D glasses. As we left, E noticed the Journey into Your Imagination sign so we headed there - it was cute, but I wouldn't wait in line for that one. But, if we hadn't gone on that ride, we would have missed the imagination playground at the exit to the show. We loved exploring the various interactive exhibits, and could have stayed there longer, but it was nearing 1:00 and we were HUNGRY! We headed to Canada but discovered that there was no counter service restaurant there. Also, it was beginning to rain again - ugh! Not the quick blast of a Florida afternoon shower, but rather the settling-in-for-hours- drizzle-interspersed-with-sudden-downpour-and-electrical-storm that we were beginning to know all too well. We got some fish and chips and hot dogs in the U.K. and found some respite from the rain under an umbrella-covered table. The girls had fun offering each other samples of their "chips" (fries to us Vermonters) and "crisps" (potato chips). Despite the steady rain, we enjoyed browsing the afternoon away in the shops and visiting the kidcot stops in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Japan, and Italy. We heard part of performance by the British Invasion (a Beatles-type band) in the UK and chatted with Aladdin in Morocco. In the U.S. area we heard a fife and drum band and had a quick counter service supper. D decided that she really wanted to see "Blast II - Shockwave" again. So she and DH headed there, while E, L, and I went into the American Adventure. E and L loved the small a cappella group that sang patriotic songs before the show -- especially when one of the lovely young female vocalists, dressed in a southern belle costume, stooped down to where they were sitting and had a sweet conversation with them after the show. Both showings of the Tapestry of Dreams parade were cancelled again due to rain. We began to joke that we were going to be asked to leave Epcot and would never be allowed to return -- we obviously brought such bad luck with us: every time we came, the parade was cancelled because of the rain! We decided not to stay to see Illuminations again because we had a full day planned for tomorrow. So we took the launch across the lagoon and checked out the international soft drinks at Ice-Station Cool and saw Cranium Command - cute show. At the girls' request, we took the monorail to the TTC and a bus back to WL. Wonderful day!
Zoe Dog -- Me; 41; went to MK several times as a child and to EPCOT once in late 1980s with DH; compulsive planner, list-maker, and tip-gatherer, but (much to my and my family's relief) was able to be flexible once we arrived
DH -- turned 41 during vacation; late 1980s trip with me was only foray into the World; was a little spooked by memory of how perfect and "Big Brothery" everything was and loved to tease me about my "disney obsession" but is a total kid at heart and began to lurk on the DIS and other helpful sites during the last weeks before departure
E -- DD (11 years) - has an incredibly vivid imagination and so was a bit apprehensive about "spooky" rides, but determined to be a big kid; loves interaction with characters and spotting live animals and noticing all of the little unexpected things
D -- DD (almost 10 years) - wants to do it all and then do it again and again . . . absolutely fearless and utterly enthusiastic
L -- DD (6 1/2 years) - doesn't like to be left behind by the big girls, but is not a thrill seeker; began to swim like a little fish thanks to daily access to warm pools
WHERE: 6 Nights WL; 3 Nights AKL
DAY THREE: Monday June 24
Awoke to more predictions of rain and thunder. Also to three tired, grumpy girls and a grumpy mom. Poor DH! We drove to AK, arriving a little later than we had planned (we would miss the awakening) but it was still right around opening time. But . . . while standing in a very long hot line waiting to have our bags inspected, we realized that we had forgotten to take our park tickets out of the room safe!! At first I thought that DH was teasing me -- just the sort of thing he'd do to get me to laugh and relax and have fun when I was getting into one of my tense moods -- but I soon realized from the look on his face that he wasn't joking. It seemed like a huge disaster for a few moments as we debated what we should do. We had tasted the pleasure of getting to a park at opening the day before (no lines!) and had seen how crowded it became as the morning progressed. Luckily, DH's and my desire to assure the girls that we'd still have a great day put all of us grumpies into a better mood. We drove back to the WL, got the tickets, and decided to head to Epcot -- we reasoned we could do a ride or two in Future World and then head to the World Showcase when it opened at 11:00 and see the countries we had missed the night before. We arrived by bus at Epcot at about 10:15, got a fast pass for Honey I Shrunk the Audience and then went to the Living Seas. We could have stayed there for hours, but left with just 5 minutes remaining on our Honey fast pass and raced over to see it. Really enjoyed the 3D Movie, although L was a bit nervous and ended up in my lap, watching without her 3D glasses. As we left, E noticed the Journey into Your Imagination sign so we headed there - it was cute, but I wouldn't wait in line for that one. But, if we hadn't gone on that ride, we would have missed the imagination playground at the exit to the show. We loved exploring the various interactive exhibits, and could have stayed there longer, but it was nearing 1:00 and we were HUNGRY! We headed to Canada but discovered that there was no counter service restaurant there. Also, it was beginning to rain again - ugh! Not the quick blast of a Florida afternoon shower, but rather the settling-in-for-hours- drizzle-interspersed-with-sudden-downpour-and-electrical-storm that we were beginning to know all too well. We got some fish and chips and hot dogs in the U.K. and found some respite from the rain under an umbrella-covered table. The girls had fun offering each other samples of their "chips" (fries to us Vermonters) and "crisps" (potato chips). Despite the steady rain, we enjoyed browsing the afternoon away in the shops and visiting the kidcot stops in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Japan, and Italy. We heard part of performance by the British Invasion (a Beatles-type band) in the UK and chatted with Aladdin in Morocco. In the U.S. area we heard a fife and drum band and had a quick counter service supper. D decided that she really wanted to see "Blast II - Shockwave" again. So she and DH headed there, while E, L, and I went into the American Adventure. E and L loved the small a cappella group that sang patriotic songs before the show -- especially when one of the lovely young female vocalists, dressed in a southern belle costume, stooped down to where they were sitting and had a sweet conversation with them after the show. Both showings of the Tapestry of Dreams parade were cancelled again due to rain. We began to joke that we were going to be asked to leave Epcot and would never be allowed to return -- we obviously brought such bad luck with us: every time we came, the parade was cancelled because of the rain! We decided not to stay to see Illuminations again because we had a full day planned for tomorrow. So we took the launch across the lagoon and checked out the international soft drinks at Ice-Station Cool and saw Cranium Command - cute show. At the girls' request, we took the monorail to the TTC and a bus back to WL. Wonderful day!
Sounds like you managed to have a great day, despite the change in plans. 
Krissy
Another great day at Epcot 
