Eeeekk! It's morning! It's March 6th. Mama Glutton wakes up to the sun peeking over the horizon. Holy mackerel! 40! 40 years old? Young? Ready for the pasture?
A quick shower and an attempt to make coffee in the SOG coffeemaker located on the vanity by the bathroom sink.
The coffee maker doesn't work.
No immediate caffeine relief.
There's a knock at the door. Crazy kids from yesterday's hallway incident?
No! It's Mama Glutton's Mom and Dad! They have coffee with them. They saved the morning!
Or did they?
Yes they did!
But how could they possibly know I was jonesing for coffee?
Oh, their coffee maker didn't work either. Sheesh!
While they hoped ours did work, they decided it wasn't fair for a 40 year old birthday girl to munch on a MK cinnamon roll sans coffee.
What would Martha do? Stewart?
Would she simply adjust her house arrest stylish ankle bracelet an go on?
Sure as dandy she would!
So I did to!
The rest of the Gluttons were hauled out of bed, sipping beverages, noshing on Disney magical baked items, visiting, and discussing our day.
It's Epricot day! Apricot. Epicot. Epcot!
That's where Mama Gluttons wanted to spend her birthday! If not aboard the Disney Magic sailing out into the Eastern Caribbean, then Epcot would have to do!
We grabbed the lime green Bagalini, the cuties, the grand parental units, and bailed! Headed out of Dodge. Vamanosed. We Mached. As in Schnell. We were out of there.
Jog down to the Shady Shuttle. This was a particularly shady model of the shady shuttle. The driver was discussing problems with the brakes via cell phone and ask the Chief to run behind the bus to see if the brake lights were functioning. He did.
The bus was full. Really full. Over full. I assumed my post as bus patrol, standing in the aisle, DH and DS joining me, the Princess was miffed that I made her stay seated. She's 8 and weighs just under 50 pounds. She's not standing on a bus!
When the bus driver and the Chief have put the brakes through their paces, off we go to the wild blue yonder! Up, up, and away!
Is it a a bird? Is it a plane? Oh! It IS a bird! It must have been a big bird who had a big breakfast because it left a little sumpin sumpin on the window right by DD's head. That bird must have flown higher, after having dropped a load like that...
DD kept pointing at the window. I'm assuming she expected her Mama to do something about it.
Um, nope.
We reach the TTC and pile out like clowns exiting a Volkswagen at the circus. How many people can you fit on a bus? How many should you fit on a bus?
We ride the monorail (my Dad's favorite!) to Epcot! We head to Guest Services for the grandparents to ask something about their tickets. We're all told we can take care of it tomorrow at the other park. Great!
We head inside after the ritual, but pleasurable body cavity, err bag check. I did get a smile and a kiss first.
Or did I?
Ok, no kiss.
We arrived right after rope drop! I grab everyone's tickets, tell them to meet me at the Land and I RUN!
Running in the sunshine in Florida, Orlando, Walt Disney World, Epcot, on my birthday! I have 6 tickets in my hand, hair and legs blowing in the breeze, sunshine warming my soul. It felt good. REALLY good.
I run into the LAND, grab Fastpasses for a ride we've never been on, only heard of here on the DIS, and stand by the cue for the rest of my family.
There they are! We get in line, wait maybe 10 minutes (not bad!) and on we go!
We rode over the land where my father, my daughter, and I all were born. We see the coastline, the forests, the orange groves. We feel, see, smell.
What an exhilarating experience! We rush out, hop back in line, wait 15 minutes, and score the front row!!!
Now, don't ever say I did nothing for you... ingrates! I contemplated taking my sneakers off to ride.
But you do remember that I ran to the Land, right?
and I'm a nurse who spends twelve plus hours on her feet at a time without evening draining her bladder.
So my feet get big, swollen, veiny, and smelly.
and I didn't take my shoes off.
My birthday present to YOU!
Go ahead, open it!
Like it?
Moving along...
We rode Soaring again! In the front row! Loved it again!
We get off, I peek at our Fastpasses and see the latter time listed on the Fastpasses has passed. We missed it by 10 minutes. Now was the time to put the DIS to the test. Weren't my Fastpasses expired now? Would they still allow the Gluttons to ride?
Would they ever figure out who really shot JR and why it was erroneously blamed on that Crosby girl?
I slid the six park tickets into the Fastpass machine and it kicked out six more! For later in the afternoon!
The standby line was ling, wrapped like a python around its prey. 45 minute wait the sign said.
We entered the Fastpass lane, and I hand over my first set of Fastpasses.
"Go ahead" says the CM.
Oh wow! It's true! It worked! We were going on Soarin our third time using expired Fastpasses with a whole extra set sitting in my pocket for later.
Pre DIS, I was one of those. You know the type. Goes to WDW because they like Precious (Mickey
), loves Disney movies, has a history of growing up with
Disneyland, spends too much money on tickets, stays off site, parks in the parking lot, rides the tram, enters well after rope drop, waits in all the lines, gets in maybe 3 rides in a whole day, and doesn't make ADRs.
But now, SCORE!
32. Use the Fastpass system! No, really. Use it! It works!
33. Get to the Parks right at rope drop, or a bit before. If you like the rides, to get on them, this works!
We ride Soarin for the third time...in a row... in one day...and it is only 10:30!
Wow!
We separate, agreeing to meet at Test Track, and off I run!
Yup! Running on my birthday!
Running here in Montana in March is different. You have to dress warm and you fall...a lot, slipping on ice.
Running at Epcot? Exhilarating!
I push six tickets through the Fastpass machine and wait for my family at the Test Track entrance. It worked! Now I have a set for Soarin later and a set for Test Track just before the Soarin Fastpasses are due! Wow!
My family strolls up and we enter the Stand By line. 20 minute wait. We're waiting for those automatic doors to open, right beside a family that had been victims of the Dream Team, wearing their little blue beanies with silver ears. Their son kept pushing the Princess into the trophy cabinet and placing his hands on the edge of the closed door so she couldn't move.
She asked him once to move and he didn't acknowledge him. She asked him a second time. No response. So she attempted to nudge him...a bit. He pushed her harder, the cabinets shuddering just a bit. I look at HIS Momma. She looks at me for a sec, then looks at her son, nods, then looks away.
Oh no she didn't!
She did!
Or did she?
Just in case they did speak English, I began to tell the Princess a story form my childhood. About a girl at my school who leaned on a fire door while waiting to go inside after recess. When the door opened, her finger slipped between the door and the jamb, pinching the top half of her index finger off. The force that it ripped part of her finger off was so great, the amputated finger flew a few feet forward, landing in the hallway on the carpet. The girl screamed, blood squirting out of the pulpy exposed end of what remained of her finger on her hand.
The woman reaches for her son's shoulder and pulls him close to her.
Yeah lady. Wanna hear about a couple of car accidents I was first responder too? Next?
The door opens and everyone and all their fingers enters. The silver eared family gives the Gluttons a wide berth. Thank goodness. We watch the pre show, Grandma Glutton gasping when she sees the car hit the wall. The other set of doors open, and we pile through, our party separated by two teens who jumped in front of DS.
The Princess and I are ahead, then the two teens then DS, DH, and my parents.
We ask for and get a car for 6. Yay! The teens have to move aside to let the rest of our group through. They were terrific. I didn't even have to tell gross stories to them.
Test Track??
I love it!
I drive like that!
My mother? Hated it! LOL With two downward snaps! Hated it!
We skip off the ride, quickly peek at the GM cars on display, then hop over to Mission Space.
It's 11:00. I have Fastpasses in my pocket for Soarin and Test Track... for later.
I go up, grab Fastpasses for Mission Space.
DH and Grandpa state they aren't riding. They have PTSD of the last time we went on Mission Space. Before the deaths. Before the new wimp version was unveiled.
Well...ok.
Grandma, DS, DD, and I hopped into the Stand By line for the wimp version.
I was the navigator, Grandma the Engineer, DD the Commander, DS the pilot.
We did it! The mission was a success. Gary Sinise told us it was.
We left Mission Space and headed over to The Coral Reef restaurant. It's 11:20, we've ridden five times, have Fastpasses for three rides, and it is time for lunch.
We discussed trying the Coral Reef, even without ADRs. If not seating available, we'd head over to the LAND for a counter service meal.
We entered the Coral Reef (which I didn't know existed prior to DIS despite several trips to Epcot in the past) and discovered only one other couple there ahead of us. They were on the phone at the Hostess station with WDW DINE attempting to get reservations for the restaurant. They were told the earliest available was 1:20PM. So they left.
I picked up the phone, on hold for WDW DINE when the maitre' D arrives. DH asks if they have room for a party of 6. The maitre'd looks at a printed sheet of paper, and says "sure" and directs us to some neat wavy bench seating.
I hang up the phone, stunned! Wow!
DH goes off in search of the little Chief's room. My parents are raving over having been on five rides in two hours. Never happened feat for our family at Disney. That's for sure. I was in DISheaven between the euphoria experienced at MK the night before, the gorgeous weather, being with my family at the Happiest Place on Earth, coming off a
Disney cruise, the day so far at Epcot, and now being able to eat at Coral Reef for my birthday lunch!
We were seated pretty quickly, in a booth that faced the aquarium. Other than sitting at a table right next to the tank, we could not have been closer to the sights! There was a HUGE sea turtle resting on eh bottom of the tank. We asked our waiter if it was real. LOL It was! She just likes to rest on the bottom between her jaunts to the surface for air. She could really hold her breath a long time! We saw rays and many different varieties of fish swim past. There were also divers in the tank cleaning. It almost looked like they were scrubbing the reef? The fish were all over them. LOL
The bread was great! DH and I split the lobster salad. DD and DS ordered off the children's menu. My parents split the lobster salad and had smoked fish chowder too. All of the food was terrific!
For dessert, DH and I ordered the chocolate wave to split, my parents ordered something with apples (?), and the kids ordered ice cream. No, we weren't on DDP. You can't have that if you are at SOG. Our wonderful waiter brought out a special chocolate wave JUST for me with "Happy Birthday" written in white chocolate on a dark chocolate wave resting on top. He said it was a birthday gift from the restaurant.
DH had told him! Neat! I loved it!
It was so good too! Liquid lava hot chocolate erupting form inside that little cake of chocolate wonder! Mmm!
We paid, thanked everyone there for such a terrific experience and waddled out of there.
Now, I probably could have run somewhere to get Fastpass tickets for something, but I was so full form lunch, I know I would have pulled a Maggiano...but without a napkin.
So it seemed like a good time to try the Nemo clam ride.
and we did just that!
Cute, not terribly scary, and a great way to rest after gorging ourselves at lunch.
We exited the ride feeling a bit better!
Ah the World Showcase was open! Time to head that away!
On our way over, we rode Spaceship Earth, which I slept through (all that chocolate, remember? Does me in!) DD kept poking me to wake me up.
DH went off to the restroom again, while the kids pin traded with some CMs. He returned with a pin for me! It was a Happy Birthday Mrs. Glutton pin!
I attached it to my shirt and was immediately greeted by a couple of CMs walking by. "Happy Birthday Mrs Glutton" they called.
That would be the theme for the day. Wearing that button. Rarely did we encounter a CM who didn't acknowledge the button. I felt very pampered!
I even had other park guests wishing me a "Happy Birthday Mrs. Glutton"
We continued our trek, bellies still over full, over to the World...
34. Get the birthday button!!! I've never really been someone that had big parties thrown for my birthday, or really a big deal made of. I really felt special!
Up next:
Mama gets schooled and what can $10 buy in Mexico?
At AKL, a CM saw our DDs had only pin, so they let them trade a pin and take an extra one. I was wondering if I told the CM where we were staying but too cheap to buy our DDs only one pin, what she would have said. Then at the end of the week, DW says we should have bought more pins since trading was fun for her and the DDs. 
