Carpe Diem Feb 09 - Sunday 15th - Not much really

[Skywatcher]

Today was a slightly grumpy day , not really a massive surprise considering the giddying heights of the day before but every holiday has one , and I am frankly amazed it took so long to come considering how much we have crammed into our first week and how long the boys have walked and stayed up.

We wake early and grab a quick breakfast, the boys are aching to do more swimming (despite not leaving the water once the day before) and despite the fact that yesterday was so peaceful and relaxing we are all beginning to get tired and a little frayed around the edges.

As we are awake for park opening it seems daft not to pop into one of the parks and the boys opt for EPCOT.



Disney is beyond busy by the looks of it this weekend - a combination of school holidays, valentines, public holiday and the Daytona 500 in town mean that orlando is full to bursting and there is a huuuuge queue to get in even at park opening - we are one of the first through the turnstiles ( again with the sheep thing everone goes through baggage checks and then lines up at the nearest one when the are all open - seriously there must have been 40 people in one line and the one next to it was empty)



Anyway the boys seem keen on Soarin again and by the time we get there there is already a 40 minute wait - we have a very enjoyable chat with the family infront of us who are from New York and I covetously admire the ladies iPhone where she in turn is covetously enjoying showing me the temperatures that there are back in her home state, it is a lovely mid 80's day again here the kids chat and we chat as we drift to the front of the line , I genuinely love meeting and chatting with people in the queues, you get the feeling you wouldn't really do this on an other sort of 'normal' holiday - people seem to leave their self conciousness and paranoia at the gate which I think is all part of the trip

Anyway we are on the bottom row which means we get to look at feet - I am again a little annoyed at the massive floating motes of dust on the projector and Thomas is very keen for us all to see the hidden mickey on the golf ball that is hit at you.

It is impossible not to smile on this ride and the music is just beautiful - 'my best' is the bit when you soar over the Sea , a purely magical moment and I wish I could bottle it and on tough days at work just 'feel that'

As we wander back out we enjoy the slightly less virtuous pleasure of walking past the massive queue to get in

Matthew wants to go 'green' on Mission Space and Thomas wants to do Test Trck so we head over there , unfortunately test track is broken and the FP being distributed are already (40 mins after park opening) for 4.30!! Thomas then 'goes into one' as he had set his heart on this and Matthew decides he doesn't want to go Green after all, except maybe he does, and maybe he doesn't

Well this is going well All decide to go on Spaceship Earth on the way out of the park and give today up as a bad job

45 minute wait but its a constantly moving line so its ok - until we get within about 20 feet of the entrance then it stops and after 1/2 an hour the rie is declared 'broken' and unlikley to be fixed today



In a desparate bid to do another 'ride' we decide to take the monorail back to the hotel but getting out of Epcot is akin to Salmon swimmin upstream as mor and more people are pouring through the gates in our direction. When we finally get to the monorail the people who are behind us in the queue shout over our heads to the guy letting us on ' can we be pilots?' and he says sure despite the

look on my face as I was actually in the process of asking him the self same question.

Thomas then turns around and says

'Oh and I don't want to go to the Space Centre tomorrow by the way' I've decided I don't like space anymore thank you very much'

This is really not going well, and TBH I am questioning whether or not a trip to Kennedy realy isa good idea - not sure if it will be to 'dry' for the little ones and the cost of the cab is a lot.

Change at the TTC and get onto an empty resort train , which means we can be pilots this is cool and calms us all down a bit - get our licences which I always forget about and then get off at the 'temporary



The boat to the WL is going via the campground and even this is near full today but its a peaceful enough trip andthe warm air is enough to calm us and air our sweaty pits -

After a quick counter service meal we decide to just give in and let the boys swim which is what they want to do most in the whole world anyway, I am feeeling a bit odd and crash out for an hour whilst Lisa sits and watches them endlessly go around the slide.

By the time I 'emerge there is a 'pool party' in full swing and Matthew is taking part in the dancing



He has grown upa little sinec we last came to Disney and he isn't able to charm a present or prize out of the hostess despite his best pleading eye look - he is first out in the 'musical chairs' game and is a bit sad about that



but soon goes back to

'endless swimming'

Lisa and I just sit and chat and chill and listen to other people talking by the pool. I try and watch the Daytona 500 on the TV in the bar but the sport is lost on me I'm afraid - motor sports to me require you to at least turn right occasionally to make them challenging buy maybe thats just a european thing.

The family next to us are reading the paper and talking to their kid

'Hey Son this week Darwin day was celebrated - he came up with the idea of evolution, do you know what that is'

'Is it when something changes into something else thats kinda the same but better'

'yeah , thats a great way of describing it, did you do it at school'

'nah, Pokemon'



I contemplate the life of the lifeguards here who are the same lot who are here everyday, constantly vigilant yyet utterly bored out of their minds for 16 hour shifts, it must be one of the worst and thankless jobs in Disney and I bet they never get tips - being the sort of thoughful intellectuals that we are Lisa and I give them all nicknames. Mrs Shouty doesn't ever like her stint infront of the waterslide and, Mr Whistle, who sits with his whistle in his mouth doesn't look as though he would notice if shamu erupted out of the water.

people watching rocks

We become dimly aware it is getting dark and the boys have been swimming for nealy 5 hours but they still protest when we drag them from the water.

They are virtually asleep when they are eting in the room watching ' Aaron Stone' Premier on Disney XD ( very cool by the way)

Lisa talks me out of cancelling tomorrows trip and we are all pretty much asleep by 8 pm


Its funny but when I am advising people on here about their holidays I always tell them to take rest days but never seem to do it myself, I know there was some bad stuff at the beginning of the day but it wasn't that bad and in retrospect was completely necessary for the rest of the holiday.

Tomorrow was going tobe exciting for me

I was going to see a Saturn 5 Rocket

[Mari]

After a bumpy start, I think the day went on quite smoothly, the kids had fun, you rested, you got to enjoy the resort and even hear about what evolution is!

Im glad you had time to write another report BTW

[Skywatcher]

It was a technical problem that has now been rectified - more will follow soon - but not tonight...

[Tink]

Ahhhh, that's nice. Parents who love their children enough to let them do what they please for a day. Down time is nice, and as you've seen quite necessary!

Good job that you got out of that crowded park! Hope the rest was just what the Doctors ordered! Couldn't resist.

[foreverducky]

Hmm, you know it appears that Matthew's father is quite able to give the cat eyes from Shrek, so I'm sure that Matthew will grow into his own ability to give them.

Gosh, I love Soarin too. When they are going over the river in the woods it just makes me so relaxed. Life would go soooo much smoother if I could just bottle that and be able to play it when I need to calm my nerves or lower my road rage.

[MystikPiglit]

Mr Whistle, who sits with his whistle in his mouth doesn't look as though he would notice if shamu erupted out of the water.

people watching rocks

Oh yes, indeed. It's one of favourite things to do.

[Skywatcher]

Its one of my best for te whole trip as well

[Disneybumble]

Rest days are good. We have never stayed on site so the temptation to go into a park everyday must be there. Would you seriously given up KSC.

[Skywatcher]

Yep at one point I had the reviever up and ready to dial. At that point of felt a little selfish

[Disneybumble]

But it worked out well in the end.