Day 4: Employee Payday Comes On Thursday

Every Parent Comes Out Tired.
Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.
Every Pocketbook Comes Out Thinner.

Which is the actual expansion of the acronym EPCOT? According to the monorail driver we talked to and Wikipedia it is the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

We enjoyed many of the rides at EPCOT including Soarin', Living with the Land, Journey into the Imagination, Spaceship Earth and Test Track. This year we also went through a few of the different country exhibits.

Unlike 2004, we didn't ride Mission Space. Dan wasn't interested in the attraction and following the death last year of a 4-year old boy on the ride we weren't all that cracked on it ourselves. In fairness the boys death was apparently caused not by trauma but rather an undiagnosed heart condition.

Anyway, not to be a downer, it was a good day. The Soarin' ride is excellent. The rider is suspended from a seat as if sitting in a glider. The seats are then moved close to an IMAX-like move screen which then takes you swooping around California. At one point in the presentation the "glider" flies down the length of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. John C. Stennis (CVN-74). As we left the deck Dan asked if that was my ship. It felt good to know he is aware of our Navy and my service.

We're enjoying ourselves more this time around because Dan is better able to deal with the crowds and has more patience than he did in 2004. But inevitably our trip is winding down. Tomorrow is Breakfast with Mickey and Friends followed by a trip to downtown Disney for some shopping and playtime at LegoLand. We may play some miniature golf in the afternoon. Friday's schedule is still tentative. Right now we're just calling it "Do Whatever You Want" day. Dan said he wanted to stay in the room which we're interpreting as the need for some decompression time. We may spend some time around the pool relaxing prior to the drive back.

That's all for now.

Later.