Birthdays and Epcot

Today was a day of prime importance. It is very very important.

Today was Monkey Boy's seventh Birthday.

Clearly, he turned seven.

Therefore today was the ideal day to visit Disney. Now the advertisement is for free admission to the park on your birthday, but we had that covered with the price of our admission. I got to choose his prize for him and we selected the Fast Pass option. It allows you to 'jump the queue' for certain rides. Giving you an automatic Fast Pass to ride immediately. A typical Disney fast pass is for several hours into the future and they run out of them at a certain time - only a limited number being available. Except when you have a birthday fast pass. THEN you can have a fast pass even when they stop giving them out.

We started our day in Tomorrow Land. We rode the Buzz Lightyear ride and the Stitch experience and then the race cars before heading over to do Peter Pan and then to It's a Small World (my choice - feel free to make fun). I love It's a Small World for some reason. I think it's because I had a mini Disney record of it when I was little. One of those brilliant things I looked at and listened to again and again. "You'll know it's time to turn the page when you hear Tinkerbell ring her bell. Like this!" Brilliant.

After that we had a nice lunch before doing the Haunted Mansion. Then we did Thunder Mountain. We tried to do Splash Mountain but it was down for 'technical difficulties'. So instead we did the Jungle Cruise and then Pirates of the Caribbean. That has changed from my memories. Well, most of it has changed since my memories of what it was like, but hey, 20 years shouldn't make that much difference! Then we did Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain again.

By that time, Monkey Boy was tired with it all and frustrated with Mom and the Camera. (I believe I was told 'no more flash photography' - clearly someone had been on Disney property too long). We decided to head out as it was starting to rain again. You should have seen those people and their crazy plastic ponchos! It was so hot and muggy that I couldn't imagine putting something plastic against my skin, but hey, good for them. I'd rather get wet, which we did. Kieran collected two different balloons for final birthday presents (one from mom and one from grandma, coverging from two different sides) besides the sword from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. The balloons were carefully protected on the way home - worrying about them possibly impacting with something sharp - like a raindrop or something. I had no idea the Monkey Boy was ever so paranoid, but he clearly is.

Which gives me my favorite memory of the day. Little boy fingers clutching balloon strings as tight as he can.
Happy Birthday Monkey Boy.