I'm not certain if it's because I just finished one of the most challenging years of my life. Or maybe the stars are aligned. Or maybe it's because 37 is the best year of a person's life.
But my trip to Disney World was... and I realize how clique this sounds... truly magical.
To begin, Steve planned everything. Every detail. And in doing so, he landed us, not one, but two rooms at the Waldorf Astoria, the only existing model of the famous NYC hotel. And not just two rooms. But one room and one suite. So two bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. With a balcony view of the fireworks at night. It was luxurious beyond my expectations. And they had the best breakfast I've ever eaten.
And then there were the children. If I ever write an Orlando guidebook, I will forever insist that 5 and 6 are the perfect age to take children to Disney. There is... here I go again... a certain magic they see that does not exist in everyday life that is readily available at Disney. And I'm not naive. I understand it's manufactured, which is sort of why I've always been (sort of) anti-Disney. But even I got weepy at the fireworks display.
And then there was the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in a Disney parade. The only parade that invites guest. And they only ask about 7 or 8 families a day. By far, the girls' least favorite part. But having hundreds and hundred of people wave at you is a real experience. I could probably write a whole separate blog about how we were targeted for our multi-ethnic appearance, but I'll refrain.
And then, and this is the main "and then," there was my family. It just so worked out that Carolyn likes roller coasters. And who knew? Me too! We rode Space Mountain three times. Mt. Everest Expedition twice. Thunder Mountain. And this left lots of time for Penny and Steve to catch parades, get stalked by Disney photographers and meet lots of characters.
We rode every ride we wanted. Packed lunches so we didn't have to eat crappy, overpriced Disney food. Caught the bus at just the right time on all but one occasion. Met all the characters. Did I mention the girls love Disney characters?
It was the trip where everything went right. Even the flight through Atlanta, mere hours before an ice storm stranded the flight behind us. So thanks Disney. We'll probably never do it again, but it was one magical experience. I'll stop now.
1 comment:
It looks like your trip was a lot of fun. It sort of even makes me nostalgic for Disney. At least when you talk about roller coaster rides:) Did you know that the first roller coaster was supposedly built outside of St. Petersburg, Russia and that in a lot of languages roller coasters are called Russian mountains? (Though in Russian they're called American mountains, oddly...) Sorry about the digression.. Yay, Disney!!
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