An Emotional Trip to Florida

As Cindy noted in her trip report, one of the reasons we travel so well together is that share almost identical tastes with regard to parks and park pacing. Neither of us are the type to dash from ride to ride, completely oblivious to our surroundings. It is inconceiveable to me how someone could spend only an hour or two in a park, hitting only the coasters one time each, then rush off to another park miles away. If that's what some people like to do, fine, but for me, that's not what memories are made of.

On this, yet another perfect Florida morning, we arrived at the gates to the Magic Kingdom and headed straight for the Main Street Bakery. Normally I don't feel compelled to eat breakfast, but there is something special about the strudel at this bakery, and something unforgettable about eating it on the terrace overlooking Cinderella's Castle. We picked the, and I mean THE perfect table on the lowest level of the terrace, right next to the river. We had an extraordinary, panoramic view of the river, the Main Street bridge, Cinderella's castle, and the entrance to Tomorrowland. The amount of work it must take to care for all the vegetation and landscaping is mind-boggling. One of the most extraordinary images I saw were walls of flowers cascading over the tops of the Plaza Pavillion and The Timekeeper buildings in Tomorrowland. Such a little thing, so easily overlooked, and yet once you notice it you can't help but be impressed by it.

We decided to buck the crowd on this day, so since most people head for Tomorrowland first, we went the other way and walked in Adventureland. Swiss Family Robinson was first and I just love doing this. It stirs my imagination and I still remember the movie.

We passed by the Enchanted Tiki Room when I asked what was in there. Cindy seemed incredulous. I thought it was a bar! "No!," she said, and proceeded to launch into song "In the Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room...." It cracked me up. She told me this was a new version which she hadn't seen yet so it would be somewhat new for her as well.

I *LOVED* the Enchanted Tiki Room! Each successive animatron charmed me more than the last! The new version didn't meet as favorably with Cindy as the old version, and I have to admit once I heard Gilbert Gottfried's voice I nearly ran into the arcade and blew my brains out. But he toned it way down for this attraction and actually came away fairly positive in my view. The entire thing is just one great big smile. From now one The Enchanted Tiki Room is a must stop on all future Disney visits!

Next we hit Pirates of the Caribbean. So far no lines! Then we got to Frontierland and saw that Big Thunder Mountain was closed. Oh no! But that explained the crowd for Splash Mountain. We saw the wait time was listed at twenty minutes and opted for FastPass. We had just enough time to hit the Haunted Mansion before we would return.

The Haunted Mansion, as a building, is so much more impressive at the Magic Kingdom. It *really* looks like a Haunted House! I told Cindy I had a bad feeling about this but she remained fairly upbeat. I reminded her that she had led me the wrong way the night before when we ended up in Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges instead of Popeye's. She assured me Bluto's would be okay, too.

Sure enough, the house was haunted. I just don't trust Cindy's judgment anymore! There were ghosts all over the place!

We got back to Splash Mountain just in time for our ride. I can never remember this ride in its entirety. It is so long! There are so many drops, and I love the camelback! Our ride was at noon and we left this area of the park. Only two hours later a man was killed on this ride after he got out of his boat and was crushed to death by an oncoming log. Strangely, word of the accident never trickled its way throughout the park.

Next we headed for Fantasyland and the trio of It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, and Snow White's Scary Adventures. It was at this time that the park converted to the Magic Stroller Kingdom. I have never seen so many strollers in my life, and there is almost no room to put them anywhere. It really makes for congested walkways, and many parents seem to think it gives them right of way no matter where you stand or walk. What really go me, though, was the number of overgrown children being pushed around in strollers. I'm talking about five and six year old children, kids who are more than old enough to walk on their own. I'm sure they get tired, and I don't want to seem unsympathetic, but I don't think using a stroller is the answer. Not for five and six year old kids. I was shocked at the number of four foot kids being pushed around by put upon parents who've spoil them so rotten they actually point with their fingers. Take me that way! I think it's disgusting and small wonder then that so many strollers are clogging the walkways!

By the time we got Tomorrowland we had had a perfect day. Short lines, great rides. The park was extremely crowded - apparently school was out in New Jersey as evidenced by the thick east coast accents we heard throughout the day. But until we got to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, the crowds were not a problem. And even in Tomorrowland it was not the crowds but the rides. Space Mountain broke down for several hours, and the line for Buzz Lightyear was 70 minutes. Our disadvantage was the we had a FastPass for Space Mountain that couldn't be used, and no way to get a FastPass for Buzz Lightyear. Sadly the days of FastPass tricks are over.

Instead we went to Alien Encounter. Now this ride scares me. I do NOT like being in the dark and feeling threatened, whether that feeling is real or imagined. And Alien Encounter employs just the right tricks of the trade, particularly an effective use of sound. It's all psychological, but it works. It scares me to death!

Next we did three rides I've never experienced before: Carousel of Progress, Astro Orbiter, and Tomorrowland Transit Authority, aka the People Mover. I loved Carousel of Progress! It's kind of hokey but classic Disney. It has Walt's stamp of approval all over it. And the People Mover was *wonderful!* It really highlights what a wasted effort went into creating Rocket Rods. I especially enjoyed getting to go inside Space Mountain and see the coasters in action! The Astro Orbiter was an astronomical mistake. Cindy and I were forced to ride together, and I am too tall to be able to fit my legs underneath. My shins were crushed, at times unbearably, against the car throughout the ride. I couldn't wait for it to end.

Greg Galley was supposed to meet us in front of Buzz Lightyear, but there was a discrepancy between Cindy and I on the time. I thought Greg said 6 o'clock while Cindy was sure he said 5. We started looking for him at 4:30 and came back to check in fifteen minute increments, but never saw him. It's too bad, cause Greg is a very nice guy and easy to hand out with. There's also something about him that's very funny. I think shy people have a greater tendancy to be witty.

Space Mountain finally opened up and we got our ride. This is still my favorite Disney coaster and an underrated one at that. And Buzz Lightyear is just so much fun. It's the only shoot em up ride that allows the cars to spin, and I really like that! I scored an amazing 843,000 points on one ride!!! Cindy was naturally appalled while I, of course, strutted around Tomorrowland like a banty rooster.

Two things I want to mention about Tomorrowland. Cindy insists that smokers are not only banished to the boonies, there is also a conspiracy to drive them insane. I walked over one time to see and sure enough, a message recorded in the most monotone voice plays directly overhead in the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Smokers beware!

The other thing I want to mention is Auntie Gravity's. This is an ice cream shop near Alien Encounter, and I had the best mocha smoothie in the world. I mean this was unbelieveably out of this world good. I saw a bunch of their other sundaes and cones and this is the place to go for ice cream at Disney World.

We finally gave up on finding Greg and shortly after 6 decided to head over to Epcot. Basically we went there to eat. And oh lord, did we. The International Food and Wine Tasting Festival was more than enough to tempt us, and we sampled foods from Russia, Southeast Asia, Italy, Chile and Japan. If you think that sounds weird, it is. We had beef stroganoff (by far the best dish of the night), followed by Chicken Satay, Polenta with Chicken and Sausage, Beef Tenderloin with Chilean Salsa, marinated artichokes and finally, sushi. It was wonderful! We also had the perfect spot from which to watch the Tapestry of Nations Parade and Illuminations. Cindy had never seen the parade in its entirety and I think she really liked it a lot. I was pretty much choked up the entire evening and even cried at one point. For some reason this trip has really made me reflect on a number of things, and while the heartaches I've experienced within the past year have at times been overwhelming, I'm also filled with a sense of good fortune. This trip has in some way heightened my awareness of things both good and sad in my life, but mostly I feel extremely lucky and have paused to count my blessings at the oddest times on this trip.

Illuminations was beautiful. After it ended I looked and saw Cindy wiping her eyes. What a baby.

I had so much fun on this trip. It was full of good times with good people and the nicest friends anyone could ask for. I'm sorry to see our mapcap days of travelling coming to an end. I may at times have tired of the plane trips or hotel accommodations or any number of other obstacles. But the one thing I never tired of and always looked forward to was seeing my friends. In this respect, it's been the best year of my life.

Up Next: SeaWorld Orlando