Usually we soak up some sun down along the Gulf Coast. Lovely.
This year presented us with a quandary. We had the opportunity to split our trip - half on the Gulf Coast, and half in (gasp) . . . Disney. We have sworn off Disney for years. To say we are not amusement park people is a huge understatement. Our skin crawls after two hours within the gates of Story Land (for those not familiar, Story Land is a small, regional amusement park, and it is about 1/8 the size of the Magic Kingdom). We know our limitations, and we certainly couldn't handle Disney. Right?? Furthermore, EJ would be in conference during at least part of the Disney trip, and I was infinitely certain that I could not do Disney with my two children ALONE.
After much back and forth, we decided to throw our kids a HUGE bone, and bite the Disney bullet. Off we went for 5 magical days in Disney - I kept my bad attitude bottled up, but knew it could be uncorked at any given moment.
Something magical happened. It didn't suck. I expected a parade of horribles, but no such parade occurred. Granted, I rolled my eyes on several occasions, frequently remarked on the price gouging, and was overwhelmed by the amount of Disney licensed apparel worn by men, women, and children alike.
There were a couple of things that surprised me most. Here goes:
1. I expected Disney to be virtually alcohol-free as it is the most kid-friendly place on earth. FALSE! Between Downtown Disney and Epcot, I couldn't count all of the open containers. Our Disney Resort hotel featured cabana bars within splash range of every pool. Who knew! After a couple of tropical mojitos, I really felt the magic.
2. I expected to pay way too much for crappy food. The food was exceptionally over-priced, however, it was good. We had many legitimately good meals in Disney - seriously. Our hotel housed a five star restaurant, we had great Cuban food in Downtown Disney, and the spread at the German Biergarten in Epcot wasn't too shabby. I will even admit to whole-heatedly enjoying way too many Mickey-shaped waffles at our character breakfast. I was only slightly embarrassed by the fact that my children had none, as I carried a plate stacked with Mickey heads.
3. I expected everything to be perfect in an erie Pleasantville kind of way.
For the most part it was. Walt Disney certainly was a visionary, but his vision (and those who continue to carry it out) stopped short with the Disney World uniforms. I firmly believe that every uniform to which I bore witness was a fashion travesty. From the puffy knickers paired with knee-high white socks (think Bonnie Doon socks worn with school uniform skirts), to the heavily pleated pants worn by just about everyone (as we know, pleats do no justice to any body), to the neon pants with dino print and claw-shaped pockets worn by the workers in Animal Kingdom.
Yes, indeed. Disney had its imperfections (you've looking at one) and that made me feel just a bit more at ease with the whole magical world of Disney.
I was even sad to leave my picture-perfect Disney resort, pools with nearby, well-stocked cabanas, and 5-days of non-stop family fun. It was (slightly) magical.
*As a side note, this winter has been very mild, and I can even see patches of (brown) grass outside. That is very unusual for these parts, and I do not want my above winter negativity to bring a jinx on me and all of Maine.
After much back and forth, we decided to throw our kids a HUGE bone, and bite the Disney bullet. Off we went for 5 magical days in Disney - I kept my bad attitude bottled up, but knew it could be uncorked at any given moment.
Something magical happened. It didn't suck. I expected a parade of horribles, but no such parade occurred. Granted, I rolled my eyes on several occasions, frequently remarked on the price gouging, and was overwhelmed by the amount of Disney licensed apparel worn by men, women, and children alike.
There were a couple of things that surprised me most. Here goes:
1. I expected Disney to be virtually alcohol-free as it is the most kid-friendly place on earth. FALSE! Between Downtown Disney and Epcot, I couldn't count all of the open containers. Our Disney Resort hotel featured cabana bars within splash range of every pool. Who knew! After a couple of tropical mojitos, I really felt the magic.
2. I expected to pay way too much for crappy food. The food was exceptionally over-priced, however, it was good. We had many legitimately good meals in Disney - seriously. Our hotel housed a five star restaurant, we had great Cuban food in Downtown Disney, and the spread at the German Biergarten in Epcot wasn't too shabby. I will even admit to whole-heatedly enjoying way too many Mickey-shaped waffles at our character breakfast. I was only slightly embarrassed by the fact that my children had none, as I carried a plate stacked with Mickey heads.
3. I expected everything to be perfect in an erie Pleasantville kind of way.
For the most part it was. Walt Disney certainly was a visionary, but his vision (and those who continue to carry it out) stopped short with the Disney World uniforms. I firmly believe that every uniform to which I bore witness was a fashion travesty. From the puffy knickers paired with knee-high white socks (think Bonnie Doon socks worn with school uniform skirts), to the heavily pleated pants worn by just about everyone (as we know, pleats do no justice to any body), to the neon pants with dino print and claw-shaped pockets worn by the workers in Animal Kingdom.
Yes, indeed. Disney had its imperfections (you've looking at one) and that made me feel just a bit more at ease with the whole magical world of Disney.
I was even sad to leave my picture-perfect Disney resort, pools with nearby, well-stocked cabanas, and 5-days of non-stop family fun. It was (slightly) magical.
*As a side note, this winter has been very mild, and I can even see patches of (brown) grass outside. That is very unusual for these parts, and I do not want my above winter negativity to bring a jinx on me and all of Maine.
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