The Most Magical Place on Earth!

When my daughters invited us to go on a Disney family vacation, I thought well, I’ve never had a desire to go, but it is the most magical place on earth, so why not! We can spend time with my kids and grandkids, plus overeat and lounge in the hot tub. They both urged me to train for Disney. What? Is this a marathon or a cute theme park? I do strength training twice a week and I just added more walking into my routine, figuring I was up to the task. Imagine my surprise when I learned their estimation of walking ten miles a day was not an exaggeration. 

My son-in-law John, is an organizational genius so it was no surprise that our entire vacation was completely planned, down to our twenty minute lunch breaks, in easy-to-access spreadsheets. His goal was to maximize our experience from rope drop to fireworks with very little time in line. Our first day in Magic Kingdom started at 5:20 AM waiting for a bus and ended after an impressive fifteen rides including Peter Pan, It’s a Small World, Spinning Teacups and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (which is a rollercoaster).

I know it’s surprising but I had never been on a rollercoaster in my life mainly because I’m a chicken. I learned a rollercoaster-type ride is a great substitute for a near-death experience and weirdly, I take comfort in knowing my fear was not unfounded. In addition, there are horrible photos of me taken at the exact the moment I was screaming the loudest and looking the worst. My kids think it’s hilarious, me, not so much.

The following is a list of some of the things I learned from our Disney vacation:

• Many people dress in Disney-themed clothing, including Mickey Mouse ears, as part of the fun. T-shirts cost $35 at Disney but less than $5 at a thrift store. I got mine at the Goodwill.

• People trade Disney pins, and there are lots of rules. It seems like a marketing ploy to me.

• Food is expensive and not all that good. It’s a great time to go on a diet! The best thing I had was a Lunch Box Tart, which is really a fancy poptart.

• It’s loud. Not only is the music loud but people screaming are loud too, including me.

• Paying for the lightning lanes cuts hours off of your line time.

• Walking 10 miles a day at age 66 is harder than at age 55.

• There are many child strollers and scooters parked outside of popular rides. And by many, I mean hundreds, probably thousands.

• There are no bugs at Disney World. Allegedly, they use natural bug spray. I’m skeptical.

• A margarita costs $18.75, and it’s small. It’s a great time to go alcohol free.

• An emergency poncho comes in handy when it rains and it rained every day.

• When one of the Disney employees hollers at you in the Star Wars ride, it’s all part of the experience, even if it did hurt my feelings.

Honestly, the best thing about the vacation was spending time with my kids and grandkids plus my husband, Mark, who was a trooper. Despite our tight schedule, no one really complained and we did get a day lounging in the hot tub. I learned my fourteen year old grandsons are basically grownups, my daughters have a crazy love for Disney, my four year old granddaughter is a big fan of princesses, and my youngest grandson can say Chewbacca with magical wonder.