Vacation
I know it sounds ridiculous, but, honestly, Disney is brilliant. It's the best of vacations. Clean, pleasant, beautiful, happy.
I've been really fortunate in travels, and I've seen wonderful places and incredible museums filled with amazing artifacts. On every European vacation, I've never managed to completely block work thoughts from my mind. Or the thoughts that I should have read a few more history books or art books or biographies to really, truly understand the place I was visiting.
At Disney, my mind is completely at peace. Yeah, a little bit like the people pods in The Matrix, but completely at peace. And happy and shiny.
We rented a convertible for the first two days, and we were blessed with suitable weather. We used the car to drive around a bit, get to our hotel, and get to Mass. To be honest, it's easy as pie to get to hotels and theme parks, but it's impossible to get to Mass without renting a car. Sigh. We flew to Orlando on Friday. Saturday, we spent at Universal Studios Isles of Adventure. I was determined to ride a roller coaster. I used to love them, but the last decade has changed me physically, and now I seem to have no tolerance for them. I was prepared with motion-sickness medicine this time. We made a beeline for the Hulk--a monster of a roller coaster. Probably the toughest of them all of any of the parks we visited. It was quite intense, and it lasted 11 Hail Marys long. I made it off the ride, even walked around a bit, before losing everything that had passed my lips during the previous 14 hours, including the medicine. Whew! Off to a great start.
We saw the construction of the new Harry Potter section of the park. From the outside, Hogwarts looks fantastic. I suspect it will be mostly shops and restaurants. But it's lovely to look at. I enjoyed the beauty of this park, with its mythos themes. And I enjoyed the Dr. Seuss section, too. The Seuss trees look an awful lot like the funky trees in medieval manuscripts. We had a fun dinner at Bubba Gumps. The only rain all week occurred while we were safely at dinner. The weather the rest of the time couldn't have been better 70s in Florida; 80s in the Bahamas.
Sunday after Mass we returned the rental car and took the special bus to the Disney property. The hotel David wanted was booked, so we ended up at their lowest-end place (mostly because I kept bugging David about spending too much money; stupid Bolivian orphans who haunt my dreams). I won't make him do that again. It was a fine place, but the sheets were scratchy and the place was filled with large tour groups of teenagers from South America. Their transportation service made it super easy to go to any park at any time we wanted, though, so really no complaints.
We spent the rest of Sunday at Magic Kingdom. I can't believe how much I enjoyed it. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean several times, and the Peter Pan ride, and I made poor D ride It's a Small World twice. It's just so freaking adorable. We had no lines to contend with, so we had a very easy time of it, and mostly walked right up to rides. Winnie the Pooh was fun, because we got to ride in giant honey pots. Haunted Mansion is fun. Blah, blah. I was like a kid. There was a new show, called Philharmagic. The Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey was the main character, and it was a terrific 3-D show with really good music. I enjoyed it a lot. And what's not to love about the fireworks show "Dreams," which opens with a human-sized Tinkerbell riding a zip line over our heads. Love it! I enjoyed the day more than I can say. The beautiful fantasy of the castle was the perfect backdrop to a perfect day.
The parks are kept spotless. So much cleaner than Universal, and no comparison to typical tourist places. The workers are all friendly. It's as if it's contagious. People don't want to make a mess or be mean. I wish this would spread to all areas of my world.
Monday was spent at Epcot. Never get tired of it. Unfortunately, The Land was closed for maintenance; that's one of our favorite spots. But the rest was wonderful. We had dinner at the Rose and Crown, their English pub. Food was fabulous, our waitress was great fun, and they had Srongbow on tap. Epcot is a favorite because it's all the wonderful European places we'd love to go to, but clean and safe. I know it's a stupidly American attitude, but it was terrific to point out the restrooms in the Middle Eastern section and to realize they were completely clean AND we wouldn't have to tip the attendant to get a scrap of toilet paper to use. Not that I'm not profoundly grateful for the trip to Egypt a couple of years ago, but honestly I was happy as a clam at Epcot walking through the fantasy Morocco, knowing that it's better by far than the actual. Sad, but true. President Obama has been added to the Hall of Presidents show already, and it was really nicely done. We arrived in time to listen to the Voices of Liberty singers before the show; great acapella group.
Tuesday we went to Disney Studios (the renamed MGM studios). We had a blast at the various shows. And David made reservations for dinner at the superb Brown Derby. Food was fantastic, and we even got to sit in one of the cool horseshoe-shaped booths. Just like in the old movies. Again, no lines at the park. We got to walk right on to most of the rides and shows.
Wednesday we spent much of the day at Animal Kingdom. The safari ride was a great start to the day. I really thought it would be a waste of time. St. Louis has such a great zoo, why would I spend my time looking at animals there? But, as in all things, Disney does it better. The ride was really cool, and we were right there with the animals, or at least it felt like it. And the setting was beautiful. The bird show held a poignant moment, when David realized the bald eagle they paraded across the stage, looking quite regal, was in fact blind. He was a magnificent creature. David got super wet on the Kali Rapids, which I skipped; I had a great time enjoying the people and the beautiful setting.
Wednesday afternoon we went back to Epcot to take in more sites there. We had dinner at Morocco, where I enjoyed the live music. The belly dancing was of the cabaret type, so not that fun, but the live music was good. We stuck around for the IllumiNations show. We had a terrific viewing spot for it.
Thursday morning, we were driven to Cape Canaveral, to board the Disney Wonder. I was filled with trepidation about the cruise. I was afraid of getting seasick and ruining our vacation. I'm happy to report that I didn't have a lick of trouble. The ship was the best part of a fantastic trip. The design is based on the golden age Cunard-style of cruise liner. Only I suspect it's better. :) Every minute on the ship, I felt as if I were on a movie set from the 1920s or 1930s. I was just happy as a clam. The ship has separate adults-only sections, which were fantastic. Four restaurants, so we never repeated a restaurant. A different high-caliber musical theater show every night. A Pirates IN the Caribbean party, which was pretty cute. A piano bar with Tribute to the Crooners night, and deep leather seats next to the portholes, with moonlight steaming across the sea. Heaven! One of my favorite parts of the ship was the plethora of deck lounge chairs--big wooden ones, like in the old movies, with big cushions. I read a lot (a 1929 murder mystery set on a cruise ship). One of the couples who shared our table at dinner told us that this was their eighth Disney cruise. Amazing! Another couple said it was their fourth. I certainly understand the repeat business. The odd thing about these couples is that they all had kids, but they all kept their kids at home. I didn't expect that.
We made a stop at Nassau. We went to shore, but only for a little while. Then we got right back on the ship. Next day, we stopped at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. Yep, it's exactly what you'd expect from Disney. It was lovely. It has a private beach for grownups only, which was very tranquil and beautiful. We lounged there for a while after taking a long walk around the island.
I got just enough sun. I ate really incredible meals (gourmet mac and cheese with lobster meat!). I relaxed and relaxed and didn't think about work at all. It was a week in paradise.
I've been really fortunate in travels, and I've seen wonderful places and incredible museums filled with amazing artifacts. On every European vacation, I've never managed to completely block work thoughts from my mind. Or the thoughts that I should have read a few more history books or art books or biographies to really, truly understand the place I was visiting.
At Disney, my mind is completely at peace. Yeah, a little bit like the people pods in The Matrix, but completely at peace. And happy and shiny.
We rented a convertible for the first two days, and we were blessed with suitable weather. We used the car to drive around a bit, get to our hotel, and get to Mass. To be honest, it's easy as pie to get to hotels and theme parks, but it's impossible to get to Mass without renting a car. Sigh. We flew to Orlando on Friday. Saturday, we spent at Universal Studios Isles of Adventure. I was determined to ride a roller coaster. I used to love them, but the last decade has changed me physically, and now I seem to have no tolerance for them. I was prepared with motion-sickness medicine this time. We made a beeline for the Hulk--a monster of a roller coaster. Probably the toughest of them all of any of the parks we visited. It was quite intense, and it lasted 11 Hail Marys long. I made it off the ride, even walked around a bit, before losing everything that had passed my lips during the previous 14 hours, including the medicine. Whew! Off to a great start.
We saw the construction of the new Harry Potter section of the park. From the outside, Hogwarts looks fantastic. I suspect it will be mostly shops and restaurants. But it's lovely to look at. I enjoyed the beauty of this park, with its mythos themes. And I enjoyed the Dr. Seuss section, too. The Seuss trees look an awful lot like the funky trees in medieval manuscripts. We had a fun dinner at Bubba Gumps. The only rain all week occurred while we were safely at dinner. The weather the rest of the time couldn't have been better 70s in Florida; 80s in the Bahamas.
Sunday after Mass we returned the rental car and took the special bus to the Disney property. The hotel David wanted was booked, so we ended up at their lowest-end place (mostly because I kept bugging David about spending too much money; stupid Bolivian orphans who haunt my dreams). I won't make him do that again. It was a fine place, but the sheets were scratchy and the place was filled with large tour groups of teenagers from South America. Their transportation service made it super easy to go to any park at any time we wanted, though, so really no complaints.
We spent the rest of Sunday at Magic Kingdom. I can't believe how much I enjoyed it. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean several times, and the Peter Pan ride, and I made poor D ride It's a Small World twice. It's just so freaking adorable. We had no lines to contend with, so we had a very easy time of it, and mostly walked right up to rides. Winnie the Pooh was fun, because we got to ride in giant honey pots. Haunted Mansion is fun. Blah, blah. I was like a kid. There was a new show, called Philharmagic. The Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey was the main character, and it was a terrific 3-D show with really good music. I enjoyed it a lot. And what's not to love about the fireworks show "Dreams," which opens with a human-sized Tinkerbell riding a zip line over our heads. Love it! I enjoyed the day more than I can say. The beautiful fantasy of the castle was the perfect backdrop to a perfect day.
The parks are kept spotless. So much cleaner than Universal, and no comparison to typical tourist places. The workers are all friendly. It's as if it's contagious. People don't want to make a mess or be mean. I wish this would spread to all areas of my world.
Monday was spent at Epcot. Never get tired of it. Unfortunately, The Land was closed for maintenance; that's one of our favorite spots. But the rest was wonderful. We had dinner at the Rose and Crown, their English pub. Food was fabulous, our waitress was great fun, and they had Srongbow on tap. Epcot is a favorite because it's all the wonderful European places we'd love to go to, but clean and safe. I know it's a stupidly American attitude, but it was terrific to point out the restrooms in the Middle Eastern section and to realize they were completely clean AND we wouldn't have to tip the attendant to get a scrap of toilet paper to use. Not that I'm not profoundly grateful for the trip to Egypt a couple of years ago, but honestly I was happy as a clam at Epcot walking through the fantasy Morocco, knowing that it's better by far than the actual. Sad, but true. President Obama has been added to the Hall of Presidents show already, and it was really nicely done. We arrived in time to listen to the Voices of Liberty singers before the show; great acapella group.
Tuesday we went to Disney Studios (the renamed MGM studios). We had a blast at the various shows. And David made reservations for dinner at the superb Brown Derby. Food was fantastic, and we even got to sit in one of the cool horseshoe-shaped booths. Just like in the old movies. Again, no lines at the park. We got to walk right on to most of the rides and shows.
Wednesday we spent much of the day at Animal Kingdom. The safari ride was a great start to the day. I really thought it would be a waste of time. St. Louis has such a great zoo, why would I spend my time looking at animals there? But, as in all things, Disney does it better. The ride was really cool, and we were right there with the animals, or at least it felt like it. And the setting was beautiful. The bird show held a poignant moment, when David realized the bald eagle they paraded across the stage, looking quite regal, was in fact blind. He was a magnificent creature. David got super wet on the Kali Rapids, which I skipped; I had a great time enjoying the people and the beautiful setting.
Wednesday afternoon we went back to Epcot to take in more sites there. We had dinner at Morocco, where I enjoyed the live music. The belly dancing was of the cabaret type, so not that fun, but the live music was good. We stuck around for the IllumiNations show. We had a terrific viewing spot for it.
Thursday morning, we were driven to Cape Canaveral, to board the Disney Wonder. I was filled with trepidation about the cruise. I was afraid of getting seasick and ruining our vacation. I'm happy to report that I didn't have a lick of trouble. The ship was the best part of a fantastic trip. The design is based on the golden age Cunard-style of cruise liner. Only I suspect it's better. :) Every minute on the ship, I felt as if I were on a movie set from the 1920s or 1930s. I was just happy as a clam. The ship has separate adults-only sections, which were fantastic. Four restaurants, so we never repeated a restaurant. A different high-caliber musical theater show every night. A Pirates IN the Caribbean party, which was pretty cute. A piano bar with Tribute to the Crooners night, and deep leather seats next to the portholes, with moonlight steaming across the sea. Heaven! One of my favorite parts of the ship was the plethora of deck lounge chairs--big wooden ones, like in the old movies, with big cushions. I read a lot (a 1929 murder mystery set on a cruise ship). One of the couples who shared our table at dinner told us that this was their eighth Disney cruise. Amazing! Another couple said it was their fourth. I certainly understand the repeat business. The odd thing about these couples is that they all had kids, but they all kept their kids at home. I didn't expect that.
We made a stop at Nassau. We went to shore, but only for a little while. Then we got right back on the ship. Next day, we stopped at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. Yep, it's exactly what you'd expect from Disney. It was lovely. It has a private beach for grownups only, which was very tranquil and beautiful. We lounged there for a while after taking a long walk around the island.
I got just enough sun. I ate really incredible meals (gourmet mac and cheese with lobster meat!). I relaxed and relaxed and didn't think about work at all. It was a week in paradise.