4th trimester: Reflections on Disney World

We returned on Tuesday from a trip to Disney World. We surprised the girls with the news the morning of our departure and then double surprised them at the airport when they learned that the Rydbergs and the Schmidts were also going. We had rooms at the same resort all in a row, so when not at the parks, there were 7 kids between the ages of 3 and 7 terrorizing the sixth floor guests in the vicinity. It was a scene, although not entirely uncommon in the Orlando area. In fact, that is one of the "pro" column items as it relates to the Orlando/Disney experience. You can take your kids almost anywhere and they can be loud and drop food on the floor and spill juice and complain about the flavor of the ketchup, and nobody can give you the "can't you control you kids" look. Well, I suppose they could try, but you can just look right back and them with the "do you know where the f#@& you are" look.

What can I say. Disney is a unique situation. This is my third visit to Orlando involving theme park travel, and it was definitely the most intense. We managed a day at Epcot, a very long day at Magic Kingdom, and two days at Animal Kingdom. This is significant for a guy who isn't entirely sold on the Disney experience. Although I have never smoked peyote or spent a night in a sweat lodge, this trip did bear some similarities to things I have read about the vision quests that were once common in some Native American cultures. We'll start with the sweat. There was a lot of it. It was about 90 every day, dew point in low 70s, and ample sunshine. Rydberg suggested the motto ought to be changed to the "sweatiest place on earth." I agree. As for hallucinations, let's just say that about three minutes into the It's a Small World ride, dehydration and that absolutely hypnotic tune conspire to bring a strange energy to those little puppets.

I'm probably painting a bad picture of the trip. The girls had a great time, and while I have a long list of things I don't like about Disney World, it does have it's charms. It's pretty amazing how clean the place is, and while I get a little put off by the hardcore planning required to maximize the $350 a day entry fee, they do run an amazingly efficient operation. It's a regular conveyor belt of fun.

I would also say that traveling to Orlando with friends is very fun. Having some adults to commiserate with eases the inevitable challenges. Plus, it was nice for the kids to have friends to play with at the pool, or to hang out with at night before bed. It was interesting to watch the gender differences play out with the kids. Like us, the Schmidts have all girls. Unlike the us the Rydbergs were traveling with two boys. My general observation is that the girls are preferable in the evening and boys are preferable in the morning. Some examples. On one particular day we were all going to go to Magic Kingdom. After a slow start, Sara and I and the girls ran into the Schmidts in the hotel parking lot at about 10:00am. We had been dealing with a good bit of crabbiness from Lucy and a fairly aloof vibe from Stella. As Jim and I crossed paths, he rolled his eyes and asked if our girls were as emotional and difficult as his. I nodded. You're probably wondering what Ryan had to say. Well, he was long gone. His boys were up and in pirate costumes hours earlier, ready to charge the park at the opening bell - balls of enthusiasm. Fast forward a day. Everyone has returned from another day of adventure and a bit of late swimming at the pool. We swing by Rydberg's room for some desert before bed. My girls eat ice cream and laugh at Cameron and Cole. Why? Because Cameron is repeatedly attempting to punch Cole in the groin. I believe a sword fight followed. I found this delightful and extremely entertaining. Ryan seemed less amused. He made a few feeble attempts to get the boys to calm down, but in the end he was powerless. Apparently boys do not ship with an off switch.

Anyhow, enough ramblings. Some pictures.