The Most Magical Place on Earth

Yep still stuck on Walt Disney World but really can you blame me?  On our trip to Orlando we visited the four Disney parks and the two Universal Parks. Although we had fun at all of them Disney is where IT was at. 

That’s not to say Universal wasn’t great in its own way. Universal is home to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and since our entire family is huge fans that park is placed firmly in the number 2 out of the 6 parks we visited.  In the end however, aside from HP, Universal just feels like any other theme park.

Walt Disney World, in particular The Magic Kingdom and Epcot, is like stepping into another world. A world where all the faces are smiling, where people (cast members and tourists alike) dance in the street, where the rides are “experiences” and foot traffic is so well managed that even in the midst of a parade it flows smoothly.

It isn’t just for the kids either and I think that is a big part of what makes Disney so special.  It turned out my husband and I had just as much fun as our daughters did.  While we walked into the parks as Mom and Dad we left as kids having had a day of fun. 

Perhaps it is because of rides like Dumbo which in most parks wouldn’t be designed to seat adults but small children only.  Nothing at Disney is kids only or adults only everything is designed to be an entertaining and fun experience for everyone regardless of age.  Sharing in the fun as a family changes the outlook entirely.  

It’s all in the details and Disney does the details well.  One of those subtle details is the different music for each area which emerges from bushes and along walkways each sound evoking memory and lifting your heart.  Another detail is in the food, everything is specially made for Disney.  A bag of nuts “manufactured” by Chip n’ Dale, Mickey ears ice cream and Minnie Cookies.  Each of the rides are more than just rides they are immersive from the moment you step into line until you step back out into that glorious Florida sun.   The shows are spectacularly put together and the cast members treat you like royalty. 

In no other place have I felt that overwhelming feeling of being a kid again.  Disney focuses on learning and imagination; it is forever optimistic, encouraging and hopeful.  It makes you think about our potential as humans and it truly is magic.

Disney Done

Well that’s it summer is officially behind us, but what a way to top it off. Our family spent the last week in the wonderful Florida sun and after 8 days of bliss we returned mid snow storm.  While we were there I wasn’t giving anything back home a second thought while blogger faithfully posted my pre-written and scheduled posts. 

Stepping off the plane in Orlando was magical in and of itself, having gotten used to near freezing temperatures the warm and humid air was pure bliss.  Palm trees swaying in the breeze, geckos running across sidewalks, flowers in bloom everywhere and of course visits with a very special mouse made this the best trip our family has ever had.   

I’d mentioned my intent to surprise the girls with this trip and did we ever succeed.  Their reactions to the letters I made for them were priceless.  While our youngest went from curiosity to pure excitement as soon as she realized what the letters said our oldest went through several stages (including a rather doubtful one) before reaching that def-con 10 level of excitement herself.  

Since we were leaving the very next morning our vacation started as soon as we told the girls and I couldn’t be happier with our decision to surprise them.  Since we were left so soon after telling them it seemed we were in full-fledged vacation mode from that moment forward without even having left the house.

Another little bonus that wasn’t strictly necessary that helped bring the vacation home even before we stepped onto the plane was by starting off our trip by renting a limousine for the ride to the airport. For the girls this was a new experience and certainly worked to make it special.

This was also their first experience flying and so we made sure to talk to them about what to expect from the flight, the different noises and sensations that they might experience and brought along as many distractions as we could. I admit I was a little nervous as my husband is not a good flyer and our youngest shares his fear of heights so we did need to consider she might not do well. Thankfully it turned out that neither of them had any issues flying and enjoyed seeing everything from up high.       

Our flight had been slightly delayed and so our first day’s plans were a little rushed on arrival but we also arrived with a flexible mindset and so it didn’t cause any undue stress.  We were very happy with our hotel and the anticipation of our first parks day kept the stress of getting prepared for our week in check.

I think this was probably one of the most important elements that made our trip successful, planning.  I’d done a huge amount of planning long before we left but having that plan while remaining flexible really seemed to make everything flow smoothly.  There were times we forgot about the plan and lost track of time yet we still seemed to always find ourselves in the right spot at the right time for all the shows, parades and fireworks we wanted to see. 

All of our planning and research into when to go, where to eat, what to do each day, deciding whether to rent a car or not, the best location and hotel to stay at all these big things were figured out ahead of time and so the little things just worked.

Leaving to come home we were of course saddened to go but we all felt content and happy with all we had done and our tired feet were ready to call it a day.  We got one last week of summer fun before walking off the plane at the end of it all and straight into several feet of snow. Disney may be done but the memories we have brought home will last a lifetime and the snow doesn’t feel so bad.        

   

Ready, Set, Go

Countdown to Orlando continues to shrink and each day we creep closer I lose a little more focus on everything else going on around me.  The list of things to do before we go is also shrinking every day and we are almost completely ready and what isn’t ready is laid out step by step and simply can’t be done until we reach the day before or day of travel.

There has been a lot of planning that has gone into this trip, not only from the perspective of paying for it but in figuring out the where, what, when and how’s.  As I’ve made my way along, figuring out each question I’ve realized just how many there have been to answer.

I’ve talked about the time warp that seems to be carrying me along for hours and just as suddenly grinds to a halt.  That feeling of being disembodied in time has continued but I’m adjusting to it.  Lots of time left to do whatever remains on any of my various lists while at the same time realizing it will be here before I know it.  

This trip is going to be full of a lot of new experiences particularly for the girls.  The only thing about all these new adventures that worries me is the flight.  I’m fine flying and I’m sure my oldest will be but my husband suffers a profound fear of flying which stems from a fear of heights, the same fear of heights our youngest has.  She’s expressed an interest in going on a plane but we will have to wait and see.

Despite the anticipation I’m actually quite relaxed about the whole thing now. I think it’s because I’ve reached a point where every last contingency I can think of has been planned for as well as can possibly be and I’m ready to just experience whatever may come.

I’ve made sure insurance and the other matters concerning safety have been covered and so nothing else really matters.  I don’t care if I forget a few items or if my daily itineraries go to hell (although I do hope they don’t)I’m ready for a week spent under hot sunny skies.  I’m ready, I’m set, now is it time to go?

Time Warp

No I’m not talking Rocky Horror, although I could discuss the subject in great length, I’m talking about the time warp that comes before a holiday.  Those few days/weeks whatever while you anticipate a vacation and time begins to play tricks. It moves at a snail’s pace one moment and the next it feels like time is skipping ahead days at a time.

While I’ve felt this kind of time slip a few times before never has it been so pronounced as with our next vacation.  From the moment our oldest was born Disney became the ideal place to go, the most anticipated something we would HAVE to do.  

Disney World is of course quite far from Winnipeg and while it may be the most magical place on earth it is also one of the most expensive.  So it got put off again and again until finally we realized that time was slipping by and the only way it would happen is if we made it happen.

The girls are now 13 and 8 respectively and it feels like they are just the right age to go now.  The more I think about it the better I feel that we waited until now to make it happen.  At 13 our oldest is not so far gone up the parent’s are un-cool path to harbor any negativity about family vacations and our youngest isn’t so young that she won’t remember the trip.

I went to Disneyland when I was 5 and besides a few snippets which may not be memories at all but often heard stories I remember almost nothing.  I would rather they both remember this trip because we may never get a chance to go again.  Mind you it felt like we would never get this first chance to go yet here I am in the ever shortening time until we leave.

I’m enjoying the anticipation to be honest, and in some ways I don’t want to get there because then it will mean we’re that much closer to it being over.  Where though has the time flown?  How can each minute seem so agonizingly long, my mind packed with thoughts and plans but the days themselves disappearing so quickly.

It is a time warp, a magical place where anticipation and enthusiasm create a strange state of mind.  It’s all in my head and as a favorite book once said “why should that make it any less real?”

Lost A Marble

Planning a vacation is something which I both love and hate doing and something I’ve started doing over the last week or so.  See I love the anticipation, the search for good deals the planning it out step by step.  While on the other hand I hate the anticipation, the search for good deals, the planning it out step by step….…….

At this point my mind is so full of numbers and ideas and plans that aren’t put together that I feel like I’ve a few screws loose.  You know mad as a hatter, an olive short of a pizza, four quarters short of a dollar, a few fries short of a happy meal, as mad as a monkey on a tricycle. I could go on……never mind you get the idea.

A much anticipated vacation feels like someone handed me a chocolate bar and told me I can’t eat it for a month.   Well that bar would last about 30 seconds before I’d eat it.  A vacation though isn’t really flexible, I can’t just “forget” when I’m supposed to have it and take it early. Patience, in the case of vacations or chocolate, is much more an illusion than a virtue.   

The search for good deals will often simply cause such hesitation and uncertainty that I will miss the best deal while suspecting an even better one just around the corner. What can I say I have commitment issues when it comes to finances, scratch that in all honesty I’m just cheap.  I like looking for great deals; I just don’t like committing to them.

As for the subject of planning, it is something I just do in my day to day life.  While there may be a bit more excitement with vacation planning at the end of it all it is still a chore.  Making the choices of what to do is fun but once the choices are made and it comes down to numbers and itineraries the luster tends to dull a bit.

Love it or hate it vacation planning can drive you a little batty but it’s one of those things in which the reward greatly outweighs the sacrifice.  As for now I’m heading back over to the travel sites, got to find that great deal I know is waiting to be found.

100 word count - The Best Laid Plans

We have a favorite weekend destination just south of the border that we used to go to several times a year.  Well our lives have gotten busier and we find ourselves heading that way less and less.  In the last year we only had one opportunity to plan a trip there and it was cancelled last minute thanks to a soccer injury.  Well same trip, same time of year and in great “it figures” fashion another soccer injury.  Sometimes your determination to make something happen is completely irrelevant to what will in the end occur.  The Best laid plans indeed…….

Holiday Fun

A week spent with nothing more important than to relax and have some serious fun has done me some good but it is now time to come back to the day to day routine.  Last week was one where I washed not a single dish nor cooked a single meal and had someone to tidy up after me. My phone was ignored and forgotten, no e-mail or anything and it was absolutely fabulous.  

I don’t particularly care for hotel rooms as the beds are never quite as comfy as home and there is never anywhere comfortable to sit but having someone else to make my bed and clear out the trash and dirty towels more than makes up for it. We ended up spending very little time in the room anyways as we had lots planned out and Mall of America rounded out whatever time was left.

I always love a good vacation, really who doesn’t,  and this past week spent in and around Minneapolis was a blast.  It was relaxing fun and full of shopping just as a great vacation should be. There were no arguments or moments of stress, it was calm and peaceful and packed with museums, amusement parks and family fun.    

My husband, kids and I together with my husband’s siblings and their families all traveled down to Minneapolis for the week.  Having all the cousins together is always a great experience particularly when they are willing to consent to a day at Valley Fair wearing matching t-shirts labeled cousin 1, cousin 2 etc just to make us Moms happy.

We had originally planned to spend our holiday in Toronto but decided on travelling to Minneapolis for this group vacation as the kids are all getting older and we don’t have much time left when getting all the cousins together is going to be quite so simple. We didn’t spend the entire week together as our family was the only one interested in visiting museums but we did do a number of great things together. 

Thanks to our GPS I didn’t get lost in the maze of interstate travel during rush hour excursions in a city I don’t know well. For the most part it kept me on track with the exception of telling me to turn right when turning right would have sent us careening off a 50 ft drop; I obviously ignored that particular instruction.   

The trip also gave us the opportunity to break in the new SUV we just purchased, nothing like putting 2,000 KM on a vehicle in the first 2 weeks. Well it gave us a good idea of what mileage to expect and it’s handling. This SUV also has a DVD player for the kids so the 7 ½ hr trip from Winnipeg to Minneapolis and back was actually quite pleasant.

Everything about this trip really seemed to work out perfectly not a thing went wrong the entire time and everything was great. Even the border crossing which during the summer often involves a rather lengthy wait was fast both directions. Whenever we travel to the states for a shopping trip or a holiday away I always love that moment when we cross back over the border, that moment of contentment of time having been well spent and the welcome feeling of being home.