I was waiting in line for Pirates in DL when I overheard a cast member asking folks how many in their party. There were a bunch of families in front of me so when I said, "one" he led me past a whole bunch of people and into the back of an empty boat. Now I was expecting to be put in the back of a boat full of people with one row left, so I was a little confused, but I'm not going to argue with getting to move ahead in line. My boat just sat there and people were looking at me like, "Why does that woman get to cut in line and then get her own boat?" and I was looking back at them like, "Dudes, I totally have no idea." Then I saw a group all dressed in white, approaching from the exit side. My eyesight isn't the best, and it is dark in there, so it wasn't until they were getting in the boat that I realized I was going to be riding with a bevy of beauty pageant princesses. They all had sparkly crowns and sashes and were wearing matching white polo shirts and pants. They ranged in age from about 18 months to late teens or early twenties. I was the only one on the boat without makeup on. Actually it is probably a good thing I don't' wear make-up or people might have thought I was Honey Boo Boo's mom.
These girls were very well behaved, almost too well behaved. I'm not entirely sure they weren't animatronics. As we left the dock they all did that wave from the wrist thing to the crowd who was staring at us. I decided not to be left out and I flashed a big grin at the crowd and waved from my wrist. I haven't spent much time with pageant royalty, but I have several friends who are drag queens, so I know how to do it. I only wished I had my tiara with me.
The girls all sat up so straight and didn't point and call out like normal kids do. It could have been much worse. These girls obviously have better training that the girls on that Toddlers with Tiaras show- I pay them all the compliment of saying they would make for very boring reality TV. After our boat climbed up and made the turn towards the line, the girls who had been so still throughout the ride all woke up at the same time and started their pageant waving at the crowd again. Not wanting to be a party pooper I waved as well and got a big kick out of watching people's faces as they scanned the line of princesses and then rested on the chubby middle aged woman whose beauty routine involves washing and combing her hair back into a pony tail then slathering on lotion. I started hearing that Sesame Street song in my head "One of these things is not like the others, One of these things just doesn't belong
" It was a ride I will never forget.