Now that I have had a little time to thoughtfully reflect on the weeklong Disney trip (meaning I have unpacked and caught up on email at work, though have yet to figure out exactly why a member of our party -- apparently me -- bought a handheld device whose only purpose is to spin and blink), I thought I'd add just a few more tidbits, mining the same vein offered in the first post. I will be dropping a little more personal info, but only inconsequential stuff you might hear on a first date.
ONE NIGHT, AT DINNER -- At Sci-Fi Dine Inn, these two things are true: large plates, tiny dining space. At least in those cars with counters in front and back seats. Once my son scraped off the stuff he did not want on his chicken sandwich, which was everything but the meat, he had very little room for the copious amounts of ketchup that accompany each of his meals. I struggled to find room to place discarded rib bones (ribs are OK, would recommend only if on dining plan), finally putting them atop the fries. Not a brilliant move given the lack of light that, while honest to the theme of a drive-in movie, is not conducive to the mixing of fries and rib bones. Be careful out there.
SAME NIGHT, SAME DINNER, NEW CONVERSATION (as trailers from 60s sci-fo movies played on the big screen): "Dad, did they really make these movies?"
"Yeah, they really did. And if I remember correctly, Frankenstein did defeat the space monster. And I'm not sure what went wrong with plans 1 through 8 from outer space, forcing them to rely on plan 9."
"How come no one invented color?"
"We were easily pleased back then."
SOUVENIRS: Given the plethora of overstuffed plastic Disney shopping bags we saw, we weren't the only ones buying stuff that, upon arriving home, would cause us to seriously question our savvy as consumers. In the past, I would give my son a set amount (anywhere from $10-$40, depending on duration and location of trip) to spend. It was a very successful tactic once I made it clear he could keep all excess cash. His spending plummeted. I would strongly suggest this method should you want to limit your children's spending, and not do what I did upon checking in -- giving signing privileges to a child whose credit worthiness is dependent upon a $10 weekly allowance. OK, I got a kick out of watching him sign for snacks and various souvenirs. But he is also deep in debt to the National Bank of Dad. We have since worked out a mutually beneficial payment schedule involving those chores Dad dislikes most. Everybody wins, especially when Dad is inside watching World Cup soccer as son mows lawn on 105-degree day.
PRESSURE TO HAVE HAPPIEST TIME ON EARTH: This trip had been 18 months in the planning (year added when, last July, son broke ankle 3 days prior to departure, and thankfully Disney and Southwest Airlines were very forgiving, especially Disney as we rebooked for this year at higher rate). Involved in that planning were travel guides, travel planners, officially licensed Disney vacation DVDs, and obsessive combing of Internet for any and all advice. But the most important reason we had a wonderful time in which conflicts, arguments and assorted meltdowns added up to zero, was willingness to depart from well-made plans. Armed with trip plans from the Unofficial Guide (a very useful tome, by the way), we were determined to follow them to the letter. And we did. For about an hour, when interests diverged and crowds grew larger than anticipated. Simple adjustments were made, like sitting on a bench to eat ice cream. Or ducking into a gift shop (seriously, no matter where you stand in the park, a souvenir shop will be in your line of sight) to buy something else we really didn't need. And on Sunday, we took a day off from the parks -- my son's request, though my initial reaction was "Nooo, we are here to have fun, dang it, the kind of fun available only to the thousands upon thousands lucky enough to be here". Yet that break is precisely what we needed.
WAIT UP: What separates Disney from other amusement parks, other than convincing parents a visit is a childhood rite, is the theming, and that is most apparent in the queues. This is what we found:
Best queues: Expedition Everest (enjoy your hour in a Tibetan village comprised of several rooms containing artifacts, photos and icons relating to climbing and a rather abominable and ill-tempered snowman); Test Track (loud and busy but fun); Rock n Roller coaster (due to background music your "meet" with Aerosmith); Haunted Mansion (still love the ghost host after all these years); and Dinosaur (finally, I am not the only fossil on display). Most deceptive: Astro Blasters. Winds along much further than it looks from the outside (though its deceptiveness pales to that of Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin in
Disneyland, where you enter to find one rail separating you from the loading area, yet the queue runs on longer than the mysterious plots in Lost). Worst queue: Kilamanjaro Safari. Line moves slowly and is far too wide, resulting in much jostling from people attempting to protect thier place. Missed opportunity: Soarin'. Very bland.
RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS WITH WHICH WE WERE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED: We measure these rides on their superior standby-time-to-enjoyment ratio, taking into account expectation loads and levels of anticipation: People Mover in Tomorrowland, Maelstrom in World Showcase at Epcot, Journey into the Imagination at Epcot, Tower of Terror at Disney Studios (based on late-night, short-wait visit and comparisons to same ride at Disneyland); the stunt car show at Disney Studios, and the Great Movie Ride at the studios.
MOST DISAPPOINTING RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS: Space Mountain, Star Tours (even Obi Wan knew when it was time to give it up), Indiana Jones stunt show (fun, but way too much time setting up the action, and someone needs to rethink the long-winded audience participation), the Backlot Tour (we came all this way to see seamstresses?), and No. 1 with a bullet, Stitch's Great Escape.
With that I sign off, unless you have questions. If interested in a blog that's not your usual blog, I direct you to
www.loseroldguy.com, humorous ramblings and observations from someone who knows enough not to try to make sense of everything.
Thanks, and have a magical life.
The tongue-in-cheek tone and slight sarcasm made this seem like a REAL account of what happens on a vacation. Nothing is ever perfect. It was a refreshing break from the syruppy sweet, la-la-la, we live the perfect life reports, and I preferred your format to the blow-by-blow reports of how many times little Johnny needed to use the potty. I could tell by your first post that you had a good time, but enjoyed the second post nonetheless. Thanks for the info and the laughs. Rock on! 
........and lastly, to those who require the scooters, god bless you and for those that take advantage of it, 
That was just beautiful . . . 
