There And Back Again: A Disney Tale- Part 3: Oz

WDW Poly Princess

Needs a Disney Fix
Joined
Jul 17, 2000
Messages
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Concerning Our Cast:
Crystal (WDW Poly Princess)- Turning 23 on this trip, my 5th trip to WDW, 3rd solo trip.

Kiki- Friend from Orlando who makes a cameo appearance as our superhero, Airport Transport Girl.

Katie- Twenty-something friend who lives just outside of Orlando. We met on an online horse message board about ten years ago, and have been in touch ever since.

JP- Katie’s brother, who I’ve talked to online for years, but have never met until now.


“Travel is only glamorous in retrospect” – Paul Thereoux

When I last left you, I was still sitting in the Springfield airport, waiting on my flight. I promise that at some point in this trip report, I really do make it to Disney World.

Shortly after everyone was off the plane that had just arrived at my gate, I was boarding, and slipping into my exit row (yay!) seat. I settled into my seat, and pulled out my notebook to jot a few things down. There’s my notebook, but oops! I forgot to bring a pen! I have crosswords, a book of various puzzles, and a notebook to amuse myself on this flight, and I forget a pen! Good thing I brought my CD player, at least I’ll have music. Let’s listen to M-I-C..K…J-a-g-g-e-r! (What? I like Mickey Mouse and all, but I don’t want to listen to him sing for two hours!)

Two hours is a really long flight if you, like me, can’t sit still for more than five minutes at a time. Add the fact that I’m on my way to Disney World to this, and it was all I could do not to climb the walls (which would really be quite the feat, since I’m 5’10, and the plane was only about 5’6 high… but I digress…)

So, two very long hours later, we landed in Chicago and I darted into the first gift shop I could find for a pen. $3 later, I was back out and speed walking to my gate. Why do they always make you go from one side of the airport to another to catch your connecting flights?

airport.jpg

I had about half an hour to go from the top star to the bottom one.

The sad thing was that the Chicago airport is really cool, but I had no time to stop and appreciate it! On my way from one gate to another, I passed a full-sized brontosaurus skeleton, a cheesecake kiosk (closed,:sad1: ), and a life-sized gold flying cow. Maybe on the way home I can stop to check things out.

Back on another plane for another too-long-to-sit-still flight. Finally, though, we were over Orlando! Is it just me, or does everyone else always search the ground below for WDW when you’re flying over? I have never, ever been able to see it, either! Of course, half of the time I’m flying in at night, which doesn’t help…

But back to the point: I was there!

Warning: I’m about to go off on a tangent here! I hate winter. I hate ice on the roads, and freezing cold weather, and the lack of sun. The thing I really hate, though, is how grey everything becomes. The grass dries up and is no longer green, the leaves wither and turn brown, and even the sky turns a sleepy shade of grey. It’s as if all of the color gets sucked out of the world for three months. This is exactly why I love going to WDW in the winter- I always feel like Dorothy when she arrives in Oz- stepping out of her black and white world and into Technicolor. All at once, everything is bright and beautiful and alive.

Because of this, I have a special love of the big Christmas trees that are always up in the Orlando airport this time of year. You step off of your plane, a little ragged from a day of travel, make your way down that grayish hallway that leads into the terminal, and there it is. Color, light, beauty, excitement, festivity. You’re stepping in to Oz.

01mcotree.jpg
 
This is great! I hate reading books with no pictures.

Jennifer
 

Wow - can I ever relate to the grey, gloom and doom of a midwest winter! I live in Ohio - the land of grey skies and orange barrels! Last winter I finally gave in and discussed my unhappiness in the winter - voila! I take my "happy" pills now mid-October thru mid-April. Even tho the skies are grey and it rains and rains, I can't get upset about it anymore.

I feel the same way when I go to WDW in the winter. I can stand to see green all year 'round!
 
anxiously awaiting for you to make it there! :Pinkbounc
 
I'm lovin' your reports! I know that exact feeling about winter. I feel that exact same way! Nothing beats Disney in the wintertime! Though it may be cold out, it totally warms up your heart and spirit!! :wizard: :earboy2:
 















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