I fell 13 stories in an elevator, flew over London, took a safari to see elephants, rhinos and crocodiles and had both a spit bug and a stink bug spray me liberally – all in one week’s time. A week in which my husband took his first steps into his second childhood and spent more than half his ready cash buying a heap of Mr. Potato Head parts. Not only that, but my daughter insisted her son wanted to take another look at a bunch of dolls – and his daddy not only took him to see the dolls, but video taped them as well. One would hardly have believed it from a guy who grabbed every opportunity available to take the scariest, fastest rides in Disney World … which of course is where all of the above happened.
The trip began as my husband’s solution to our annual question “what shall we do for our birthdays and anniversary this year?” Since all three happen inside three days a week after New Year’s, we usually keep a fairly low profile, but this year he wanted to go to Walt Disney World and see it all.
I rolled my eyes. He would want to be the first person in the park and the last person out. He would have a vacation, I would be running a daily marathon. I said, “perhaps we might see if someone else might want to go with us.”
Timing wise the youngest family could do it – if we traveled together. We took care of the rooms, they took care of transportation, packed lunches, provided in room breakfasts and healthy suppers. And, bonus, they would bring a young child who needed a nap every afternoon – insuring me a break every single day. Sounded like a great plan to me.
The little guy loved “It’s a Small World” with the bright lights, gentle ride and happy music. He hated 3-D shows. Each one involved at least a sprinkling of water, rumbling of the theater and lots of sudden, loud noises. We have one cute picture of him and his parents wearing 3-D glasses – the first and last time he let us put the glasses on him. The rest of the time he skipped the 3-D shows and danced with the street entertainers instead.
Bonus for my husband, on our birthdays, since we already had our tickets, Disney gave us the price of the entrance fee in a debit card to spend at the shops. We Considered overpriced hats and gadgets before the men stumbled on bins of Mr. Potato Head parts with a sign, “Fill up a box for $19.”
The Pirates of the Caribbean could not have enjoyed a buried treasure more. The two of them stuffed their boxes with every style of Disney hat for the Spud as well as Mickey Mouse shoes, Darth Vader masks, light sabers, magic wands and Mary Poppins umbrellas. They returned to the room chortling, counting their treasures and coveting the pieces the other had snagged and they had not.
Just before we had to hop the train and leave the last day, I found a Mickey Mouse watch and a pair of Mickey shaped gloves to take home. As we lined up to take our final monorail ride to the parking lot, the young family asked a guide, “How do folks get to ride in the front with the engineer?”
That’s all it takes. Just ask. The first four people to ask will ride in the front. Since it was my birthday, they insisted I ride with them. My husband missed the seating with the 270 degree view of the world, so I figure that pretty much insures a quick return to Disney World – that or the quest to find more doodads for Mr. Potato Head.