CAPTURING THE MAGIC OF DISNEY, PART I
Today’s
column is the first in a two-parter that recounts Mike’s journey to Disney.
Here’s
a piece of advice: If you are planning on taking a 3-year-old to Disney, do not inform her
until she is in line for “It’s a Small World.”
Otherwise,
you will be awoken for days on end by a little tiny thing in a princess dress jumping on
the bed, screaming, “ARE WE GOING TO DISNEY TO-DAAAAAAAAY?!?!?!?!?!”
Yes,
my daughter, Allie, was quite excited about the prospect of going to Disney. Her brother,
Parker, who is 11-months old, was equally excited, as evidence by the fact that, when we
mentioned Disney, he would laugh and clap. Granted, he will also laugh and clap if we
mention dogs, a chair or the weather, so take that for what it’s worth.
We
arrived on Wednesday night after what was a surprisingly easy car trip. The monotony of
driving was broken up every six or seven minutes by the following conversation:
ALLIE:
Daddy, are we at Disney yet?
ME:
No.
ALLIE:
How about now?
ME:
No.
ALLIE:
Daddy, are we at Disney yet?
On
Thursday morning, we were ready to hit the parks and unleash the federally mandated Disney
magic. Our first park was the Magic Kingdom, and I have to say that it is quite an
experience to see a 3-year-old’s face the first time she sees Cinderella’s
castle, where Cinderella ACTUALLY lives! “Is she there?” Allie asked.
“Of
course, not, honey, she’s in Hollywood, waiting tables and hoping for her big
break,” I told her.
Ha!
A little Disney humor there. Of course I told her that Cinderella was, in fact, there, and
could not wait to see her. She then asked me if the Little Mermaid was there. And Snow
White. And Peter Pan. And every Disney character ever made which really made me wonder if,
perhaps, she was watching too much television.
When
we got into the park, we told Allie that we would go do whatever she wanted to do. She
meandered about for a little while, taking in the sites, at which point she hinted what
her first ride would be when she said, “DUMBO! DUMBO! LET’S RIDE DUMBO!
DUMBO!”
We
guessed that, perhaps, she wanted to go on the Dumbo ride. After what
was
surely a thrilling Dumbo ride, we moved on to the Small World ride, the Winnie the Pooh
ride and the Stand in Line for a $4 Soft Drink ride. Parker showed his excitement by
sleeping.
Everywhere
we turned, Allie was finding something new and exciting to try. But her real interest came
when we stumbled across Ariel’s Grotto. Ariel, also know as the Little Mermaid, lives
in a little rock cave parked conveniently by a queue line. After about 10 minutes of
standing in line waiting for Ariel to free up some time to meet with us, Allie got a
little distracted and began to get fidgety. There was a little play area heavily populated
with children right by the line. Allie asked me if she could play while I waited in line.
I told her that she could, but had to stay where I could see her. After a few minutes of
playing, I realized that although I could see Allie, most people did not realize she was
with me, and I, quite frankly, looked kinda creepy standing in line to meet the Little
Mermaid, autograph book and princess purse in hand.
We
eventually made it through the line without my receiving strange looks or a restraining
order. Meeting Ariel was definitely exciting, but it would in no we compete with meeting
the whole purpose for a 3-year-old’s existence: Cinderella. After a short (read:
long) wait, we walked through a door, and there she was. Allie was awestruck. I did not
think anyone could be as excited about meeting Cinderella until I looked over at Parker,
who was grinning ear to ear and reaching out for Cinderella. Attaboy, Parker. Attaboy.
Cinderella made Allie’s day complete when we were leaving when she gave a Allie a
kiss on the cheek. And I’m not sure, but I think Parker may have gotten her phone
number.
When
we finally staggered out of the park at the end of the day, we were thoroughly exhausted.
We crashed early at the hotel that night, which was good, since we had to rest up the next
day for...
...
EPCOT! And Animal Kingdom! And MGM! And the world’s longest car ride home!