A car + a Son = Disney World

Easter Sunday was a great day on many levels. First and foremost it was the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection from death and worship was a highlight.

After saying our goodbyes at church Cindy & I drove home, changed clothes, grabbed a bite to eat and took off for El Paso and points East. We were on our way. Our destination was Orlando, Florida some 1700 miles away. After a brief stop at the El Paso airport to drop off one of our cars we were on our way.

There is a lot of nothing in west Texas but I had come prepared. Books on tape saved the day. First Bob Newhart then Sue Grafton kept us occupied. The roads were for the most part fine so we just sailed along.

This trip was going to be a bit more seat-of-our-pants. We did not have any motel reservations except in Orlando where we were going to be spending a number of days. It worked great. Somewhere along the way we grabbed one of those free discount magazines you find at truck stops that advertise discounts on hotels along the way and planned from there. Sonora, Texas (west of San Antonio) was first then Baton Rouge, Louisiana then Gainesville, Florida. There’s not much to say about the trip itself.

We did drop down to Pensacola, Florida (just east of there really) so we could see the beach. The traffic was stop and go but it was great walking on the beach once again. It stretches for what seemed like miles. In Las Cruces we have the sand but no water.

The main reason for the trip was to meet up with Matt and his girlfriend A.J. so we could give him our old car. We met up with them at the Orlando train station. They sat up all night having come from Union Station in Washington, D.C.

Disney World was our destination now that we were together. Our first stop was Downtown Disney. It is a “six-acre nighttime entertainment complex.” There are several restaurants and shops there along with attractions like Cirque du Soleil. We spent time walking around and looking at the sights then we were off on a short boat ride to and then a carriage ride around the Port Orleans Riverside Resort. One thing about Disney is they do things so well. Their resorts are beautiful, too expensive to stay at perhaps but beautiful. We had a very nice time that night.

The next two days were spent at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. The crowds were big but not a problem. We started at Splash Mountain then it was on to The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hall of the Presidents and on and on kept us going all day and into the night. The fireworks were spectacular and the Spectral Magic parade ended our evening at the Magic Kingdom. It was great having Matt there since he worked there for a time. He knew the places to go and how best to do it. It was also fun watching A.J. since she hadn’t been there since she was 3 years old.

At Epcot we went on Mission Mars or Space and Soaring. Both those rides were great. One takes you into outer space via a flight simulator and the other takes you hang gliding over scenes in California. Wow! The best way to do these rides is of course by getting there first. The other way is by using the Fast Pass system. If you can be flexible you show up at a ride at the time your Fast Pass tells you and you go to the front of the line. That really worked slick. On one occasion we walked ahead of at least 500 other people to get to the front. I felt terribly guilty for a little bit. I didn’t make eye contact with any of those I was trotting past.

You know that Epcot is composed of two areas: the rides, etc. in front and then the showcase of countries in the rear. For dinner we actually went to a sit down dinner at the German showcase. We got great food and a short program including oompa music. It was fun. The evening ended with a lazer light show. By then Cindy & I were simply worn out.

Thankfully our time in Florida ended not only on a high note but a less strenuous one as well. Saturday was spent going to Coco Beach which is straight east of Orlando on the Atlantic. The beach was beautiful and the sun warm and inviting. We lounged around for a few hours then headed back for the Luau at the Polynesian Resort.

The Luau was great. The food was plentiful, the atmosphere was festive and the evening concluded with a great floor show.

On Sunday we had to say our goodbyes. Matt and A.J. had a many hour drice ahead of them. They were heading back to Washington, DC where they both needed to be on Monday for work. Cindy & I boarded our plane and after the usual hassles we arrived home Sunday afternoon.

It was a great trip.