Eight days and seven nights at Walt Disney World with the in-laws and three children under 10, and no threats of bodily injury or disinheritance were carried out. Go team!
A few things of note:
-- The Disney Dining Plan continues to be a great value as well as a convenient way to add five pounds despite the horrific amount of walking and calories thus burned. Apparently there are going to be some changes to the plan; this according to (judging from his tone) a future ex-employee who said it had just been announced to the union reps on Friday and no details were yet forthcoming. By the by, his frustration seemed to stem not so much from changes to the DDP, but the supposed introduction of voice recorders for all employees... presumably the better to substantiate dismissals. As the future ex-employee continued ranting about invasion of privacy etc I took my popcorn and backed away slowly so as not to antagonize the critter any further.
-- The best purchase I made before the trip was the little bifold wallet that fit neatly in my back pocket, the better for whipping out ones Disney id/key/credit card several times per day. The best purchase I made at the parks were the Crocs, which saved me from crippling foot pain. Why is it that no matter what pair of shoes is most comfortable at home, it simply can't meet the demands of all that damned walking? Even with far more comfortable footwear in place, my feet were swollen and miserable by day 6.
-- Tinkering with beloved park fixtures has its place, as the refurbishment of the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean goes. The latter has become Captain Jack of the Caribbean, which is a little disappointing. I love seeing Mr. Depp it is true, but shoehorning him into every other scene in the ride seems a bit excessive. It doesn't help that his animaerotictronic visage is a little too realistic for the other piratey compatriots, so that the overall effect is rather like a good but not great photoshop attempt. As for my beloved Haunted Mansion... upon reflection I don't mind the feminist rewriting of the bride in the attic, for it is certainly better storytelling. What really shines is the new Escher-like staircase room, and the simple yet effective improvements to the portraits and wallpaper. The whole thing is very spiff.
-- I adore the Polynesian. The convenience of being on the monorail is well worth it. Also, they upgraded us from Lagoon view to Castle view, which meant that we had a clear shot at the Magic Kingdom fireworks every night. Fantabulous.
-- Expedition Everest, the new coaster at Animal Kingdom, is fabulous. It's dark and scary, whoooooooooo!
-- Space Mountain went down several times for various reasons, and so we hopped on the People Mover which goes through SM and were able to see the works with the lights on. It's a much smaller coaster than I had imagined -- very compact and all angles.
-- The dinner at Royal Akershus (sp?) in Epcot's Norway was surprisingly vegetarian friendly, and the kids loved it because various princesses stop at each table for chitchat and pictures. We also ate at Jiko, California Grill (vegetarian sushi to die for), Wolfgang Puck's, and Mama Melrose's (best vegetarian minestrone I've ever had). Did I mention the whole gaining five pounds thing? I'm a big bloated ball o'Disney and really need to get my ass on the exercise bike again.
-- Our flight back was delayed before we even left for Florida, then delayed again that evening due to bad weather in Chicago. Then there was the half hour spent trying to find the parking ticket which would get the car out of hock. Then there was the horrific drive from Indy to the Land of Nod in drifting snow and icy patches. We finally got home about 2:30 am and released the hounds, who had spent the previous four days or so separated in different rooms because the dogsitter was terrified they would start fighting again and kill each other. Yeah, she deserved and got hazard pay.
-- Going in December was wonderful in that we had beautiful weather and very low crowds; Thursday at the Magic Kingdom we practically walked onto every ride with no wait. On the other hand, I'm late getting presents in the mail and I can't even begin to contemplate that we are hosting Christmas guests this weekend. ::dies::
And that's all the Disney news that's fit to print.
