My magical five days at Disney are up and the cold reality of winter is hitting home as I settle back in for another semester in Southeast Missouri. As promised, I paid close attention during my trip as I traveled through all four parks and my findings are interesting as well as amusing. Enjoy!
1. Ears
The ears really are a huge deal. From the classic Mickey ears to the newest R2D2 and C3PO edition, ears are everywhere. One of my original concerns was thinking they might be hot. Honestly I didn’t get an answer to this one, because it barely hit 70 degrees the whole time we were there. Some of the cutest ears had to be the Mr. and Mrs. ears! Newlyweds or couples celebrating an engagement or anniversary wore these ears all through the parks and some even had their names embroidered on the back. So cute! On a personal note, Cinderella and Rapunzel liked our homemade ears and Cindy even wants my friend to make some little ones for her mouse friends. (Although I don’t really get that since they are all ready mice.)
2. Buttons
The button was legit. Cast members are so excited when they see the buttons. They all want to congratulate you for whatever your button is about! The button adds an extra level of happy for the experience. Also, I found myself with my mouth wide open in awe almost every moment of the day (except for our over an hour wait for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, but worth it), and I think the button did serve as a sort of precaution to those around me never interrupted my gazing.
3. Matching Shirts
This was less in quantity than I imagined but better in quality. Not as many groups were wearing matching shirts, but when I did spot a pair or a group they were usually quite impressive. Mostly it was family reunions or families with small children attempting to keep all of their people together. This was also a stress reliever for me. Occasionally you will see children walking around looking for their people, and it helps if you can quickly notice that their shirt matches the group a few steps ahead and wave at them and point them back to the group.
4. Physical Exercise
Our group averaged six miles walking each day through the parks. Oh, and while we were there the Disney marathon events were happening, one of which is the Dopey Challenge. The Dopey Challenge is a 5k, 10k, Half-Marathon, and Marathon each event happening one day after the other. That's 48.6 miles total, plus several of the runners still went to the parks after. Cue applause for all the Dopey Challenge runners.
The trip was truly magical. While I didn’t meet the genie, I did watch the "Indiana Jones" stunt show and met Elsa and Anna in a less than 30 minute line. I joke that Walt Disney World could also be called the Land of Patience because honestly we did wait in several lines for rides, shows, or food, but it was never unbearable. The rides were incredible, our ears were a hit, and it was a perfect workout to prepare me to walk all over campus this week. It’s a trip I will always remember and if you haven’t had the chance to go yet I hope one day you can experience the magic of Walt Disney World.
“No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true.” - Cinderella
