This past week we ventured into uncharted territory....Disney! Who can totally be prepared for an experience like that? We knew there would be a lot of people, but there were thousands and thousands of people. We knew the lines would be long, but we had minimum of thirty minute wait per ride. The food is infamously expensive, but we have no idea it would be such low quality. Needless to say, it was an adventure.
I am so glad that we had more than a couple days to spend in Orlando because it took us a couple of days to get used to the routine. By the third day we were "pros" and we had things figured out. We quickly learned that getting in line to get a "fast-pass" was well worth the wait. We planned the rides we wanted to take and charted our course. We split up on rides where the younger ones could not ride and that helped us cover even more ground. Last, but definitely not least, we planned our potty breaks and food breaks. I can honestly say that we did not have a single accident!
We learned a lot of life lessons from this trip. The first thing we learned was patience. We had to wait in line for EVERYTHING.... including using the bathroom. I still cannot believe that in a place that is supposed to be catered towards families with children there was only ONE changing table in each bathroom. So... I would go inside and wait in line to change my baby's diaper and then I had to get in the back of the loooong line to use the bathroom myself. It was ridiculous! We also had to wait in line for the rides. I was expecting that so it didn't shock me. I remember how hard it was as a child having to wait in line. However, I quickly learned that when you have to stand in line for such a long time you end up meeting some really cool people. In one of the lines I spoke with an older couple from Germany who were here with a choir. They actually sang at Epcot the night before and they were going to go to a singing workshop that evening. They had never been to Disney and so they had a lot of questions for me. I was more than happy to oblige. Then there was a neat family from Texas who just fell in love with our daughter. They ended up showing her a secret handshake and gave her some really great advice before boarding the ride. They told her, "remember to always love yourself and you too can one day become president." I thought it was cute.
Another great lesson we learned was that as long as the kids were fed, they were happy. We did pretty well making sure we had snacks and water packed for the day. We didn't want to have pay the ridiculous prices for those things inside. We quickly learned that if we took a "snack" break about every two hours then the kids were able to wait in line better and we were all in a much better mood. Sometimes we even took those snack breaks while waiting in line! That helped the time go by faster and it kept our little toddler calmer as well.
Last, but not least, we learned that there is nothing better than being together as a family. It doesn't matter where you are. The moment we got back from our trip I felt such a sense of peace and contentment. It wasn't that we didn't have a good time, because we did. We had the best accommodations and stayed at a prime spot where everything was nearby. We also were able to visit a lot of theme parks and ride all the rides we wanted to. However, I honestly can say that the happiest place on earth (at least for our family) is home.
*****************************************
There's no place like home. (Wizard of Oz)
*****************************************
No comments:
Post a Comment