It's a Small World After All

Our next stop was Disney World, but it was a long drive from Birmingham so we stopped along the way in Valdosta, Georgia for the night. The drive was actually quite beautiful. Lots of trees and while it was too early for any fall colors, I was struck by the long stretches of kudzu. As this dense vine covers trees, it gives them the appearance of great monoliths towering by the roadside. Sort of a southern version of Stonehenge.

Penny enjoyed the trip and continued to get lots of attention. We stopped at one point for a bite to eat and several wait-staff were taking pictures through the window. One young woman told us that her son was a car nut so Bob took her out to the car so she could take pictures from the inside to share with him. We have grown very used to having people stop us everywhere, and Bob loves showing off all Penny’s bells and whistles.

We stopped in Valdosta because just as we neared the city, a huge dark cloud descended on the freeway and opened up, pouring water and cutting visibility to only a few feet. I am a planner, and this was the first unplanned hotel stop, but the Hilton Garden Inn turned out to be a great choice. This was the first hotel in a long time that offered full food service so we didn’t have to brave the rain once we checked in.

The next day, we finished the remaining 200 or so miles and pulled into Disney World.

Anyone who knows me knows I am a true Disney fan. Like many people of my age, Sunday night was the Wonderful World of Disney on television, and I hoped to someday become a Mouseketeer in the Mickey Mouse Club. Disney appealed to my love of fantasy, which has never left me. Bob and I have probably been to Walt Disney World upwards of 40 times over the last 20 years. And while Bob went once as a kid, I never went to Disney World until I was in my 40’s. I really blame the whole thing on my sister Lynn, Tom and my Mom. Tom, who was a service manager at Chevrolet at the time, won a trip to WDW to stay in the Grand Floridian, and they enjoyed it so much, that when he changed to a job where he could work from anywhere, they moved to Celebration, Florida. Celebration was, at that time, a Disney planned community, only a few miles from the Magic Kingdom. When they moved there, my Mom had just retired so she moved with them. My first few visits to Disney were with my Mom, who loved the place. And while I enjoyed it, I didn’t really fall in love for a few more years.

When our granddaughter Morgan was about 2 ½ years old, her parents decided they needed a much-deserved vacation, and asked us to keep Morgan for a week while they went to Jamaica. We were thrilled to do that, and decided to go visit Gigi (great grandma) in Florida. And since they had just opened the Animal Kingdom resort, where one could see giraffes and zebras from your deck, we decided to spend a few days there as well. Watching Morgan unfold the wonders of Disney through her eyes is how Bob and I fell in love with the place. And because my Mom, who left us in 2013, was with us for most of it, it is really the place in the world where I feel closest to her. For many years after that trip, I managed to meet her at Disney on an annual basis, and have many memories of walking through the parks with her, just enjoying the Disney bubble.

We had planned a trip to Disney with the grandkids this past spring, but had to cancel because of the coronavirus, so we decided to go and check things out on this trip, in preparation for a rescheduled trip this December. And our friends Tim and Cindy, who retired just a few months ahead of us, and are equally nuts for Disney, were planning to be there as well.

Disney has struggled with the concept of opening the parks in the age of Covid19. Masks must be worn by anyone age 2 or more, all parks are scored for 6 feet social distancing, and many of the usual activities are still on hold. Having park tickets isn’t enough—you need a separate reservation for each park, and there is no park hopping. No parades, fireworks, shows, or any event that would attract a crowd. Our first stop was at Disney Springs, and as this was a Saturday, it was pretty crowded. But we had reservations at one of our favorite restaurants, Raglan Road. After dinner and a show of talented Irish dancers, we headed back to the Beach Club for a good night’s rest.

Tim and Cindy joined us the next day, and we rode a few rides. Wait times were shorter than we expected even while lines seemed long due to social distancing. We also had reservations for a new restaurant at the newest Disney hotel, Riviera. They have a deck on top of the hotel that affords a magnificent view over several parks and Disney resort hotels, and the food was great. Bob wore his Disney birthday button, was wished Happy Birthday by numerous cast members, and got a few special treats. He also got to meet one of Penny's cousins in Test Track. On our last day, Bob’s birthday, we had dinner at the California Grill, and pleasantly stuffed, we headed back to the hotel to pack for our last stop on the way home.

Disney is full of so many memories for me. We have stayed in most Disney hotels, and received some incredible upgrades. I’ve been there with my sister’s family, my brother’s family, all my children and grandchildren, and many of their friends. Bob and I usually spend his birthday there and I have done several solo trips. We have been ‘pixie dusted’ more times than I can count. Jessica and I once rode Segways through EPCOT before it opened. We arranged to have scavenger hunts for our family in both EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. We’ve spotted Devine, a Disney character camouflaged to look like plant life, moving slowly through Animal Kingdom. We’ve been there in hurricanes, days so hot you can barely breathe, and even a few days near freezing. We were there while Katrina was destroying New Orleans, waiting until 6-year-old Morgan was asleep before watching the horrible news stories. There is certainly a whole big world out there, and Bob and I are looking forward to checking off our bucket list travel plans. But for me, going to Disney is like going home.