A taste of magic

Magic.  Magic is walking in 80-degree sunshine a week after the worst snowstorm of the season. Magic is reading in the shade by the pool. Magic is remembering watching the Wonderful World of Disney every Sunday as a child. Magic is a Fantasmic light show. Magic is connecting with friends you haven’t seen in quite a while. I’ve only been in Forida two days, but it’s been all magic.
 

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Disney Day
I arrived in Florida on Monday morning, and I can’t believe how much I managed to squeeze into two days already.  I got off the train at 10:30, and by lunchtime, I was on my way to see the sights.  I started out at BoardWalk, which I thought I had never seen before, but turns out I had.  It is quite a lovely hotel complex, and much quieter than the real thing (it’s patterned after the Jersey shore).  I walked the boards, wandered in the stores, and got myself a small treat. 

Then I boarded the boat to get over to Hollywood Studios, and found that was a pretty way to travel – stopping at some of the ritzier hotels (Yaght Club and Dolphin/Swan) before meandering over to the park.   I went to Hollywood Studios mostly because I wanted to see Fantasmic! again, but I also took in an exhibit, a couple of shows, and the Great Movie Ride. I only had about 3 hours to wonder around because I got the less expensive “after 4 pm” ticket and I wanted to be in the Fantasmic stadium by 7:30.

I loved the Disney exhibit… showing the life and dreams of Walt Disney and how he brought them to life. Odd, though, that the exhibit didn’t say much about the Wonderful World of Disney, which was a Sunday night institution when I was growing up (a TV show that had a movie or special on that was produced by Disney – introduced by Walt himself). I can’t believe the scope of imagination necessary to dream up the Disney theme parks – and what it has taken to make it all happen and to keep it fresh all these years.

I really enjoyed the Little Mermaid show. It opened with “Under the Sea” which was performed by puppets lit by black lights and operated by black-clad actors who couldn’t be seen on stage. Too cool. It was a 17-minute version of the story that went by too quickly but was quite enjoyable.  Walking through the park, I also got to see the second half of the High School Musical 3 show – a fresh-faced group of teens singing and dancing it up delighting the crowd and having a great time. 

The Great Movie Ride was a fun way to cap off my time in the park area – lots of fun movies and exceptional scenes to remember.

Fantasmic was fantasic – worth waiting for and worth braving the crowds. It has everything, great special effects with water and fire and lasers and fireworks. It’s too cool to see film projected on a curtain of water. Every major character is there, and the floats with all the Disney princesses are especially colorful and fun. Mickey was a great featured actor – finally saving the day by turning his nightmare into a magical finale. Just gorgeous.

A lazy vacation day
Tuesday I was up early to get the day started (begun by switching rooms – I won’t bore you with details). I hung out reading by the pool waiting for my friend Maria to arrive. We haven’t seen each other in years and don’t stay in touch near enough, but when we get together, it’s like we were never apart. We had a fabulous late breakfast here in the hotel out on the terrace. Then we walked over to the Disney Marketplace (Downtown Disney) to shop, kibbitz, and wonder around some more. I got a little sunburn and a few presents… but mostly I just loved having a chance to talk to Maria. She’s in a doctoral program and we had a lot of comparing notes to do.

After Maria left, I took care of a few details for my class which technically starts on Wednesday (online), then I went back to the Marketplace. I was supposed to have dinner over there, but nothing struck me as enticing… so I came back to the hotel and ordered room service (a delicious pasta dish – hit the spot). I checked out the conference schedule and prepared my presentation for tomorrow. Then I went down to read by the pool for awhile. 

Technically, the vacation part is over, but I’m pretty sure I’ll continue to soak up the magic for the rest of my stay.  After all, magic doesn’t really disappear, especially when you’re so close to where Pixie dust originates.