Boo to YOU!

I don't think I will ever get tired of Disney World! We went there last weekend - drove down Friday after school, and drove back on Tuesday.

We went to Epcot on Saturday and found out that the food & wine festival was going on. I'd like to do that sometime when we've got gobs of money. I'd love to snack my way around World Showcase, but at roughly $5 a pop, we'd need to save up for it. Plus we had a lunch reservation at the Morocco pavilion, and I wouldn't want to spoil my appetite!

The demographics were definitely different - lots and LOTS of college students. I figure it was probably fall break at both FSU and UF - we saw quite a bit of garnet/gold and orange/blue gear. Also, Sister Hazel (from Gainesville) played a couple of short sets at the amphitheater, and Better than Ezra (from Tallahassee) had performed earlier in the week.

On Sunday we went to Animal Kingdom in the morning and Hollywood Studios in the evening. I still can't believe there's never a line for Star Tours! I love that ride SO MUCH. Expedition Everest is probably my favorite ride overall - sit on the left-hand side of the coaster and then as you go up the first big hill look to the left. You can see Spaceship Earth pretty easily, and I think the white pointy building might be Space Mountain, but I'm not sure. The distances don't seem right. It's twisty-turny, there's lots to look at, and it has a great story!

The Hunk says his favorite ride is the Aerosmith rollercoaster, and I've gotta admit that one's a lot of fun too. It's INCREDIBLY FAST, and there are speakers in the headrest that play clips from their best-known songs. But at the same time, because it's so fast, the ride is over in no time. :(

Even more than the rides, though, I think I like the music. We got to see the Jammitors, Voices of America, and Mo'Rockin' at Epcot, the Caribbean band (I forget the name) at Animal Kingdom, and at the Magic Kingdom we saw the ragtime piano player at Casey's several times, as well as the saxophone group, the Dapper Dans, and the Main Street Philharmonic marching band. It's just so neat to talk to the performers about what they do and how they first became interested in music.

Disney as a whole is pretty awesome, but I think the Magic Kingdom does a great job of defining the Disney experience. It truly is the most magical place on earth. Big Thunder and the Haunted Mansion just feel so familiar to me - Space Mountain, too, though we didn't get to go on that because it was still being refurbished.

And everybody smiles. (Yet somehow it's not creepy.) It's like all of these storybook friends have been waiting here for you, and you can go and talk to all the minor characters and find out their stories. The Main Street characters are an absolute trip! I don't know that we saw anybody at Epcot or at Animal Kingdom, but we did catch an improv comedy skit at Hollywood Studios, and I know we'd seen non-movie characters there over the summer. I had dressed up in a peasant blouse and my green swirly skirt and had some fun chatting with the Main Street cast. I would love, love, love to do that some summer!



(Hi, Scoop!)

One thing I really missed was getting to see Wishes (the Magic Kingdom fireworks show). We were there for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, and they had a special show for the event. It was pretty cool, because they shot the fireworks off from different sites so it covered the sky over the whole park. The finale was sooo bright it was like daytime for a few seconds! But... I think I like Wishes better.

Fortunately, there are a bojillion of 'em on youtube, so just about any time I like I can sing along and get ALL SNIFFLY. (I always do!) ^.^