The Magic Dims: Heat, Feet and Fights in the Streets

My husband and I returned home last night after spending ten days at Walt Disney World in Florida.  To borrow a phrase from Disney, the trip was magical and is one that my husband and I have made several times over the past twenty years.  There are Disney commercials that do a much better job than I do in relaying all the glorious aspects of a Disney vacation.  It is 4 a.m. and I would like to keep it real by sharing some unmagical details of the trip. 

You may have heard that it is hot in Florida in August.  This is an understatement.  The level of hotness in Florida in August is molten lava in a sauna kind of hot. It is the kind of heat that has you dripping sweat at 8:00 a.m., reconsidering all your life choices by 10:00 a.m., and you are semi-delusional by 4:00 p.m. and talking about the wonderful three-degree temperature cool down that will come with sunset. Florida in August is blistering heat. It is not magical. 

When did it become acceptable to take your shoes off and air your disgusting feet in the airport?  I understand that the 15-minute walk through security is extra grueling at 10:00 a.m. but why would you prop your bare feet on a chair or table that someone else must eventually use? The best question is what is wrong with your feet that you even need to air them out in an airport? Gross and not magical.  

Clipping your fingernails (I hope they were only fingernails) on an airplane is very gross. No one wants to hear your nails being severed off, let alone see or find your clippings deposited in a three-foot radius around you. You had ample time to groom yourself prior to the flight so why turn the flight into a do-it-yourself manicure session? Just stop. Very unmagical. 

Walt Disney world can be a very emotional vacation.  People are hot, tired, crowded, stressed, financially ruined, and over it. I saw many fights and crying fits (adults not children) over the course of this trip and previous Disney vacations.  People take a very personal interest in all things Disney and ensuring that their vacation is “perfect.”  Reality has a way of crashing through this goal and often tipping the vacation over momentarily and when least expected. Some tip over examples include no one thinking to measure little Johnny prior to arriving at the park and he doesn’t meet height requirements for some of the rides, or “no one told me that Lightning Lane passes could be purchased seven days prior to visiting the park if you stayed on site and now all the good rides are sold out”, or Mee-maw is having trouble navigating her scooter in shoulder to shoulder crowds, and my all-time favorite is that the family reunion group of twenty-five individuals are pissed because they have to wait for a table big enough to accommodate the group.  The list of meltdown scenarios are infinite and endless possibilities abound – all of which are not magical. 

In conclusion, it is good to be home. I love Disney vacations and except for the above-mentioned non-magical moments, I am thankful for the great memories made on this trip.