The Mouse

So, we did Disney. I know, I know. Everyone said, "How could you possibly go to a place like Disney when you've just spent a month in South America?" It's as if we're going to see the imitation when I just had 30 days of the real thing. Well, we went for a few reasons:

1) My brother, Rick, and his family were there and we wanted to spend some time with them and the kids;

2) I had been lucky enough about a year ago to attend a reception marking the launch of the new Animal Kingdom ride, Expedition Everest and I wanted to see the ride. At the reception I met the chief "Imagineer" behind the ride and it was truly amazing to hear about all of the planning, research and effort that goes into building a ride like this.

The Disney team made multiple expeditions into the Himalayas to research the ride and the legend of the Yeti. Charles, a friend who works in Disney's Corporate Communications department, has been kind enough to keep me in the loop on the ride and other Disney events so I was anxious to see the real thing; and,

3) I genuinely like Disney World. I know what you're saying, but come on... I love a good amusement park and nobody does it like the Mouse. I have many great memories of Disney World and seeing the park through the eyes of Richard and Catherine (my niece and nephew) was a wonderful experience. And, these kids know Disney. Up early. At the park when it opens. Done with one park by mid-afternoon and on to the next one. Fastpass this ride, while we run to that one. They're good!

You can see from Rob's pictures here that we had a blast. The weather was great. The crowds were light. And, our long days went into enjoyable nights as we saw each of the three major fireworks shows in the Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center and Disney/MGM Studios.

A few highlights of the trip stood out:

- We stayed at the Swan, the Westin property within the parks. I had read a lot of reviews online that said the Swan (and it's sister hotel, the Dolphin) were dated and not worth the stay. We found just the opposite. Our room and the hotel common areas were all freshly renovated. The staff was wonderful. And, the location can't be beat -- a short boat ride into Epcot and MGM; and a short walk from where Rick and Ann were staying at The Beach Club.

- The Fastpass works. I know they've been around for a while, but they're brilliant and an amazing testament the study of process management.

- The classic rides are still the classics. Though we love Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster, Space Mountain is still a great ride. Think about it. It was built 30 years ago, but its still as thrilling as any other ride in the park. (I still remember my best friend, Teddy Councilor, coming back from a Disney vacation and bragging about riding Space Mountain.)

- But, the new rides are fun, too... including Expedition Everest. Hats off to the Imagineers and everyone behind this ride. Backwards/forwards and a face-to-face encounter with the Yeti. Great fun.

Thanks to the Fast Pass and short lines, we did the ride about three times each. Look closely in this picture and you'll see Rob -- on the right, red shirt -- hands up, of course!

All in all, we had a wonderful weekend... which was extended by a day due to the ice storms on the East coast. In fact, we had so much fun, we're headed back down to Disney in late March when the rest of the family is there for their vacation. This time we'll be checking out the water parks and heading down the road a bit to visit another classic Orlando attraction -- Sea World.

I'll keep you posted.