Now, as happened with Max & Ruby I, the opportunity to go to Disney inspired everyone’s excitement. But, as we got closer and closer to our Orlando arrival date, people started dropping like flies. For some, it was financial. For others, sentimental. At the end of the day, however, Alaina, Claire and I stood strong. Alaina, a true Disney expert/fanatic, had a schedule and plan to hit all of her must-visit rides; Claire was tagging along on her plan; I was in it for Epcot and Animal Kingdom, where my good friend Dave works. The night before, he and I had coffee at Universal Studios (his other gig), where he updated me on his exciting new life in Orlando, showed some pictures his adorable baby girl, gave me the run-down for my plan of attack at Disney and, to my utter shock, handed me a free ticket to the park. Thanks, Dave!! It was wonderful to see you:
Back at the hotel, Alaina and Claire had a surprise for me. They had gone shopping for some “uniforms” with which to go park hopping, and had picked up a little something for me. If only they had known the perfection of their choice:
You see, Goofy is my favorite. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto… they’re all fine. But Goofy has always held a special place on my heart. I had one of those Goofy hats with the ears and buckteeth when I was little, and I wore it until all the pieces fell off. One of the greater disappointments of my theatrical life thusfar was being told that I am a quarter-inch too short to play “Santa Goofy” at the NYC Disney Store, despite qualifying with all of the other “actor-ly” stuff. So, needless to say, I was thrilled, and ready to go.
The next morning, the trio assembled in the breakfast room for a hearty meal and some planning. We shuttled to the parks in our hotel’s complimentary vehicle and then headed for the Magic Kingdom for a beginning-of-the-day trip on Space Mountain. Alaina was so excited that she ran:
After fun ride through Disney’s version of space, I bid farewell to the ladies and made my way to Animal Kingdom. Following Dave’s advice, the trip began a trip through the African “forest preserve” walking area, where my zoo-brain perked up as I listened to presenters giving animal facts over a loud speaker (remember, it’s a theme park, not a zoo, so they don’t do placards) and surreptitiously watched a few of the educators doing interactive interpretation with some kids. As a fellow practitioner of zoo-based education, I was beyond-impressed by the set up, and the quality of the educators. I picked up some tips, ate my stolen-from-breakfast apple, and got in line for the safari.
Now, this safari ride is somewhat incredible. Disney has essentially created an open-air zoo environment where the animals roam freely and the visitors are trucked through to catch a glimpse. It truly feels like you are in the wilds of Africa. And, as somebody who knows a little bit about the requirements surrounding space and care of zoo animals than the average visitor, I was floored. At the Bronx Zoo, we have two crocodiles, which everybody thinks are impressive, but fake. At Disney? They have about two dozen. Want to see a hippo? How about seven? Giraffes? I counted nine. Beyond my interest in animals, the sheer facilities and upkeep required for this kind of park absolutely blew my mind. It is astounding what money can do:
After lunch with the ladies, and a visit to the Finding Nemo musical (which is a spectacular undertaking – six times a day!), I headed to Epcot, my favorite of the Disney parks. The three of us were planning to meet up and do the major stuff together a little later (Alaina and Claire had to hit the rides at Hollywood Studios first). I strolled along, looked and the flowers, enjoyed the space-aged plants growing in humid air, got a snack and plotted my attack. Alaina and Claire arrived, looking a little tired, and we started. Spaceship Earth, Mission: Space, Test Track and then a trip to the nations of the world, where Moroccan food provided us with a tasty dinner (and Claire, a near-native French speaker, chatted up the servers). It was getting late, and, while the ladies grabbed gelato in Italy, I split away from the group. My day had been wonderful and exciting, but there was one more thing I had to do:
Three sleepy people, we dozed in our shuttle back to the hotel, said our goodbyes and headed to our respective rooms. It was truly a day to remember.
Call tomorrow: 9:30am, La Quinta, Orlando. Off to Tampa for another 5-person show. We’re getting pretty good at this!
So. Adorable.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you saw Julie in "Nemo". We, too, were very impressed. Those actors really are athletes; their arms get iced down between shows!