You Can’t Control the Weather

I’ve had two ‘bad’ trips to Disney World. One in September a few years ago when the temperature was consistently in the 90’s with 90 % humidity. The other was this past January when the temperature struggled to get into the 40’s most days. Although I say these were ‘bad’ trips, I don’t mean to infer that we didn’t still have a great time. However, bad weather does create its own challenges.

Too much heat and humidity is not normal September weather for Lake Buena Vista. It’s usually in the 80’s with some humidity and a daily rain shower that time of year. We usually carry ponchos with us to get through the afternoon showers. On this trip I looked forward to the rain and let myself get soaked just to cool off. I was probably dry again within 15 minutes of the rain stopping. This time it was just a period of record highs that everyone who lived there commented on as totally unusual. We spent a lot of time going into buildings just to cool off, which worked for about 5 seconds and then the stifling, sweaty heat overcame the inefficient air conditioning and there really wasn’t much relief. You will notice that all of the doors to all of the shops in Disney parks remain open, thus the inefficiency of the air conditioning. Thankfully the rides are air conditioned and did offer some relief but it was a struggle each day to remain hydrated and to not let the discomfort ruin your good time.

This past January we had the complete opposite problem. The totally bizarre experience of wearing a winter coat and gloves at Disney World hit me over and over again during our stay there. I have a cute picture of my granddaughter with Tinker Bell marred only by the fact that she is wearing her winter coat in the picture, to forever remind me of that strange trip. I still clearly recall standing outside of the Magic Kingdom waiting for it to open with my fingers going numb even though I was wearing gloves. I kept telling myself that it was below zero in Minnesota and that I should be happy to be in 30 degree weather. The difference is that in Minnesota, I’m in and out of a car and in and out of buildings, not standing around for 15 minutes to wait for something to open and then spending the whole day outside. Also, the Florida cold is a very penetrating icy cold. I was amused to hear on the local news that cars were not starting because of the overnight 20 degree weather.

Riding on Soarin with a coat on because there really wasn’t any place to put it while on the ride was uncomfortable but didn’t diminish the ever amazing feeling that you are really Soarin over mountain and stream. Seeing carts selling hot chocolate in souvenir mugs rather than ice cream treats seemed other worldly to me. It was a world gone mad! Cast members waited on you in the stores with their coats on because as I mentioned before, the doors stand open so any heat flowing into the buildings was mingled with the cold air coming in the doors.

Friends of mine who spent 7 days there at the same time we were there were so disappointed. They planned this trip for a year and to have it take place under such dire conditions could be nothing but a disappointment, but who do you complain to? Even Disney cannot control the weather.

So be prepared for the weather on you next trip to DW. Extreme heat, extreme cold, Hurricanes etc. it can all happen in the magic world of Disney.

Disaster Mouse!

"If you never did, you should. These things are fun and fun is good.” is something I once read in a book. Well, actually it was every night for about two months (sometimes twice) to my daughter until I told her the book didn’t work anymore and needed a rest. It’s hard to write an article without the existence of the article hinging on “this economy”, so I’m trying something different.

Officially, my story is that I did this all on purpose to test just how badly prepared someone could be and still have fun at Disney World. As long as you have a sense of humor and think happy thoughts. I’m pretty sure my experience had nothing to do with me not making my usual list of things to pack and starting the list a couple weeks ahead of time. In fact, the experiment was a double blind, so that not even I knew what it was I had (purposely, I insist) forgot. That way I could have the same sinking feeling as everyone else.

So, my feelings were quite realistic when I realized that the stroller for the four-year-old on medication in which a side effect is tiredness was at home in the car trunk. And my feelings were exactly as you might expect when I went to put on my zip-up hoodie in 20 degree Florida weather and it wasn’t there. (It was supposed to be in the 60s!) Of course, being the Disney World expert that I am, I had calculated exactly what would be the absolute worse things to leave at home. And, for the record, the absolute worse things to leave in a resort room are your keycard/park tickets. Which I did not almost do and remember just as the door was closing.

Add onto that, a large number of smaller unlucky incidents of the kind which normally makes for a horrible, rotten, no good day. (Like the hand sanitizer leaking, seeping into the lip balm and then the fire of stinging as it’s applied to chapped lips.) The trip could very easily go downhill from there. It’s pretty easy. All the people seen in the Parks, yelling, crying, screaming…things didn’t go perfectly. Maybe even they went very badly.

So, how does someone still have fun in the face of adversity? Try to see it as funny. Anyone can have the perfect Cinderella dream vacation. They sort of meld into each other, though. It’s the ones that have something truly memorable happen that sear a vision forever in your brain.

I certainly know I will never forget running through Hollywood Studios carrying a freezing, strollerless child in the throes of a potty emergency while passing a cascading fountain that causes the child to scream in terror and panic just as a long line to the restrooms loom into view. I’m still laughing about the scream as the first splash of cascading water reached our ears. And hey, the Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage performance was pretty good. It all ended well. The guests in line rushed us to the front. Sure, Gertie the Dinosaur’s Ice Cream of Extinction being closed almost eclipsed this tremendous show of good will. But then we got to see Darth Vader beating up on some little kids.

Really, any vacation is going to go badly if there is a preconceived notion of setting up “special moments“. Disney World, of all places, is one of unforeseen moments. Sometimes sipping free hot chocolate next to a giant water wheel listening to piped-in jazz music can be one. Sitting back and just letting things happen can make all the difference between a bad trip and a good one. If it’s one piece of advice I can give, it’s forget the Picture Spots or trying to get a big family photo in front of the Castle. Stop walking through the Parks with a camcorder in front of you. Don’t plan every moment and every meal for every day that you are there. At the very least you’ll burn out, even if all goes well.

Of course…this was just Day One of the experiment…

Quote taken from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Doctor Seuss