My Day at Disney World

October 31, Halloween at Walt Disney World

As I mentioned before, this was my son's first trip to Disney World. Because he's a preteen, I knew we had to skip the kiddie stuff and hit the most age appropriate rides and exhibits. We began our day in Frontierland at the Shootin' Arcade where we aimed at cemetery tombstones, skeletons that popped up and other moving targets. It was hard to tear my husband and son away... Next we went on the exciting Thunder Mountain Railroad ride where I screamed my lungs out. Now the other passengers have hearing loss. tee hee. Screaming is how I cope with my terror of being flung out of the rollercoaster car.

In Adventureland we climbed up the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. "Who are they?" asked Charlie. Oops. Guess we missed that book in our read aloud days. Wasn't it also a movie?... Then we travelled on a motor launch to Tom Sawyer's Island. While exploring the island my favorite parts were the barrel bridge, spooky cave, and dark mine shaft. Then we got off our feet a bit on two boat ride attractions: The Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean - nicely updated to include Johnny Depp (as Captain Jack Sparrow) animatronic figures.

We parted ways for a bit so I could go on "It's a Small World" in Fantasyland while the guys visited Tomorrowland's Indy Speedway. I had forgotten what a spectacle this cruise around a world of happy singing dolls is. How nice to spend time on this uplifting day brightener...although inevitably the chorus "It's a small, small world" got stuck in my head. Actually, they were the only words of the song I could hear. tee hee.

I rejoined my family to experience Liberty Square's Haunted Mansion, the perfect attraction for Halloween! I loved the part in the beginning where the floor drops down and the end of the ride when you look in the mirror and see that a ghost has joined you in your car. All together now, let's tickle the ghost!

Afterwards we fulfilled one of my travel fantasies by taking a paddleboat ride. Okay I really want to sail on the Mississippi but this is as close as I've gotten so far. This paddleboat had a mighty whistle on it so I discreetly plugged my ears with foam earplugs. I ignored the captain's commentary and focused on the relaxing feel of the ride as I stood at the boat's railing.

As you can tell from the photos, it was a lovely afternoon. The temperatures were in the low seventies. Because it was October, the lines were nonexistent. We got on almost every ride in 5-10 minutes. A bonus was that none of the attractions we had wanted to see were closed for maintenance! Really the day was ideal. We completed our time at Disney with a stroll down Main Street, U.S.A. doing some souvenir shopping.

Then it was on to the airport. Yes, it was time to say goodbye to sunny Florida and the beautiful palm trees. How fortunate we were to have this vacation dream come true. I can't help hoping we might return to Orlando someday, but if that doesn't happen I hope my son will remember this magical day for the rest of his life. I know I will.