Disney World

It seems several of our friends are taking their little ones to Disney World for this year’s Spring Break trip. They are all talking about the money savers, meal passes, ride passes, and all of the ways they have found to efficiently and economically get around to all of the Disney parks with their kids. Although I feel my daughter is still too young for such an adventure, I do look forward to taking her and our next child-to-be, on their first magical trip to Disney World.

It was the late 80's when mom and dad made the big announcement that we, as a family, were to make our first grand excursion to the Magical Kingdom ourselves. I was ten, Will was four, and the excitement alone of such a trip was more than we could bear. My parents sacrificed a lot that year to prepare for this trip because trips like these were few and far between, so the plan was to live it up to the fullest. We avoided the Spring Break rush and took our trip in early May to avoid the Spring Break crowd. Rates were cheaper then, as well as the airfare. Now that I've married a teacher she would be the first to tell you that taking a full week off of school in May is a crucial time to miss, especially if one is preparing for year end test. However, I was ten and thought taking an additional week off of school was the coolest thing ever.

Finally, the big day came when we departed to Memphis International and were Orlando bound. We rented a car and stayed outside of the park area in a Ramada Resort there in Kissimmee. It was, by far, the biggest hotel room my brother and I had ever stayed in. Our first day there we were jumping from bed to bed out of excitement and if my memory serves me correctly, that was when we had our first accident. Will and I collided in mid-air during one of the jumps. Matching goose eggs on our foreheads and a bag of ice on each did not stop us for the amazing weeklong adventure that was awaiting us.

My dad had borrowed a friend of his video camcorder for our trip. This was not your little hand-held device that fits so neatly in the palm of your hand—no, this was a massive two or three pound suitcase that balanced neatly on your shoulder and used true size VHS tapes. My poor dad carried that camera everywhere we went on the trip. It was almost like having an Action News 5 crew document our trip for us. The hard shell case alone for this contraption would alert "today’s" airport security to by-pass the wand and go straight to a full-body cavity search, due to its questionable nature and size. Like I said, my dad recorded everything and by weekend, he had completely filled six full length VHS tapes.

The day finally came when we first entered the magic kingdom. It was everything I had dreamed of, seen in books, and on TV. We walked down the grand boulevard with Cinderella’s castle awaiting us on the horizon. It felt like we had stepped into a dream with the horse-drawn carriages, Disney employees all dressed in their attire, and fascinating sights made for this truly magical world. The park was extremely crowded, but it was not hard finding my family because it was the late 80's, so we were all decked out in the bright neon clothes that made us stand out. Not to mention, dad was carrying an entire film studio on his shoulders that made him easy to spot in the crowd. We rode as many rides as we could, including the infamous Space Mountain where my dad had told and retold the story of when he and mom rode the ride on their honeymoon. He recalled feeling his sunglasses slip and fly off his head. In the pitch dark ride dad reached up in thin air and snatched them back to safety. After riding Space Mountain, I could not understand how he did it. We spent the entire day in the Magic Kingdom and were able to watch the famous firework show at night.

Over the next couple of days, we experienced MGM studios where we saw the Indian Jones reenactment, took a tour on the Grauman’s Chinese Theater ride, and many other attractions MGM had to offer. We also experienced my favorite part of Disney World, Epcot. What amazed me the most about this particular park was the tour of countries. I could have spent the entire day in that section alone. We hit every country, visiting every shop and riding every ride. Did I mention dad was still carrying his camera? We did take a day off from the Disney Experience and took a trip to the Kennedy Space center and Cocoa Beach. That was our first ocean/beach experience. It was a sight I would never forget. My mom and dad made our first Disney experience an unforgettable one to say the least.

I later returned to Disney World my junior year of high school for a MCHS choral competition. There we all met up with a former classmate of ours, Justin Timberlake, and were able to spend the day with him on and behind the Disney scenes. Many years later Shannon and I were able to spend our honeymoon there just as my parents spent theirs.

Our first Disney Vacation was hands down the best family vacation we all took together. We experienced so much in that one week, and amazingly, Will and I did not fight one time. What made the vacation even better is that my dad heroically and sacrificially carried around that massive camera to document the unforgettable Disney Vacation. I was filled with a very nostalgic feeling walking through the parks at night as “When you Wish Upon a Star” played over the many speakers throughout the parks. I highly recommend that if you ever get the opportunity, take your family at least once to Disney World. I can guarantee you it would play a major part in your child’s life, as well as rekindle the child in you. I do recommend that you take a smaller camera though.

-Steve Childress