Mike Maney

A few random lessons learned from last week’s family trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando:

• I am pretty sure the phrase “Let me make the magic” when uttered by a tired bus shuttle attendant is equivalent to “These tourists missed their bus again so I have to make a side trip to drop them off at their hotel.”
• You will spend more time trading pins with Disney’s cast members than actually going on the rides.
• It really is a small world, after all.
• Nine year-olds and six year-olds have the ability to make instant friends while standing in line to catch a bus.
• Amazingly, people aren’t embarrassed to wear Boston Red Sox paraphernalia in public. Go figure.
• If you think city governments have gone too far requiring restaurants to post fat/calorie numbers on their menus or calling for sugar/soda taxes, take a walk down Disney’s Main Street U.S.A. It’s like central casting for Wall-E (those of you who saw the movie know which part I’m referencing).
• If you visit Disney, have kids and want to have a fun dinner, make reservations at Fort Wilderness Lodge’s “Whispering Canyon.” Don’t forget to ask for the ketchup (or catsup, depending on how you pronounce it).
• A few quick ride observations: (1) Blizzard Beach is more fun than Typhoon Lagoon, (2) If you are hot, Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom will soak you, (3) Splash Mountain isn’t as splashy as you’d expect, (4) The new Toy Story ride at Hollywood Studios is a blast, (5) The Rock ‘n Roller Coaster with Aerosmith really is rockin’, (6) The Tower of Terror is actually ok for younger kids, and (7) For a bird’s eye view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks, make dinner reservations at The California Grill in The Contemporary.