OK, we are at Disney World, but they now own Star Wars, and I’m not too cool for drool!  We went to the Magic Kingdom first, and relived our earlier days.  Back in College, a group of friends, including Linda and I, piled into three cars and did our Penn State Spring Break in Florida (1982).  We first hit Tampa, but did a day in Disney World.  This is probably where Linda and I first became “an item”, even though we were driving in separate cars.  So, it was fun to revisit the Magic Kingdom again.  At that park, things are astonishingly the same.  The one-liners on the Jungle Cruise may have evolved over the 4 decades ensuing, and they no longer shoot at the hippopotamus, but the Tiki Room, and Space Mountain, and all that was little changed.  I will mention that the Pirates of the Caribbean now includes multiple appearances of Captain Jack Sparrow, who did not exist in 1982, but was otherwise the same experience, also.  The whole day was a thorough immersion in nostalgia.

Epcot Center didn’t even open until the fall of 1982, so that was totally new to me (Linda had been there on a “business trip”.  I really enjoyed Epcot, with the focus on different cultures.  Ratatouille was wahe y more fun than I expected.  We watched a Canadian Group perform (some fun, eh?), and bought unique varieties of English Tea.  The ride inside the big globe, which is the symbol for Epcot, was interesting.  It was a journey through the history of mankind.  It ended talking about the growing impact of a few young people tinkering in their garage.  Keep in mind, Jobs started in his garage in 1976.  So the ride was looking at that point in history from only 6 years later.  The Tiki Room probably started with computer banks the size of a house, and could now be run from a laptop.  Amazing.

Disney Hollywood Studios had all the Marvel Themed rides and attractions.  That was great fun, and the Guardians of The Galaxy ride was wild.  For me, the real attraction was the Star Wars Environment.  The rides were amazing, and the atmospherics surrounding each ride were almost as noteworthy.  You felt like you were on a movie set (or the real thing, if you are delusional).  I didn’t wait the time required for a picture with Darth Vader, but the opportunity was there.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom was also very cool, and that is where the Avatar ride was.  That was pretty intense.  As I remembered and utilized some of the relaxation techniques that I learned during my abortive attempt at pilot training, I became more comfortable with the motions of the rides.  Several were challenging to my digestive retention.

Recommendations for Disney Visitors:  If you are planning to go for multiple days, spend a little less by getting the lightening pass and the park hopper addition and going half the number of days.  Lightening pass gets you in an expedited line.  It significantly decreases your wait times.  So, if you planned to go four days, one at each park, the expedited line, plus the park hopper option (allows you to move between parks in the same day) will allow you to do as much (other than line waiting) in half the time.  What you save in lodging, meals, and entry tickets will more than pay for the additions.  Also, if you are taking kids, which truly makes the experience complete, spending less time in lines is very much worth it.  Note, a few of the very popular rides have a reservation system.  It is just one ride per park. The system opens at EXACTLY 7:00am.  You want to be prepped and ready, because by 7:02 the reservations may be filled for the day.  If you are successful, you will be given a group number and an estimated ride time.  They will text you with your actual time as it approaches.  You then have a 1 hour window to make it to the ride.  You will get on fairly quickly.  Other suggestion; get to the park at opening, and immediately go to the one (nonb-reservation) ride that you most want to experience.  You have about a one-hour window before the line reaches full strength.

Bottom Line: Linda and I had a good time.  However, unless and until we have grandchild to take, I don’t see us returning.

We also did Universal Studios parks in two days.  We could have probably done it in one, if we wanted to push the “open to close” effort.  However, Toby was back in the RV, and we didn’t want him alone for two long.  Well, OK, that’s the official reason.  These old bones not being up to 12 hours of high-G rides had nothing to do with it.  The Harry Potter environment was enchanting. (Yes, I did that on purpose).  The rides were exciting, and the effort at creating the Diagon Alley area was impressive.  It is a “must see” for fans of the series (Books or Movie).  They also have the express lines, but they aren’t cheap here, either.

Harry Potter World

Diagon Alley

Great fun!

After-note; Linda’s dad is doing well.  The heart pacer is doing it’s job, and he is adjusting to his new reality.