Full story
Just to recap, I’m a huge Disney fan. Movies, themeparks, etc. My wife and I even went to Disneyworld for our Honeymoon.
There are two types of Disney trips for me:
1. Vacation – Relax and take my time, because the only other place I have to go is still Disney related.
2. Work – Pack all the fun I can into a fragment of my traveling workday.
How I attend the park totally depends on which type of trip I’m on. I’ve been to Orlando three times this year for trade shows. And whenever I’m in town I try to sneak over to the Happiest Place on Earth for a couple of hours. The first show in the spring, I didn’t have enough time for any extra Disney fun. On my second trip for the Cable-Tec Expo, I had a full morning on the last day to take on Disney/MGM Studios (My Favorite Park).
I was alone, so I jumped in the single rider line and rode the Rockin’ Roller Coaster, like, eight times. It was awesome. If it had been a vacation trip, I would have taken the time to go to the Indiana Jones show and the Backlot Tour, but I was busy! No time for the slow stuff. Pack in the most sugar-packed foods and the highest excitement rides possible!
So, I was in Orlando last week for the FTTH Expo. And since I had just been to Disney/MGM, I decided to shake it up and go to the Magic Kingdom. Frankly, that was a mistake.
Taking my favorite park out of the mix, I had three parks to choose from: Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom. I hadn’t been to the Magic Kingdom for years, and I had forgotten why it is my least favorite of the bunch.
Here’s how it happened.
Epcot has had a negative stigma in my mind since I was in grade school. The only reason to go there is for Dinner, which frankly is the ideal end to a Vacation trip at WDW. There are a ton of restaurants and that is usually the first thing I think of: dinner. But I was on a Work trip and therefore, dinner was not on my mind. But I have some mental block regarding remembering the Test Track ride, which is reported to be the fastest and longest ride in all of WDW. And I have never ridden it. Ever. Plus, they have a new Mission: Space ride. Two fabulous reasons to go back to Epcot that escaped me this trip.
For some reason, I equate Animal Kingdom as a zoo. My wife loves zoos, and I tolerate them so I can spend time with my wife. But again, there is a new ride at Animal Kingdom about Everest or something. And I totally ignored it, thinking I just had to go on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Magic Kingdom.
Now don’t get me wrong. A mediocre day at Disneyworld is still a stellar day, but on a work trip, when the Magic Kingdom decides to close Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain is a little lacking as the only major sugar-infused attraction.
