Disney 1986

Disney 1986

Age: Eleven

           

            I’ve always had an uneasy feeling about flying. Being trapped in an airbus brings out my claustrophobia, creating an elevated heart rate and an upset stomach. Today, however, was different. I still had the heart rate and stomach issue, but they were overshadowed by my state of excitement. We were on our way to Disney World!

Our group consisted of Dig’s family, Leah’s family, Ann’s family, my family and some of our extended families. It was going to be the greatest neighborhood vacation ever!

The bulk of the travelers decided to fly down to Orlando and Ann’s family opted for a cross-country road trip. They were avid campers and this vacation would be no different. Regardless of transportation choice, we were all going to be in Disney World together, having the best time imaginable.

            And imagine we did. The months before the trip were spent buying clothes, saving allowance and daydreaming. What could be better than Disney World with all of one’s best friends? Leah’s brother went so far as to design a sweatshirt for the trip. Luckily his graphics class was doing a screen printing project so he designed a shirt that read “Florida 1986” on it. He and Leah won art contests for a reason. They were extremely creative people.

            My sister Shell was in fourth grade and was sporting an interesting haircut, to say the least. My lovely mother decided save some money so she took her to a beauty school for a hair cut and a perm. The perm ended up being a disaster. It fried her long locks and left her with a “Screech” from Saved By the Bell haircut. And I’m not sure why Dig had the same hairstyle, but he did, and the pictures are priceless.

            Ann’s brother Dave, who was in fifth grade, is also frozen in time by photographs with his bowl hair cut. His bangs were so short it seemed an impossible task to get the scissors to cut them that length and that straight.

            I stuck with the standard feathered look of the time. I was against any volume to my hair after a permanent I had in fourth grade had taken my beautiful locks. Note to self: Stay away from shady beauty schools. The results could scar you for life.

            The pictures are so fun to look at now because I know how much planning went into our awful style choices. We actually spent hours, days even, only to look like a tacky tourist party.

            With our outfits and style in check, we headed off to the airport to begin our fantastic journey.

            I still remember the excitement we all felt as we boarded the airplane. For many, it was the first time flying. For my family, it was our second, but the excitement was still there.

            Soon the plane began to move toward the runway and in minutes we were off the ground and heading to Florida. Dig’s dad found the take off so exciting that his words echoed in our head for the next seven hours. “That was so much fun, I would love to do it again!”

            Now call it bad luck, or maybe “be careful what you wish for,” because a few minutes after take off, the pilot came over the intercom and informed us that there was problem with the plane. We were to turn around to have it serviced and the time to fix the problem was indefinite.

            Everyone looked at Dig’s dad, secretly blaming him for his famous last words. Our excitement was temporarily deflated but the airline did give us each five dollars in McDonald’s vouchers. That generosity worked for a while but the next seven hours were painful. We waited and waited impatiently. Our poor parents.

            Meanwhile, Ann and Dave’s family were on the road with their own set of problems. Their dad had accidentally pumped diesel gas into their truck, forcing them to wait several hours for help. When they finally got back on the road, they were about as far behind as the air travelers.

After what seemed like an eternity in the Minneapolis International Airport, we finally boarded the plane and actually stayed in the air after our second take off. Thank goodness.

Three and a half hours later we landed in Florida with perma-grins plastered on every one of our faces. Grins that said, “You could steal all of my money right now and I would still keep this silly grin on my face.” Needless to say, we were thrilled to be on vacation.

Once we reached the hotel, Dig, Shell and I explored every nook of the place. Why I remember finding a cockroach in an old drink I can’t say, but it was out of the ordinary for us Minnesotans, so we found it interesting.

The trip actually took place twenty plus years ago so my recollection of events is pretty scrambled in my head. I know that we went to The Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, Wet ‘n’ Wild, River Country and the Atlantic Ocean. Every place has it’s own little spot in my memory—good and bad. And the things I chose to remember are sometimes abstract, yet the highlights remain.

To begin with, traveling in a large group is not an easy task. Our large group decided to pick a common destination, then split up allowing everyone to go at their own pace. We unanimously chose The Magic Kingdom for our first outing. We were, after all, in the land of Disney.

Our poor luck with transportation continued though, when the monorail system broke down and left us trapped for a half an hour. We could actually see Cinderella’s castle, so it was quite torturous, but we did eventually arrive. And our spirits were surprisingly high. Nothing was going to bring us down.

We were finally there! And it was glorious. The streets were immaculate, the music was festive and the weather was beautiful. It lived up to every expectation our young minds could fathom.

Dig, Shell and I stuck together. I remember standing in lines reading cautionary signs. “Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.” This was also written in Spanish and we thought we were so cool by attempting to recite the Spanish version. “Por favor…” Any Spanish speaker would have known we butchered their language after hearing us say, “Pour Fay vor.” Maybe it was the boredom of standing in line or maybe it was our interest in learning, but we read every sign on every ride and felt so cool that we could speak Spanish.

Ok. When I say rides, I mean anything that was slow and controlled. I was a big wimp, until seventh grade, when it came to roller coaster rides. I received a lot of ridicule for my fear and the fact that my younger sister was not afraid made things that much worse for me. But I stuck to my gut and sat on the sidelines as all of my friends chose to risk death.

      At Disney World, all of the kids and parents decided to brave a freakishly scary ride. All of the kids excluding me, that is. I remember crying, at age twelve, because my dad was on that ride and I thought he would fall off and die. For some reason, I was not as concerned about my sister or friends, just my dad. Luckily, he made it off the ride in one piece. Thank God. That was a close one!