And on to The Magic Kingdom

Chalk this up to grandparental nostalgia. We feared the girls were probably too old for it. Our last trip, after all, was when their mother was only about ten.

We were wrong. But such is the magic of Disney.

After transferring to a Disney World resort called Art of Animation (the Finding Nemo section) we took an evening shuttle to Epcot. EPCOT, an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, is basically a monument to world peace and corporate sponsorship. Inside the giant crystal-like dome, a ride called Spaceship Earth (currently brought to you by Siemens), takes you through the evolution of human communications. We also explored rides and exhibits devoted to The Land and The Sea. By then it was time for the fireworks around World Showcase Lake. Both girls clicked madly away with phone and digital camera, respectively.

Gotta say something about our Nemo suite. It was listed as a “value” accommodation, but I can’t imagine anything being better. The décor was unrepressed imagination – all kinds of colors and shapes: whimsical mushroom end tables, jellyfish lamps, carpet that reminded me of the reef off Grand Cayman. The girls had their own bedroom, bath and TV. It was completely perfect.

The first day at the Magic Kingdom would’ve been a total bust were it not for Captain Jack Sparrow. We made it early enough to catch Pirates of the Caribbean without too long a wait, but then they stopped the park train due to distant lightning and, after over an hour in line, Splash Mountain broke down. As we jostled through the impossible crowds, the girls happened to see Captain Jack. We’d already lost track of Grandpa, but we couldn’t miss this. Lita managed to pull the three of us into his audience. The performer was a spot-on ringer for Johnny Depp. Taking three 5-to-7-year-olds from the group, he proceeded to teach sword fighting to each in turn. It was hilarious.

We then staggered back to Nemo for siesta, returning later to catch more rides and the Electric Light Parade. The girls were kind enough to forego the fireworks that followed because of my aching exhaustion.

The next day we discovered Stitch’s Escape, The Little Mermaid, the Speedway, the People Mover, and (oh, joy!) the spinning teacups. I had to pass on that, but the girls rode them four times. We ended our stay with an ill-advised trip to Space Mountain. I can’t imagine how that was worse than Harry Potter’s Forbidden Journey, but I was still suffering when we dropped the girls off in Montgomery. Happily, my daughter provided me with some sort of chew tab that set me to rights.

That brings me to the end of this rather abbreviated account of a fabulous trip. Tomorrow I shall return to the literary purpose of this blog.  Promise.