 ORLANDO -- December 27, 2002 There's nothing like being knee-deep in snow to convince or remind you it's winter. With the season comes the holidays, ready or not. Christmas in Florida is warm and not as exciting to me as an adult as it was in my Indiana youth. I loved sledding down snow covered slants, walking door to door through our neighborhood singing Christmas carols, knowing warmth and good tidings awaited us at the end of each adventure. It seems nothing is ever the way you remember as a kid. Barb had plans for decorating the Florida Christmas tree that never quite materialized. That was okay though. My sister, brother, and I, along with our families, were together over the holiday season. It was good. Having your own kids changes your perspective entirely. It gives a whole new meaning to the word indulge. You fork out the money. Why? Because you can. We all do as much as we can for our kids. Everyone wants their kid to have everything they didn't have. Visiting my sister reminded me of how accomodating we have become to our children's every whim. While the new cell phones have not yet materialized, my hopes for a pleasant holiday season did, with a minimum of angry words and hurt feelings. From mid-December until after the first of the year, trying times abound. With any luck we muddle through, but somewhere along the line the true meaning of Christmas has been lost. These days it's more about presents and the time off from work we take than the birth of Jesus Christ. Early in the summer I had clicked on a pop up ad for accommodations in Orlando, near Disney World. It was one of those deals where you go on a tour for a time share. Luckily the tour was mobbed and I was released quickly due to my current marital status (separated). I had paid a reduced rate for 4 nights at the Radisson Barcelo in Orlando, and was determined to enjoy every last one of them. 
A couple of days after a wonderful Christmas gathering, the girls and I proceeded to Orlando.Thought of by some as a money sucking pit, I theorize that folks know fully well what they're in store for before they cross the threshold of Orlando and Disney World. Having made the trip a decade ago, I vaguely remembered what to watch out for. My kids, on the other hand, suggested we purchase easier to manuever ring bound autograph books at a bargain center for a few dollars less the day before we ventured to the Magic Kingdom on our quest for the perfect fun-filled day.  One of the extras I received when I booked our room was 2 tickets to the Arabian Nights show in Orlando. When I read it was a show featuring horses, with dinner to boot, I decided to spring for the extra ticket so the three of us could see the show. Shortly after checking in to the hotel, we were off to the Arabian Nights. 
 The Magic Kingdom 
Even though they're teenagers now, my kids were still in pursuit of Disney characters to sign their books. Long lines didn't stop their quest, and the pages of their books ended up much fuller than they were after our last trip. The biggest star, Mickey, remained elusive other than in stage productions, but there was still plenty of "goofing" around.Disney World is a great place. While Disney offers many options such as Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and numerous other diversions, we decided on the Magic Kingdom.The $50 entry fee at the gate entitled us to an entire day at the Magic Kingdom.  Each one of these parks demands a separate ticket though, so don't plan to bop around all of the parks in one day for one small price. Multiple day passes are available which enable you to visit several parks over several days. Attractions such as live shows with entire orchestras are included in the price of admission. We saw two shows the day we were there. Both were quite spectacular, with singing and dancing, and of course all of the Disney characters taking part. 
Admission into a park entitles you to ride as many rides as you want, as often as you like. Not a bad deal when you consider the price of rides at a State Fair. The properties and rides are all very clean and well maintained.A new feature at the Magic Kingdom is a dandy little reservation system called "Fast Pass." Whoever came up with this concept deserves an award. There are machines set up at the most popular rides. You simply insert your admission ticket into the machine and it spits out a ticket with a one hour time span when you can come back and enter the ride with little or no waiting. This service doesn't cost anything and eliminates the standing around wasting time waiting. 
All in all the waits really weren't that bad. A half hour was a long wait on the Sunday we attended. Arriving early in the morning also meant a very short wait time for the rides. Throngs of people by midday had folks lining Main St. for the festive holiday parade with floats, marching bands, and all of the trappings. Sundays and Mondays were when the live shows happened over the 2002 holidays in the Magic Kingdom.When we left that night before the fireworks, we were all tired and ready for the short ride back to the hotel in downtown Orlando. We waved goodbye to Mickey as we boarded the monorail that took as to the waiting trams and the trip to the parking lot. The next afternoon we started home. Traveling home after our trip to Florida wasn't bad until we got to Dunn. We headed north through Lillington, Sanford, and Pittsboro, before reaching our final goal of Carrboro. Those last few miles pass by murderously slow at the end of an 11 hour trip. I'm so glad Amber drives now. It's good to be home. Computer Stuff | Downtown Carrboro Map | Events | Prices | Restaurants | UniqueOrn Enterprises 
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