It's A Small World After All!

EPCOT Center - Walt Disney World
Orlando, FL - January 7, 2013

My spirit of wanderlust came directly from my parents, particularly my mother whose eyes still light up when you say the word "go!"  We didn't have much money, so we traveled about in a Starcraft Pop up Camper before moving up to a Cox Pop up camper that had a STOVE before going big time in a Shasta Travel Trailer much like THIS one.  It had a stove AND a refrigerator, but no bathroom!  It sat in my parent's backyard many years after Bill and I married - what I would give to have it NOW!  It was that original Starcraft Pop up that took us to Disney World for the first time.

Every spring, we took a trip to a different area of Florida to watch baseball teams in their spring training homes.  Times were much different then, games were open and the players interacted with the fans following the game.  I've got quite a collection of pictures and autographs of which I'm very proud!  (Can't remember how they managed to take my sister and I out of school for a week each year - need to ask my mom about that.)  We were able to see a new part of Florida and indulge my parents in their love of baseball which continues to this day!

So no surprise that the spring trip in 1972 included a visit to Disney World.  Mom had read about its much publicized opening on October 1, 1971 and wanted to see what all the fuss was about.  I distinctly remember NOT being excited about it as I was the unfortunate age of 16, almost 17 and the idea of this was totally UNCOOL!  But I so wrong! We had a great time and I could not begin to tell you how many I have returned to Disney World since then! Bill and I were first there together on choir tour with Carson-Newman College A Capella Choir in 1977 and we've been back time and time again. 

 

Please click HERE if interested in learning more about Walt Disney World.  It had been three years since we visited Disney and we were astounded at the growth.  Walt Disney has got to be one of the world's greatest visionaries!  And from what we understand, there is still much, much more land waiting to be developed!

Most people either love it or they hate it!   They "get it" or they don't.  Bill ALWAYS "gets it" and can never get enough.   Sometimes, I get it and sometimes, I don't!  I "got it" for many, many years and loved it, but have a pessimistic tendency to wonder why we have to keep going back when nothing new has been added and a one day admission to ONE park is so expensive.  Yet the minute we got inside, I felt the magic and was glad we had come!

We chose to visit EPCOT this year and two things played into our having such a wondeful day.   1) the weather - no it was not perfect.   In fact, though plenty warm enough, it was completely overcast, a bit windy and there was the threat of rain (that was predicted) all day, but these factors led directly to reason number 2) there was absolutely NO ONE there.  In all these years, I've never been to any Disney property when there were less people.  We never waited in line for anything - attractions or food.  January (after New Year's week), February, September and the first two weeks of December are touted as the least crowded times to visit, but this was incredible.  Note the absence of people in the pictures.  

 Just after passing through the ticket booth - note the absence of people.

Because of the uncrowded conditions, we felt no need to develop any strategy regarding the most popular attractions or which direction to go within the park.   We just moved as we wanted, enjoyed an attraction when we came to it, sat and rested whenever we wanted and ate whenever we wanted.  We were able to snag the best tables and seats that are often just looked at longingly as you wander how in the world those people got THOSE seats!!  

All in all, it was about as perfect of a day as it could have been!  Again, because of the small crowds, we were done earlier than we expected to be and were much less tired than we normally are because we did so little standing in line.  We rarely stay for the nightly fireworks show, Illuminations.  It is VERY good, but we have a two hour drive back to Flagler Beach that includes driving back through the traffic nightmare that is downtown Orlando, plus we've seen it hundreds of times.  We left just before dark and were back in Flagler Beach before we knew it!  

 

I would imagine just about everyone reading this has been to Disney at least once or has plans to go at some point in their lifetime!   And everyone should - at least once!

 

Last picture before leaving - same place we started this morning!!

 My personal favorites!!

For some reason, I just liked this shot!

Have you been to Walt Disney World?  Which parks and when?
Would you return?