I have to admit that my initial feeling about going to Disneyworld was not one associated with little kids, a Disney cartoon and my hands waving uncontrollably; I’ll leave that to D*. I had been to Disneyworld twice before, each time for a day only and it was only for the Magic Kingdom. Upon telling people that I really couldn’t care less for Disneyworld because the rides were “softer” type ride for little kids and I had no desire for a “character” breakfast or sitting at Cinderella’s table, people felt bound to tell me that my feelings only came about because Magic Kingdom is the least favorite park.It was as though, people had been brainwashed by the overload of Disney cartoons, toys and paraphernalia into being Disney spokespeople.
D* being a teacher of young kids/developmentally challenged students however seems to have a particular affinity for most things Disney, whether there is a proportional relationship between rugrat proximity and Disney affinity, I will never know. ( Can someone do a study on the effect of Children upon Disney fascination and let me know the results?)
However, no matter how jaded an adult I am, note the picture of the fireworks at the top of the blog, they serve a valuable purpose. No matter how old one gets, gorgeous and elaborate fireworks displays will always make you feel young and small and within our Disney experience, there were two jaw dropping fireworks displays.
- “Wishes” display on Sunday night at Cinderella’s castle. It definitely was a showcase of pyrotechnics and lighting effects.
- “Illuminations” display Saturday night within Epcot Center . I linked to a short video below
http://www.rishisankar.com/Travel-Videos/USA/6910799_5fw8L#646130147_HbMQi-A-LB
The overal complexity in synchronizing fireworks, lighting, laser lights and building lights to music must be quite high. In my brain, I’m sure there are hundreds of PLC circuits and some type of sophisticated software that would synchronize the pyrotechnic timings with the music. It reminded me of the fireworks display that I had seen in Hong Kong harbour two or so years ago, where they synchronized the Hong Kong skyline with fireworks, music and laser displays – shown below.
The other thing I realized is that no matter what your brain tells you, having great fitting sandals/shoes is absolutely essential for wandering and exploring Disneyworld. I put more thought about cramming in as much of the “Disney” experience as possible than I did for going to the World Cup in Germany (btw, there is only ONE “World Cup” I could possibly be referring to.)
Swollen feet after 12 hours of walking on hot concrete is definitely not high on my “Experience List”, but going to see the fireworks displays, was totally worth any pain I had to endure… even the pain of incredibly high priced food and snacks to my wallet.