In my family, vacation was pretty much unheard of unless it was related to a family wedding or celebration. Even those experiences were nothing close to vacation status. There was no time to just sit back and relax because everything was rushed.
I had always wanted to go on vacation and be able to wind down and take a break from the burdens of school, work and the activities I was involved in. My desire was realized in June of 2006 when I was surprised by my Mom that we were going to Disneyworld for an entire week. I was astonished and ecstatic because I never thought this would ever happen.
I never believed that I would be able to go on a real vacation. I remember all my friends telling me how wonderful an experience it was for them. Now I would have the opportunity to enjoy that experience.
The trip began with our check in at the Coronado Springs Resort located on Disney property. The resort had a Southwestern theme to it and the ambience was pleasant. The food selection was abundant, but the prices were outrageous, of course.
The layout of the resort was a little confusing at first, but we eventually got used to it. We had reliable access to the Disney transportation system which was beneficial to first timers like ourselves. The service overall was very accommodating.
But the hotel was not what made Disney World such a great experience. It was the parks, restaurants, shows and exhibits that created lasting memories. On Monday, the first day we were there, we went to MGM Studios.
We were set on going to the Who Wants to be a Millionaire attraction to play along as audience members, which was a bit of a disappointment for us. I heard the hype about the Hollywood Tower of Terror and just had to try it and it turned out to be an extreme thrill ride. We both went into the Great Movie Exhibit which we enjoyed because it dished out a historical background on Walt Disney and some of his most famous movies. But what made MGM the best was eating at the Hollywood Brown Derby Restaurant.
Tuesday, which happened to be July 4th, turned out to be the greatest part of trip. We spent most of the day at Epcot. I went on Mission Space, which made me sick to my stomach, while my Mom waited outside and got soaked by a quick rainstorm. I also tried the Test Track which was probably the best ride Epcot had to offer. I convinced my Mom to try Spaceship Earth, and we both ended up enjoying it mainly because of the historical background it offered.
We also visited almost all of the pavilions from around the world and got a taste of diversity. We both agreed that the Scandinavian pavilions were the most eye opening. We also saw an incredible fireworks show on the lagoon that featured a dazzling display of fireworks, dancing and technology.
Epcot was such a wonderful experience not only because of what it had to offer, but because we had the opportunity to view the launching of Space Shuttle Discovery. We all had our eyes to skies waiting for the shuttle to pierce through atmosphere into space. For much of the trip we lived in Epcot.
On Wednesday morning, we were treated like royalty when we had breakfast at the Grand Floridian Resort. The day continued at Magic Kingdom, which wasn’t on my must see list. Rather, my Mom wanted to go. We both went on ‘It’s a Small World,’ the Jungle Cruise, and Tomorrow-land Indy Speedway. We used the fast-pass to our advantage since it was so warm that day.
On Thursday, we went to the Animal Kingdom, which wasn’t as exciting as originally thought because the place was so overcrowded and it was so unbearably warm. The animal exhibits were interesting, but the wait for most of the rides wasn’t worth it. We made up for the disappointment by exploring Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island. We explored almost every store and bought some unique gifts and souvenirs.
The rest of the trip we spent at Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon and enjoyed more of what Epcot had to offer. What made the vacation even greater is that we went during the Fourth of July holiday. Although it was extremely crowded and the weather was sporadic, it didn’t put a damper on our plans nor did it ruin our experience.
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