Time-out in Disney

 When you think of Disney World, what comes to mind? The Happiest Place on Earth, excitement, rides, and laughs? Well, when the varsity softball players of my school think of Disney, the only thing that comes to our minds is the haunting memory of our unjustified punishment.

            The trip started when we left school in shorts and tank-tops. As the frosty Southern Jersey winds bit our skin, we became more and more thrilled for what was to come. At the airport, we fooled around acting like 3-year olds who didn’t know any better. Some girls tried to soothe those who had never been on a plane—others tried to scare them.

            After a quick flight, our apparel was much more appropriate for the sweltering hot heat. We hopped onto the Disney Resort Shuttle Bus and began our choir-like (ear-shattering) singing of Disney songs.

            When we weren’t playing softball, we were playing pranks or at the parks. Once we stole our teammates’ room key and sabotaged their room while they ate lunch. After toilet paper, shaving cream, and clothes were spread beautifully across their room and draping from the fan (not to mention the smelly cantaloupe we hid behind the table), our friends returned for their unexpected present. They took it well, with lots of smiles and laughs. Even our coaches joined in on the hilarity of the moment.

            But then came the infamous night of reprimand. There we were: fifteen girls with the coaches at Magic Kingdom. Some girls split off from us to “do their own thing.” It was okay because the only rules were to have a group of at least four girls and put our cell phones away because they weren’t necessary in Disney World! The rest headed toward the Haunted Mansion, but some of us decided to get ice cream before we continued. While we enjoyed our snacks, my friend told the group that coach called her three times. Everyone took their phones out and noticed most had missed calls, too. We called her back and then began our nightmare of a trip. Coach screamed to meet her at the castle right away! We didn’t know why. We went there, but coach was no where to be seen. We called her again and she yelled, “NOT THE CASTLE, THE CAROUSEL.” Honestly, with hundreds of people and rides all around, those two words sound remarkably similar.

            When we met up, she told us we left behind one our teammates. We didn’t complain and willingly welcomed her into our group. Then, just an hour later, we had more missed calls. This time she told us to meet at the bench in front of the castle right away! Castle? Okay, definitely castle this time. We sat and listened as our coaches gave a long scornful speech about not acting like captains and not answering our phones. We didn’t know what we did wrong. They told us before to keep our phones away. They made us sit there for over an hour until others wanted to leave. While waiting, the coaches banned us from using the bathroom and from talking. Some of the girls cried. I threw up on the bench because of how upset I was.

            I’m sad I can’t come up with a moral to this story, mostly because we still haven’t discovered what we did wrong. But aside from the headaches, tears, and confusion, the trip was a success. “How?” you may ask. Well, now this always gives us a good laugh, and creating lasting memories with close friends is really what a trip is all about.