Mickey's Christmas

On an off night from the conference, I attended Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Disney's Magic Kingdom. It's been 8 years since I've been to Disney World and I forgot how magical it is. You walk into the park and then have to take a ferry or monorail to the actual park entrance. You're greeted by Mickey and Minnie and most of the young girls are in costume as their favorite Disney princess. Aside from the fact that Disney has completely infiltrated our culture and that the Disney experience has become a coming-of-age expectation, I was shocked to re-realize the prevalence of princesses. I'm not a neo-feminist Nazi or anything, but seriously? $79 for a chiffon Cinderella dress?

Once I got over myself and my feminist background, I started to relax. My conference buddy, Vera, went with me. It was snowing on Main Street, the park offered "free" hot chocolate and warm cookies, there was a Christmas parade, and the Cinderella castle was shrouded in icicle lights. Christmas carols (albeit, the secular ones) were piped into the park and despite the 68 degree temperature, it did feel Christmasy.

The party's hours were from 7pm-midnight. While most of the park was at the first parade, Vera and I went on several rides around the park. We walked on to every ride (a miracle for Disney) and rode our favorites multiple times. I love Splash Mountain and the Railroad rollercoaster. At one point in the evening, the ride operators didn't even make us get off the ride. So we rode the train rollercoaster three times in a row. It reminded me of Cedar Point's Gemini, my absolute favorite coaster. While on the coaster, I was quickly reminded of the adrenaline rush that comes from the tight corners an stomach-wrenching drops. Vera and I screamed like children, savoring every moment. We decided that we need a roller coaster at St. Fozzie's for employees to ride during breaks and lunches…the adrenaline rush really resets your bearings! $45M will fit in the budget, right?

Anyway, it was a great time at Disney. But when they do the extensive firework display at the end of the evening, I cannot help but picture the wads of cash everyone spends at the park exploding in the colorful displays!