Wow Moments

Everyone has “wow” moments. “Wow” moments are the times when something stops you in your tracks or you get a sudden rush of emotion. Most of the time these “wow” moments are infused with nostalgia.

Here are a couple of my wow moments:

#1 – The monorail looping around Epcot: I don’t know why but this always amazed me. I guess I knew I was in for a good day when I saw Spaceship Earth go by. It’ll be strange on my next trip. I’m staying at the Boardwalk so I won’t be experiencing this.

#2 – Cinderella’s Castle from Main Street USA: I think this is on everyone’s list. When you walk down Main Street most Disney fans get that happy feeling.

#3 – The Hyatt MCO: Ok this might sound like an odd one but when I see this hotel inside Orlando International Airport I know I’ve arrived. On the flip side this one also has the opposite effect on the way back. I know my vacation is over.

#4 – The purple and red signs: I bet a lot of people get the wow moment when they see these signs. Nothing says you’re in Disney as when you see the green highway signs turn into the purple and red Disney World signs.

#5 – The atrium in the Contemporary: The atrium in the Contemporary is just impressive. Even if I’m not staying there I always have to find a reason to go there.

#6 – Pioneer Hall: I stayed at Fort Wilderness a lot when I was a kid. When I see Pioneer Hall I smile. The whole area over there is nice and comforting.

Of course there are others but those are the ones that really stand out for me. Feel free to leave your favorite moments in the comments.

My Next Trip

I last went to Disney World in December 2008. I didn’t know if I was going to go back. I really couldn’t afford to duplicate that trip. I knew the only possible way I could return was if Disney ran the “buy four get three free” promo again.

I waited and waited. I monitored the Disney fan sites for months. I listened to seven different Disney podcasts (ok I do that anyways). I kept waiting to hear that the next big deal was coming. Free dining was released but I knew that was a crummy deal so I kept waiting. Then touringplans.com posted a rumor – buy four get three free might be coming back. Then they upgraded it and said it was coming back and in less than a week! I think I started to drool a little, kind of like a wolf looking at a lamb. The next Monday came and I checked the site. There was no new news. I Googled it. Still no news. A few hours later I checked touringplans.com again. BINGO! It was official.

First I called my wife. She doesn’t like Disney so I wanted to get that over with. Next I called MEI Mouse Fan Travel. I had to leave a message because no one was available. I sat in my seat and twitched for about an hour. I stared at my phone trying to will it to ring. Finally I got a call. Vicki D. called my back and she could book it. The dates were slowly starting to open up. I booked the Boardwalk Inn for seven nights.

So I had a room and tickets but that wasn’t enough. My wife and I hate the idea of waking up at 4am to catch a bus to catch a plane to rush to a hotel to try and check in and then try to salvage a day in the parks. You pay good money for that day so why not enjoy it? I booked our air for the day before we were to check in at Disney World. I also booked a late flight. Now we could sleep in, pack, and go against traffic down to the airport. We needed a hotel for a night so I splurged and picked the easiest place. Even though it is expensive, I booked the Hyatt MCO. It’s a very nice hotel right inside the airport.

Flying down the night before takes some of the stress out of the first day. It means we have to wake up and get from the airport to our resort. You can do this for no charge by using Disney’s (term used loosely – it’s not really Disney) Magical (magic can be used for very bad things) Express (“express” is just false advertising). Notice how I used the term “no charge” and not “free.” There is a very good reason for this. It’s not free. It will cost you hours. For more details check out my post “Magical Depress.”

Needless to say I did not book M.E. and tried not to laugh when Vicki asked if I wanted it. I booked a town car through Happy Limo. I cost a little over $100 for round trip. That might sound expensive but it’s worth every penny. Between the speed, service, having my luggage, and having a ton of stress removed from the day, it’s a great value. For more details about Happy Limo, check out my post “Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy” or go to their website at www.happylimo.com.

I have a room, tickets, transportation to the resort, so that leaves air and insurance. Air was easy. I booked JetBlue. It only cost me $89 a person to get down there and $114 to get back (getting back is always more expensive). I like JetBlue because they give you Direct TV and don’t charge you for your first bag.

That leaves insurance. I’m a big believer in travel insurance. One of the big reasons is the fact that I live in New England and it snows here. Losing a day or two is bad enough but having to eat the cost is worse. There are a number of travel insurance companies out there. Check with your travel agent for details.