I have been debating with myself about how to tell my trip story--a day-by-day breakdown with details of our itinerary, word-for-word conversations, photos of every single activity--all of this might be too much information. So I have decided to be concise.
It was very nice.
No, just kidding. It was a great trip, and I am so glad I decided to participate. Here is a little more detail which I hope will not be too much:
The Bus Ride:
I got two seats to myself, so I was able to spread out and do my best to get some sleep--thank God I brought along a travel-sized pillow. Here is a picture of the seat beside me filled with all of the things I used to pass the time.
There is a mildly IQ-depleted member of the band, a very sweet girl who lacks malice but does not lack quirks. She was seated in front of me--there was no lack of extreme body odor, nose picking followed by finger licking, and sudden bursts of vocal enthusiasm from that seat. But overall, the kids on the bus were enjoyable--not too smelly and not too loud.
The Hotel:
We stayed at Disney's All-Star Music hotel, a budget hotel on Disney property, which is great because you can use Disney transportation to get just about any place you need to go--they have a well-developed system of buses, trains, and ferries for free (of course, nothing is free, but it's all built in to the cost, at least). I roomed with a dear friend who is one of the band directors and one of the other staff members who quickly became a good friend. Every night, after a long and exhausting day, we behaved as though we were in college with giggling and talking--lots of talking. If we were awake, we talked--it didn't matter the subject. We covered them all. We talked and giggled so much, we were occasionally late to the buses for morning activities, making all the kids and the other parents wait with their feet stomping impatiently. hee hee
The Band:
The band attended a clinic conducted by a Disney trumpet player who recently played a gig with Arturo Sandoval. The kids loved him and did their best to raise their performance level when he was around. On Monday evening, they marched in the parade at Magic Kingdom as the featured band--on Main Street, they marched to a designated spot, turned toward the audience, and played their hearts out with the guest trumpet player--they performed Sing, Sing, Sing--people actually cried. I know bands from all over the country perform at the park every day, but I was proud to see my own daughter play in such a setting with such talent. I was standing directly in front of the percussion and the guest. Here is what I saw:
Also, the kids were very well behaved. Every where we went, people would compliment us on their behavior. At least three times, a stranger approached me and asked, "Are these high school kids? They are so well behaved." There was one evening when they went a little crazy and caused hotel security to come to the rescue, but overall, they were good kids.
Highlights:
--We spent a few hours lazing around Cocoa Beach with a cookout and plenty of sun and breeze.
--We were treated to delightful breakfast buffets at places like The Rain Forest Cafe, Animal Kingdom, Hard Rock Cafe--always a great way to start the day
--We had dinner at Dollie Parton's Dixie Stampede restaurant. Very odd. I took it with a grain of salt, but the kids seemed to really enjoy it, except for the few who were allergic to horses (Daughter #2 counted as one of those). We were not to use utensils but were expected to eat a Cornish hen with our hands.
--One morning, we woke the kids early and hauled them to Animal Kingdom for a 7:30 AM exclusive ride on a new roller coaster. They grumbled all the way, but afterwards, they were wide awake and happy. It was fun to watch them.
--I spent every day with some of my best friends, and we had a ball. Lots of silly talk and some good meals. I also made some new friends among the parents.
--We treated the kids to a private disco party with a very good DJ and all the Disney characters. The characters were the perfect touch--they got the kids to act like kids instead of wanna-be-grownups--and they danced with them for hours. Shocking--one of my "pals" convinced me to hop on the dance floor for My Girl, and I found myself dancing with Dale the Chipmunk, or was it Chip. I don't know how to dance, so I embarrassed myself and had fun doing it. Here is evidence (my shirt is very unflattering, but what are you gonna do):
It was very nice.
No, just kidding. It was a great trip, and I am so glad I decided to participate. Here is a little more detail which I hope will not be too much:
The Bus Ride:
I got two seats to myself, so I was able to spread out and do my best to get some sleep--thank God I brought along a travel-sized pillow. Here is a picture of the seat beside me filled with all of the things I used to pass the time.
There is a mildly IQ-depleted member of the band, a very sweet girl who lacks malice but does not lack quirks. She was seated in front of me--there was no lack of extreme body odor, nose picking followed by finger licking, and sudden bursts of vocal enthusiasm from that seat. But overall, the kids on the bus were enjoyable--not too smelly and not too loud.The Hotel:
We stayed at Disney's All-Star Music hotel, a budget hotel on Disney property, which is great because you can use Disney transportation to get just about any place you need to go--they have a well-developed system of buses, trains, and ferries for free (of course, nothing is free, but it's all built in to the cost, at least). I roomed with a dear friend who is one of the band directors and one of the other staff members who quickly became a good friend. Every night, after a long and exhausting day, we behaved as though we were in college with giggling and talking--lots of talking. If we were awake, we talked--it didn't matter the subject. We covered them all. We talked and giggled so much, we were occasionally late to the buses for morning activities, making all the kids and the other parents wait with their feet stomping impatiently. hee hee
The Band:
The band attended a clinic conducted by a Disney trumpet player who recently played a gig with Arturo Sandoval. The kids loved him and did their best to raise their performance level when he was around. On Monday evening, they marched in the parade at Magic Kingdom as the featured band--on Main Street, they marched to a designated spot, turned toward the audience, and played their hearts out with the guest trumpet player--they performed Sing, Sing, Sing--people actually cried. I know bands from all over the country perform at the park every day, but I was proud to see my own daughter play in such a setting with such talent. I was standing directly in front of the percussion and the guest. Here is what I saw:
Also, the kids were very well behaved. Every where we went, people would compliment us on their behavior. At least three times, a stranger approached me and asked, "Are these high school kids? They are so well behaved." There was one evening when they went a little crazy and caused hotel security to come to the rescue, but overall, they were good kids.Highlights:
--We spent a few hours lazing around Cocoa Beach with a cookout and plenty of sun and breeze.
--We were treated to delightful breakfast buffets at places like The Rain Forest Cafe, Animal Kingdom, Hard Rock Cafe--always a great way to start the day
--We had dinner at Dollie Parton's Dixie Stampede restaurant. Very odd. I took it with a grain of salt, but the kids seemed to really enjoy it, except for the few who were allergic to horses (Daughter #2 counted as one of those). We were not to use utensils but were expected to eat a Cornish hen with our hands.
--One morning, we woke the kids early and hauled them to Animal Kingdom for a 7:30 AM exclusive ride on a new roller coaster. They grumbled all the way, but afterwards, they were wide awake and happy. It was fun to watch them.
--I spent every day with some of my best friends, and we had a ball. Lots of silly talk and some good meals. I also made some new friends among the parents.
--We treated the kids to a private disco party with a very good DJ and all the Disney characters. The characters were the perfect touch--they got the kids to act like kids instead of wanna-be-grownups--and they danced with them for hours. Shocking--one of my "pals" convinced me to hop on the dance floor for My Girl, and I found myself dancing with Dale the Chipmunk, or was it Chip. I don't know how to dance, so I embarrassed myself and had fun doing it. Here is evidence (my shirt is very unflattering, but what are you gonna do):
Comments
That looks so much fun!
It sounds like you had a great week, Robyn.
By the way, I love the term "mildly IQ depleted" … Hee hee.
Who that's sktchy looking furry thing you're dancing with robyn? I hope he kept his paws to himself.
Thanks for sharing that's awesome
All in all...a huge success of a trip, on all fronts, I'd say...with the requisite amount of giggling being at the top of the list, perhaps!