Public Spark

As I was cleaning up my room, I came across a journal that I had kept from my 1997 trip to Walt Disney World. It was the year Walt Disney World celebrated its 25th anniversary. Below are excerpts from the journal and in brackets and italicized are my current added thoughts. It was interesting to reflect on this memorable family trip to Walt Disney World.

June 30, 1997 (Monday)

It all started in the morning, our arrival to LAX Delta Terminal. We noted carefully about our arrival being approximately 3:00 PM (Orlando time) our departure being 7:50 AM. As we arrived at the Delta desk, boy were we in for a surprise. The lady at the counter said our departure time was 7:00 AM. [the ticket printed the wrong time!] A chill went up my spine. We ran through the isles, I never had such an experience in my life. As we sat down I felt such a relief. [It is funny to look back at this time since my family schedules and organizes to the T. It goes to show that unexpected things happen. It’s these unplanned things that make the trip memorable and funny]. Four hours and 20 minutes on Delta was spent eating a cheese omelette with sour, sour grapefruit, sweet orange slice and sweet desert. After the meal I with my mom listened to the earphone. I pressed 4 12 and paid a dollar and listened to the movie “Zeus and Roxanne” translation “Dog and Dolphin” while sleeping with the comfortable pillow and blanket. One hour prior to landing, pretzels and peanuts and drinks were served. Throughout the flight aboard Delta 152, there were disturbing turbulence, but everything was okay. The turbulence didn’t have a serious effect because we landed on time, safely at the Orlando International Airport.

As we rode on the monorail towards the baggage claim area, I gazed towards the beautiful green forests surrounding the airport. As we stepped out we searched for Meres Shuttle Stop. We found it and we rode with a driver named Herb Ramirez, a Puerto Rican raised in New York. Amongst a newly wed couple and a business man. We kindly laughed at Herb’s generous showing from Orlando Airport to Disney. He made stops at Grinna Hotel then Port Orleans before finally arriving at our hotel, Walt Disney World Dolphin.

Standing near Water Taxi, across from the Swan Hotel, which is adjacent to the Dolphin Hotel.

As I stepped into the hotel, I first noticed the humid smell of water. That’s when I notice the Dolphin fountain. The top looked as if it was covered with a blue tent. Even though we checked-in our room wasn’t ready, we had to wait an hour. We received the following brochure and sat down to make plans. [I still remember the beautiful decor and architecture of the hotel. It was themed and very detailed].

Walt Disney World Update

We decided to make reservations at a Epcot restaurant for breakfast, so we headed towards the concierge desk. To use up the hour, we decided to tour the hotel. First, we decided to find a place to eat. We went to the hotel pool and then bumped into Coral Buffet. It wasn’t open yet so we came back after we got our rooms and headed back. There I had a sirloin steak sandwich which I came to dislike since it had Rosemary herbs and peppers so I switched with Dad’s club.

Sample of the Walt Disney World Park Hopper Ticket.

We decided to head towards the Magic Kingdom by the famous water taxi: Friendship Water Launch. As we rode on the water taxi and arrived at the Epcot Center, we decided instead of going to the Magic Kingdom to go to Epcot World Showcase. [Epcot World Showcase is a great idea for a theme park. It captures architecture, foods, atmosphere, and entertainment from around the world].

We saw Canada where there was the small version of Niagara falls. There was even a tall detailed totem pole next to a souvenir shop called Trading Post. In Mexico, we entered what looked like a old Mayan temple. There were beautiful murals within the temple and a marketplace with live mariachi music. We then went on the boat ride called El Rio del Tiempo. It has the feel of “It’s a Small World” but with videos and interesting history of Mexico. We then headed out next door towards Norway. Once again the architecture displayed great woodwork. We then went on the Maelstrom, a Viking boat ride. It was dark and much scarier than the Mexican boat ride. There were trolls and even a small drop at the end!

As it started to get a little darker, we decided to find a breakfast reservation site, so we headed towards the Land. We then headed back towards the international gateway. Just as we got to the water taxi, I heard the speakers saying 15 minutes until Illuminations 25. Then we made a stop at the Beach and Yacht Club, after making a stop at the Boardwalk. As we approached the WDW Dolphin dock, I heard the first Illuminations 25 fireworks and saw one with my eyes. Boy, beautiful, but then it settled so we decided to see it up close tomorrow. We headed towards our room, Room 5038, I was reminded of how many people refer to this place, Walt Disney built, magnificent masterpiece. To be able to spend my birthday was surely memorable, for I felt I had the most magical birthday experience. I will never forget this.