Business Trips

If you have to go on a business trip, I would say that April in Orlando is one of the more perfect destinations at the most perfect time. The weather is mild, the tropical breezes are refreshing, and the flowers are lush and beautiful. Just standing outside is a delightful treat.

Last week I attended a conference in Orlando at the Orange County Convention Center. Just like its over-sized and imaginative counterpart, DisneyWorld, the OCCC is impossibly huge. Its massive size is hard to comprehend and even more so when you realize that there are not just one, but two gigantic buildings. I wandered around the North-South building trying to find my conference's registration desk before realizing that the East-West building (where I had to go) was hidden behind a zig-zag of elevated walkways behind me. By the time I reached my designated area, blisters had started to form on my poor feet. No, I did not think to bring sensible shoes!

The conference was like most conferences, meetings and learning sessions in various chilly classrooms, lots of breaks with rivers of coffee, exchanging of business cards and buffets galore. But this particular conference had a special dinner celebration at Epcot. Really, who can compete with that?!

We were loaded onto 4 buses that drove us to a back entrance of Epcot, somewhere between France and Germany I believe. We were led through an enormous gate by uniformed guides holding blinking batons and into a large building where servers held trays of wine and beer. Four appetizer stations were set up with cocktail tables scattered throughout a darkened room. Servers passed more appetizers on trays and regularly brought refills of wine and beer. After we had our fill, an enormous curtain began to open and the song "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast boomed through the speakers. We were led into an even larger room with formal dinner tables, long buffet and carving tables placed in strategic corners and a DJ playing dinner music. The food was scrumptious: roast beef au jus, tender chicken with wild mushrooms, wild rice with shrimp, scalloped potatoes, steamed vegatables, pasta salads, creamy cheeses, fresh fruit and more!

But it wasn't over yet. The DJ announced that we were moving to a private viewing area of the Illuminations fireworks show for dessert and coffee. The guides showed up again with their blinking batons to lead us around the front of the Epcot lake. Finger-sized desserts of all kinds were beautifully stacked on outdoor tables. Coffee urns with every fixing you could possibly imagine were placed in various corners. The show was spectacular.

It was so weird being at Disney again after having just vacationed there last summer. I felt like we had been plopped right down in the middle of it all. Normally, there is a buildup of events; getting to the parking lot, taking the trams, going through the ticket counters and jostling through the crowds. It was such a surreal feeling to just be there, seemingly with the snap of a finger! I managed to duck into a gift shop for a few souvenirs before the buses departed.

The rest of the conference was the norm and on the final day, I headed back to the airport in a state of exhaustion. Would you believe that my flight was overbooked? They asked for volunteers to bump to the next day with compensation of a free dinner, hotel, and breakfast along with a $400.00 airline travel voucher! I couldn't refuse, especially with an upcoming vacation to Vermont where the flight tickets are busting the budget. So I stayed an extra night. Luckily the hotel had free amenities like a toothbrush and comb, as my suitcase was on its way back to Raleigh!

Business trips (and trips in general) can be so interesting. Everyone has a story. As I sat on the airplane traveling home, I thought how funny it would be if everyone could tell their own. Wouldn't that make a trip go by fast!

See more of this trip on Sunniviews under the posts Florida Foliage in April, Orange County Convention Center (N-S) and (E-W), and Epcot Extravaganza.

Disney World

So we finally made the big decision to visit the land of children's dreams, the ultimate theme park, the pinnacle of imagination: Disney World!

It all started out nice and simple. We left earlier than planned, had extra room in the trunk, made pretty good driving time. We arrived in sunny and humid weather. Enjoyed chilled cocktails on the porch. Then, as the kids splashed in the pool out back, an all-too-familiar cry of pain penetrated the air. Yes, just 2 short hours after we arrived in FL, we found ourselves at the emergency room. My daughter broke her arm!

Interestingly enough, this did not dampen our spirits for the trip. We decorated her sling with Disney trading pins and she got plenty of sympathy from passers by. In fact, one woman said, why are you waiting in line for this ride? Go to guest services for a special ride pass - after all, it's the land of a million dreams, they'll take care of you. And bless their hearts, they did. The friendly staff gave us a special assistance pass so that Maddy wouldn't have to wait for hours in the heat. Truly a Godsend.

What can I say about Disney World but WOW! Walking down the main street of the Magic Kingdom brought tears to my eyes. We saw a mama duck with her 7 little ducklings walking down the sidewalk (was that planned!?!), a barbershop quartet serenaded us on the street, a carriage with two beautiful Clydesdale horses clip-clopped right by us, and who can resist the statue of Walt himself holding hands with little Mickey Mouse in front of the infamous castle.

We booked special lunches with the Disney characters - avoided standing in huge lines, enjoyed fabulous food while relaxing in the A/C and got autographs to boot! My daughter led the Winnie-the-Pooh Parade around the dining room of The Crystal Palace and saw all the princesses!

The Tiki Room is still there but "under new management" with new songs and new birds. The Pirates of the Caribbean is also but now features Captain Jack Sparrow. Believe it or not, my daughter loved the Carousel of Progress, I think the moving theater was what impressed her the most. We also loved the 3-D PhilharMagic theater show. The special effects were great, including the wind in your face, spraying water and glittering jewels that hovered right before your eyes.

Other favorites were Test Track at Epcot where you're testing a new car, sort of like a crash test dummy. Another is Soarin', where you fly above the earth, past mountains, the ocean, San Francisco and finally right down Main Street Magic Kingdom, up the castle and into the sky with the fireworks!

MGM Studios was hopping with dramatic actresses, directors and clueless policeman characters roaming the streets. The Tower of Terror at the "haunted" Hollywood Hotel is a blast as well as the Aerosmith Rockin' Rollercoaster. Both have great concept setups - the hotel has an "you've entered the twilight zone" theme and the rollercoaster whisks you away in a "stretch limo" with a crazy driver.

And of course, we saw the Cirque Du Soliel show "La Nouba". Believe it or not, it was the 4,000th show, on the dot. They passed out glow sticks to the audience. When the show was over we all cracked them and spun them in the air. Quite a sight.

Now we are home and my daughter is sporting a bright pink cast that practically glows in the dark like those glow sticks! The good news is that the break was minor and she gets the cast off in a few days. What a story, what a trip - truly one of dreams... imagined and unimagined!