By July, 2008, CP and I needed a serious break from the drudgery of daily life. We were done. It was time to go. The only thing to figure out, then, were the logistics.

Let’s just say that during this period neither CP nor I were flush with cash. We were both in (or had recently dropped out of) grad school, the economy was tanking, and we had for several months been attending to a series of family issues that had sapped us of both energy and funds. In spite of these things, we were determined. The wheels in my head started spinning, and we decided to take a kill-two-birds kind of trip to Florida – we would first visit my mother on Florida’s east coast, and then we would drive to WDW, stay in a DVC studio courtesy of my grandparents, and find ways to have a cheap yet enjoyable vacation.

The plan worked reasonably well, with a few exceptions. First, I had perhaps suffered a bout of amnesia at some point, since I had clearly forgotten in the time following my employment at WDW that August in Florida offers breathtakingly horrible weather conditions. Hot, humid, and stormy – the trifecta. This might not have given us much pause, but I had also never in my adult life been in charge of planning a full trip; thus, I was unfortunately ignorant of the need to get up early to beat both the crowds and the heat. Thus, we spent many mornings sleeping in, and many afternoons in the parks fighting both crowds and ridiculously hot and humid conditions. We also didn’t eat particularly well (save a fantastic meal at the California Grill), both on account of the heat and our desire to keep it a cheap trip.

Our splurge meal of the week...dinner at the California Grill.

The effects of Florida humidity on my hair. Ouch.

Aaaaaaaand….we had a problem that week. It was Democratic National Convention week, and we were glued to…you guessed it…MSNBC. Even though the evenings would have provided us with the opportunity to see things in cooler temperatures and perhaps with fewer crowds, we were glued to the television. Hillary was speaking! And then Obama! And then there was that tribute to Ted Kennedy!

So….yeah. We were not efficient park tourers. We didn’t come close to seeing everything. We wandered aimlessly. We slept in and napped frequently. We probably took a bit too much pleasure in the opportunity to do free laundry in the Saratoga Springs laundry room. But you know what? It was a great trip. I hadn’t been on Space Mountain since I was four (literally!). Soarin’ was new to me. CP had never been on the Tower of Terror. We also discovered the joys of being of-age in a place where drinking at noon is not only allowed, but encouraged. We enjoyed fantastic people-watching and enjoyed being in a place where diversity was both evident and celebrated (at least by Disney employees). We ate meals of ice cream and discovered why Boma was so revered. We were hooked.

Now, anyone who knows me well can tell you that because of (or in spite of) my Virgo nature, I can be a bit…opinionated? Critical? Unabashedly harsh? In any case, I don’t want to give the impression that we departed our trip with rose-colored glasses permanently adorning our faces. The week had its frustrations, as well as its observations of things that Disney did poorly, or did not do at all. We quickly grew tired of lackluster bus service. We were aghast that for a company that was supposedly so liberal, its recycling program was minimal. We clearly observed that the attention to detail Disney used to be revered for is perhaps not quite what it used to be. And then there were the issues we had with screaming children, long waits, and surly tourists. These things were not Disney’s fault, per se, but they added a layer of stress to an otherwise enjoyable trip. We were ready to go home, but by the time we got home, ready to go back.

Hello, bane of my existence.

And that, I think, best sums up our collective experience with Disney – it’s regression-to-childhood meets rigorous academic examination. I want to ride the rides and then read about their history. I want to observe the cross-section of individuals that visit the parks and then think about the cultural and sociological implications. I want to eat a good meal at the California Grill and examine critically whether Disney is integrating local and sustainable practices into its kitchens. Today I want to think about the effect of Shanghai Disneyland upon not only China but upon international relations and commerce more broadly. I want experience, AND I want context.

Our trip in 2008 provided just this duality of purpose. We had fun and laughed like schoolkids, and we also spent a fair amount of time observing the built environment and discussing how Disney presented and interpreted history in its rides, shows, and publications. We listened in on other people’s conversations and pondered where they were from and what informed their perspectives. A trip to WDW may not be all good (although certainly not all bad), but you cannot say it isn’t interesting. And it’s fun. Really fun.

Update: Nerds in Wonderland now features a full trip report for this trip, taken from an older blog. Enjoy!

Up next: Our first trip of 2010, and a preview of our first trip of 2011.