So if you read my most recent (and pretty depressing) post, you’ll know that I’ve had a trying couple of months, one side effect of which was a concern that I might have lost my love for Disney.  I’m just back from ten days in Florida – five of which that were spent on and near WDW property – and I can happily say that this is in fact not the case. Indeed, it’s possible I’m loving it even more, in spite of the many reasons I have these days to feel cynical about the Disney enterprise.

In the past, I’d happily write up lengthy and day-by-day accounts of my time in WDW. I’m not doing that for this trip, for several reasons. One, this trip took part over two separate weekends, was very impulsive, and…well…was soaked in alcohol and sleep deprivation in a way that didn’t make for the best note taking. Whoops!  Also, since this was a dip-my-toes-back-in trip to WDW, I didn’t go into it with the expectation of documenting everything. I just wanted to experience things. To feel how it felt to visit newly alone. And you know what? Thanks to some wonderful new friends, a bevy of great Cast Members, and the beauty of the parks at the holidays, I ended up having a really great time.

So, in lieu of a lengthy trip report, some impressions from a few days spent in WDW. A cathartic, alcohol-fueled, great-meal-indulging, rope-drop-til-park-close few days that got me feeling better about life than I’ve felt in awhile. Sorry, Disney, not done with you yet, even as much as I poke you with a stick.

Note: if you *do* want a day-by-day account, my partner in alcohol- and revelry-related crimes, Rhiannon, is blogging about the trip here. You owe it to yourself to check it out!

Some first time things:

New meals with new friends: Over the course of two weekends, I tried brunch at Raglan Road, dinner at Kouzzina, drinks and apps at the lounge at California Grill, a martini flight at the new Brown Derby lounge, and new drinks a host of bars I’d previously not frequented, including…the Lava Lounge at the Rainforest Cafe. (Shameful, I know.)   I’ll have more to say on these dining experiences soon, but in the meantime, let me say that these meals and drinks were shared with a cast of characters met over the past year on Twitter, individuals whose friendship and good humor have helped me to experience WDW in fun and positive ways following my divorce.

Irish breakfast, anyone?

Getting my art on: Last year, I stopped in to WDW during Festival of the Masters, but really only saw a few chalk drawings and left. This year, I saw nearly the full complement of chalk drawings (amazing), but also spent some time browsing the artists’ tents. I have to say, I’m not much of an art festival person, but this one was pretty fun. And whether or not you’re a person who enjoys Disney Fine Art(tm), there is a lot that’s both really good – and ridiculously terrible – to entertain yourself with as you walk.

Chalk art at Festival of the Masters.

Up close and personal: If you follow @dibadisney on Twitter (and if you don’t, why not?! You must.), you might know that he is quite a fan of the Citizens of Hollywood, a group of Streetmosphere characters that perform at regular intervals over at Hollywood Studios. I must confess, typically I….avoid the Streetmosphere. Or at least only stop and take in a show for a moment or two before moving on. In this case, I had a front row seat to an afternoon show, and I can’t recall the last time I’ve laughed so hard. I think one of WDW’s great strengths are its entertainment Cast Members, and there are some truly great ones, many of whom you’ll find as members of the Citizens of Hollywood. You owe it to yourself to give these great folks some serious consideration on your next trip.

Family entertainment…with kegel jokes?

I double dipped…and I liked it. So, listen. I’m a rule follower, and I know this is possible – maybe even truly – not that kosher. But thanks to an old Keys to the World card that I “happened” to have in my wallet, I used both FP+ *and* regular FP on this trip. I know tons of people do it, but for me it felt a little transgressive. And I really liked it. I felt like I rode more rides on this short trip than I’ve ridden in years, in part due to low crowds, but also to this FastPass double dipping. I still maintain paper FPs will disappear soon, but in the meantime…this was fun.

Lost and found…eventually. Rhiannon’s got this story pretty well covered, but it bears repeating: I lost our rental car. Repeatedly. And so well that I seriously thought we had been towed…repeatedly. Blame the alcohol, blame the sleep deprivation, blame the lunar tides, I don’t know. But for an uber planner like myself, parking at Epcot and not taking a picture of my row number? For shame. (Of course, there was no helping me when I lost the rental car in our hotel parking lot. And I’m not talking about the Marriott World Center or some other behemoth property; I’m talking about the Radisson Lake Buena Vista. The parking lot is tiny. But seriously, we must’ve wandered around for TEN FULL MINUTES looking for the car.) These incidents are nice metaphors for a new attitude I brought to Florida with me last week – don’t plan, just do.  Things will work themselves out.

Some Old Favorites:

Can I see your…? Look, I am out and proud about this: I love to pin trade. Wait, don’t leave!  I fought the hobby for many years, and then one day, just happened to start…and haven’t looked back. I was lucky on this trip to have a pin trading partner in crime, and over the course of a few days we stalked just about every retail location and Cast Member we could find looking for pins. Not only do I love the interaction with Cast Members that pin trading affords, but I find it’s an easy way to keep park visits kind of fresh and interesting if you’re a person who visits often. Plus, the thrill of the hunt can be very satisfying if you’re looking for particular pins. Don’t fight it…you’ll like it; trust me.

Those with motion sickness should not ride. CP and I had great times at Disney, but she was never the biggest ride person. Or was maybe never a “big” ride person. On our first trip together in 2008, she rode just about everything, but quickly decided she was no fan of Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n Rollercoaster, the Safari, and a host of other attractions we’ve mostly skipped in the past few years. Well, on this trip I made up for lost time. It was nice to visit these old friends, and do some cathartic on-ride yelling.

#nofilter on this, I swear.

Visions of gingerbread dancing…. This is my third straight year at WDW during the holiday season, and it’s just not getting old for me. It was also really fun to experience Disney at the holidays with someone who hadn’t really experienced it before. Between the Osborne Lights, the Castle lighting, and checking out the decoration progress at the resorts, I got a great holiday fix on my WDW trip. If I could abide the crowds – and the cost – you’d probably find me at WDW on Christmas Day, but alas, this will have to do.

The magic’s still there.

For Next Time:

And yes, there will be a next time! In January, in fact. A few things I didn’t do on this trip, but want to do on my next:

Dinner with Mary Blair. Well, she’s dead, so not really. But at least eating at the newly refurbished California Grill will get me some time in a space that pays homage to her. I really enjoyed having drinks and apps in the lounge, but I’m eager to get back in for a real reservation and have the pork tenderloin that turned me from a vegetarian to a carnivore all those years ago. Yum.

Get behind the lens: For the first time in several trips, I didn’t bring a camera with me to WDW. On the one hand, it was fun to rely only on an iphone for photos, but on the other, so much of my enjoyment of the parks comes from thinking about them photographically. Where are the interesting details, the beautiful light that will disappear in a mere moment, the candid shot of a stranger that will make a beautiful picture? Next time, I’ll be back behind a real camera.

Go to EMH, because…. I will be staying back on Disney property. This is sort of my eternal struggle: I love that I can save some significant coin staying off property, but it seems like with every off-property stay there are some serious headaches. During my first weekend, I got bumped from my off property hotel to another local hotel, and then had to move back the next day. During the second weekend, the hotel was…fine…but certainly lacking in the Disney magic department. Now, you will *never* catch me saying that Disney magic is worth the upcharge Disney attaches to it, but for my upcoming trip in January, annual passholder rates are actually so competitive that staying on property makes more sense. So really, I don’t care at all about EMH, but I do see the argument that staying on property is worthwhile. I may be done with the Deluxes for the near future, but that is just fine with me.

Up next: some thoughts on the holidays at WDW, drinking around the World (Epcot and then some), and the best worst Peter Pan’s Flight photos you have *ever* seen.