My first trip was around spring break of 2003, though it was a few days before it since my grandfather and I were going down to Florida early by plane. My school gave me homework to work on while I was gone on vacation. Which I did most of it before I left because who wants to do homework on vacation? The rest of it was done on my first and certainly not last ride on a plane. The flight was smooth and it was cool to see the clouds from the plane. We landed about two hours later and went on our way. 

We stayed at a hotel not too far from Disney, but far enough to where the traffic isn't too bad. The first day we just hung out in the area, explored a bit and went to bed. The next day we did a few more activities like mini golf, look at souvenir shops, and take in what sights we could before my mother and sister came.

Then when my mother and sister came, we went to a hotel outside of Disney World, different from where my Grandfather and I were in. They were tired so we just settled down in the hotel that day before we were supposed to go to Disney. It was one of the smaller ones with a kid room attached to it and a pool outside.

One of the things I recall was chickening out on most of the rides due to my frequent anxiety attacks. I was at about to board Body Wars, think Star Tours but in the human body. I got sick from anxiety and had to leave before we got on the ride. I was also tricked into eating tofu while at the Rain forest Cafe` after being told it was cheese.

My first visit is cloudy since it was too long ago to clearly remember, however I did go one more time before my senior year of high school. I was seventeen and my family went to Disney World for the second time. But this time we road tripped from New York to Disney. What we did before going to Disney was stop to see who at the time were family friends. We spent a couple days there and did stuff like go to the zoo and museum.

After that we hit the road again, only for the family's Tom Tom to get us lost in downtown Orlando at sunset. So after a frustrating adventure through Orlando we make it to where we were staying, Wilderness lodge, or more specifically, the cabins. 

The cabin itself was nice, there was one bedroom, however there is a bed in the wall in the living room. I got that bed in the wall. It was nice since I got to watch TV in bed and I had access to just about anything in the cabin, just had to move furniture around first. One of the nights we went to this little shop to get some Cola and saw an Armadillo wondering around the area. 

The goal of this trip was to try and do stuff we didn't do before. Most of this happened at Epcot. With the closure of The Wonders of Life Pavilion, I wasn't able to face the ride that I chickened out of as a kid. However I did ride some rides that I didn't go on last time. I went on Malestrom, which is now a Frozen attraction. Test Track was fun since I have always had a knack for how things work. But one of the more interesting ones was Mission Space. For those that aren't aware this ride uses tech that Astronauts use to train for space travel, so it spins around really fast. Well, I went on the intense version where you are spinning. It didn't happen on the ride, but after I was regretting my choice. To save on the details, I had another lunch after the ride. I also got to ride the boats at Disney for the first time to Magic Kingdom.

I was also learning about some family history from my mom and how my mother and father met, since both worked at Disney. I was told all kinds of stories. This happened throughout the vacation as I wanted to know more and I did. It opened my eyes to a few things that I won't forget.

At Disney's MGM/Hollywood Studios the American Idol Experience was still around and I wanted to try it, saw the line and went on my way because it was long to the point of wrapping around the building. Disney is known for their attention to detail and wanting you to feel as if you're are where the setting is. However one place does it a bit too well for my comfort. 

This restaurant is called The 50's Prime Time Cafe`. It's supposed to be like a 50's family dinner table with small TVs showing old prime time television. Complete with the dine staff acting as parents. Now a bit of personal context, I have a tick about my comfort zone, while now that has been more lax. Back then this restaurant was my worst nightmare. They would come up to you if you didn't eat your vegetables and try to chit chat with you. Thankfully I wasn't put on the spot that night. We also went to a dinner show one night at the hotel called the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review and it was fun. If you've seen any western comedy film where they have a dinner show in the saloon, that's what it is like.

                                         

We went to Typhoon Lagoon for the one water park we were going to and it was enjoyable. We went down the lazy river they had and the wave pool. Downtown Disney was nice since we like looking around shops. I don't have any interesting stories from those places however since it was more of a lazy day. Then that was it, the final day we packed up and went back home. 

The only other time I got to go to Disney again was in 2016 in Downtown Disney.

Looking back at those trips I felt like it was one of those blink and you'll miss it things. Where you're there on vacation with family and having fun, but it'll go by so quick that it'll be over before you know it. It'll be just a memory, a story to tell others. Vacations and road trips tend to be like that. But they are good and they are worth remembering. So enjoy the time you have with your family, because who knows what the future may hold and remember to Live Life and Live Nostalgic.