Monday, July 4, 2011

A July 4th Disney Dash!

I don't have a lot of memorable 4th of July stories.  Growing up, the 4th meant spending a week camping with my parents at Myrtle Beach.  Later on, when I worked at Quaker Lake Camp, the 4th was just another day of camp.  But there is one Independence Day that really stands out, and today I'd like to share that story.


In July of 1993 my parents were spending the week of the 4th at Walt Disney World.  Marilyn and I drove down from North Carolina to spend a few days with them at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.  On the day of the 4th we made our way over to the Disney/MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) to spend the day.  This being in the days before the Tower of Terror or the Rock'N'Rollercoaster the Studios were easily the least crowded of the three existing parks (Animal Kingdom was still several years from opening) and we often went there on the most crowded days.  My parents had headed over to their favorite place, EPCOT, and so we were on our own as evening approached.  Before I continue, there are a few things you need to know about my wife and I in 1993.  We were much younger.  We were childless.  We spent most of our time hanging out with teenagers in my role as a youth pastor- so we were more than a little nuts.  All of these things came into play as we hatched a plan for seeing fireworks at Walt Disney World that night.  But in the end, the entire operation was contingent on our knowledge and use of the WDW transportation system...


We decided that we wanted to see fireworks at all 3 parks.  On the surface, this seemed impossible.  Seeing Sorcery in the Sky (still my favorite Disney fireworks show) at the Studios at 9 PM was no problem.  Next would be Illuminations at EPCOT at 10 PM.  We positioned ourselves to make a quick getaway from the Studios, then caught one of the shuttle boats from there to Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resort.  We ran to the "back door" (International Gateway) of EPCOT and secured a place on the bridge between the United Kingdom pavilion and France.  We even had a few minutes to spare.  As we waited for the next show, we could look back towards the Studios and see their "extra" 4th of July fireworks.  A few moments later, Illuminations began.  As always it was spectacular.


That's when our quest to see fireworks at all 3 parks got interesting, and our knowledge of Disney transportation became a valuable asset.  We bolted out the "back door" of EPCOT and walked briskly over the the Beach Club, where we caught a bus to the Magic Kingdom, hoping to see the midnight fireworks extravaganza there.  It looked like we were going to make it with time to spare....until.  The MK night parade (I believe it was SpectroMagic at the time) had just completed its 11 PM run, and thousands of people were leaving the park just as we were trying to get in.  If you've ever tried to go against the flow through the MK entrance tunnels at a major departure time, then you feel my pain.  If not, it is like trying to drive the wrong way on an interstate during rush hour.  We feared for our lives.  Between the crush of people and the crazed, exhausted moms driving strollers right over us, it's a miracle we survived.  But we did.  And we got out onto Main Street just in time to watch one more glorious fireworks show.  Three parks.  Three fireworks shows. One night.  We were pretty proud of ourselves!


So that's my story.  I'm glad we did it- mostly so we don't ever have to do it again!  But it did make for one amazing night.  Happy Independence Day to all.  Tonight I will be dashing out my front door to see the neighbors shoot off Roman Candles.  Yeah...getting old...

5 comments:

  1. I knew it! Definitely a "before children" adventure! Ah, those were the days...

    A very happy and safe 4th of July to you!

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  2. Anonymous7/04/2011

    Love Disney - always wanted to be at one of the parks during the 4th!

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  3. Thanks Kathy- it was a great night, but definitely made possible by having no kids with us. And Cindy, Disney is THE BEST place to spend most any holiday- they always do it big and do it right!

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  4. Anonymous7/06/2011

    I am sorry to say but to truly appreciate this post- which is amazing!
    You really must be native to Orlando area and the craziness of DISNEY :-)-- Amber

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  5. Yes living in the midst of the "Magic" does change the way you see it all, Amber. And thanks for not making any age jokes! :)

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