I took a little Holiday blog-cation in conjunction with our trip to Disney World. After all there was little time to write with hours of driving and two full days of park adventures. Dinner was at the Polite Pig, as we began to deal with the massive Christmas crowds. My wife spent a lot of time at the Pin Trader booths, adding to her collection of Disney characters. I did the minimum mile the next morning to preserve my 13-year Running Streak in anticipation of a day on sore feet.

Parking was a mess on Day 1 when plans to leave our car at Epcot and utilize park transportation did not work out. We were forced to go to the Animal Kingdom as our ticket reservations dictated. Apparently, everyone was funneled into that lot, so it took hours to enter, even with preferred status. We were then too late to use the Disney app to get Genie/Lightening Line passes after they sold out for the day. Avatar was too long of a wait, so we settled on Everest that would ultimately make my trip miserable. I tweaked my back on the ride, proving that I’m just too old for roller coasters, and spent the next two days in pain.

It’s Tough to be a Bug, and the Kite Show were more my speed before we moved to Epcot later in the day for dinner at Il Mulino. Walking was very uncomfortable with my right shoulder drooping, as I struggled to keep up while wishing for my chiropractor. I did not do the loop around the world, choosing to sit on a ledge to rest while waiting for the laser light extravaganza. Running again the next day proved to be painfully awkward, so once again I only did the minimum mile. 

Day 2, Christmas, was all about getting my son-in-law on the Star Wars rides. That challenge entailed using the Singles line to shorten the 90-minute wait. I waited on the sidelines for Smuggler’s Run, saving my strength for the Rise of the Resistance and a 165-minute endless line. As it turned out, it was surprisingly only a little over an hour instead and did not jar my painful spine as I initially feared. However, I was not about to “back” out after committing to the wait. The “kids” soon abandoned us for the Rock N’ Rollercoaster, Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tower of Terror, and Splash Mountain, while rejoining us for the less intense Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion. By then we had consulted with Guest Services to finally purchase line passes that never seemed to work on the rides we wanted to do. I spent the day on It’s a Small World, Peter Pan,  the Monorail, Mission to Mars, and watching the fireworks, ready to call it quits.

After thousands of dollars, back pain, and hours of frustration we were finally back at our Marriott resort, The Sabal Palms, for a well deserved night’s rest just before the clock struck midnight. Christmas was over but we still had plans for a full family dinner the next night at our house. Yesterday, we spent driving my wife’s daughter to her father’s house in Estero and joined some friends for lunch at Coconut Jack’s in Bonita Springs. So, here I am -at my desk, trying to sum things up. I’m Back!