An interesting place, no question.

I was about to talk about Disney World, starting from my earliest childhood trip at age 11. But what happened was, it read like a voiceover by Earl Hamner Jr. So I hit the delete key a whole bunch of times until I got back to the opening html tag. Then I started again.

I am of split feelings regarding the whole “Disney Experience.” I completely buy into the school of thought that thinks: “Wow...what a remarkably (mostly) neatly and tightly run ship this is! Totally engineered fun, but fun indeed!” But I also: 1) prefer “real” experiences and places and 2) am inclined to avoid crowds. As for the crowd thing--there are probably few places where crowds are steered with the pleasant sort of efficiency that Disney imagineers, and as for the “real” thing...well, there is no question that there is an inescapable layer of realness in contemplating the creation and operation of such places and experiences as exist on Disney property, not to mention the undeniable reality of watching other humans and their behaviors in the context of such a marvel of engineering.

At age eleven I was enchanted. At twenty I was supremely entertained. At thirty, in a rare opportunity to visit the Animal Kingdom with none for company but a pleasant and cooperative infant, I enjoyed the details in a way that you can’t always. Several years later, with a litter of middle-grade children along, I’d pre-planned our days such that opportunities for cranky exhaustion were limited, and fun--in the company of unjaded children--was at its best. This year I went for 3 days with 2 college students. We had fun, for certain; it kept me entertained, for certain--but this was the first time I actively thought: “I think I will have come here enough for one lifetime.”

Nonetheless, I was happy for the trip, and happy for a change from the lonely tranquility of my caregiving days. I will say however, that I cannot recommend jouncy rides to anyone else whose temperament disinclines her to relax her neck and shoulder muscles. And I have a critical suggestion: Disney? Mickey? Seriously. Offer free wifi in your deluxe resorts.