“Surprise! We’re Going on Vacation!” - Disney Trip: Part 1

So, my wife Bridget told me on April 5, 2019 that we’d be leaving on April 9 for a week at Disney World in Florida. (Yes, she told me on a Friday we’d be leaving the following Tuesday.)

It was the first time I’d heard about the trip.

I bring these things on myself. I tend to overanalyze upcoming trips. It’s just my nature. In a quest to be “fully prepared” to leave town, I sometimes talk myself out of the journey. 

Don’t get me wrong — I typically have fun on trips. It’s just the anxious anticipation that gets to me. In those instances, it just seems “easier” to stay home. 

In a way, it is sort of like writing. There are those who love to write, and those who love to have written. I like traveling once I am fully ensconced on a trip. I just don’t like thinking about it ahead of time.

Bridget — the scheming person that she is — decided to employ what I call the “A-Team method” in getting me to go to Disney World for a week. 

What, you ask, is the “A-Team method”...?

Readers who have seen the 1980s NBC action series “The A-Team” might recall that tough guy mechanic B.A. Baracus (played by Mr. T) didn’t like to fly. Since the team traveled to exotic locales all over the world, they had to use creative methods to get B.A. on a plane. 

Most of the time, they’d find a way to drug or knock out Baracus, load him on the aircraft, and wake him up on arrival. 

Telling me about the trip four days before departure was Bridget’s version of this — kind of like, “Your plane ticket has been booked, hotel reserved, and MagicBand purchased... you’re not getting out at this stage, buddy.”

She told me after we saw the movie “Shazam!” (read my review). A blatant (but worthy) attempt to get me in a good mood before springing that we were about to embark on a trip I knew nothing about. 

This was the longest I had been away from home since 1984 (when I stayed with my brother for a week while he lived in Austin, TX). 

It was going to be a proper vacation — no laptops or work to distract us from taking a break and having fun. 

I bought a new pair of Nikes (wearing a pair of comfortable shoes is a necessity when you visit the DisneyParks), a new suitcase (since I typically travel with a duffel bag), and a couple new pairs of shorts (so I’d have plenty to wear while there). 

I’ll be honest, I really had no idea what to expect on the trip. I didn’t have time to do any research. I went into the experience blind. 

We were traveling with our niece Scotland, nephews Blaise and Anson, and their parents Neil and Theresa. Scotland had apparently asked Bridget the previous October if we’d like to come on the trip. 

Bridget planned everything with Neil and Theresa, but didn’t tell the kids (so it’d be a surprise, which is sort of Bridget’s meme in this series of blog posts). 

We flew out of Omaha on the morning of April 9 and arrived in Orlando late that afternoon. 

We were booked at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. Our group of seven stayed in two of the double bed “Little Mermaid” rooms on the property. (They were adjoining/connecting rooms.)

Bridget and I had a rental car for the duration of our stay (the kids had a minivan). Our 7-year-old nephew Blaise rode with us from the airport to the resort. He’s pretty fun to hang out with, and has a cynical wit to rival my own. 

His initial reaction to the property was similar to mine (kindred spirits here). Rows of rooms with outdoor entrances seemed more like hotels I stayed at when I was his age in the 1970s and 80s. When we finally got into our rooms, Blaise quipped, “Why are the beds rock hard?”

To be sure, the rooms — despite cute and camera-friendly decor — are fairly spartan. The double beds are small and mattresses “firm.” They certainly aren’t the Marriott properties our group was used to. That said, the rooms are quiet, and the family-friendly vibe at the resort is nice. 

Plus, there are other amenities that make Disney’s budget resort properties worth your while (I’ll cover those amenities in Part 2 and 3) and “Mousekeeping” does a great job keeping everything clean and tidy.  

The Art of Animation resort sits across a lake from Disney’s Pop Century Resort. I spent an hour one evening walking around both properties and snapped some pics on my iPhone. 

It turns out that the Art of Animation property was originally supposed to be an addition to the Pop Century Resort back in the early 2000s — focusing on a different era of 20th century pop culture. 

The bridge across the lake between properties was supposed to represent “bridging the generation gap.” 

Unfortunately, the events around 9/11 caused tourism to take a hit nationally, and the second phase of the Pop Century construction was put on hold (the completed buildings were left dormant for more than a decade). 

Those buildings were eventually reframed as “The Art of Animation Resort.”

“The Little Mermaid” room we stayed in was part of the set of hotels rooms intended to be used in the second Pop Century development. 

This video outlines the interesting history of the property. Oddly enough, the video was published on YouTube the same day Bridget told me we’d be traveling to Disney World:

In addition to “The Little Mermaid” complex we stayed in, there are family suites on the property featuring Pixar films like “Cars” and “Finding Nemo,” and also a set of “Lion King”-themed suites. 

Once we had a chance to get our bearings and settle into our rooms, we headed out for a bite to eat at a nearby TGI Fridays. 

Then it was early to bed because we had a big day planned at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park — including breakfast at "Be Our Guest."

In my next post, you’ll get all the mystical details about our journey through the Magic Kingdom, and learn whether or not Disney’s MagicBands are the ultimate in convenience, or merely cast a spell to magically drain your pocketbook. 

Previous post: “Movie Review: ‘Shazam!’ is Big Fun

Read the next post: “Could it be Magic? Disney Trip: Part 2”