Perfect Moments Part One

It sounds cliche, but I think they are real.  I believe in the perfect moment.  I believe that there are moments in time when something is so beautiful or emotional or so breath taking that you feel removed from the passage of time.  Moments like these are fleeting and are quickly  gone in spite of our desire for them to last for ever. Walt Disney World is full of those moments. These next few posts will be about some of my favorites.

My wife and I traveled to Walt Disney World in early December 2010.  On our first night of our Christmas trip I had my first perfect moment of this visit. While planning this adventure we decided to attend Mickeys Very Merry Christmas party.   My wife and I had debated on whether the extra money we paid for the tickets would be worth the extra time we got in the park. In the end we decided that the extra hours and the limited number of tickets Disney sells for the party would make it faster and easier to ride attractions that normally have long lines.   We arrived at the park in the afternoon and picked up the wrist bracelets that allowed us into the park during the Christmas party.  We took in some of the attractions and generally had a wonderful time.  As night fell, which is kind of early in the winter time, the temperature slowly dropped.  We are from Indiana  so we were prepared for the cooler weather.  We wore our matching Disney 40th anniversary sweat shirts to keep us warm in the chill of the night.

Perhaps it was because we didn't ride it the previous time we were in Walt Disney World or perhaps some unknown force took us over for a brief period. Whatever the reason, we chose to ride Splash mountain. The line was not long that particular chilly December evening so after just a few moments in line we arrived at the boarding platform for the attraction. In spite of our very vocal objections we ended up in the front of the boat.  On any other day.. any other warm day, we would have welcomed the chance to be in the front of the boat.  After all, neither of us would melt from a little water and the splash at the end is very exciting. On this night it was cool bordering on cold and any wetness we experienced would only intensify the weather.

As we rode the attraction and enjoyed the story of the Song of the South we forgot about what happens at the end of the attraction.  We loved the characters and how Walt Disney World could incorporate the story into the ride. There was a little bit of sloshing of water but neither of us got particularly wet.  At last, We reached the top of the plunge.  If you have ever rode splash mountain you know that the attraction ends with a multi story plunge into a splash pond. The perfect moment occurred  at the top of this plunge.  Just as we went got to the top of the ride we could look out over the Magic Kingdom. And framed in the opening that the ride exits the mountain was the Cinderella's Castle.  I had seen it lit before in pictures and in person but at the moment. looking across the park it look amazingly beautiful. It seemed a perfect picture of what Walt  Disney World in general and the Magic Kingdom specifically was all about.  I was delighted.. enraptured... Awe struck all at the same time. The plunge didn't matter anymore and would be worth it just for the image of the Castle which to many people is the Icon of Walt Disney World. I wanted the moment to linger. 

 But, of course, no one can stop time and the boat tipped over the precipice and plunged into the dark below carrying my wife and me into the splash pond at the bottom. Splash mountain lived up to its name that night. Very simply,  we got soaked.  Being covered in water on a cool night will bring you back to reality quickly.  We sputtered and laughed at the silliness of riding Splash Mountain on a cool winter evening in December.   We were wet  and cold and having some of the best times of our lives and with the help of several hundred paper towels and some warm hot chocolate we were soon more comfortable.