I know you aren’t surprised that I took a pic with Peter Pan.  That week I took pictures with Peter Pan on both sides of the country within just a few days.

I love to travel and as you know, I pride myself on reporting the good and bad of my Disney experiences.  If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you may remember my World of Color media event post and my running through the halls of the Grand Californian like a marathoner in knee-high, high-healed boots in the pursuit of my screaming baby who refused to take a bottle from my husband back in our room.  It wasn’t my finest moment yet one I can laugh at now that time has passed.  (Although I’m not sure if my husband is laughing yet.

Moments like my World of Color event just go to show that even a seasoned vet like me can have mishaps.  With that being said, I feel like I must share with you the story of the day I spent alone…totally alone…at Walt Disney World.  All of my friends had already headed back home and I was determined to really take in Walt Disney World–which I did.  In fact, I took it all in–the good, the bad, and the ugly.

That’s me.  You can’t miss me.  I’m the one ALONE on Splash Mountain.

The day started with me sleeping in until 9:15 in my beautiful room at the Grand Floridian.  I restfully packed my stuff and took my bags to the front desk to be shipped to Port Orleans French Quarter, where I would stay that night.  All oh so very good.

I arrived at the Magic Kingdom (for my third trip into the park during my stay) to ride some of the park’s more popular attractions and had a good fantastic time.  I rode Winnie the Pooh (which is far superior to its Disneyland cousin), Peter Pan’s Flight, Splash Mountain (again better than its Disneyland cousin), and the Disneyland Railroad (not as good as Disneyland’s).  I walked around, did some shopping and had an overall really good great time.  I have to admit that Magic Kingdom has some really amazing entertainment.  The stage show at the castle and daytime parade are quintessential Disney, incorporating a vast array of characters and using classic Disney story lines.  When I showed my boys the videos afterward, they love them and were totally enchanted.

After feeling like I really experienced the Magic Kingdom’s attractions, shows, and the ambiance of my two favorite areas, Liberty Square and Main Street, I headed to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  Although I had already taken the Wild Africa Trek, I wanted to go back to take in the park’s ambiance and one attraction in particular.

As I entered the gate, my stomach began to rumble.  The hot dog and french fries I had for lunch in Fantasyland wasn’t cutting it.  I decided to try for a sit down dinner, because hey, just because I was alone I didn’t have to eat like a savage, right?  The hostesses at Yak and Yeti Restaurant happily (and with pitty) found me a seat by a window so that I wouldn’t be compelled to stare at the families chatting it up around me.  Good.  My waiter was fabulous and the food came quickly.  I was elated to be able to put my feet up on the chair across from me and sip my Pellegrino.  My broccoli beef entree wasn’t exactly good, but wasn’t exactly bad.  Regardless, I was happy to be sitting, relaxing and looking out onto the Animal Kingdom landscape.

My meal at Yak and Yeti.

The view from my window at dinner.

Now the day before, my friend Marcy (yes, Marcy, I’m calling you out on this…because I love you), told me that I simply MUST go on the Everest attraction.  I told her that I normally don’t “do” roller coasters  because they give me a bad headache.  She told me that it was along the lines of Thunder Mountain at Disneyland and that it was a definite must see.  I’m good with Thunder Mountain, so how bad could it be, right?  With that advice in mind, I headed over to Everest after my meal.  Right after my meal.  (Sensing some foreshadowing?  Read on.)

Just look at me…so full of hope, excitement, and confidence.  I was so naive.

I got my immediate FASTPASS (a perk of the Disney Social Media Moms conference) and headed to the attraction loading dock.  I was just about to board my two-seater section on the train when the Cast Member came up behind me and said that I was going to have to “double up” with either the woman in the line to my left or the creepy guy to my right.  The creepy guy started walking over to my line (bad) when the woman next to me touched my arm and asked me to join her (good).  Her husband had opted to sit Everest out, as he had heard it was pretty intense.  “Wuss,” I thought to myself as we secured my belongings in the seat-back pockets.

The ride began and we started to climb through Everest.  Before I knew it, the attraction was practically flying through the mountain–forward and then backward, twisting and turning.  I honestly couldn’t even wrap my brain around what was going on.  Bad…really bad.  And then I felt it–that feeling in the pit of your stomach…or maybe throat…or maybe it’s a brain signal.  You know what it’s telling you even if you have never experienced before.  I could feel myself sweating from every pour and my stomach contents churning.  Three thoughts began racing through my brain, over and over, as if they were all trying to beat one another to the finish line: “Do NOT throw up!” “Please, God, make this ride end!” “If I’m going to throw up, PLEASE do not throw up on this woman who invited me to sit next to her!” 

And as fast as my racing thoughts swirled in my brain, up came my just so-so dinner to pay me another visit.  It wasn’t that good the first time and it was downright bad on its return trip.  Up came my dinner but for Pete’s sake, I couldn’t throw up on the woman next to me…a stranger who invited me to sit next to her.  (Warning: Here’s where it gets really gross….if you are even still reading.)  So what did I do?  I kept it in, like a chipmunk collecting nuts for the winter.  My cheeks were puffed out filled with vomit and I was in misery.  At a lull in the attraction just before it ended, the woman looked at me and exclaimed, “Oh my God!  Did you throw up?!”  I meekly nodded.  I’m not sure what shade of green I was–something between olive and celadon.  I felt her move closer to her side of the train.  As soon as the train stopped, she helped me get my purse and mechandise from the seat back pockets and…booked it…as fast as her legs could take her… out of the building back to who I now know to be a very, very smart husband.

So there I stood, a mouth full of vomit, purse and merchandise in hand.  The Cast Member there on the unloading dock looked at me inquisitively.  “Ma’am.  Ma’am!  You need to exit the area.”  He couldn’t tell I had thrown up.  I began making hand motions trying to indicate that I had ralphed on the ride.  He wasn’t getting it.  “Ma’am.  You really need to leave.”  Now I was really in misery.  I was looking for a Cast Member restroom or door–anything I could point to in an effort to get him to understand my predicament.  No luck.  “Ma’am. Please!”

And then muffled through a mouth full of vomit held high so it didn’t dribble down the front of my shirt I said,  “I FREW UT!”

“Oh,” replied the Cast Member.  “Well come over here and puke in the dirt.  And you know, you should really get yourself a bottle of water.”

Ugh.  Oh, it just couldn’t have been more ugly.  Just ugly.  Not so much the Cast Member part (although I think Disney should institute a “signs of vomit training program”).  I was the one who was ugly.  I’m not talking ugly like I turned into Shrek, (although I was certainly the same color as Shrek) but ugly as in I felt horrible.  There I was–feeling green, mouth tasting like vomit, in a park that isn’t my home (aka not Disneyland).  Alone.  All Alone.  Ugly.

I wasn’t sure what to do.  I found a drinking fountain and took a sip of water.  I felt fortunate it stayed down but I was still in a pretty bad way.  I knew I needed a place to recover and just before I began to cry it hit me: First Aid.  They’ll take care of me.  Those amazing nurses Disney hires for their First Aid offices must be wonderful at all of the parks, not just Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

I finally made it to First Aid and was greeted by a nurse name Laurie.  I took one look at her and hot tears began to roll down my cheeks.  “I’m all alone and I just threw up on Everest,” I blurted out.  I’m not sure why I started to cry.  I wasn’t sad or angry; I think my tears were for the relief I felt in knowing that I would be taken care of.  And I was.  Laurie took me to a cot and covered me with a paper blanket.  I rested for a good 30 or 40 minutes and may have even fallen asleep for some of it.  When I emerged, Laurie took incredibly good care of me.  She fed me crackers and Poweraid and chatted with me about Disneyland, her career with Disney, and our families until she knew I was well enough to set off on my own.  I still didn’t feel great, but all was good again, really good.  Laurie saved the day with her kindness and smile.  She was a friend to me when I needed one so very desperately.

My day alone in Walt Disney World was filled with ups and downs.  I met a lot of really nice people as I walked the parks and hope that one day Laurie will read this and see how her kindness fixed what had really turned into a truly miserable day.  This experience has reminded me, and I hope it reminds you too, that your words and actions can really make a difference in a person’s day.  Please do something nice for someone today; it doesn’t have to be big–an email or phone call will do.  Just remember that friendship and kindness are really powerful in the quest to do good.