Disneyworld and the Everglades Adventure Tour

                           The Magic Kingdom (November 2018)

     Thursday was Thanksgiving and we started out with a two and a half hour wait to ride the Dwarf Diamond Mine.  The wait would have been worth it if the ride was any good but it was not an exciting ride.  We also rode Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Arielle's Under the Sea Adventure, and the the Winnie the Pooh ride.  All of them were meant for younger visitors but my daughter got to pick the rides so I decided to relax and enjoy the people watching.  For example, when we first arrived we were at the town square when the mother next to us turned to her five year old daughter and said, "When we turn the corner and get on Main Street then we will be able to see Cinderella's Castle!"  The little girl's eyes just about bugged out of head, and her balled up fists were shaking in anticipation, and she yelled out "Cinderella's Castle!"  It was adorable and her excitement was infectious.
     We were early enough to see the opening ceremony at Cinderella's Castle and it was fun to see the little kids who were sitting on their parent's shoulders to watch the show.  Many of the kids were dressed up in their favorite characters like Belle and Tianna and Tinker Bell.  If not in costume then some parents opted for matching t-shirts that stated things like "Blessed" or Grateful" and they had the Mickey Mouse ears on them to show that the shirts were made specifically for the Magic Kingdom.  I saw several t-shirts that said "Best Day Ever!" and, as if in rebuke, there were other t-shirts that stated "Most Expensive Day Ever!"
      The best thing about traveling is the unexpected moments that you hadn't planned for and that end up making your day.  I had made reservations for "Tony's Italian Restaurant" but the only time available was at 1:45 which is a little late for lunch but I took it anyway.  When we were seated the maitre d' asked us if we wanted to sit on the veranda.  Ordinarily I don't like to sit outside when I eat but it was such a nice day that I didn't mind.  As we waited for our food to arrive we could hear the 2:00 parade coming down Main Street and towards the restaurant where we were eating.  Sure enough, the parade marched right past the veranda and we had a front seat to the show.
     On Friday I drove the back roads from Orlando to Fort Myers to get an idea of how the southern part of Florida is laid out.  It is a flat and brown part of the country, with almost no scenery to speak of, and I saw a lot of poverty in the hamlets that we drove through.  We transitioned from the one city to the next, spending the afternoon and evening with my future in laws, and rested up for the highlight of our Florida adventure.
The Everglades Adventure Tour had a bus pick us up at out hotel early on Saturday morning and we were driven one hour east to their souvenir shop located on the glade.  We shopped, applied sun block, and otherwise readied ourselves while the pilot prepped the Airboat.  All of the tourists had to wear earphones because when the pilot revved up the engines, the noise was so loud that it would wreck our hearing, but communication with the other was impossible because no one could hear anything.  Sometimes the pilot would cut the engine to point out where the gators lived and what kind of waterfowl we were looking at.