This Shall Be Called, The Dumbo Ride

July 23, 2013

Written by Marykate O’Malley, mother of three wonderful children, Gladwyne PA

I mentioned that for whatever reason, I always seem to have a lot of grace around me. Things always work out. For example, Disney alone with three children – 2 trips ago my son was so sick that he was almost admitted to the hospital. It was an awful stomach virus. If that happened this trip – disastrous. However, everything just went along swimmingly. Even the mishaps turned out for the best. One example is my youngest, who just got an ipod touch for her birthday lost hers in Magic Kingdom. We are Catholic and being Catholic we love our saints. One of our favorites is St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost items. The family joke is that until I offer a donation for the poor I don’t find the item. When I pray and offer a donation I find it. Every time. My kids now go right to the money and say “Mom, just say you will put $5 in the poor box” and voila! So my crew tells me to “offer money for the poor”.  I am thinking, you sweet innocent children, there is no way this will be found. But I do and call Disney Lost and Found. I give them the top secret ipod touch passcode (1 2 3 4). They ask “2 girls and a boy”? And ha! It was found and arrived in the mail yesterday. That cost me $20 for a greater cause and was so worth it.

And then there was the Dumbo ride. There was a line, a long long line and the fast pass area was all the way at the front of the park. So not having any great options, we take our place. As we are waiting I am thinking about the elevator problem – do you know this one? I will digress and share and then get back to my story. There was a hotel in NYC and the patrons complained about the wait time with the elevator. It took too long. Many experts were brought in to solve this problem. Engineers said the way the building was constructed there was nothing to be done, architects said the same – no one could solve it. And meanwhile the patrons complained at this very high end hotel that didn’t like unhappy guests. And finally someone suggested – why don’t we set up a table with fresh flowers, plush chairs with a gilded mirror above the table for guests to powder their nose before dinner. And let’s add a newspaper, magazines, mount some interesting art on the walls. And suddenly the guests stopped complaining about the wait.

The point is – it is how you define the problem. Is the problem the elevators go too slow and there are not enough of them or is the problem bored guests. Really good right?! So I am thinking surely Team Disney can solve this one for their unhappy patrons waiting in a long line. What about a Disney movie playing or movie clips (I want credit for this if it is used!).  And suddenly I see a sign that says, “Play While You Wait” with an indoor play space for children. Disney, I am sorry for having doubted you. The kids play while I wait for 20 minutes which felt like 3. The buzzer goes off and we head towards the ride.

 

Waiting, taking pictures

We are the next group and watch the group before us get on. The Dumbo’s go up, and then go immediately down, and then the Disney patrons get off. This can’t be good. We wait. There is a lot of rushing around of the “cast members”. At the command station they are looking concerned, pushing buttons and on the phone. We have reservations at Cinderella’s palace and the decision is weighing on me. Do we wait and try our chances or cut our losses, head to the castle and come back to the Circus area later. This reminded me of the sand trap story – do you know this one? Well if you don’t I am not telling you anyway. It isn’t as good as the elevator problem. I ask a cast member about the ride and explain the reservation – she hands me a fast pass paper which I can use to cut any line. The golden ticket. We still wait. Suddenly the Dumbo’s go up – there is an applause and my oldest turns to me and says “Mom I said to St. Anthony – I am going to count down from 10 and if we get to 1 and the ride starts – I will put $20 in the poor box”. (true story) “And as soon as I got to 1 the ride started!!” “Wow!”, I say thinking – I would rather you started with $5 but you are happy and it is for the poor so it’s all good.

The group before us finishes their ride and it is at last our turn. As we head for the Dumbo’s there is a clap of thunder that I feel reverberated through the ground beneath me. I look up and see large, dark ominous clouds rolling in, Florida summer afternoon clouds. We click our buckles, the sky opens and we are drenched in a torrential rain. “Make a run for it kids!” I yell and we take cover. “She should have been more specific” I thinking about my daughter’s miraculous Dumbo prayer. We take cover in a store, purchase some stylish ponchos and head towards the palace for our royal reservation, soaked through, and laughing the entire way.

The Dumbo Ride

After our meal, that was perfectly timed with the impending storm, we head back to Dumbo and I cut that long, long line like I am Beyonce, Momma Fierce, M to the K and throw down the magic ticket. We take our seats and go soaring off into the overcast Florida skies.

 

PS – This is not grace. On the way to Disney, we board our flights at 8:00 a.m. I am congratulating myself on getting us there, through security, fed and somewhat together and reward myself with a magazine. When the sweet woman next to me says, “Do you know your shirt is on inside out?”. Yep.

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Category: Random and Fun