Vacation 1984: Return to Disney

As our first vacation, Disney World was our ultimate destination in our 1984 trip. We actually spent more days there than two years earlier: One day at the Magic Kingdom, one at Epcot, and one at River Country. Though we weren't staying at the resort (we were at the same Orlando hotel we stayed at in 1982), we were getting as full a Disney experience as possible 31 years ago -- before more areas such as Disney Studios or Blizzard Beach opened.

The funny thing is, at least with the Magic Kingdom, I don't remember as much from this visit as I did from the first trip. As I'm thinking about the vacation for this series of posts, my memory is a little cloudier despite the fact I was older. I barely remember any of the dinners we had, or highlights from the drive beyond Indiana, or much of what we did when we weren't at an amusement park. The same applies to Magic Kingdom, which was so new in 1982 and sort of boring in 1984. Maybe because I had become a sullen 13-year-old, maybe because it wasn't as new, or maybe I'm just cramming every memory into the first trip, even if they didn't occur then.

Here's what I do remember: In the midst of what might have been my first surge of teenage testosterone, I started rating every girl my age or older I saw that day from 1 to 10. It sounds kind of lecherous now, but for 13, it seemed logical, particularly if I felt bored that day.

Sometime in the late afternoon, the skies opened up with a deluge that chased most people from the park. We had reserved a table for dinner at Cinderella's castle and made it there before the downpour really got bad. Families were trudging in soaked, and I remember seeing a girl my age wearing flip-flops, shorts, and a plastic garbage bag in lieu of a raincoat (I gave her a rating when I saw her). We ate dinner and enjoyed the rest of our time at the park, after the rain had ended.

I distinctly remember the other parks we went to in Disney on this trip (for future posts). Strange for the Magic Kingdom, the memories just aren't there for 1984. I know I had fun -- we must have went on the roller coasters and Pirates of the Caribbean. But I do remember the rain. And the numbers ...

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