Disney

Beth and I spent ten days in Florida last month, mostly at Disney World but also with a visit to Cape Canaveral, where a scheduled shuttle launch was canceled minutes before liftoff due to weather. Florida was a mixed bag, for although we were happy to be out of the Warren winter gloom and into the warmer and mostly clearer southern air, by weeks end the parks became a 'been there, done that' affair, and we will henceforth visit other places. Generallyit was great simply being away from winter, relaxing on the most comfortable bed we had ever experienced-a Simmons Beauty rest in the Comfort Inn in Lake Buena Vista- and meandering around the area at a personal pace. As tourists we concluded that the food and other essentials-in and out of the park- were too expensive-even in so called supermarkets-and service was fair at best. Florida had been hit hard by the recession so competition for business seemed desperate, but that was not reflected in prices. Our few complaints about Disney World included some rude employees and a monorail that reeked of urine, but two favorites were the Mt. Everest ride in Animal Kingdom and the Mexican restaurant in Epcot. Honestly, the most fun we had was setting up pictures on our camera with the ten second timer and concealing our ( too fat? ) bodies behind objects. Laughter does not describe the craziness... Many of the park visitors were from other countries,so we joked with a Chinese couple that they probably were surprised by how overweight everyone was-regardless of place of origin. Obesity definitely is a world wide pandemic,at least among middle class people who can afford Orlando area vacations. Our rental car was a Hyundai Accent, which seemed to be a decent if not exciting small vehicle, and we flew on Allegiant airlines out of Elmira, NY, which is a regional carrier that provides non stop economical package deals to major tourist attractions. They were on time and friendly coming and going, and the smaller airports were hassle free for both crowds and security wait times.