Summertime

This might be the very first time that I have to say that I'm very disappointed in myself and my attention to the parks this summer. Normally we spend two to three days at the parks each week. This summer, was tough though, it was really crowded and really hot. Not only that, but the special features available at the parks just weren't as compelling as I had expected.

Every year, we make it a point to see the Independence Day Fireworks on or near July 4th. This year was no exception. We were also able to get amazing seats for the new Magic Memories and Me castle display, which was fantastic! We made it to Hollywood Studios to finally see the new Star Tours 2.0 which was simply amazing! Not only that, we got a chance to see the Cars 2 models introduced during the Stunt Show Spectacular! Finally, we took a bunch of extra kids on a trip to EPCOT for what turned out to be a fun day, with too many children who weren't our own.

However, the summer wasn't our normal play time. Being teachers, we often use our summers to do something that many other people can't do. We make it our goal to visit every couple of days. We have visiting the parks down to a science. We can get into and out of the park for gas money only. People might call us cheap, but we on the other hand, we probably make it to the park 12 to 18 times during the summer. If we ate at the park and bought some drinks each time we went, we'd be into each trip for better than $100 bucks a time. That takes us up to a couple grand for day trips. That's just not in the cards for us. So by making the trips cheap, we get to enjoy the parks all summer long without breaking the bank.

Yet, this summer didn't come together for us. We just couldn't get to the park as often as we wanted. We even skipped our little secret day (Night of Joy). There are a number of reasons. The first, it was one of the hottest summers we've endured here in Florida. It wasn't the hottest on record, but throughout July we had very little rain and that usually brings down the temperatures. Next, it was very crowded this summer. If you hit the Crowd Calendar at Touringplans.com you will find that there wasn't hardly a day when the parks weren't at capacity. Lastly, we were very discouraged to find that we couldn't upgrade out passes to premium halfway between our renewal period without paying for the entire difference in cost. Since half the year was over, it just didn't seem right. We wanted to add the water parks, but not for such a unbelievably bad price.

So, as the weather cools, Food and Wine approaches, and the crowds slip away. You will find my family and I back at the parks for what I'm sure will be an amazing fall at the parks.