In the midst of rehearsals for “The Play that Goes Wrong,” cast and crew were offered this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: join the Band and Orchestra students in their leadership trip to Disney World, Florida.
Nobody knew what to expect, but blind yeses were said, seeing as the trip was so far away, actors and tech thought they had nothing to lose.
Eventually the week of the trip came and after many last minute meetings and suitcase packing the final group was ready to go.
Day 1: Magically Exhausted
Airport call time was 6:00 a.m. sharp. Once the entire group made it, at 6:20 a.m., we were all ready to go.
Once the group landed we jumped on a bus to go straight to Disney’s All Star Movies Hotel. We got to see our rooms, change, and go straight to Magic Kingdom, where we spent our first day.
Magic Kingdom was, well, magical. Everyone broke out into three big groups and had free reign over the kingdom. The teachers had given us two meal vouchers, one for lunch and another for dinner, so it was on us to figure out the mealtime and fun balance.
Personally, I think that Magic Kingdom wasn’t necessarily fun because of the rides, but because of the overall vibes and look of the park itself. While walking around I truly felt I was in the world of Disney.
Towards the end of the day we were able to stay and watch the fireworks, which, although loud, were absolutely stunning.
Day 2: Futuristically Excited
On day two we woke up early and were able to get a good breakfast in before heading to EPCOT
I didn’t have many expectations for the park, I knew that there weren’t many rides and it was mostly a park you walk in, but those thoughts were immediately changed the moment I actually started walking around the park.
The place was beautiful and it was probably the most magical place of all of the parks. We got an early entrance and headed straight to the Guardians of the Galaxy ride.
This was my favorite ride from the entire trip, it was absolutely magical and really fun. I think what made me enjoy it the most was the fact that we got to skip a huge line and go straight to the ride itself.
After that we went to the Leadership the Disney Way Workshop. We were able to go backstage and walk around the park while completing activities and leadership exercises. We also got to meet with a mentor and ask all the burning questions.
The rest of the day was spent by McCartie McPadden ’27 and I trying to eat as many different things from as many different countries as possible.
My favorite was the macaroon from France. On that note, we found out that all the workers from the different countries of EPCOT are originally from the country they work from.
The day ended with beautiful fireworks once more, and it was my favorite day of the trip.
Day 3: Universally Enjoyed
Then came the day everyone was waiting for: Universal Studios. This was a really fun day. We began the day as normal, waking up early and having breakfast at the hotel. The difference is that most of us had fast passes, and it was so worth it.
We got into the park early and were able to go on over 10 rides. But there are three rides that are worth mentioning.
The Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit in Universal Studios was really fun. You could choose the song you wanted to listen to while going through the roller coaster; naturally I chose “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance.
After some more rides we went on VelociCoaster. The wait was long and tedious, but with the marketing that the ride goes from 0-70mph in a second we were ready to wait.
The ride itself was actually really fun, but honestly terrifying. We went upside down over a good chunk of the park and the lake that surrounded it, so make sure your shoelaces are tied and your shirt is tucked.
The real fun happened when we went on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. This ride is one of two rides that don’t have fast pass access. The wait took FOREVER, but the entire group was able to go as one.
After the ride was finished Joseph Brunson ’25 went to the photo booth to get our pictures. That was when we met Paul (no last name). Paul had just talked to a family who were trying to buy their photo but couldn’t because one of the kids was flipping the bird.
So when Paul saw a happy group full of cheerful teenagers he took us in personally and put us in front of the line to ride the ride again.
Easy to say the second round of photos was full of dedications to Paul.
After all the fun of exploring the magic world of Universal, we left and got everything packed and ready for our last day of the trip.
Day 4: Famously Bittersweet
On the last day we woke up as early as possible to check out and put our bags in the waiting closet so that we could enjoy one final park: Hollywood Studios.
We started off going to the Galactic Empire, also known as, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. There we rode their rides and enjoyed the weirdness that is “Blue Milk.”
Next, we moved on to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, which was so fast and swirly. Corbin Harrell ’25 had assured me that it wouldn’t go upside down, and after over an hour of waiting (and the ride breaking down) we were ready to board this super calming ride, not.
The ride immediately turns me on my head and goes so fast I feel like I’m flying. Whiplash aside, I actually had a lot of fun.
Next was lunch, pretty good, but nothing too memorable though. It was the same deal as the other days: two vouchers, one for lunch and one for dinner.
Next was the scariest ride of them all: Tower of Terror. I originally was going to skip the ride and do something else while a big group went. Then I thought about how I only live once and how detailed I wanted this article to be. Needless to say I ran after the group and joined them in the line.
It was actually not that scary at all, and although I was shaken I wouldn’t say I was terrified. The general consensus is that it should be called the “Tower of Mild Shock.”
At this point we didn’t have too much time left so we headed over to Toy Story Land to enjoy one last ride: Slinky Dog Dash.
Surprisingly this was the longest wait of them all. During this wait everyone discovered that the flight home was actually delayed, and so began the onslaught of calls to parents.
We rode the slinky dog and it was really underwhelming. We were then ready to head home.
Final Thoughts:
Overall the trip was really fun, and although I never thought I would be invited to go to one of the band/orchestra trips combining the fall play, people made the experience really fun and memorable.
It really showed that we didn’t all need to be friends or close to necessarily have fun together, making this experience a really cool once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
I guess it goes to show how saying yes can lead to many cool opportunities and different experiences.
