Disney Bridges the Generation Gap - Walt Disney World

A small boy, his grandparents, And Walt Disney World make An irresistible combination.

A THREE-GENERATION VISIT to Orlando s Walt Disney World turned into a delightful opportunity for grandparent-grandchild bonding when our son and daughter-in-law took off for a day of swimming with the dolphins (see "A DIP WITH THE DOLPHINS"). As soon as they were out the door, we scooped up three-and-a-half-year-old Danny and headed for a day of fun and adventure with Mickey, Minnie, and the rest of the Disney gang that proved a treat for both sides of the generation gap.

The opening stop started the day off on such a high note that subsequent events almost paled in comparison. We'd booked a Character Breakfast at our hotel, allowing us access to a sumptuous buffet while intermingling with an assortment of toons. As sophisticated a kid as Danny is at his age--for instance, far more computer-literate than his grandfather--he is convinced that the familiar creatures all over the park are real. Not about to disillusion him with the information that they are costumes stuffed with well-rehearsed staff members, we sat back and watched him interact with perfect seriousness with Goofy, Minnie Mouse, and chipmunks Chip 'n Dale. Posing for pictures with them, giggling as Goofy ruffled what's left of Grandpa's hair, and making sure that they signed the autograph album he toted with him throughout the day, he was ecstatic. Expecting that the experience would be too exciting for him to find time to eat, we were amazed to watch him consume a trencherman's breakfast, scarfing down French toast like it was going out of style. We were only able to pry him loose from the place with extravagant promises of what lay ahead.

Our arrival at the Magic Kingdom called for a beeline straight to the Walt Disney World Railroad, which circles the park all day long, allowing riders to pop on or off at various stops along the way. A confirmed train buff who carries a backpack laden with his beloved Thomas the Tank Engine trains and tracks virtually wherever he goes, Danny would have been content to stay aboard indefinitely, reluctantly debarking at Mickey's Toontown Fair only when we assured him that we would ride again later.

In Toontown, we got our first lesson in how mercurial young kids can be, switching from boldness to timidness in the blink of an eye, with a healthy dose of stubbornness thrown in for good measure. Danny wanted no part of Goofy's Barnstormer, the extremely tame roller coaster he had enjoyed the previous year, nor did he want to get on line to meet Mickey. Instead, he opted for the playground designed for children half his age, refusing to leave until literally pulled out.

With Toontown obviously a washout, we headed for Tomorrowland, figuring his frequent viewing of the "Toy Story" video would make Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin irresistible. Wrong again. The alternate lure proved to be the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, an elevated train that gave a bird's-eye view of that portion of the park, though he found the occasional dark tunnel not particularly to his liking. Far more enticing was the Indy Speedway and its' race cars, and Danny was willing to wend his way patiently along the 20-minute line for the opportunity to careen around the track. Insisting on manning the steering wheel, he turned out not to have inherited the lead foot his mother is notorious for and, tiring of ricocheting from one side of the track to the other, he suddenly decided to cede the vehicle's operation to his grandfather, who found that leaning across the front seat to grasp the wheel did nothing to improve the smoothness of the ride. Despite the erratic trip, it was agreed upon that we had had fun.

Obviously, Fantasyland was going to be the high spot of the day in the Magic Kingdom, we were convinced, but again we hadn't anticipated the rapidly shifting moods of a three-and-a-half-year-old. A longtime aficionado of the denizens of the Hundred Acre Wood--in fact, his bedroom is decorated with them--Danny should have been demanding to go on the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride. No sale. Peter Pan's Flight was closed; Snow White's Scary Adventure was on the verboten list because of the "scary" appellation; and the Mad Tea Party got thumbs-down, even though it had been a hit the previous year. Dumbo the Flying Elephant, though, had been talked about all day and was not to be missed. With a winding line passing under a sign proclaiming a 40-minute wait, Grandpa was staked out in the hot sun to work his way forward while Danny and Grandma went off in search of better things to do.

Time inexorably crept along, as did the line. With the end finally in sight, frantic neck-craning and waving ensued, hoping to attract the rest of our party. This drew Grandma with a confession. The two of them had become sidetracked at Ariel's Fairytale Garden, where Danny, stripped down to a pair of shorts, was having a ball running in and out of the water spurting from hidden ground-level jets and adamantly refusing to come out. "What about Dumbo?" Grandpa plaintively wailed. "He doesn't want to go" Grandma sheepishly reported. So much for 40 minutes baking on line. Hauling Danny back to dry land, we broke for lunch at the Pinocchio Village Haus, where he decided french fries were the only thing to his liking, mendaciously declaring that he'd have his grilled cheese sandwich "later." (Much dedraggled from being toted around the park for the rest of the day, it was deep-sixed once we got back to the hotel!)