Previously on Midlife Crisis Crossover:

Each year Anne and I take one (1) road trip to a different part of the United States and see attractions, wonders, and events we didn’t have back home. One thing we rarely do is fly. We’d much rather drive than be flown unless we absolutely have to…or are given some pretty sweet incentives to do so. Fast-forward to December 2022 and a most unexpected opportunity: The Powers That Be at Anne’s rather large place of employment recognized her and several other employees nationwide for outstanding achievements in the field of excellence. Their grand prize was a Disney World vacation! We could at last announce to friends and family, “THE GOLDENS ARE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!”

For Anne it was officially, legally a business trip. Much of the time, she’d have to work. Not ME, baby…

After landing at Orlando International Airport, we wandered a bit in search of the exit where Anne’s employers (hereafter referred to as The Company) had arranged for a charter bus to pick us up. We stopped to ask an NPC for directions, but misunderstood and took three passes to spot the turnoff — a down-escalator in a narrow, unmarked passage with no up-escalator twin next to it. At the bottom we found the doors, checked in with company reps, took off our now-superfluous winter jackets, and hung out in the lobby for a bit with a fellow employee Anne knew from another department. Soon our plushly seated chariot arrived and spirited us off to the resort where we’d be staying for the next three nights, which would prove the poshest place we’ve ever stayed in our lives.

A half-hour later we pulled up to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, an immaculate Victorian complex est. 1988 comprising six buildings surrounding a palm-treed courtyard, positioned on the western shore of Seven Seas Lagoon, and dotted with special features here and there. One building, Sugar Loaf Key, was walled off for construction, but we’d otherwise have the run of the grounds. In the planning stages The Company had given winners the choice of staying either here or at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, a separate hotel on the other side of the monorail loop (which in turn would lead to other points of Disney interest). We took a few pics of the Contemporary in passing later on, but our first impression of the Grand Floridian assured us we’d chosen wisely.

The Main Building houses multiple restaurants, shops, and decorations, as well as the spa we never tried. For Anne’s free day Thursday, the spa was one of several options she could’ve availed herself of as part of her reward package. We chose differently, but if she wins again in the future, we’ll keep it in mind.

Shortly after 3:00 the bus dropped us at the front door of the Grand Floridian Convention Center, on the grounds’ northwest corner and next door to the Main Building. Two rows of representatives from The Company stood on either side of the walkway leading inside, applauding and high-fiving winners and us guests as we strolled the carpet and walked in. New arrivals checked in and were directed to their assigned rooms elsewhere in the resort, where their luggage would be waiting for them.

All the other new arrivals departed one by one (or two-by-two), leaving only the organizers, their welcoming-committee volunteers…and us.

We were the last couple standing, left to wonder if there was room at the inn. For some reason we and only we were asked to wait for a while, as our room wasn’t ready yet, whatever that meant. In the meantime we were invited to enjoy a selection of snacks in a nearby room, gratis — half-cut sandwiches, sugary treats, soft drinks and so forth. That helped, especially since I was starving (the airport bagel brunch had been hours ago), but a combination of Impostor Syndrome and FOMO began to set in and fray at my temper. Why us? Why only us? Everyone else got to go dancing an prancing around the resort, but not us. What did we do wrong? Did someone delete Anne from the roster by mistake, and now we’d have to beg someone to let us crash on their floor, with only Mickey-head rugs as our pillows?

Also, somewhere out there in the universe was our luggage, out of our grasp and beyond our control, a sensation I hate hate HATE, which is why we’ve almost never flown with bags large enough to require checking.

Around 4:30, a full ninety frustrating minutes after arrival, we were finally told our room was ready. We headed out and followed the directions. As Anne unlocked the door to our accommodations, I felt all anxieties evaporate in a flash to be replaced by stunned joy.

To be continued!

* * * * *

[Link enclosed here to handy checklist for other chapters and for our complete major trip history to date. Follow us on Facebook or via email sign-up for new-entry alerts. For further signs of life between entries, wave hi to me on . Thanks for reading!]