I’ve got another #FlashbackFebruary post for you, dear readers. This one revisits the most epic thing my family has ever experienced at Disney World.
It wasn’t the fantastic rides, overpriced food, or long lines. Nor was it the character greetings, high price tag, or priceless family fun.
The most epic thing my family every experienced at Disney World was the time we witnessed the Circle of Life in front of our eyes in a resort pool. Read on for details!
I can’t make this stuff up, people.
During our stay at Disney, we enjoyed a lovely room on the 4th floor at the Boardwalk Resort. It had 2 balconies and a view of the quiet, or leisure, pool.
One day, at about 5 pm, we were relaxing in our room and heard some commotion outside. From the balcony, we could see a Mama Duck and 6 little ducklings struggling to get out of the pool. Mama Duck would hop out of the pool, but the wee baby ducklings could not jump over the pool’s side. They kept flopping back into the pool.
Cue Disney cast members to the rescue! (Remember, at Disney they’re not employees–they’re “cast members”.) The cast members had been watching the duck drama from the community room next to the pool and started building towel bridges for the ducklings to waddle onto and escape from the pool.
Awwwww…
Enthralled by the duck drama unfolding before our eyes, my kids and I threw on some shoes and raced downstairs to cheer on the ducks. My husband stayed behind.
When we got to the pool, the ducks had escaped and nestled into some grass poolside. We watched the 6 fuzzy, cute little ducklings for a few minutes.
Awwwww………fuzzy-wuzzy ducklings!
Finally, the kids grew bored and we went inside the community room next to the pool to do crafts and play video games. At this point I see that the silly Mama Duck and her 6 fuzzy, wuzzy ducklings waddled back into the pool.
Did they learn nothing? I thought.
Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I see a HUMONGOUS bird fly into the pool. I turn and watch in horror as a GIGANTIC HAWK leaves the pool with– yup –a fuzzy-wuzzy duckling in its talons!
ACK!
I race to the pool screaming “The hawk took a baby duck! The hawk took the baby duck!”
The Disney cast member in charge of crafts says, “What?” before she breaks down crying.
My husband, on the 4th floor balcony, is screaming my name. “KATY!” he yells. “The hawk took the duck!”
Yes, I saw that.
“He took TWO!” yells my husband.
Oh. No.
“KATY!” he continues yelling, for all of the Disney Boardwalk resort to hear. “I was waving my arms at you and yelling your name to come out and scare the hawk!”
Ok, WHAT?
“Yea, I kept calling your name hoping you’d come outside and save the baby ducks!”
Ok, wait just a minute.
So now I’m a bad mom because I did not race outside at the Happiest Place on Earth and throw myself in front of the GIGANTIC HAWK in order to save the stupid, fuzzy-wuzzy ducklings who got back into the pool? What was I going to do? Wave my arms and throw a glue stick at him?
It gets better. Yea. It does.
Upon returning to our 4th floor room, my husband whips out his camera where he shares all the action shots he took of the hawk preying on fuzzy-wuzzy ducklings. Turns out the 4th floor gutter by our room is the GIGANTIC HAWK’s preferred dining location. (And, no, he’s not on the Disney Dining Plan.)
The children remained fairly stoic and under control throughout the experience. I can tell they are scarred for life, though. My son, 8, would randomly ask me the next day in a quiet voice, “Remember the pool of DEATH?”
And when I picked up my daughter, 5, from daycare on the first day back from Disneyworld, her teacher ran straight up to me. “What’s this about a duck? And a hawk? That can’t be real…”
Yes, friends. It was real! And the irony was that the Circle of Life happened in the most artificial place on earth!
I don’t need to take my kids to any National Parks, that’s for sure. Disneyworld provided the most crushing example of nature at work that I’ve ever witnessed!
Thanks for reading this #FlashbackFebruary post. If you’ve had any zany experiences on a family vacation, do share in the comments below.
