The Wildcat Marching Band welcomed 2010 in "The Most Magical Place on Earth": Walt Disney World!
On Monday, December 28th, 2009, 83 members of the Wildcat Marching Band and staff boarded two buses bound for Orlando. After a long and eventful trip down, they arrived at Disney's Animal Kingdom the following day. After a few hours riding rides like Kilimanjaro Safari, Dinosaur, and, of course, Expedition: Everest, a tired WMB headed to the Springhill Suites Sea World for a good night's sleep.
The next morning, they got an early start at Disney Studios, which was the highlight of the trip, as far as thrill rides are concerned! Students spent the day riding Aerosmith's Rock 'n Roller Coaster and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, with breaks to check out the Backlot Tour, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and the fun restaurants in the park. The group headed back to the hotel after most students saw the evening show, Fantasmic!
Thursday was performance day. Luckily, the parade was the first thing on the itinerary, so the band loaded the buses at the hotel in full uniform and went directly "backstage." After a briefing by Disney cast members and a nice warm-up session, it was time to line up. We were the first group in the line-up, so we proceeded down the road until we reached a large gate that opened into the park entrance area. A few last minute fist-bumps and a "SHOW TIME!" cheer later, we heard our name announced to the thousands of park guests lining the street. The gates swung open, and we marched onto Main Street, USA to greet the New Year's Eve crowd. Our cadence and rendition of Green Day's "Holiday" had kids of all ages clapping and cheering as we marched straight toward Cinderella's castle and past the huge Christmas tree on display for the season. We ventured past Tomorrowland, around the castle, through the Town Square and Adventureland. 
Despite the relatively early hour, the park was already nearing capacity. There were a few spots along the parade route that were a tight squeeze because of all the spectators. It was a cool morning, but temperatures started to climb by the end of the parade. After what seemed like only seconds, the parade was over. The band marched back to the warm-up location. After everyone settled down, they were presented with a "Mousecar" - Disney's version of the Oscar. This statue of Mickey Mouse is currently on display in the Bratton Recital Hall lobby. The cast members urged the band to change quickly and tried to hurry them through the talk at the end. However, as soon as they broke into the alma mater, the cast members watched in amazement and the band warming up nearby for a later performance stopped and watched. It was a great moment! After that, everyone got changed out of their uniforms, had their park tickets scanned, and headed into Magic Kingdom.
New Year's Eve is one of the busiest days of the year for Walt Disney World, and the place was packed! This made the lines longer than usual, but everyone was in good company, so time passed quickly. Splash Mountain was the big hit of the day, as was Thunder Mountain. Space Mountain had been recently refurbished, but experienced a lot of downtime that day. Most people were able to get on it eventually, though. Later on in the day, the New Year's Eve celebration began. Noisemakers and plastic hats were distributed to guests, and a DJ started spinning tunes that were broadcast all around the park. Once the sun went down, the party went into full swing. Many families who were there early in the day chose to leave the park for the evening's festivities, which meant ride queues got much shorter. Fantasyland had a dance contest going on for several hours to keep little kids awake. As midnight approached people started to stake out fireworks-viewing locations, which meant most rides had nearly no line. Savvy band members were able to ride their favorite rides over and over again. One group was on the Splash Mountain drop at midnight! Once the countdown was completed, the largest fireworks display of the year began. The park set off fireworks from twelve different locations encircling Magic Kingdom. These locations were all synchronized for much of the display, surrounding the entire park with fireworks. It was truly an amazing sight. The park stayed open for a few more hours after midnight, so the band stayed until the end, since leaving the park AT midnight would probably have taken a few hours due to the crowds. Celebrating New Year's Eve at Walt Disney World is something everyone should experience at least once.
Friday was the last day in Florida. After sleeping in a bit, a very tired WMB loaded all of their luggage and instruments onto the buses and headed for EPCOT Center. Unfortunately, it was chilly and rainy that day, but a lot of people planned for that and wore warmer clothes. EPCOT has plenty of indoor activities, anyway, so people got a chance to explore the different countries in the World Showcase and explore the exhibits in Future World. The band took in IllumiNations, the evening show in the World Showcase Lagoon, at the end of the day, grabbed a few last-minute souvenirs or snacks, and said goodbye to Walt Disney World.
The trip home went more smoothly than the trip down, but a snowstorm hit when the buses entered New England, delaying the arrival by a couple hours (and reminding everyone that it was still winter). The bleary-eyed WMB members unloaded around 1:00 AM, and headed their separate ways to enjoy the rest of their winter break. The experience was special for everyone involved, and many memories were created that will last a lifetime.
