The UnHappiest Fence on Earth

There are many reasons to run in Walt Disney World. People run after their children. Others run down Main Street USA in excitement. Still others compete in actual races–5Ks and marathons sponsored by Disney.

We ran in Disney to catch a bus.

In what was both the low light and the single funniest moment of my recent Mother’s Day trip to Walt Disney World, my mother and I got on the wrong bus. Headed from Epcot to Animal Kingdom Lodge, we boarded a bus that we thought was marked for our hotel. But it was actually bound for Animal Kingdom–the park.

This would not have been a big deal…but we were running late for the pretty darn expensive Wanyama Safari Tour, which requires a credit card at booking. After some pretty fast iPhone research, I managed to locate the direct dial number for Animal Kingdom Lodge. Several transfers later I was speaking to the bookings desk–over the sound of a toddler having a complete meltdown on the bus not two feet away from me–and discovered that were we to miss the safari we would still be charged the full amount.

Word to the wise–if you book a Disney Tour, make sure you make it on time NO MATTER WHAT!

So there we were, barreling toward the wrong location, upwards of three hundred dollars hanging in the balance.

As we approached Animal Kingdom Park, we saw an actual Animal Kingdom Lodge bus already boarding. The only problem was that it was across the huge parking lot–and seperated from us by the fence pictured above. (Please note:  this photo was taken two days later, early in the morning as we leisurely walked to Animal Kingdom!)

Needless to say that my mother and I were both standing at the bus door before the bus even came to a stop. We bolted off the bus the second the doors opened…and then proceeded to take two very different approaches to making the Animal Kingdom Lodge bus.

I ran. All around the bus loading area, I ran, holding up my strapless dress with both hands.

My mom ran, but not around the bus loading area. She ran across the bus loading area, hiked up her dress, and launched herself over the fence.

When I arrived at the bus huffing and puffing, I was so confused–how did she beat me there? As I regained my composure, the passengers around me muffled their giggles, and we pulled away from the stop, she explained about the jumping.

I’m sure somewhere someone has a photo–or, worse, a video–of her athletic feat. But we made it to the safari on time!