So my family and I are leaving Mickey's Backyard BBQ at Ft. Wilderness (we stayed until "last call" to get our two-hundred bucks worth of beer and Mickey Bars!) and the boys want to go to the beach on your left as you are exiting the BBQ. As soon as DS7 approaches the water he starts in wanting to wade in the water. Of course while I am standing there telling him that there is a brain-eating worm that lives in that water some other kid is gleefully wading in knee-deep, to which I tell my son that's his Dad's problem not mine!
As soon as I finish my sentence I notice a funny looking stick floating in the water about 60 feet out from the sand and I think to myself that it kind of looks like an alligator head floating on the surface. I quietly walk over and get the digital camera from DW and use it to zoom in and while I am watching it the stick sinks beneath the water then reappears a few seconds later.
I then walk over to DS7 and add to my answer "and that's another reason you don't get in the water..." as I point to my alligator find. My boys were so enthralled with standing there watching him, and when DS7 realized that if you looked through the Nikon camera his eyes glowed he started taking 200+ pictures of Tic Tock for at least a half-an-hour. My DS4 is really into Peter Pan and so he was equally fascinated, and while we were standing there looking at it a family walks up to us and starts chatting, and it turned out they were from Manchester, England who also had a son obsessed with Peter Pan
That time we spent watching Tic Tock while one boy was mesmerized and the other one used sticks to "sword fight" with his new friend from England was just a really nice moment on our trip, and one I thought I would share.
Coming up... ???
25 Jun CR Garden (1 day)
25 Jan Pop (MLK weekend)
19 May Disney Dream, Nov Pop
18 Oct ASMv
17 Jan POFQ (10k!)
16 (APs) Jan POR, Feb CSR, April ASMv, June BC, Oct Pop & Cabins, Dec ASMv & AKL & Pop
15 May Pop & CBR pirates
13 Oct ASMu & AoA
10 (APs) June CR, Oct AKL & Pop, Dec Pop
07 March ASMv
04 June POR
94 June Dixie Landings (I think)
Nice. I foresee sone of the same thoughts & starts when we take our son. The alligator we saw living in the small pond by our room at CS was one of my favorite moments too. I must say I would not have continued standing in the water as I was watching yours though. A little too close for me.
We have seen alligators (generally quite small) in a number of locations at Disney World - including in the Magic Kingdom itself. Sounds like an interesting encounter.
Linda aka: Faline
INTERCOT Staff: Vacation Planning,Trip Reports and Disney Camping
faline@intercot.com
How cool!! I've yet to see a gator in the wild since we moved to Fl.🐊. I see lots of birds though, cranes and turkey buzzards.
Marci
Many visits. Live 20 minutes from the parks.
Work at Universal Studios in Diagon Alley. Ollivanders/ wand magic.
Gators and snakes, and lots of other reptiles, are common at WDW. After all, the whole place was built in/on what was essentially a Florida swamp. People tend to forget that when they are enthralled by the "magic". 
1971 (age 15) MK was new!
1974 off-site (Senior Trip)
1982 off-site
1988 off-site
May 2002 AS-Sports, with DW & kids
May 2004 Pop Century
Feb 2005 Wilderness Lodge
Oct 2006 Pop Century
Oct 2008 Camped at Fort Wilderness
Feb 2010 Cruise on the Wonder
Dec 2014 POFQ for Christmas!
Sometimes it's not about the attractions, but the camaraderie we find at Disney that brings some of the best memories.
Oh yeah, and $200 worth of beer and Mickey Bars
Thanks for sharing a neat story!
Carol (aka KylesMom)
INTERCOT Staff: Mousellaneous & Trip Reports
Last Trip: ICOT 15
Happy A/P Holder 2002 - 2011
We saw an alligator at the MK too...in Liberty Square
Rita (aka NJGIRL)
Ahhhh...Brain eating worms and alligators! Makes me want to take a dip in Bay Lake right now! :gator: :medic:
(What, no brain-eating worm smiley?) ;)
First trip, Christmas 1971.
Last Trip, Oct. 2017 - ICOT20!
Next Trip: Planning...Always Planning
We have seen a few gators when we go to Disney in the ponds just laying on the banks. I also loved the night we stayed at Ft. Wilderness and saw the deer just standing there by the cabins. We usually see deer on the way to Orlando at night or on the way to Naples, but never that close. very cool for your boy's to see the gator that close. As for the "brain eating worm". I have to say (not to be a Debbie downer), but you do have to be careful with that. We (meaning Florida) did have a child (Zac Reyna 12) pass away from that bacteria about 2 years ago. From playing in a rain puddle in Ft. Myers. So that I would be concerned about. www.zacsfriendshiphouse.org/
Been there, done that and going back!!! See ya real soon !!!
A nice Mickey Moment. Thanks for sharing.
:tink:
Julie
º0º emerzmom º0º
Disney Vacations:
DL: 81,00,01,02,04,05,06,08
WDW: 98,99,00,01,02,03(x2),04(x2),05,,07,09,11,12,13(x2),14,15,16
Next trip Nov 2017
Very nice memory and fun for your boys!!
Thanks for sharing!
Julie:mickey:
Next Up:
Summer 2018... WE ARE BACK!!!
2 families
4 teenagers and Larry
Taking on the parks!
Nice family memories!
"Is there a 12 step program for this Mouse addiction?"
Next Trips:
11/18-11/29 Destination D:Amazing Adventures!! GF for two nights then Caribbean Beach with free dining...
