Page 122 - CelebrationsSpring2020

The Great Bear
By Tim Foster
Fresh off the heels of my latest adventure, I thought I would take a well-deserved rest at one of my favorite resorts, Disney’s Yacht Club. As I retired to my room, I realized that the furnishings in the room were a bit different; in particular the elegant curtains. At first I thought that the pattern of dots was a random piece of art, but as I got closer I realized that they were stars. Stars? Of course! These were symbolic of the navigational charts of ancient sailors...though the constellations looked to have been reimagined to pay tribute to several Disney characters. I spent several moments studying the beautiful array of patterns that formed great shapes in the sky. It wasn’t long before I found a constellation called Bearus Protectus, which reminded me of my favorite constellation, Ursa Major, or the Big Dipper. I suddenly realized that I had seen the real constellation somewhere else in this land. But where? “So much for a relaxing vacation” I thought. This was a quest that I must undertake!
Since the Big Dipper is a key constellation for nautical navigation, I thought it would be best to start my quest near the ocean. It occurred to me that if I were going to travel to the ocean, I might as well venture to a true ocean retreat, and my thoughts turned
to Disney’s Hilton Head Island resort. Why? Mainly because I had heard rumors of the Big Dipper having a prominent presence at this seaside retreat. I searched far and wide and soon came across the Big Dipper pool. And I quickly understood what they meant by “big,” the pool contained 72,000 gallons of water and featured a giant wraparound water tower slide! Unfortunately, the name seemed to refer to the size of the pool, not to mention the big splash that awaited you at the end of the slide, and not the constellation itself. Undeterred, I ventured back to Walt Disney World.
Even though Walt Disney World is located a
fair distance from the oceans, I realized that there were plenty of water-filled destinations
to be found here. While I didn’t find anything at Typhoon Lagoon, I did hear tales of a Big Dipper over at Blizzard Beach. I quickly made my way there, visions of starry constellations dancing in my head, but instead of a grand field of stars, I found a giant 50-foot slide called the Downhill Double Dipper. While the slide boasted of you disappearing into a black hole as you raced down the twin enclosed waterslides, this was still not the constellation I was seeking. I figured at this point I was on the wrong path, and decided to focus my attention on space-themed destinations.
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