Way back when I was a cast member, I thought it a little indulgent and over-the-top to see every other child walking around with a ridiculously overpriced battery-operated misting fan. Each kid had to have their own and eventually, some unfortunate parent ended up carrying several of them. If the parent wasn’t carrying the bottles, kids were swinging them around, hitting people or merchandise. Unsuspecting guests inevitably got sprayed when they least expected it. It was one of those “when I’m a parent I’ll never…” things.
Well, times change. Our last visit was during the second week of May. The first few days of our trip were hot but not unbearable. By the middle of our 9 day trip, the humidity had increased and on top of the 90 degree temperature, we were miserable. We powered through one really uncomfortable day as I found myself looking longingly at those blue bottles. On our second muggy day, I said “to heck with the mom I thought I was going to be, we’re buying one of those stupid bottles!” and I never looked back.
We only bought one – we made them share. At $18 apiece, I didn’t lose all of my sensibility. One was plenty for our family of 4. It was a complete game-changer. It made grumpy kids un-grumpy. It gave us sweaty parents a little relief. Since we still use strollers at Disney World, no one was given the bummer job of carrying it all day and no innocent coffee mugs were knocked off any shelves (that I know of).
We took it with us to play mini-golf at Fantasia Gardens on what I’m sure was the hottest, most humid day in the history of hot, humid Florida days and that little bottle completely salvaged the experience for me personally. I think I said something crazy like at that moment I would have gladly paid $50 for the dumb thing.
Since we’ve returned home from hot, muggy Florida to hot, muggy Indiana, we’ve continued getting our money’s worth out of our misting fan. We’ve taken it to the farmer’s market and the state fair on hot days. It’s a toy that gets played with in the driveway and at the playground. Much to my pleasant surprise, the over-indulgent battery operated gadget was quite the investment. Give in to the misting fan!
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Candice was raised in east Tennessee. While in college, her best friend dragged her to a Walt Disney World College Program recruiting session at the University of Tennessee and the rest is Disney history. In the Fall of 1999, Candice became a quick service food hostess for Sunset Ranch Market and Fantasmic at Disney-MGM Studios – or what is now known as Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While soaking up her time as a cast member, she met Ryan, a neighbor and a fellow college programmer who worked as a custodial host at Epcot. Four years later, Candice moved to the Midwest and married that boy from across the hall. They now live in Greenwood, Indiana with their two little boys. The Disney-loving foursome took their first family trip to The Happiest Place on Earth in 2013 and Candice is eagerly planning their return. Candice also works full-time at a community mental health center and enjoys taking photographs and blogging at Mommy in the Midwest.
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