Ooo Oooo, That Smell?

This blog posting was 13 years in the making.

Sounds incredible, right? Read on.

Our first Disney trip in 1994 seems like a whirlwind at this point in time. When I think about what happened and what we learned, it reminds me of an introductory swim class. We just threw ourselves in and attempted to swim.

We did alright. I had done some research and Teresa had visited before. I knew that I wanted to ride the Haunted Mansion and Star Tours. I read both of the eminent guide books of the time: Birnbaum's and Sehlinger's. This was before the internet was so mundane.

Anyways...

We first noticed this odd smell in Pirates of the Caribbean. Hard to explain what it was. It just seemed to permeate the attraction. We didn't smell it until we were in the main part of the ride--just after you enter the battle between the ship and the fort.

I mentioned it to Teresa and she smelled it too.

It seemed to be everywhere the animatronics were: Spaceship Earth, the World of Motion, the Energy Pavilion, Journey Into the Imagination, the Great Movie Ride...

And so on.

We didn't smell it during theater shows or outdoor rides.

It wasn't until almost a year later that we figured out the smell.

We lived in an apartment that was in walking distance of a few fast food eateries. We would go on occasional walks and plan our upcoming Disney trips.

I remember walking down Mountain St., next to a bank, and getting a whiff of the smell.

I stopped.

"Do you smell that?", I asked.

Usually, that means that I have, uh, changed the quality of the air myself. Teresa must've sighed.

I told her about the smell from WDW and she stopped to check it out. Then she smelled my arm.

That was the smell!

It had been one of the first times we had gone on a long walk during the warmer and sunnier months.

Still struggling?

Heat, sun and being outside? Very pale people?

It was the sunscreen that we used.

We realized that we were smelling ourselves on those attractions. They were all indoor attractions where you were conveyed. We would smell ourselves whenever the wind blew (or was blown on us) inside one of the show buildings.

I was reminded of this smell when I went with my brother, his two kids, my youngest son and grandpa to our local street fair. When I helped strapped the kids into the dual stroller, I got a whiff of the smell.

Ahh...sweet, sweet sunscreen.

I have three other smells that take me there: Cool Waters (1997 trip), a foot spray from Bath and Body Works (2000) and citrus smells (1994 and 1997--I miss you , Horizons).