Over 200 students, chaperones, and teachers boarded the crammed bus on Friday for the start of a long 21-hour bus ride to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Although the bus ride might have been miserable to some, the experience at Disney World was amazing and unforgettable.  

This was my second trip to Disney World for Towson High School. Since the last trip, Disney had added multiple new rides as well as a whole new world, Pandora, which represents the block buster “Avatar” which broke dozens of records in the movies.  

But the best part of the trip is being with your classmates in a whole new environment. The first day of the trip was spent at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Students arrived early in the morning and began the thrill at daring rides and attractions. Some rode the highest rides, like “Everest”, while others stuck to an attraction like the amazing “Safari” where you see a ton of animals. A few students shifted over to Pandora where a 2.5 hour wait turned into an intense four-dimensional simulator through the Avatar world. Riders are splashed with water and shaken as if riding on the back of a dragon. Towson High moved to Hollywood Studios, which holds some of the most famous rides in Disney World: The Tower of Terror, and Rockin’ Rollercoaster are a thrill-seeker’s dream, but the park is also home to things like sneak peeks to new Star Wars movies and experiencing popular movies in a different setting. The music classes then moved to Fantasmic, a spectacular lights and character show featuring dozens of past and present Disney stars. The show was a great cap to an incredible first day.  

The Orchestra and Chorus performances were on the second day of the trip. The Orchestra began performing at 12:00 and blew the crowd away. Their performance featured songs and artists from the state of Maryland, such as pieces from the movie Hairspray which took place in Baltimore. Then, the Chorus marched down Disney Springs, formally known as Downtown Disney, and presented a spectacular performance featuring music from the movies La La Land and Beauty and the Beast, as well as popular songs like My Girl and I Believe I Can Fly. The Chorus also had numerous solos in 4 of the 5 songs. The Marching Band then wowed spectators while barreling down Main Street of Magic Kingdom. All of Towson High Disney students got to watch their peers showcase their talents in front of thousands at one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.  

After the Orchestra and Chorus performed, we visited Epcot, a park which features meals and entertainment from dozens of countries around the world, spreading from Canada to China, and Mexico to Germany. Epcot also has rides like Test Track, where riders design their own car and go through various tests, like efficiency, durability, speed, and power to prove which car is the best. After riding, there are more displays for fun like creating your own car commercial, taking group pictures in front of real luxury cars, and a specialized gift shop.  

The last day of the trip was at Magic Kingdom, the showcase park of Disney World which has some of the world’s most famous areas, like the Cinderella Castle and the ride It’s A Small World which is the oldest ride at Disney. One of the craziest rides at Disney is also in Magic Kingdom, called Space Mountain. The ride rips through space and is completely dark all the way through while you make intense drops and twists. The day was rough because of the sudden rainfall, but Towson students made the most of it by starting a flash mob at the center of Magic Kingdom in front of thousands.  

The entire trip was a blast, and I highly recommend it to any future music students at Towson High School. It allows you to interact with your classmates hundreds of miles from home, and in my opinion gives you a quick glimpse of what college might be like when you’re away from home.