How this story developed

My son Matthew peeled off a sticker from a McLean Deluxe and won a cruise for four on the Disney Wonder. Since the Patriot-News has a travel section, it occurred to me that a first-person story about the treatment we received during the cruise would be of interest.

That's a lie, of course. I don't really care what you get out of this. I want you to read the story, like it, and remember my name, Bill Peschel. Calculated ambition is always ugly — look at Madonna — but I promised that I'd be honest here, and that's the truth. Of course, I wrote the article to give you some information that you may find useful, so that you don't get bored and head off for the Junior Jumble or Dear Abby.

And I like doing these "fly on the wall" stories. Two years ago, I spent four days on the set of "The Patriot," fighting and dying as a Continental Army soldier for Mel Gibson, Roland Emmerich and Sony, in that order, and my story about it brought me instant recognition, both in the newsroom and among my friends and relations, but also the casting department at Sony, wondering how a reporter was admitted to a closed set. (You could hear the relief in the woman's voice when I told her I went through casting, and that I didn't hide my newspaper affiliation.)

So while this was no "Patriot," it was Disney, and I had confidence a story on it would prove amusing and instructive, and so it has. I'm no Malcolm Gladwell; not even a James Lileks. But I hope this will be unlike any other travel story you've read.

All material is ©2000-2001 Bill Peschel unless otherwise noted.