Trans-Atlantic Disney Cruise, Day 3: Ivy League Admissions Conversation?

I’m happy to report that nothing like this happened again on the Disney magic as we sailed along the eastern coast of the United States today.

The day started with my favorite meal (breakfast) where we lingered over hash browns, eggs, sausage, smoked salmon, and coffee while Camille peppered David with questions about what it’s like to be on an Ivy League College Admissions Committee (at Cornell Law School). She was asking him questions about this news story:

A coalition of more than 60 Asian-American groups filed a federal discrimination complaint against Harvard University, claiming racial bias in undergraduate admissions. Asian-American students with almost perfect college entrance-exam scores, top 1 percent grade-point averages, academic awards and leadership positions are more likely to be rejected than similar applicants of other races, according to their administrative complaint, filed Friday with the US Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights. Harvard denies any discrimination.

We decided that David might be the only conservative pundit in America who’s sat on such a committee, so he regaled us with stories of the types of people who do get in and the types who decidedly do not get in. (Here’s a piece he wrote called “Confessions of an Ivy League Admissions Committee Member” for National Review.) We stayed at our table in the shaded area of the deck for maybe two hours, as David talked to the kids about matters or race, privilege, hard work, and the unintended consequences of various well-intentioned policies. This is not the type of conversation we might have at home, with the demands of life and work breathing heavily upon us. Out here, we’ve got nothing but time, food, and plentiful hot coffee.

Moments like this morning’s breakfast are what make vacations like these so meaningful. (I also may have told David that I love breakfasts because no one has had time to get mad at anyone else yet! So, there’s that.)

Also, we’re trying not to get obese on this cruise, with all of the amazing food. We made a vow at the beginning of the cruise never to use the elevator once. So far, so good. There are eleven decks on the Disney Magic, and I think I know every stair individually. Also, David and I are working out in the fitness studio every day. Tonight, I did yoga on the deck, the wind blowing on us to cool us and the sun beaming down. Beautiful moment, again.

After dinner, we got to see the sunset with dolphins playing in the foreground. We literally got to see the sun disappear into the ocean.

Every night so far, Camille, Austin, and I have gone up to the top deck to watch a movie, wrapped in blankets, in the FunnelVision theater. We take advantage of the amazing burgers, fries, pizza, and ice cream which essentially means we’re eating four meals a day. But at least we take the stairs to get there.

Tomorrow, we dock in Manhattan. Yes, New York City is a destination of the Disney Magic. Since David and I lived in Gramercy Park when we were first married (while he worked as an attorney and I went to New York University), it feels like two worlds are colliding. We decided not to go on any Disney excursions with the rest of the passengers… We’re going to go it alone… Stay tuned.