Disney World trip worth every penny

A few weeks ago I wrote about some of the skepticisms I had about a planned family vacation to Disney World in Florida. Well, I’m back and happy to report the trip exceeded all my expectations, to the point that I would highly recommend everybody go there at least once in their lifetime to experience the magic that is Disney.
When I initially wrote about the vacation, I said: “I’m skeptical because I spent most of my life not liking anything Disney-related. I’m skeptical because I hate crowds. I’m skeptical because I’ve never really taken a full week off work to do something purely for enjoyment. I’m skeptical because I believe Disney has perfected the art of taking money from tourists. I’m skeptical because I think Goofy’s supposed ignorance of the reality around him is just a ruse to allow him to somehow take over the world.”
Starting with my skepticisms about Goofy and going backwards, all my preconceived notions about Disney World were disproven.
After meeting Goofy five or six times there, I can say he’s a good guy, dog, guydog or whatever he’s supposed to be, as I still can’t figure out what he is, especially given the fact Pluto, who doesn’t speak, is a dog. In person/dog, Goofy is charming in a way only someone who is completely carefree, without any bad intentions as I suspected him of having, could be. Plus his ride at the Magic Kingdom, The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm, is a gentle roller coaster even people who don’t like roller coasters should be able to enjoy.
I still agree that Disney has perfected the art of taking money from tourists, but the company has done it in such a way tourists like me will believe they are getting the best value for every dollar spent.
For example, we purchased a vacation plan that included airfare, hotel stay, park tickets and a basic meal plan that gave one quick-service meal, one sit-down meal and one snack per day to each person. This essentially amounted to an all-inclusive vacation, as other than tips and souvenirs, we didn’t need to pay for anything else.
We had plenty to eat with the meal plan and definitely got value from it. I kept track of the amount we would have paid for the food had we been paying cash, coming up with a figure of $825 for those meals and snacks. The food ranged from popcorn snacks to three-course New York strip steak dinners, and nearly every bite was good. Some of the meals included table visits from various Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto, much to the pleasure of our 4-year-old son, Braden.
As for taking a week off, something I’ve never done since graduating from college nearly 13 years ago, it was a well needed break. I wasn’t sure if I could handle it, but I quickly realized I could tack another week, heck even another month or year, on it without a problem. While there, the only time my attention turned to this job was on Wednesday night, when it occurred to me that normally I’d be at The Gazette helping the staff put the week’s issue to bed, sometimes to 1 or 2 a.m.
It helped that Disney truly makes these trips as hassle-free as they possibly can for vacationers. From the bus transportation the company provides to and from the airport, to the convenient meal plan, to easy-to-use bus transportation to all of the theme parks and Downtown Disney, and to some of the friendliest and most knowledgeable staffers I’ve ever met anywhere who were quickly able to answer any questions we had about nearly anything, Disney made sure people didn’t have to use their minds too much while relaxing.
Even the crowds I feared I was going to hate weren’t a problem at Disney. It helped we went at one of the slowest times of the year there, but even if it had been busier, Disney does an excellent job of making sure even line waits are entertaining by keeping people moving and providing a lot to see no matter where you are. Many of the most popular rides at the parks even feature “FastPass,” which allows people to get tickets that let them jump to the front of the line at a specific time. This was a great timesaver and crowd avoider we used multiple times.
For a non-Disney fan like me, all four theme parks, which include Magical Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, do a wonderful job of converting people. The rides at all four parks are really the best in the world, except “it’s a small world,” which is undoubtedly the worst one in the world, as the song will never leave your head after riding it.
Even better, which I wasn’t expecting at all, were the many different shows available to see. Each park has a 3-D interactive show – especially funny was a Muppets’ one at Hollywood Studios – and each park has shortened versions of popular Disney-themed Broadway musicals, including ones for “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast.” The parks also have multitudes of historic presentations, cultural shows, exhibits that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world, and jaw-dropping parades and spectacles that will make even the most hardened skeptics act like children.
I’ll be honest by saying we selected Disney World as a vacation destination exclusively for Braden, as at 4 it seemed the perfect age to take him there. We couldn’t have been any more correct in our assumption, because to him Disney was truly a magical place. He was old enough to know all about the characters at Disney, yet young enough to believe they were real.
However, he questioned why some could talk, like the performing ones in front of Cinderella’s Castle, and most of the rest couldn’t. I explained it as simply as I could: they needed to save their voices for the performances. That explanation worked for him, although he questioned it when some of the face characters – the ones who weren’t suited in a costume, like Snow White and Jasmine – had no concerns about saving their voices, happily engaging him in interesting conversation.
Braden also became convinced he took an actual Mission to Mars at EPCOT, he went through a real Haunted Mansion at the Magical Kingdom, rode a truck on an African Safari at the Animal Kingdom and survived a Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios. I’m guessing he’ll be talking about those experiences for years, as I will be, too.
After reading this, some might think Disney is paying me to write what is essentially a 1,200-word ad for them. I’d take any money they’d offer, just because I wouldn’t mind lining my pockets with a little cash to defray the costs we spent for the trip, but the words I write are no less the truth, especially since they are coming from someone who was skeptical about Disney in the first place.
We’re already planning our next Disney-themed vacation two or three years from now – a Disney cruise. I can’t wait.