Disney Recap…

I promise this is the last time I’m going to talk about Disney World on here. It’s surely getting old. I just want to remember at least the highlights of the week when I look back at this some day (if I can bear to read my own writing…).

WDW with young children is what one might call a “working” vacation. It’s amazing how much activity (and walking) you can pack into one week there. It’s also amazing how many restrooms you can visit in the parks, hotels, and resort restaurants when a certain preschooler is traveling with you. Seriously, we went to no less than twenty-five different restrooms during the week. And, if one had been available on the monorail or the bus, I’m sure we would have visited those, too. We were a little fascinated with the automated toilets, sinks, paper towels, etc. For the Preschooler, the restrooms were like an attraction in and of themselves.  Still, that was only half as fun as returning to our room each night and immediately putting on the princess costume we brought with us…

Speaking of princesses, Disney has taken the craze to a whole new level. In fact, they apparently now train all of their workers to address every young girl they encounter as “princess.” (Meanwhile, young boys are encouraged to be pirates. It’s pretty simple. Everyone is a princess or a pirate). I understand their desire to create a fairy-tale atmosphere there, but it seems a little excessive when Walt Disney himself famously said, “I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing–that it was all started by a mouse.”

See? It was a mouse, not a princess.  Even still, meeting Cinderella was a highlight…

While the waitresses and ride attendants were busy calling the girls by their princess names, Toddler 2 was busy practicing her latest mealtime trick. She has learned that she can entertain herself and get dramatic reactions from those around her by gagging herself at dinner. It doesn’t require food or drink, just her hand. She did this not once but twice during dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern. It’s so very becoming. I’m just not sure that anyone who gags herself for amusement… or who ejects herself from a moving stroller… is really ready for the title of “princess.”

Toddler 2 also discovered that she can get out of many a pinch by declaring herself “too little” for the task. For example, at one part of the Honey I Shrunk the Kids play area, she begged to go up the stairs to the top of the slide. So, I climbed up with her. But, when we arrived at the top and she got a good look at the enclosed slide, she turned to me and said very matter-of-factly, “I too little.” And, with that, we headed back down. From that point on, we could ask her about different rides, and if it was one she had any fear or concern about, she’d simply say, “No, I too little.” She was not, however, “too little” to love the teacups…

Most surprisingly, we enjoyed meeting and greeting Mickey and friends about as much as anything. I was so sure that all the life-size characters would be the most frightening part of the whole trip, and yet seeing them up close and in person was consistently exciting…

What most impresses me about Disney is the way the people there pursue excellence in everything they do. Say what you will about their marketing strategies and (perhaps) their greed, but they know how to do what they do very, very well. You could walk into Magic Kingdom this evening and the street parade (the third one of the day) would be carried out with as much enthusiasm and energy as the very first one they ever performed. They know people come with certain expectations, and they intend to create an atmosphere that exceeds those. And, if you’re young enough (in age or at heart) to take it all in with childlike wonder, it’s pretty magical.

See you next time, Mickey!