Why is This Place So Magical?

I've always loved going on vacation.  As an pre-parent adult, I've spent time in San Diego, San Francisco, Vegas, Santa Fe, Maui, Montreal, the Caribbean and numerous other places.  The experiences have been great and returning home has always sucked.  But now that I'm a parent of two young children, vacations have taken on a whole new meaning.  For many, this transition is often looked upon negatively.  The loss of freedom, the loss of control, and most dreaded, the change from adult-friendly destinations to child-friendly destinations.  But for me, those changes have made for even better vacations, and unfortunately even worse returns.

Our latest Gottlieb family getaway, just completed this past Saturday, had me asking myself the entire time (and I'm still asking it), "Why is This Place So Magical?"  Five days.  Four theme parks.  One water park.  And an amazing collection of memories to last a lifetime.  Of course, I'm talking about Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  On the surface, it's hard to imagine how this could be.  A ten hour drive spread out over two days going, and another ten hour drive over two more days returning.  Standing in long lines just to get an autograph or ride a 3 minute kiddy-coaster.  Navigating what seems like thousands of strollers, over-sized Mickey balloons and souvenir shops.  But now that it's over, those five days felt like a dream.  There are probably many other answers to my question tonight, but here are ten I've come up with:

1) Your Arrival - Passing under the Disney World arch flanked by Mickey and Minnie for the first time, you can see the glean in your kids' eyes and hear the unadulterated excitement in their voices.  You just know you are going to love it.

2) The Best Customer Service - Whether roaming the parks, eating in one of the hundreds of restaurants, taking in a show or doing just about anything else, the staff is always there to accommodate your every need.  They truly won't say no to you.  As you know by now, my younger daughter has a peanut allergy.  The chefs at every restaurant make it a point to come out and talk to us about what she can and can't eat on the menu and help us find alternatives to make the experience just as great for her.  Heck, Disney is so good at customer service they even have their own Institute to teach others.

3) You Get to Meet Princesses - Where else can you meet a dozen princesses in five days?  Dressed to impress and speaking like they were straight out of the movies themselves, these princesses look and act the part, and my daughters felt like they were princesses, too!

 

4) Larger Than Life Stuffed Animals That Sign Autographs - By the time the week was over, each of my daughters had an autograph booked filled with John Hancock's and pictures of all their favorite Disney cartoon characters.

5) It Gives You the Giggles - At Animal Kingdom, there's a ride called the Kali River Rapids.  It's a 12-person circular raft that spins and winds its way through roaring rapids, and you just never know who'll be sitting in the wrong place and the wrong time.  When those waves hit, and grandma got soaked, it sent my daughter into what seemed like everlasting laughter.  I think she thought it was the funniest thing ever.

6) Even the Stuffed Ones Have Fun - When the humans go out to play, the stuffed friends left behind in the hotel rooms have their own parties.  When we returned to the rooms at night, we found our daughters' friends in the window courtesy of the wonderful housekeeping staff.

7)The Kids Eat Healthy - At a place where it would be really easy to load up the kids on junk, Disney cares about making sure they eat lots of fruit.  Sure, there's plenty of popcorn and ice cream and French fries, but every kids meal comes with at least one and sometimes two sides of fruit and milk or juice, ensuring you don't also return home with cavities as souvenirs.

8) All Ages Can Have a Blast - It wasn't just my kids having fun.  Even the grandparents got swept up in the magic of Disney, riding bumper cars, getting soaked at the water park and hoping in pictures with characters.

9) Phone Apps Mean Less Waiting - With Disney's wait times for rides updated on their iPhone app, free Wi-Fi around the parks and fast passes to return later in the day and hop to the front of the line, Disney is making it possible for those who plan appropriately to play more and stand around less.  That's always a good thing when you've got young kids.

10) You Can't Wait to Go Back - From the moment we pulled out of the parking lot at Typhoon Lagoon to head home until this very moment (and I'm sure for days to come), all I keep thinking about is when we can get back to that place.  That's how you know you've had a great time, and that's truly how you know this place is so magical.

Some of you are probably thinking I'm nuts right about now, but I know I'm not alone.  I want to hear from all of you that feel just like I feel.  Tell me why Disney is so magical to you and your family by commenting below.