Why I love Disney?

Why I love Disney?

One of the main reasons I love Disney is the fact that it is a family oriented place with so many activities and dining options. There are so many things for each family member to do together or alone if one chooses. The many options include rides, shows, concerts, fishing, fireworks, bowling, movies, swimming, Run Disney events, parties, adult beverages and especially the numerous first class dining options (considering I have two hungry boys – DS#1 and DS#2 and a husband DH).   We have been going once or twice a year to WDW since 2005 as a family.  We still haven’t done everything.  It’s amazing that my family is always happy there.

Another reason I love Disney is the attention to detail and the immaculate way staff keep the park groomed and clean. You’ve been to Six Flags, the coasters there may be bigger but the Park is one big hot black top and I feel as if I need to swim in Clorox to get the slime off.   The attention to the upkeep of the grounds at WDW is amazing in its detail and really adds to my experience.   It is truly amazing to me that WDW can transform themes such as Halloween to Christmas overnight – a lot of Disney elves must live there.

I also go back several times of year due to the unbelievable Cast Members (CM) who are always going above and beyond to make each of my days really special. At my DVC home Kidani, CMs have begun to recognize us, and make our stay as comfortable and as fun as possible. On the Savannah, the CMs teach African culture and wildlife lessons and answer my boys’ numerous questions. Chris the wonderful CM at Sanaa knows what to recommend from the menu and always knows when a baby is born on the Kidani Savannah. Walter the wonderful CM at California Grill and the head Chef at Citricos made our 20^th anniversary trip truly special for my husband and me.   I could always sense through our interactions with the CM wait staff that they truly love what they do and it shows.   Disney Cast Members go way above and beyond what we normally receive when dining at home and there is really no comparison.

I especially love the various themed Disney Resorts. My family has stayed at the Polynesian, Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, Bay Lake Towers, Boardwalk Villas and our “home resort” Kidani. The Resorts all have their own themes and atmospheres that seemingly transport you to a different time and place. Our very first Disney visit and experience was at the Polynesian Resort which is located right on the monorail – my husband especially enjoyed being on the monorail. Our experience at the Poly began our love of the whole Disney experience, winning over my DH. Each of the Resorts are unique and have different things that we enjoy.   For instance Old Key West has a beachy tropical feel and we adore the pool and Olivia’s restaurant.   Bay Lake Tower has amazing views that are stunning and the food options are among the best on Disney property. The location of Boardwalk allows us to walk to Epcot and Hollywood Studios and watch a football game or two at ESPN. Kidani our favorite is like a Safari in itself with the African animals strolling around and the detailed African buildings make this experience authentic. It also has unbelievable restaurants Boma, Jiko and Sanaa and the pool is so relaxing. We love sitting by the fire at night or sitting on our balcony and watching the animals. Saratoga Springs is close to Downtown Disney (Disney Springs) and we love the Turf Club.

The other thing I love about Disney is their ability to fix a glitch.  I will just give you one example. We were staying at Kidani and our dryer broke. One of the things I love about being a DVC member is ability to book a room that has a washer/dryer – weird I know.  This allows me to bring less clothing with us and have room for souvenirs – shh don’t tell DH.  Anyway, I have a rule about eating dinner out with my boys – they have to dress appropriately collared shirt and khakis. I was drying, DS#1’s shirt one night before our Jiko dinner reservation, the dryer broke. I called downstairs and explained about the shirt rule. They sent someone to fix the dryer and another CM carrying a DVC Polo shirt for him. Above and Beyond – seriously!

The reasons why I go back to Disney so much is the look on DH’s face after he rides Rock n’ Roller Coaster, or the way he runs to Exhibition Everest, the way he loves Ohana dinner, the way he knows to take my picture at the Castle.   I remember the time DS#1 at 14 in Country Bears Jamboree leaned over to me and said “Mom, I love you”.  I remember the way DS#2 walked every single inch of the parks at age 5.   We have traditions about where we want to eat, and what park to visit first or last. I love the time we spend together at TS (Table Service) meals or grabbing CS (Counter Service) so we can ride EE one more time. These family Disney memories we will cherish forever. Guess what? I’m going back soon!!!!

My first solo trip.

Back in 1999 my sisters boyfriend at the time who worked for his family and had owned a Explosive and Demolition company asked me to drive a van and trailer down to Cocoa Beach Florida.  The first thing that went through my mind was can I visit Walt Disney World.

I had the whole thing planned. I knew I wanted to visit MGM studios because that was my favorite park at the time just because of the whole back lot tour. I was always fascinated with how movies had been made. So I made a pact with myself. If I could make it to Hollywood Studios by 12 PM I would spend the day at the Studios.

I set off around 4:30 PM from Northwest NJ and according to MapQuest it said I should make it to Walt Disney World around 11 AM. Well that did not account for stopping for gas or anything. But I had a pretty easy ride only stopping for gas and the occasional pee break oh and of course South of the Border. That’s the most tacky but yet somewhat charming place along I95. Even though I always enjoyed looking at the tacky goods they sold I had a mission I must make it to Disney by 12 PM.

Now every time that I stopped people always asked me what I was hauling and where I was going. I knew that the real story was boring so I made stuff up. (Actually it was a controlled device that you could burn small ammo and fireworks without causing damage) Since I was going to Walt Disney World the story would always involve that. I would tell people that it was a device that would shoot up warm marshmallows in the air so that guests could try to catch them and eat them. Or I would say its a new device that shoots human fireworks into the sky and they would fly back down with a parachute. I tried to get more and more outrageous with each story and people were fascinated. I was also like 23 at the time so I was just trying to have a little fun.

So every time I would cross a state border and finally into Florida I was always trying to calculate the ETA for Walt Disney World. I was actually getting nervous would I make my 12 PM deadline and what if its a few minutes over that would I still go.  Turns out I made it at around 12:10 PM just over my deadline.

Once in the Studios I soaked it all in. Riding Rockin Roller Coaster for the first time enjoying Star Tours and the Muppets but most importantly I was going at my own pace. That was the best part, I did what I wanted to do when I wanted to do it. I spent hours doing the back lot tour and just enjoying everything that i saw. This was back when it was an actual working studio. At the end of the night I saw Fantasmic for the first time and I loved it. But with all fun things they must come to an end. I said goodbye to the Studios and went back to the van.

As I drove off Disney property I really enjoyed my day but I knew that the Studios were no longer my favorite park. The magic of the movies were gone on that trip. It was no longer that awesome studio I once thought it was. But I did enjoy my time there. I do think the adventure getting there was more exciting than the time I spent in the Studios. It was the journey, the time crunch, the expectations I had set for myself that probably changed my view of the studios at the time. Looking back it was really the beginning of the end of the Studios that I had known and Loved from my trips in 89 and 1993.

My Introduction

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Introduction

Hello everyone! My name is Thom and I am extremely excited to contribute to the Enchanted Tiki Talk blog. I’ve been a listener from the beginning so when I saw the call for contributors I had to throw my name out there. I’m a huge Walt Disney World fan and hope that I somehow help or entertain you between trips to The World.
As a child I remember being obsessed with The Lion King and Aladdin. I must have watched them a hundred times over. I sat in my living room floor for hours teaching myself to draw using Lion King coloring books. I was also infatuated with The Muppets. I wore out at least one VHS recording of Muppets Take Manhattan. They weren’t a Disney brand at the time but my sense of humor and timing resemble a combination of Fozzie Bear and Statler and Waldorf. The jokes aren’t very funny but they can be snide and sarcastic.
I never had a chance to go to the parks and I’m not even sure I was aware they existed. Rural Kentucky didn’t seem to have a #DisneySide (ugh…). As I grew older I put aside the “childish” Disney animation in favor of video games, comic books, and action figures. Obviously I was extremely grown up at that point. Little did I know there was a Disney World fanatic lurking under the surface.
Enter my lovely wife Amy. As part of our wedding planning in 2009 we contemplated where to travel for our honeymoon. She mentioned that a coworker was taking her niece and nephew to Disney World for spring break so I suggested we go there. Her family had visited the parks a few times so she wasn’t a complete newbie. She bought an Unofficial Guide, called AAA to help us book, and that was that.
She tried to include me in the planning but I was less than helpful. I had never visited so I had no idea what to do, where to eat, and which parks to visit. Thankfully she’s a fantastic planner and came up with a perfect vacation. We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside on the Free Dining promotion. Despite my feelings about the Dining Plan today I would always recommend it to a first time visitor.
One of my favorite Disney memories comes from that first trip. As we walked down Main Street USA after spending two days touring the Magic Kingdom I told my wife “Well, I feel like I’ve done everything here and don’t feel any need to come back to the Magic Kingdom again.” It was so naïve and I was obviously taken by a sudden bout of insanity.
I have visited The World six times since 2009 and purchased DVC at Saratoga Springs. Despite owning there I have yet to stay, preferring to stay at the other DVC resorts. The attractions are great but the atmosphere, details, and food keep me eager to go back.
Beyond writing about trips, favorite moments, and favorite restaurants you can expect me to write about the new technology in the Disney parks, Disney Infinity, and maybe review some of the rare and cool merchandise I’ve stumbled across in the past five years.
I hope you have enjoyed reading a little about my favorite subject… me! In all seriousness I am extremely grateful to have this opportunity to share some of my Disney experience and hope you enjoy hearing me talk about it.