Things I Love, Part 2

Its Friday!  Its Things I Love Day!!!!

I have a wonderful husband and two adorable children, aged 6 and 4.  Therefore, I could not mention "Things I Love" without dedicating a blog to my famil...wait, no...psh, where did THAT come from?

I meant Disney World.

My husband (the wonderful one) and I are dorks.  DORKS for Disney.   Holla back if you are, too!  Holla back if you aren't and can't see what the fuss is about and I will totally convince you otherwise.

A boring blogger would go on and on about the magic and the movies and the mouse and the...(m)alliteration that it inspires, but not here.  I will, instead, regale you in one of my favorite literary forms.  The List.

ahem

I love Disney (and you should, too) for the following reasons:

1.  You pay alot of money and not a single employee in that park takes that fact for granted.  EVERYONE is at their best.  The "textile services" folks (aka maids) are as friendly as the people who take your hand and lead you to Cinderella for a hug and a picture.  The guy helping you into the ride is just as much in character as the guy playing Aladdin in a parade.  The ever-lovin trash sweeper acts as honored to be working there as Minnie Mouse...although he probably talks more.  Its hard to plunk down that much money for a trip, but Disney truly lets you escape.  Which leads me to my next point..

2.  Disney rewards you for having an imagination.  I used to be able to play Barbies for hours.  Now, I sit there with my doll while my daughter makes up stories, and I got nothin'.  It pains me to realize that a part of of brain and my childhood has died.  You step into Disney, and its like you have stepped into imagination heaven!  Roy and Walt Disney were geniuses at awakening the imagination.  Every building, sign, smell, sound, food item, costume, etc., etc., etc. is there to separate your brain from the outside world and  let it spend a day with your long lost 7-year-old fantasies.   Did you know the park itself is constructed like a movie?  The path into the park has fake movie posters...like the previews you see in a theater.  Main Street, if you look closely, has names on all its top windows.  These are the "credits" that roll announcing who created this theme park/motion picture. The Castle sets the stage for the 'plots" which are the different parks.  In fact, each ride, if you notice, has a complete storyline built in.

3.  You cannot help but feel special, unique, and appreciated for who you are.  We have yet to go to Disney where something one-of-a-kind did not happen to make us feel like the only people in the park.  One time, my daughter got to have a makeover at Bibbity Bobbity Boutique.  We couldn't get in until 6pm, so her princess 'do was not noticed very much in the twilight hours.  My daughter made the best of it and felt very pretty.  At the end of the day, we hit up Its A Small World.  The worker looked at my daughter, ran back to her podium and came back with a book/pen. "Oh!  You look so pretty!  Would you sign my autograph book?"  My little girl...who had collected signatures all day from princesses...well, her eyes just lit up.  She was beaming.  Those Disney people are good :)  This isn't even the best story.  More posts to come!

4.  Disney will go out of their way...to the point of sometimes obvious inconvenience to themselves...to make your child with a special need feel like a rock star.  My children to not have a disability.  But my niece does.  THIS is why I am loyal to Disney until the day I die.  I watch my sister, her husband, and their kids fight to tell the world that their daughter with Down Syndrome is a beautiful, capable human being.  This is a daily reality for any family in their situation.  Disney is aware that my sister's family has chosen to spend their time and money in Disney World.  They will not stand for that daily struggle in their parks.  Its like they have some type of secret "special needs" radar.  Every parade...the characters come and shake my niece's hand.  TWICE, while standing in a line of several people to meet a group of princesses, someone has picked my sister's family to meet in a room for a private chat with Cinderella, Belle, and Aurora.  My favorite is when they were watching the Lion King show in Animal Kingdom.  The characters invite kids up to dance on the stage.  A zebra asked my niece to come up.  My sister said, "Um, she can't walk yet!"...a sad issue at the time since my niece was at least 6 months behind other kids.  That bless-ed zebra took the stroller...diaper bags swinging from the handles and all...and made SURE that NOTHING kept my niece from having her turn in the spotlight.

I'm literally a little bit in tears right now.  That's another thing you can expect at Disney that you can't get anywhere else.  Lots of "moments".  Moments where you are smiling but wiping a tiny tear away because you are touched by a kindness.  Moments where your child is in heaven and you make eye contact with your spouse as a way of saying, "This is worth it".

This is long and wordy for my blog....sorry!  But I. LOVE. Disney.  If you wanna go, but have questions.  Just leave a comment.  Its WORTH the money and the planning.