Today I woke up to an article in my Inbox listing 13 reason to not go to Disney. Clearly, this is something unfathomable to me which meant I spent the next couple of hours thinking of all the reasons TO go to Disney. There are so many reasons but these 10 kept popping into my head so I thought I would share my top 10 with you.
10. Special Services
No theme park or entertainment company takes better care of guests with special needs better than Disney. So much so that guests without special needs misused the old system causing Disney to implement a new system. Although they admit the system needs additional refinement, it still stands that nowhere else are families with special needs taken care of so well as at Disney.
9. Memory Maker
If you are like me, you come home from a vacation and start going through your pictures and realize, you aren’t in any of them. Why? Because you are the one behind the camera. No so at Disney. Purchase the Memory Maker package and come home with hundreds of photos of the entire family, many in places or areas that you couldn’t possibly get a better shot in yourself or include a special surprise.
8. Characters
Forget Brad Pitt…I wanna meet Mickey and watch out if you are between my daughter and a Princess…she will take you down. Some of our best memories are with the Characters
7. Family Friendly Variety
Roller coasters, Broadway-style shows, Cirque Du Soleil, water parks, golf, parades, bowling, adult night life…you name it, Disney has something for everyone. Many of the rides are not age or size restricted so the family can ride together and, if not, Disney offers Child Swap that allows a family to wait in line together and provides each parent an opportunity to ride while the other waits with the smaller children…all without having to wait in the line twice.
6. Food
This is not your ordinary carnival fare. Sure you can find hamburgers, hot dogs and popcorn and other food to please your picky eaters but you will find gourmet offerings and healthy options as well.
5. Theming
I am constantly amazed at Disney theming. They are masters of making guests feel like they are a part of the show and even include interactive experiences in their wait queues. Walking through Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World and you feel like you are in Asia with all the floral and design yet moments later you are transported to the heart of Africa. Regardless how you feel about Disney, you have to be impressed at the level of detail they put into their parks, many of which go unnoticed…did you notice the peanut shells outside of the Dumbo ride?
4. Amazing Cast Members
It takes a special person to work for Disney and they make sure that is the only type of people they hire. Cast Members are the friendliest, thoughtful and helpful people you will ever meet. Whether it is carrying on a conversation while you wait hours in the “perfect” spot for a parade, finding a balloon for a crying child you lost theirs or countless other acts of spreading pixie dust, you can always count on coming home with at least one story of a cast member who did something for you or your family that made the trip that much more memorable.
3. Cleanliness
Sometime the only explanation for it is magic. If you do happen to see trash on the sidewalk, don’t look away because the minute you do, it will disappear. Chipped paint, unhealthy plant life, writing on the bathroom wall…not there. Disney has hundreds of cast members working around the clock to ensure that their parks remain spotless.
2. Everyone is Happy
I am not just talking about the cast members so there is no need to argue that they get paid to be happy. I am talking about the guests. Unless you have experienced it yourself, it is hard to imagine the feeling that comes over you when you pass under those railroad tracks and emerge onto Main Street with the Castle looming in the distance and you if you have experienced it, it is even harder to explain it. It’s is nearly impossible to be unhappy here. Sure there may be tears but most of those are from sheer exhaustion or sadness that you have to leave.
1. You Love Disney!!! Enough Said!
So, what do you think? Did I leave something off the list? What is your favorite reasons for going to Disney?
Fantastic list Angela!
That’s a great list! We absolutely love it and can’t wait to go back with our kids for their 2nd trip in January!
Yay! How fun! Are you headed to Disneyland or Walt Disney World?
Actually, I would include “other park Guests” on my top-ten list! Everything you said about the cast members is true, but I also find that Guests tend to be fabulous to one another – and this is something I really only see at Disney (not so much at other theme parks). I’ve seen people buying balloons for other people’s kids, helping complete strangers take pics (so the family photographer can be in the pic, too), and other RAK (random acts of kindness) that make a trip extra-magical.
That is so true Cari! Disney Guests are the BEST! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!