Several years ago we decided we were going to Walt Disney World as a family. This was my second trip to Walt Disney World, but the first time I was there we only visited the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. So this second trip really was like a first trip in many ways, because so much had changed when Disney added two additional parks, the resorts, and Downtown Disney. I was amazed with everything that Walt Disney World had to offer, and I wanted to do as much as possible.
When we got to the “World” we went into “Park Commando Mode” – determined to see and do everything. We even had created a schedule, laughingly referred to now as the “Clipboard of Fun”. We had a plan of what we wanted to see and do, and a schedule that would tire out even the most enthusiastic Disney fanatic. Now with our son and his autism, we had to do a lot of planning, especially since most of the parks were new for all of us. However, I am also very much a type “A” personality, and when it comes to vacation “relaxation” is not a word that I often use. My wife has sometimes jokingly mentioned that that it wasn’t a vacation, but a “death march”. Now don’t get us wrong, we had a great time and had fun on our vacation, but it was a superficial visit. We did many things, but we really didn’t see and experience the parks the way that Walt and the Disney Imagineers envisioned we would.
When we got back we started to watch all the travel shows on Disney parks, and we soon discovered some of the things that we had missed. I also started reading some of the books on Disney Parks and its history and engineering/Imagineering. It became fascinating to me to see and read about all of the details that were put into the parks – from the attractions, to the shops and the resort hotels. I enjoyed reading the trivia on how Disney did special effects to create the magic that so many people experience there. Even the corporate culture of Disney’s Park was an area that I started to enjoy reading about.
Now with this information, I realized that I missed out on a lot of the Disney magic when we focused on running from attraction to attraction. Sure - ridings all of the rides was a lot of fun. I loved getting on the boat and riding around Jungle Cruise, but I missed the details in the attractions like the name of the missing people on the black board in the queue.
As I walked through Main Street I saw the names on the store windows, but never knew that they were actual people that played an important part in the creation of the park. I missed little hidden Mickey’s that Imagineers hid throughout the park, but now I spend time looking for them armed with our camera and a Hidden Mickey book.
We still have the “Clipboard of fun”, but we realize that we are not going to do it all in a single trip, and we don’t have to. We do the attractions we want to, but we also realize that attraction starts when we enter the line. We take time to look at the park and try to find things that we missed, like the telephone booth in Tomorrowland by Aunt Gravity’s Galactic Goodies. I can’t call home on it, but I sure do get a funny result when I dial the numbers.
One of my treasured memories was when my daughter and I sat down and shared a premium ice cream bar while the rest of my family went on Star Tours because my daughter was too short.
This is why we say our best travel tip is to plan to see what’s important to you, and realize you will not be able to do it all (Mouse Travel Tip Episode 1). That way when you go you will have time look around and enjoy the magic that is in the park. It also gives you a good excuse to come back to the park and try something new. For those that take their time to notice the magic, what have you noticed? Share it with us.
By Ray Pilgrim
