why I love Disney

Where do I begin? My fascination started in late January 2004 when I was in a frenzy planning for a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort (WDW) in Orlando FL for March Break of that year. My DH and I were actually trying to figure out a place to go for our first ever, non-cottage-up-north family vacation, and we were aware of the option of WDW, but started out not that keen on the idea. We considered a few destinations, even cruises, but could not find anything that was as family friendly and reasonably priced, with the promise of warmth and sunshine as WDW.
Well as I started researching, what can I say? Something in me apparently just snapped! I just went completely wild finding as much information as I could possibly find - I joined a couple of Yahoo groups about Disney, lurked in a few other Disney discussion forum sites, searched avidly through Disney information websites such as All Ears and the Mouse for Less. Oh, and I even joined the Disboards too - that's not always the most friendly place, but you can learn a lot there. Needless to say, I found an incredible amount of information - and after sifting through it, sharing my brilliant findings with my family - kind of drove my DH around the bend with it all - we managed to have a fabulous, and *yes* magical time. Eight nights, nine days, staying at Disney's Port Orleans Riverside Resort (POR) on the Silver Wishes plan. Ooooh those Wishes were truly magical things - we redeemed them for amazing meals at places like California Grill (on the 15th floor of the Contemporary Resort), the Brown Derby at MGM (now Disney's Hollywood Studios, DHS), Flying Fish Café at Disney's Boardwalk Resort (BW), and so on. And we also redeemed those wishes for some amazing art pieces - a crystal Mickey sitting on some film canisters, a cute sculptural vignette of Walt's desk with Mickey in his various stages of development...and some gifts for family when we got home. We just fell in love with the four main theme parks - we had so much fun exploring them! And we were blown away by the level of service we experienced. We literally found that if we stood still and looked even slightly puzzled, in a moment a Cast Member (CM) - the name for employees at the Disney parks - would ask us if we needed help. That was unbelievable!
I had read a bit here and there about Disney's Vacation Club (DVC) prior to our trip - mostly that it was their version of a timeshare, and that DVC members (as they are referred to) qualified for lots of great discounts. Well, nearing the end of our trip, curiosity got the better of me and I wandered up to one of the (countless) DVC kiosks onsite - the next thing you know DH, our older son and I (we only had him at that point) are being picked up by a DVC van and brought to Disney's Beach Club Resort (BC) for a tour of the DVC models and an information session. We were assigned a very helpful and friendly 'Guide' - DVC's name for a salesperson. She could not have been less pushy as she showed us all about DVC. We learned that like most things Disney, DVC could be affordable - of course, also like Disney - you can spend almost limitless amounts on it too ;-) All of this certainly made sense if we planned to continue to visit WDW, or other Disney destinations in future years. So shortly after we returned home from that first historic WDW vacation we made the decision to commit to future Disney family vacations and purchased a DVC membership - at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa (SSR). We haven't really looked back. I do know that without the DVC membership we certainly wouldn't have been able to take family vacations with everything else that has been going on. It was a great decision.
The other thing that happened after we returned home, besides the DVC membership, is I got even more involved with online Disney groups. I researched every way I could to save money on future Disney vacations - and to squeeze more into our vacations too. I have learned a tremendous amount, but one thing that happened - that I wasn't expecting at all - was to meet entire communities of people online who are at least as passionate about Disney as I am - many even more so. Many of these people I have gotten to know over the past - gee, I guess it's now over *five* years!! - and am pleased and honoured to call them friends. That part is especially exciting to me. My Disney friends live all over the globe, and I have even managed to meet several of them in person. It is a lot of fun to do meets. I look forward to doing many more of them. Someday I hope to attend one of the huge Disney meets, such as the Magic Meets held in the summer in Pennsylvania, or Mousefest, usually held annually in December at WDW (but not this year), or maybe the RADP (Rec Arts Disney Parks - one of the original online Disney groups) meet - also in December at WDW.
Another goal I have is to someday visit other Disney Parks. So far we've visited WDW six times and Disneyland Resort (DL) in Anaheim CA once. There is still a tremendous amount we have not done even at WDW, believe it or not, so I look forward to many future visits to WDW too. I think DL Tokyo and Disney Seas in Japan look very interesting, and then there is EuroDisney...oh, and now DL in HongKong. And don't even get me started about Disney Cruises - these look just completely awesome! Then there are these new Adventures by Disney too. I'm not quite convinced touring with AbD is a perfect match for us, but everything I have read about them makes them seem amazing....but they are $$$$$. So far there is no AbD for Less ;-) I think a cruise is in our future long before any AbD, but these are all something to dream about.
And this brings me back to something else I love about Disney. There are loads of things you can dream about with Disney vacations. We have many many treasured memories of wonderful family moments at both WDW and DL so far. We look forward to making many more of these in the years to come. I feel I can count on Disney vacations for the family friendly aspect of them and also for the quality. We have been truly impressed with our experiences at Disney with only a very few exceptions. And when our experiences have been less than stellar, as soon as we have let them know, Disney has done their very best to correct the issues. If it weren't really fun and full of new things to see and do, I don't think we would be visiting WDW repeatedly, that is for sure. It's just plain fun, and it gives us something to look forward to. Knowing we will be returning sure makes the end of our Disney vacations a *lot* less painful too.
There is an amazing variety of things to see and do at WDW - even after six visits I feel there is a tremendous amount that we haven't managed to fit in so far. And then there are our favourites - things we've seen or done that are just so much fun, we can't wait to do them again. I love Soarin' at Epcot - partly because I also happen to have a love for the places in California that are shown, but also for the experience of feeling like I'm flying through the air with the wind in my hair. Chocolate milkshakes and other treats at Ghirardelli's in Downtown Disney (DTD). Riding Dumbo and Peter Pan with our sons.. And so far, even It's a Small World - so many people say this is just awful - but I always come out of it smiling. Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Buzz Lightyear...and The Castle! And aside from Soarin' and the milkshakes, all of those are just in the Magic Kingdom at WDW...There are things we love in every single one of the four WDW main parks. We haven't even managed to visit one of the water parks yet - or see Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba at Downtown Disney. In fact I haven't even tried most of the big 'thrill' type rides so far - on our trips it was either too difficult to wait with little kiddos, or I was pregnant. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it ;-) There are quite a few restaurants we have not tried there yet either...there are well over 100 restaurants onsite. Dining at WDW is an adventure too, if you are into great dining - although some say the quality is not what it used to be - that darned Disney Dining Plan!!! And there is more - so much more...parasailing, golf, shopping, shows....So, I think, or at least *hope* you can start to see what I'm so fascinated with.
The other aspect of our Disney vacations I just have to mention is that we are there as a family, together, with nothing else going on...we get to spend all this fun time together, relaxing and (for the most part) enjoying each other's company. Every once in a while there are bumps - some of us tend not to get enough sleep while on vacation and it makes us grumpy after a few days 8-* ...but nothing so serious that some time at the resort pool and a good ol' nap can't cure.
So there it is...one of my passions. I don't expect anyone else to join me in my obsession, but maybe, just maybe you will understand it and tolerate it a little better.