Reflections on Disney

I must confess that we were pretty much ignorant of Disney World before we met Leslie and Bill. We had been to Disneyland in California many years ago with the kids and were really not too impressed. I don't remember much other than the parade on Main Street.

Leslie grew up in Florida and spent a great deal of her childhood visiting the parks at Disney World. She could easily be described as a Disney fanatic. Since Bill met her, he has also become addicted. Leslie even bought me a copy of The American Original, Walt Disney, the official biography, for Christmas. It seems that Walt and his brother Roy, took everything they didn't like about the way Disneyland turned out and remedied it in the Florida parks, starting with quietly buying up a great more land then they had even thought about in California.

To start with, we had no idea that Disney World was actually a collection of both theme and water parks. To say nothing of all of the different hotels and resorts -- and restaurants!

Bill and Leslie had actually come to Florida this past winter in hopes of getting jobs with Disney. Unfortunately, Disney was not hiring temporary workers this winter, so it didn't pan out. But, they were the ideal folks to have as tour guides. They actually have had Annual Passes the past couple of seasons and have spent a great deal of the months they've been here hanging out -- and eating -- at the parks.

The strange thing about the way passes are priced is that the first day costs the most -- and then the price goes down for each day thereafter. Then you have to decide if you are going to park hop -- go to more than one park on the same day -- that costs more. The other odd thing is that the six day passes we bought had to be used within fourteen days of the first day they were used. Though I think the passes are incredibly pricey, once you are in the parks you are not charged further for any rides or shows. But, there is a gift shop literally at the end of every ride in every area!

Because of my love of plants and flowers, Leslie planned our trip around the dates of Epcot's Flower and Garden Show -- and we certainly enjoyed the many displays and especially the topiaries. We discovered the first day that we were NOT going to be able to comfortably cover the distances in the parks by walking. We rented an electric cart for Forry - with the expectation that we could trade off and both use it. That didn't work real well, so after that we rented two every day. It was pricey, but we would not have seen anywhere near as much of the parks without them as we did. Nor would we have been able to get back and forth to as many areas and rides as we did.

After three days at Epcot, we paid visits to the other parks. Once again, Leslie had meticulously planned out what attractions she thought we'd enjoy the most and made out a schedule. She also worked around the reservations she was able to make at some of the most remarkable restaurants. I'm sure that there were many things we saw that we would not have found on our own. (We even visited a couple of places that Bill and Leslie hadn't been to!)

I've come away with a different perspective about Disney. It reminds me of the many Sunday evenings we watched Walt Disney on the television with his castle shining behind him. I think if we lived anywhere close, we'd probably get annual passes. There is just so much to see and do! On the other hand, I'm not so sure that I'd enjoy it anywhere near as much without our great tour guides!