Things that Make Disney World So Special (Updated)

I am not exactly sure who I am directing this post towards.  Most of you that follow this blog are aware, I am sure,  that Walt Disney World is a special place and a most unique vacation.  So I guess I am hoping that this post will be shared with the doubters,  who insist on questioning why someone would even go there at such expense, and then dare to return time and time again.   I think you now know of the people of whom I speak. Here are six things that make it so special to we WDW devotees.

1. Walt Disney World has four distinct and separate theme parks, plus two additional water parks in one location.   Each park has a distinct theme and set of shows and attractions.  No where else in the world has this many in one spot.                                                     
2. On the Walt Disney World property there are about 30 hotels and resorts, both Disney and independently operated. The Disney Resorts  have unique themes, and they range in price from quite inexpensive to high end exorbitant. Our recent stay at Port Orleans Riverside just added extra magic to our vacation. There are even themed rooms including Finding Nemo, Little Mermaid, and pirates.                                        
3. The characters are phenomenal!  From the original group including Mickey and Minnie to both the classic and the latest Disney Princesses to the Pixar characters such as Buzz Lightyear, Lightening McQueen and Mike Wasowski to Star Wars and the Muppets, the opportunities are overwhelming.   I can only imagine that coming up with an idea for an attraction,  show or dining establishment to fit a character or movie, really inspires the creativity of Disney's imagineers. Character greetings in a variety of forms (please see a previous post) have become a staple of many a WDW trip.  And what surprises me most as an adult,  is how caught up we can get in meeting our favourite characters again.  You really start to act like a kid when you are there, which is a wonderful thing to have happen.                              
4. This last point brings me to the mix of the imagineers' creativity and technology in some of the attractions and shows that put them head and shoulders above everywhere else. For example, the technology used in Epcot’s Turtle Talk with Crush is amazing,  but since the show is so engaging and interactive,  you forget about how they do it, and focus on the magic of it.  I guess when you have no limits to either imagination nor budget (probably), what you can do goes to infinity and beyond!   Now there are some traditional style amusement park rides in WDW, and a few cheesy ones like Carousel of Progress, that seem to be stuck in a time warp, but it is the special attractions and shows that we tend not to forget.                                                                           
5. The dining options are both unique and numerous, from coffee and Dole Whip stands to the fanciest in fine dining and everything in between.  Just as the resorts are, many of them are themed on characters, movies, or just interesting ideas or concepts such as T Rex (dinosaurs) or Sci Fi Diner (eating in booths inside 1950s cars in a drive in theater showing sci fi clips).  What they really offer are experiences, whether it be visual, character greetings, or menu choices.  My most favorite experience is dining at California Grill during Happily Ever After Fireworks  (which is also another blog post topic).                                                                       
6. This leads perfectly into my next item--parades and fireworks shows.  First of all, the fact that they have these on a daily and nightly basis is unique enough.   But when you add in the scale and quality of parades such as the Festival of Fantasy in Magic Kingdom, and the night shows of MK's Happily Ever After and Epcot’s Illuminations of Earth, you realize how special these are.  I am not going to pretend that Walt Disney World's park admissions haven't risen to extreme levels, but these amazing parades and light and fireworks shows add a value that nowhere else matches, and therefore a cost too. And there are special parades and shows such as the one filmed in November but televised on Christmas Day, Christmas parade, which are highly anticipated too.  

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