Tuesday, November 10, 2009

I'm Back!

Well it's been far too long since I've blogged last. I want to say it's because of my busy schedule but to be honest it's more of a mix between buying a Wii and also some self induced misery (and we all know Disney should not be mixed with misery). But I'll put personal matters aside and get blogging.

... Actually I think I will make this entry a bit more personal than usual. There's plenty of exciting going ons in the Disney company right now, and I'll let you know what I think about those in future posts, but for now let me tell you about my recent Walt Disney World Vacation! Well I guess for me it was more of a "staycation" as they call it, considering I live in Florida and work at Disney World. Plus I worked a few times last week. But I did stay at a WDW Resort!

My Walt Disney World Vacation

My parents decided to come down and visit me so we booked a week at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground. I use the term campground lightly as we were hardly roughing it. For one here are some pictures of our cabin... er... tent:

We had 2 queen size air matresses in there, a fridge, a microwave, and even closets! Not to mention we were staying at a Disney facility, which means the bathrooms were beautiful and almost always spotless, well organized transportation, and good places to eat nearby. Also there's something else I noticed that made the experience all the more magical:

Campers are Generally Nicer People

We live in a high stress society. So much so that even our "vacations" are high stress. This is particularly evident at any of Disney's Value Resorts. Tons of screaming children whose parents are rushing them every which way. "Our 15 minute nap is over time to swim for five minutes grab a bite to eat at the snack bar and get on the bus back to the Magic Kingdom now let's MOVE MOVE MOVE!"

Then you move up the the moderate resorts where people are spending a bit more, and rightfully deserve a better facility and more comfort. Unfortunately rather than enjoying their time relaxing with their family they are too busy looking for anything that might go wrong on their trip. "We had to wait 10 minutes for our bus. 10 MINUTES!"

And of course there's the Deluxe Resorts. People who need pampering at all times. Don't get me wrong they aren't necessarily bad people, I just don't see the appeal. "I just got here and there is a wrinkle in one of my bed sheets. I am not paying for this room."

I guess it only makes sense that campers would be friendlier. They have a better sense of what's important. Don't make a fuss over the insignificant things and all that. "We want to have a good time away from the troubles of the world, and we can enjoy the beauty of our surroundings while doing it."

Every morning on the way to the shower I received many friendly greetings. Not from cast members, but from other guests! People aren't afraid to come up and join in friendly chatter or help set up a tent. It's like everyone knows if you are easy going enough to camp in the first place then we won't have any problems getting along.

I Haven't Even Mentioned What We Did Last Week

Enough about where we stayed. I should mention all the fun that we fit in around my work and school schedule. The first night we made a spur of the moment decision to see the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue, a dinner show right at the Fort Wilderness Campground. It is a lot of fun, plus family style all you can eat of some of the best ribs and mashed potatoes I've ever had. The next night I took my parents to see Cirque Du Soleil: La Nouba, which always amazes me (also it was my parent's first time seeing it, so they could check it off the list of things all Disney fans must do). I made reservations at Ohana's, another family style meal at Disney's Polynesian Resort. Delicious. On Sunday we ate at Disney Hollywood Studio's 50s Prime Time Cafe and absolutely loved it.

We also did all the parks, of course... but as always the biggest highlights for me was the food. Speaking of which we had a great time at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, where I had the opportunity to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day as it was the 5th of November.


Well I could say so much more, but unfortunately I have a lot of schoolwork to catch up on. I promise to blog again soon!