Have a Magical Day!

We just returned from Disney World. I will admit that I went (somewhat) reluctantly. Grandma was persistent, and I knew the kids would adore it; we agreed to a short trip. And so, with fond memories of a childhood visit tucked in my back pocket and decades of snobby backlash against the evil mouse on my sleeve, we arrived in Orlando.

I have been converted. Disney is all about having fun, kids, imagination, and happy endings -- what's wrong with that? They aren't pretending to be real, in fact they make a show of being magical. They entertain, and they do it well. They keep grandmas smiling as easily as five-year-olds. It's quite an impressive accomplishment, really.

We spent two nights and one day in Disney World, and that was enough. We stayed on the grounds of the resort, which is so expansive it may be bigger than Boulder. Disney has four levels of accommodations: economy, moderate, luxury, and super-mega-expensive. We stayed at a moderate place, and it was perfect. We had a regular hotel room-type place in a garden apartment-type complex with a small refrigerator. Our room opened to a courtyard, though the 40 degree temperatures kept us from enjoying it much. Our complex (Caribbean Beach) had several small outdoor, heated pools and one large one with a zero-entry area, tube slides, waterfalls, and towers. There was a white-sand beach on a lake and a great playground. There was a mile-long running loop and a workout room. There was an on-site sit-down restaurant, a food court, and a (of course) a gift shop. The next level of accommodations down didn't have fridges in the room and lacked an on-site sit-down restaurant. I imagine that the next level up would have had more amenities: better shower soap, and maybe room service. All I know about the tippy-top level is that rooms start at $410 per night.

Disney World is more than just one place. There are four parks: The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. We spent our day at The Magic Kingdom, and that was perfect for a pair of five-year-olds. We rode a lot of rides including It's a Small World, a Peter Pan ride, Dumbo's elephants, and their very first roller coaster. We watched three parades, one show with Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty, and then later that night we had dinner with Cinderella. The girls were happy all day, even when exhausted. The cold temperatures and mid-day rain were a a bit of a drag, but they also kept the crowds away and the lines short.

Grandma and grandpa were with us too, in fact, grandma arranged the whole trip using as much intel as she could gather from her south Florida friends and office mates to make it a success. Grandpa (in his wheelchair) was a wonderful sport about it all, watching his granddaughters run circles of glee.

I'd long ago made my peace with the Disney products that touch kids' lives: the videos, the plastic, the merchandise. I figure that moderation, counter-balance, and a hefty dose of parental example keeps the mega-marketing influence to a minimum. But, I had a professional snobbery against Disney. They seemed to be the opposite of what I work to do, and without spending time thinking about why, I long-ago jumped into the Anti-Disney camp.

In the historical, interpretive museum industry we spend a lot of time fretting about authenticity and the visitor experience. How can we be engaging, but still real? How to make sure the visitor has a great time and yet discerns that the museum is different from, say, looking at the walls of a theme restaurant. In a museum, those cattle brands aren't props -- they're the real deal. And here's their story. And here's the cool thing about the person who used them.

Disney seemed to be the antithesis of this: they're unabashedly fake. They make stuff up, they embellish, they go for flash over substance. And yet, that fake-ness is what won me over: they aren't fooling anyone. No one thinks that's a real castle. Nobody thinks this is a real Main Street. And it's okay. Go on in. Suspend belief. Have fun. Shake Cinderella's hand. Watch the fireworks. Look at the walkers on stilts and wave at the dancers with identical haircuts. Walk through an enormous facility where there is absolutely no chipped paint and never a speck of litter or graffiti. Go to the bathroom through the door marked "princess" and hear every employee end every conversation with "have a magical day!" Disney is a complement to what I do, not a threat. They aren't a cop-out, they're a whole different experience. And there's room for both. In some ways, they may make the authenticity I peddle even more valuable.

They up the ante though. Everything these days does -- restaurants, TV shows, computer games, Wii -- it all ups the ante. Visitor expect to be entertained, really entertained. But that's another blog post.