The Walt Disney Treasure
Walt Disney was a veritable treasure trove of imagination and perseverance. Unfortunately his life was cut too short. But his words and vision live on.
So what did Walt consider to one of the greatest treasure…
The Story Behind The People Behind The Attractions: Imagineers
Walt Disney was no doubt a great man with great vision but he is not the only individual behind the movies and especially the parks that we have come to love. He had a team of some of the best and brightest individuals who did not just think outside of the box they threw the box away and the sky became the limit. These are the people we have come to know as imagineers.
Surprisingly the term did not originate with Walt Disney but with a company called Alcoa but the name will forever be linked to the Disney legacy. Obviously the term combines two words, imagine and engineers. Normally these two terms are not connected. Engineers are supposed to work on concrete fixed principles and people who imagine are supposed to be dreamers thinking of the impossible. Putting the two words together seems an odd fit but Disney not only did it on paper they did it in the real world. Imagineers come up with a dream and then make that dream come true.
Disney is no making a documentary about these individuals and their work and I for one am excited to get my hands on it. Check out this short clip about the imagineers and the upcoming documentary.
Spend Your Entire Vacation And Never Leave Disney World
Spend Your Whole Vacation In Disney World
Did you know that whether you are staying two days or two weeks Disney has eliminated the need to ever leave Disney property? They have gas stations, groceries, movies, restaurants and even a place to lay your head after a long day of having magical moments.
No you cannot stay in the Castle, although there is a suite in it, but you can stay within the confines of Walt Disney World for your entire vacation! There are a few options ranging from hotels to camping.
When it comes to hotels there are two classes, Disney owned and non-Disney owned. As you might guess the Disney owned ones tend to be a bit more expensive but they may just be worth it if it fits in your budget.
Disney does not call its hotels hotels. They call them resorts and in all fairness they are not like any other hotels Grumpy has ever stayed at. Some of them are destinations in and of themselves. In fact I like to have one day just at the resort to enjoy everything Disney offers.
- Port Orleans Riverside’s Riverside Mill Food Court
So what does Disney offer at its resorts? Let’s take a quick look.
If guests fly into Orlando International Airport they can arrange for several perks. By making the appropriate arrangements, a simple process really, Disney will take care of picking up your luggage and carry it from the airport to your resort room. They will also pick you up, via Disney’s Magical Express, and carry you to your resort. You do have to carry yourself to the room though. When it’s time to go bring your luggage down to the lobby and load it on the Magical Express and they will whisk you and your luggage back to the airport.
Each resort has its own theme. They range from child friendly (and decidedly adult repulsing in some ways) themes with over-sized bowling pins and cartoon characters at the value resorts to the Africa where giraffes may just peak in on you while you eat breakfast on your balcony at the Deluxe Animal Kingdom Lodge. There are a range of choices to suit both your tastes and your budget.
All of the Disney resorts have at least counter service, similar to fast food, offerings. These are offered food court style. Deluxe and Moderate resorts also have (or at least have reasonable access to) a sit down restaurant. Some of these are world class so be prepared to make reservations (which can be, and in some cases should be, made up to 180 days in advance of your check in.)
All Disney resorts also have pools. Some have multiple pools ranging from heavily themed large pools with slides to small quiet pools.
Each Disney resorts also has bus service to all of the theme parks, the water parks and Downtown Disney. They are glad to do the driving and parking while you relax. This service can be a little slow sometimes though and crowding is often an issue. You might have to stand for the ride but in my grumpy opinion it’s still better than trying to drive, navigate and park not to mention remembering where you park. But if you insist on driving your Disney will let you park for free for the duration of your stay.
The final perk to be mentioned here, and perhaps the best, is Extra Magic Hours. These are hours that a park is open only to Disney World Resort guests. The Extra Magic Hours are normally one hour before opening or up to three hours after closing for all non-resort guests. As you might expect this cuts down on the line size, especially the morning magic hours when so many guests opt to sleep in but Grumpy is up and running! On one visit Mr and Mrs Grumpy had ridden Aerosmith five times before most people could get into the park! Extra Magic Hours are offered for at least one park per day but during busy season sometimes one park opens early and one stays open late.
Disney’s Resorts are broken into three categories, Value, Moderate and Deluxe. As you probably guessed their is a big difference in price from value to Deluxe. In any case they are all listed below. In future updates we will be giving each resort its own article.
Value
- All-Star Movies- The movies are celebrated with oversize tributes to movies.
- All-Star Music
- All-Star Sports
- Art of Animation Resort
- Pop Century Resort
Moderate
- Caribbean Beach
- Coronado Springs
- Ft. Wilderness Cabins
- Port Orleans Riverside
- Port Orleans French Quarter
Deluxe
- Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Beach Club Resort
- Boardwalk Inn
- Contemporary Resort
- Grand Floridian Resort
- Polynesian Resort
- Wilderness Lodge
- Yacht Club Resort
Disney Vacation Club (You do not have to be a member to rent one if it’s available!)
- Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas
- Bay Lake Tower (At the Contemporary)
- Beach Club Villas
- Boardwalk Villas
- Old Key West Resort
- Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- Wilderness Lodge Villas
Can I Be Like Peter Pan?
The problem with some old people is not they they grow old but that they grew up! Sure we have responsibilities and we should meet them. Sure we don’t move as fast or as far maybe but does that mean we have to grow up? No Way! We cannot forget to laugh, love and enjoy life. If we do the child inside us dies and what a tragedy that is. The kind of people who do that remind me of Mr. Fredrickson from up. Don’t be a Mr Fredrickson!
Oh That I Could Take This Advice
But, alas, I am a procrastinator! Tomorrow I am turning over a new leaf though!
Walt On Why You Work
Working for money is a necessity for most of us. There are bills to be paid. Wouldn’t it be great, though, if we could just work for enjoyment?
Walt Disney Comments On Worrying
If you are like grumpy, you always worry if what you have done is good enough. That is the wrong thing to worry about, worry about doing your best. If you have done your best and that is not good enough for someone that is their problem not yours. After all you can only do what you can do. So do your best and let the rest take care of itself.
Win a Night In Cinderella’s Suite!
Disney World Vacation Sweepstakes Including a Night In The Cinderella Suite!
How sweet would it be to spend the night inside the Magic Kingdom in the Cinderella Suite? Well you would probably think your own personal fairy godmother had gave you a little of that magic treatment. It could happen with this Disney World Sweepstakes though! You could be the very lucky winner of a trip to Walt Disney World including a night in the Cinderella Suite.
The contest runs through August 26 and you can enter ONCE PER DAY!
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