In March, we were fortunate enough to be able to go to Disney World (the one in Florida for you non-Disney people). It had been at least 25 years since I had been to Disney, and going as an adult is definitely different, and in some ways more rewarding than as a kid.
Every company selling anything today sells an "experience." It's why we pay $2 for our cup of coffee or $15 for pizza with a dancing mouse with our kids. Disney World is an experience in the literal and figurative sense, and has been from the time Walt Disney created it in 1971.
We spent a day each in Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom and Epcot. The prominent rides at each venue are terrific. From Test Track (where you ride in a car that gets up to 60 mph) to standby Space Mountain to Soarin' (where you have the sensation of flying across the California coast and countryside), these rides make the wait to get on them well worth it. But you can read about any of these and many others in any Disney guidebook.
At Disney, it's the details that matter. Every bus driver was friendly and courteous. Same for the hotel staff. Same for the people serving food at lunch. Same for the guy running the "It's a Small World" ride. Same for the people working at the 3-D Muppets Show. Over the few days on Disney property, we interacted with hundreds of Disney employees. All of them made you think that you were the most important person they were going to help that day.
Disney's employees don't just pay attention to the people who visit. They take care of the darn place. Everywhere you look it's clean. The bus - clean. The rooms - clean. The parks - clean. It's as if everything opened last week and you're one of the first people to see it. Oh, except Except Magic Kingdom is 40 years old.
When we visited Magic Kingdom, Ellie bought a Minnie Mouse at the gift shop. She left it on the chair in the hotel room while we went to Epcot the next day. We returned home from Epcot to find Minnie perched on Ellie's pillow. One small action by the woman cleaning our room will be remembered by a small girl (and her entire family) for the rest of our lives, along with the fantastic rides and interesting shows.
The rest of the world strives to create an "experience." Disney just does it every day.
