Scouting Orlando – The Arrival °o° *•._.•* ‘ *•._.•* °o°

In planning for our relocation to Central Florida, Mark and I felt that we needed to budget in a trip to the area for scouting and research to make sure this was the right thing for us to do.  We visited the Orlando area March 23^rd to the 31^st of 2012... 

Our flight to Orlando was scheduled to leave at 11pm. We were due to arrive in Orlando at 4am Friday morning. We figured that with even an early check-in we would not get a room before 11am, so we planned on taking our time picking up our luggage, checking in with Hertz for the rental car and maybe getting a bit of breakfast in our future home.

The flight over to Florida was about 3 ½ hours, but I didn’t sleep for one minute which was hard considering I fall asleep at 10:00pm on the dot when I have to get up for work the next morning.  It was a packed flight, full of Spring Breakers heading to Orlando for the theme parks. They weren’t a rowdy bunch, thank goodness, but it did mean a lot of people to maneuver around and wait for loading and unloading.

Mark and I anticipated the extra charge to check our luggage, so we planned to share our larger suitcase so that we would only have to check one bag. Everything else we were able to carry on (lap top, and a carry-on bag each). Still, $50 bucks each way is not chump change!

Four hours later, we were searching for the luggage carousel that would spit out our green suitcase. This is a big airport compared to ones I’ve been to, and we didn’t find the signage very user friendly. After a few wrong turns, and what felt like a mile of hiking, we had baggage in hand and started the trek to the rental car counters.  Of course, Hertz was the furthest one down, but was thankfully empty of people.  The rental agent was nice enough, tried to upsell the vehicle without mentioning an extra charge (she made it sound like she had a nicer vehicle on hand, and was going to upgrade as a courtesy).  We declined, and found that we were happy with what we got.

Walking through the outside of the airport at 4:30 in the morning, excited to be in the city that we will be moving to eventually, all of our senses were alert.  We noticed a light fog around the area, something you rarely see in Phoenix.  That temperature at that hour was on the cool side of lukewarm, but the humidity was noticeable.  We didn’t know if the humidity that morning was high, or low, but we were both surprised that it was humid at all considering the cool temperature. 

During the 20 minute drive from the airport to the Radisson Hotel Orlando we soaked in the view of the environment, lots of grass, lots of small bodies of water, certainly more tree-life that in our desert home. 

I was pleased to discover that Orlando did not have a strange smell when we got off the plane.  Sometimes, you may find that a strange city has a scent (Phoenix smells like dust sometimes, and when it rains, it’s a distinctive dirt smell).  Certain parts of the valley has a lot of horse property, so in the morning hours, you will smell manure for miles.

(The crystal chandelier from the lobby of the Carlton)

We arrived at the hotel by 7am after a quick breakfast at a nearby Waffle House.  We were pleasantly surprised that the staff was able to put us into a room right away.  We were very happy with the room; a nice size, clean and with nice décor.  I have to admit that both of us were drop-dead tired, so after a quick wash up, we both dropped onto the bed and slept until late afternoon.

The first day of our Scouting Orlando trip had begun with a nap!

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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Why Florida & Not California? °o° *•._.•* ‘ *•._.•* °o°

When I made my announcement to my friends and family a couple of months ago, one of my friends asked me “Why Florida and not California?”.  A fair question, because we did think about that.

Mark and I have been to Disneyland in California several times together. We both have countless visits to the West coast parks logged in before we even met, but we have only been to Florida a couple of times each, and never together (until recently on our Scouting Orlando trip). 

When the idea started to gel that we wanted to move to another state, and then the idea to live near Disney started to percolate, Florida was the first place that popped into my mind.  We both dearly love Disneyland because of the intimacy of the park, as well as the history and nostalgia of the original, but there were a lot of factors to weigh in against.

My first concern about relocating to California was about the cost of living. From what I have read, and what friends have told me, it costs a LOT to live there.  I realize that income may be commensurate to the cost of living there, but I would rather make a lateral move than to try to win an uphill battle.  In addition to that, we want to own our home.  With the cost of real estate anywhere in the state of California, it would be totally prohibitive.

We had to ask ourselves where were we likely to find more available jobs as well?  With Florida’s unemployment rate as low as it is right now, I have been keeping tabs on a regular basis, and I have been seeing recent signs of improvement.  It’s staying even with Arizona’s rate, which are both slightly better than California’s.  The cost of living index is very similar to ours here in Phoenix. This doesn’t guarantee either of us a job of course, but I think both Mark and I are more competitive with our job skills in Florida, then we would be in California.

By size comparison, our “intimate” park is approximately 1 square mile in total.  That includes both parks (Disneyland and California Adventure) and downtown Disney.  Disney World is 47 square miles!  One of the questions friends ask is “Don’t you think you’ll get tired of Disneyland”?  Well, in truth, we might. With as much as Disney World has to offer, however, we can move from park to park to park.  Add in two water parks, Downtown Disney, DisneyQuest, the upcoming Pleasure Island as well as all of the other parks in the vicinity, and beaches on either coast (don’t forget the Florida Keys and Miami) I don’t think we’re going to be bored!

Now let’s talk weather.  I guess no one would choose scorching heat and dripping humidity over the breezy, mild climate of Southern California. But when you consider where we are coming from, we are trading hot-as-hell for hot-as-hell (if you will pardon the phrase).  In Phoenix, you spend your summer months indoors as much as possible, and you run from air conditioning to air conditioning as quickly as you can.  I imagine it will be the same when we get to the tropical heat of central Florida, but the difference is that we will be living less than 30 minutes away from Disney World (and we will have a pool in the back yard)!

It wasn’t a quick and easy decision. We wanted to make an informed one, so we have done a lot of research, and have discussed endless scenarios. I think we both have fallen in love with the idea of living in a state that is so much different from the one we live in. 

Besides, Mark is scared of earthquakes.

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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Where in the Parks Are We???? °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

One of my favorite past-times when I am visiting the park is taking pictures to add to my collection.  Among others, some of the primary categories I am always keeping an eye out for are:

1. Where in the Parks ARE We?
2. Disney Parks Without People
3. Disney Fan Art
4. Hidden Mickeys
5. Disney Park Architecture

Periodically, I'll add 5 or 10 photos at a time, the link to the entire collection will be at the bottom of the post.



This photo blog is all about category #1.  There are three answers for each photo:

1. Can you identify the Park
2. Can you name the area (or "land")
3. Can you pinpoint the exact location of the following pictures that I took?

Click here:  Where in the Parks ARE We? - Entire Photo Collection enjoy. * Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!
Mouseketeer Ken
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(Thanks to Mouseketeer Phil for sending the glitter Mickey)

What if You Could Be a Different Person? °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

Have you ever dreamt about running away from your life, and starting somewhere else, brand new?  A fresh start, but maybe this time you're a different person.  Maybe you'll change your hair color and style, maybe buy some colored contacts so that your eyes are blue instead of green.  Maybe you'll drop 80 pounds before you arrive so you can really change your appearance!

 

I'm not talking about impersonating, or stealing someone's identity.  I'm talking about making changes in your life that you may have been too frightened, or intimidated, or just not sure you could even pull off. You hear about people who have been in traumatic accidents, who then begin speaking with a foreign dialect, or even foreign language, but what if you could do it by choice?

And if you're going to change your looks, while you're at it why not change your personality? Maybe you know that you have a habit of showing up late, or twisting your hair, or laughing a little too loudly at dumb jokes.  Making a major move and starting over someplace new would be a perfect opportunity to make these kinds of adjustments.

 

Maybe even go by a new name, or nickname. Something you've always liked, but never caught on for some reason.

 

Maybe you've lived in the same part of town for years, and you're just tired of your job-you're not making a lot of money, there are no promotions on the horizon, and you're just sick of the politics. In fact, maybe you hate your job.  If you had the chance to move to a new state, a new part of the country, maybe things would be different…

 

I have all of these thoughts.  Some of them I will never do, but it still fun to run with the idea.

 

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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You Know Everything About Disney! (Part 2 of 2) °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

(Continued itinerary)

On the other side of the park is Tomorrowland.  Make sure you don’t miss the Small World ride on your way there.  The best rides for kids in Tomorrowland is the Little Nemo Submarine ride, Astro Blasters (it’s a Buzz Lightyear themed shooting ride), Captain EO (Michael Jackson 3D movie), and Autopia.  They also have a fun outdoors Star Wars show for kids; they bring up 10 or 12 kids to learn how to be Jedi’s.

Speaking of Small World… If you are going to catch a parade while you are there, try to see it in the curb area in front Small World.  It gets very crowded on Main Street, and you won’t need to walk all the way across the park to get back.

The rides I would avoid for young kids are: Star Tours (very shaky and causes motion sickness), the rollercoasters (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Matterhorn, etc.), The Mad Tea Party (just spins for 5 minutes). I would AVOID “Innoventions”-it’s a walk-through display about futuristic inventions and is very boring.

Something to remember is that there is a train that circles the park all day long.  If you need to go from one land to another, use the train!  You will love the ride, and your feet will love you! There are 5 or 6 stops all around the park.

Something else to see is Pixie Hollow to meet Tinkerbell.  Once you enter the area, you are the size of a fairy and you can take pictures and chat with Tink and her friends.

One last thing is that you should check into is using the Fast Passes. On certain rides (usually the adult ones like Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, etc., but Pirates and Winnie Pooh does, too), you use your ticket to scan the bar code on the back. It will print out a ticket with a time range printed on it.  When you return to the ride during that time frame you get to move to the head of the line.  These are FREE, and will save a LOT of time standing in line if there are rides you want to go on. The map you get when you enter the park will tell you what rides offer Fast Passes. 

Have fun at the park!  I wish I was there with you!

What do you think, Mouseketeers?  Did I steer her right with things to do for children under the age of five?  What other attractions would you guide her family to?

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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You Know Everything About Disney! (Part 1 of 2) °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

Quite often my friends tell me, “I really want to go to Disneyland WITH YOU. You know so much about it.  Can you make any suggestions for my next visit?”  I would often type out an itinerary to follow for a one day visit just to Disneyland (most of the people who have asked for my suggestions only go to Disneyland for a day or two, since the drive to Anaheim from Phoenix is only about 6 ½ hours… and they rarely ask me about California Adventures-maybe that's another post!)

I don’t know the Disney World parks as well as Disneyland (something that will change in the coming years, of course), so if you are a Disney World person, you can make some comparison notes if you like. 

My most recent request was for a family of 4 in which the children they were taking were 2 and 4 years old (which I often joke is awfully young for Disneyland-more on that in a later post), so this itinerary was tailored to that:

After you have arrived and have explored Main Street, I would go straight to Sleeping Beauty’s castle; it’s at the end of Main Street (you can’t miss it).  When you walk through the castle, you can explore all of Fantasy Land.  Everything in there should be great for a 2- and 4-year old (although Snow White’s ride can be a little scary for them-it depends on how sensitive they are).  Don’t forget the Dumbo ride and Alice in Wonderland.  I also love the Storybook Land ride; it’s a slow boat ride around miniatures of several of the Disney houses from the animated films.

Your next stop should be Critter Country.  It’s right next to Frontier land, and they have the Winnie the Pooh ride, and you will have a good chance of meeting Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore there.  I think your family will love everything about Frontierland and Adventureland which is right next to Critter Country.  The only ride that the young ones will not be able to go on is the Indiana Jones ride:  it’s VERY fast, and will probably have a height requirement. The Jungle Cruise is perfect and is right next to Indiana Jones.  There is another small “land” there called “New Orleans Square” where you can find The Pirates of the Caribbean ride and the Haunted Mansion.  I think the Haunted Mansion might be pretty scary for a 2 and 4 year old.. it’s dark and gloomy all the way through with a LOT of dead things and skeletons.  I would skip it if the kids are sensitive to scary things. This area is also where Tiana from the Princess and the Frog will show up sometimes to sing. 

Nearby in Critter Country, there is a nice place to eat, too.  The Hungry Bear Restaurant has burgers, but they also have healthier meals like roasted chicken sandwiches-you can sit and wave at passers-by on the Mark Twain Riverboat.  If you want a really fun dinner, look into the Big Thunder Ranch Barbecue.  They are All-You-Can-Eat BBQ chicken and ribs, cole slaw, ranch beans and cornbread, smoked sausage and corn on the cob - $24.99 per person, but we really loved it.

Ready for the second half of the day?

.... to be continued on Monday!

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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Coming Out of the Disney Closet °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

 

I haven’t really explained the timeline for the move.  It’s no wonder people look at me strangely when I say we’re moving in the Fall of 2013!  Heck, they might have a 5th park build in Florida by that time!

We came to that date by talking through several things that need to happen.  Since Mark got out of the Army in 2006, he is taking advantage of his school benefits, and he’s following his passion by going to culinary school at the Art Institute of Phoenix. He started the program in July of 2011, and he anticipates graduation to be in the spring of 2013.

The move is really dependent on his landing a job in the Central Florida area, if not with the Disney Corporation.  We agree that we would be making a huge mistake if we moved across country without either of us having some job prospect.  He plans on making connections through his school’s placement program to either intern, or be placed at a resort in the area.  Disney also offers a student intern program that he is hoping to take advantage of. 

Since Mark will likely be moving to Orlando first, we will have to set him up in an apartment, if his internship program doesn’t have student housing. 

The next step is listing the house.  We have heard that despite the scorching summer heat, homes in Phoenix generally sell faster in the summer.  Any families that are home hunting want to search while their children are out of school, and they will want to be moved before school starts so they can settle in. 

Assuming things follow along that train of thought, I may have to empty my house by early August. 

Another delay comes because of my job.  I work for a company that does a huge amount of seasonal business.  Since the busiest time of year is August through mid-October, I really want to take advantage of the nearly unlimited overtime pay that I am able to. It’s thousands of dollars more in my pocket if I can stay in town. The challenge will be if I have to be out of my house in August. If I do, I will have to find temporary housing myself. 

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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Follow your Bliss °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

“Listen with your heart, you will understand.” -- Pocahontas

Why SHOULDN’T we move to be near Disney?

Many times the first response I hear when I tell someone we’re moving to Florida to be near Disney is an outright laugh, or a snort.  That’s ok, I don’t mind it, sometimes I even think it sounds like an odd decision.

There was an author and orator by the name of Joseph Campbell who appeared in interviews on a PBS series and later published the transcripts called “The Power of Myth”, who coined the philosophical term “Follow Your Bliss”.  The phrase has permeated pop culture, and most people are aware of it; but most aren’t aware of the rest of what he was saying.  He said:

“Follow your bliss. If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open the doors to you. I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be. If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else." 

This philosophy touches me deeply and causes me to reflect on what I find blissful in my life.  These are things I return to time after time.

• Disney
• Theatre
• Art and drawing
• Reading
• Love
• When Mark gets home from work
• When our dog rests his head on my lap
• Christmas
• Halloween
• Mashing any combination of these things into one!

I don't think very many of us follow our bliss.  We may visit it as a hobby, or we may be too frightened to disrupt what we already know.  As an experiment, I took the words “your bliss” and replaced them with the word “Disney”.  Now it reads:

“Follow Disney. If you do follow Disney, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of Disney, and they open the doors to you. I say, follow Disney and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be. If you follow Disney, doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else." 

Who is say that Disney does not qualify as “bliss”?  Mark and I both find happiness and fulfillment from everything that Disney has to offer, on a daily basis.  It’s not just amusement parks, or animated movies. It’s a sense of community, a feeling of nostalgia, the longing to share those feelings with other people. Snort all you want my friend, but the signs were there all along.  You won’t snort when you want a place to stay when you come to Disney World on vacation, and we have a spare room for you!

What is your bliss? What is your passion? What makes you happiest in life?  Are you following it?  Please comment.

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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Showin’ Some Disney Love! °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

“Now, think of the happiest things.  It’s the same as having wings”

 – Peter Pan   

One of my earliest memories of Disney was visiting the park with my Grandparents, two Aunts and my parents when I was 6 or 7 years old.  I remember it was a rainy day, and I was holding hands with my Aunt Pam and Aunt Amber who are each 8-10 years older than me, while they swung me along between them by my arms, lifting me up higher so I would land in the next water puddle.  I distinctly remember doing this along Main Street.

Another memory is of my Aunt Pam offering to buy me a souvenir, as long as it was within her budget.  I remember wanting a teddy bear very badly, and I found a tan bear that perfectly fit the “type” of teddy that my young mind insisted they should look like.  It was the epitome of the classic teddy, in my opinion.  Unfortunately, it cost more than what my Aunt wanted to pay, but after some discussion, during which I was clearly unrelenting, I got the bear I really wanted, much to the dismay of my Aunt and her empty pocketbook.  The best part of the story is that I still have that little bear to this day, and I’ve managed to keep it in pretty good condition!  Here is a picture of my 35 year old Teddy.  I believe we found him in a store on Main Street:

I’d have to admit that a lot of my memoires of Disneyland and Disney World have run together and I am unable to associate the memories with a specific trip or park, especially those from my childhood.  A few of my memories have proven to be gleaned from photographs (which tell me they may not even be an actual memory).

Additional early Disney impressions:

I don’t remember much about the day, but I remember that by night time, I was worn out and my father carried me out to the parking lot on his shoulders, while I was crying.  I remember my mother scolding me, saying “Your father is tired, too, but he is still carrying you.  Stop crying”.

Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade left a huge impression on me, and I wanted very badly to be in the parade.  I most wanted to be Pete, sitting on top of his green and pink dragon, Elliott.  I couldn’t think of a more exciting job than one where you could have soot on your face and clothes and get to ride on a brightly lit dragon, all while he swooped his neck over audiences, spouting smoke at them as well!  As I got a little bit older, my longing moved from the dusty urchin, to one of the Royal Court dancers who minuet behind Prince Charming.

A favorite ride of mine that has since gone the way of the Phantom Boats and the Chicken of the Sea Restaurant is the Adventure Thru Inner Space ride from Tomorrowland where you are shrunk and projected into the tiny world of molecules.  I still remember the giant blinking eye looking down at you through the microscope as well as the queue line display of the already miniaturized people who were in line ahead of you, sitting in their tiny buggies, showing us that we were next to be shrunk down to the size of an atom.  Each little guest figurine dressed in different clothes and hats to convince you further that the shrink ray was real.

I borrowed the photo above from a blog site that is all about Star Tours (which is on the same site that ATIS used to be). Thanks, www.endorexpress.net

Another attraction was the Circle-Vision 360° panoramic film “America the Beautiful”, where you stood in the center of the room and could watch the landscape in every direction. I remember that I couldn’t last very long without getting seasick! 

Above photos is the poster for the "America the Beautiful" attraction.  The next photo is the facade from the late 70's when I would have seen it.  photo source: www.DisneylandPostcards.com

What are your earliest memoires?  Do you have Disney images in your head from your childhood?  Remember any of the by-gone attractions?  Send them in.

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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On the Hunt for InspEARation °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

I recently stumbled across a website/blog called www.thedisneydrivenlife.com, a site driven by people who feel the need to be near Disney.  In one of the one-hour “webisodes” the 3 hosts chat with guests and each other about their experiences of “moving to Disney”, some having already made the trip, others in the planning stages, others still dreaming away.

The Disney Driven Life

This site was a great source of inspiration and motivation; there are other people out there who are just like me.  It begins to boggle the mind when I think about how often I have visited Disneyland in California and assumed that every single guest was like me; visiting from another state or even country.  How many of the thousands of people live less than 30 minutes away and can drive over for a few hours any time they want?

When I was in my early 20’s I was on a Disneyland vacation, and I remember sitting alone along the curb on Main Street saving a spot for my friends to sit and watch the parade that was scheduled to start in about 45 minutes.  I think the parade that year was the Light Magic “Streetacular” (quick research shows that it was actually Summer 1997, when I was in my very late 20’s, not my early), a spectacle which was to replace the iconic Main Street Electrical Parade.  A woman came up with her 8-year-old son and asked if there was room for them as well as my group.  Of course I made room, and we struck up a conversation. She told me about how cute the show was.  I asked her if it was the end of her visit to Disney (again, assuming that she had travelled here from some very long distance) and she said, “Oh, no. I live here.  I just brought my son to see the show because he hasn’t seen it yet.  I come 2 or 3 times a week.”  She must have seen my eyes bugging out of my head before I got it back together and asked her what that was like, to be an annual pass holder.  Her answer could not have better formed the foundation of my yet-to-be-formed “Move to Disney” philosophy.  She replied, “I love it.  Sometimes I will come and sit on a bench for lunch and then go home to pick up my son from school, or we will come in the evening, just to see the parade.”  Can you imagine having the opportunity to just drop by the happiest place on earth just for lunch or to see a show?!?  I want that life.

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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How did we come up with the great idea to move to Florida? (PART 2) °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

– Walt Disney

HOW DID WE COME UP WITH THE GREAT IDEA TO MOVE TO FLORIDA?

Part 2

The idea to “move to Disney” came the next weekend, but it felt like a real “duh” moment.  For a solid year Mark and I had been talking about Colorado being the place to relocate to because we both want a change of scenery and a fresh start in a new location. We are both “done” with Phoenix, Arizona, as it were.  I have a life-long friend who lives near Colorado Springs who loves the area and was willing to show us the town so she suggested we visit sometime when the winter snow had cleared away.

I was looking forward to seeing my friend.  However, the next day at work I was sitting idle at my desk before the busy part of the day was to begin. As I have done in the past, I was fantasizing about the notion of being able to go to the park every day if I so chose. Sigh...  if only I lived near the park.

It didn't come yet. 

On my lunch break that afternoon, I was web surfing through a very informative website called www.city-data.com.  This site compiles a great deal of information about whatever city you might be interested in researching.  I decided to research a bit about Denver, Colorado, since Mark and I were considering it as a place to live, and compare the stats to Phoenix.  While I was clicking through various links, it occurred to me to look up the area of Florida that Disney World is in just for fun.  Click. Click. Click.  Pause.

Duh.  There was my moment.  Can you smell the wood burning?

Suddenly everything on my mind was Orlando, Orlando, Orlando, and a key thought continued to play in my head like the Small World theme song: “If we are going to start over by moving to a new state, why are we not moving closer to Disney? Denver looks nice, but moving there would be like moving to Phoenix all over again."

And the thought that sealed the deal was that if we moved to Colorado Springs, we would be no closer to realizing the life-long fantasy of being a Disney World annual pass holder!

Comments are welcome.  Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken 

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How Did We Come Up With the Great Idea to Move to Florida? (PART 1) °o° *•._.•* '

The drawing that I posted yesterday (Sleeping Beauty's Castle) was one that I finished in September of 2011.  I am a pen and pencil artist, and Disney art is my favorite to create. It was drawn with pen and ink, in a style called "stippling" or "pointilism"; and if you look close, you will see that it was drawn in thousands of tiny dots.  Nothing but dots.  Lots and lots and LOTS of DOTS!

Part 1

One lazy weekend afternoon just about a year ago I was wondering how many residents of Orlando or Florida had moved there just to be near Disney.  It lead me to also wonder about those lucky people who also purchased annual passes to the Disney Parks and how often they take advantage of them.  Friends have told me that if I lived close enough to Disney, it would get very old, very fast.  But I never agreed.  I certainly don’t think that I would go every day, but I know how much I love the parks, and how many times I had taken 10 minutes to sit on a bench and just people- and park-watch, really longing for the chance to “get to know” the park like an old friend that I see just once or twice a year.  I want to familiarize myself with its operations, the architecture, the landscaping, the hidden area not meant for my eyes as a “guest”, and I want to find all of the tiny, artful details that the Disney Artists and Imagineers have left hidden for me to find like so many Easter Eggs.

I don’t think that I would ever grow tired of going back because after a 3-day park-hopping vacation I am longing to go back within a week after leaving Disneyland each time.  We had just visited Disneyland (in California) over the Valentine’s Day weekend (in 2011) and just a few weeks later it felt like a year had passed and it was time to get busy planning the next visit.  Its the same way every time.

Another "hobby" of mine is finding the differences in the park from the last time that I was there, or from previous visits in the years' past.  Design, decoration, even slight adjustments entertain me to no end. When I am at home with no Disney visit in my immediate future, I try to fill some of the void by collecting digital photographs from various web sites. A few are dedicated to compiling vintage photos of the California park that show how it was designed in the early years through the 1960’s, 1970’s, and even the 1980’s.  It is a rare treat indeed to look back at photos taken before the internet existed; photos that are not just snapped and uploaded within seconds.  

No, I will never grow tired of visiting the park if I lived near Disney.

My online search into finding outspoken Disney Annual Pass Holders led me to a Discussion Board on the site WDWmagic.com in which the question posed was essentially the same as mine; “Do people who live close to the parks get tired of it? What is it like to be able to just say, ‘I want to go eat dinner at Epcot tonight’ or ‘I’m bored, I’ve got a couple of hours to kill, let’s go to one of the parks for a little while’ and be just a short drive away...  

There were some really great replies:

·         “(I go to the parks) every couple of days” 

·         “I can tell you that the parks do get old after a while, and it is mainly because it becomes routine.”  (This was posted by a person who identified himself as a former cast member who worked there 5 days a week, then would go to the park on his days off for 10 months!)

·         “Going to the parks for a local is different than going to the parks for people on vacation. People on vacation go right around park opening and may stay all day. Locals go whenever they feel like it, and may only go for an hour or so. That's what I do, and I think that helps keep the magic for me. I don't like spending all day in the parks, too much heat and people on a weekly basis would wear out really quick.  You have to change it up.”

·         “I've lived in Orlando all my life, and I can say that after almost two decades I am still not tired of the Disney parks.”

It seems that for some people, Disney has been infused into their DNA as a way of life; a virtual need, like sunlight, hugs, or eye glasses; all things we can live without, but really should not .  On the continuum of Disney Fans it seems like the majority of them reside in the middle; visiting Disneyland is a nice prospect, but not a priority.  I think I live on the right end of the scale-the spot where all things Disney are unequivocally a mental and physical obsession.   You might recognize the scale I have appropriated and adapted here to illustrate my point:

0-----------1-----------2-----------3-----------4----------5-----------6

0 Exclusively apathetic to Disney

1 Predominantly apathetic to Disney, only an incidental Disney Fan

2 Predominantly apathetic to Disney, but more than an incidental Disney Fan

3 Equally apathetic and Fan of Disney

4 Predominantly a Disney Fan, but more than incidentally apathetic to Disney

5 Predominantly a Disney Fan, only incidentally apathetic to Disney

6 Exclusive Disney Fan(atic)

................to be continued in Part 2

Comments are welcome.  Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken 

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