One few notes about Disney (one of many?)

We had a great time at Disney World! Wow.
One of the things that really tickled us parents was Anne's insistence to ride Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh so often. Apparently, she "got it" that the ride was based on the books, and, in her words, we were "in the story." Awesome!

Here is what I posted on Facebook:

It has been a long time since I had an opportunity to be impressed by a well-oiled machine, but Disney World is a great example of just that. Considering the sheer scope and size of this little 47-square mile pleasure city, I cannot help but to let me jaw drop a tad.

So much of what Disney does is behind the scenes, and this is where the real Magic works; all the little things that one usually does not think about, it just all ticks away, keeping a synchronized step with the beating Disney drum. Disney really is a city unto itself; it has its own streets, its own municipalities, restaurants, sanitation, water works, Transit Authority.... everything! I would not be surprised if it had a hospital and airport strip as well. And the strange thing is, I never saw a cop once. Who enforces such regimented discipline in this city-state?

The attention to detail just astounds me. When taking the steam-powered railroad around Magic Kingdom, there were little gadgets (props, animals, snakes, indians, etc) that were carved out and painted in great detail, most of which nobody is even going to notice as they are not only a bit removed from the train tracks, but your average joe is only going to go past said scenes once (if that much). That is but one small example amidst thousands. The overall landscaping is just amazing; Florida has declared a drought, but the Disney-branded lawns are the greenest we saw (I'll let the conservationists argue about that on their own). And there are other details that may not be unique to Disney - I do not know. For example, the Pooh Bear ride in Magic Kingdom starts off with a story, a windy story. And the letters are blown right off the page as you read them. The rooms change temperature very well to reflect the part of the story (dry & warm for inside, cool and subconciously wet for outdoors). That ride, and many others like it, include so much detail that one can easily forget about the story and the ride and get lost trying to find it all. For instance, shortly into the ride there is a section where the walls move/shake. Looking at the black matte ceilings it is obviously that hydraulics are moving the wall pieces. There is a fire spigot (by code) which is permanently attached to the ceiling, and the wall piece not only has a cut-out for the water pipe, but it is painted and decorated to look like the hole was ripped by the action of the moving wall. The waiting line for Pirates of the Caribbean is excellent, as it has one wondering through old wooden motif's right out of folk-lore.

And I absolutely love how all the staff are so in-tune with the people. Rarely did I come across a staff who did not smile and notice the "It's my Birthday" button pinned on our little girl's shirt/jacket. The characters are wonderfully mindful of their costumes, and do an excellent job of using their outlandish features as if they were natural. If a child whispers something, the character will lean over, put his/her hand to the ear piece (which, keep in mind, may be a good 6 or 10 inches removed from the real ear) and act as if they are listening. And they do this all in good cheer, day in and day out.

And as I have mentioned earlier (or rather, elsewhere), everything is larger than life. Disney goes above and beyond to reinforce the idea that "we aren't in Kansas anymore"; from natural-as-can-be unnatural smiles, staff ready for your beck and call, to unbelievable fanfares, fireworks and pomp! And this is reflected in the price one has to pay as well. All this comes at a jaw-dropping cost.

I cannot help but to be impressed in every way. True, Disney exploits the American Dream like no other entity I know and does so under the somewhat sincere guise of childhood merriment. It is still impressive.