Category — z. The Magical Blogorail

DISNEY WORLD IS GOOD FOR YOU

Welcome to those coming from The Disney Point as Magical Blogorail Teal writes about the “Disney Touch”–what makes something Disney.

Today I begin and end with the ducks of Walt Disney World–but really only as a symbol of something deeper.

Walt Disney World is filled with tame ducks.  Why?  Because they are safe there.

And so are you.

As John Hench said about the first Disney park, “the essential message [of the parks] is that there is nothing to fear.”

(Quoted by Charlie Hass in Disneyland is Good for You, 19.)

The sine qua non of the Disney touch is this sense of safety.  It’s the touch that makes every other touch possible.  From safety comes peace and well-being, and from those the ability to play.

THE DUCKS OF WALT DISNEY WORLD

I write this site for first time visitors to Walt Disney World, and so try to see things from their eyes.

This can be hard, though, as I’ve been so many times that what is foreground for first timers can fade into background for me.

One of those items is the ducks.

Tame ducks are everywhere at Walt Disney World, and I’m so used to them that I hardly notice them anymore (except outside of Casey’s Corner in the Magic Kingdom).

They are everywhere, and everywhere they are tame.

Why?  Because they know they are not threatened.

Same for us.  By the effect of design, according to Hench, the emotion of Disney is “you’re going to be OK.”  (Disneyland is Good for You 18.)  But it’s not just safety in the negative sense of the absence of threats.

Rather, as Frank Gehry noted in his introduction to Hench’s Designing Disney, “people respond to design on a deep level.”  It’s safety in the positive sense of “all is well.” This is Hench’s famous “architecture of reassurance.”

THE SENSE OF ORDER AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Hench explains the reassurance effect of Disney by tying Disney to Gestalt psychology and Jungian archetypes.

That’s a little 20th century for me–instead, I see the effects as coming from the evolution of perception and the resulting rewards of our sense of order.

We evolved as both predator and prey, so there was great survival benefit to being able to notice horizontal movement (perhaps prey) and changes in the basic scene (perhaps a predator, stalking us).

Detecting either requires the ability to tell what is stable and what has changed.  And a highly ordered background is so much easier to process for changes than a chaotic background that we evolved to be pleased by visual order–by a scene that could be processed and comprehended easily.

The visual cortex, where much of this processing happens, deeply feeds many of our most basic emotions. This sense of order is part of our sense of safety.

At Disney World, this sense of order comes from composition–what gets called, sometime without much thought, “theming.”

The key to theming is consistency.  Things fit together, and what doesn’t fit is left out (or disguised).  Here’s more Hench:

“…[E]very member of the thing, every facility, agrees on what the place is.  One building recognizes the existence of the other.  There’s plenty of diversity, but there isn’t contradiction.” (Good for You, 17)

More Hench: “The sense of order…works on people, the sense of harmony. They feel more content here, in a way they can’t explain…” (16) Thus “there’s something beyond an amusement park here.  Because it works on people.  It obviously works on people.” (17, emphasis in the original)

As a result, people leave the parks “feeling more self-assured, stronger, alert, and much more alive.” (Designing Disney 1)

Well…not everyone.

Tough crowds and summer heat can sap us all; and Disney World, while very good, is not even remotely perfect, nor is it an exception to the rule that people sometimes screw up a good thing.

The arrows of fortune–perhaps shot by Brave’s Merida–still wound us all, even the ducks, even in the parks.

Yet the essential Disney touch, the composition of Disney World–the theming–gives us a stronger shot at a sense of peace there than the most of the rest of this chaotic world.

MORE ON THE DISNEY TOUCH FROM MAGICAL BLOGORAIL TEAL

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is The Disney FAITHful.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail loop should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

• 1st Stop ~ Capturing Magical Memories
• 2nd Stop ~  The Disney Point
• 3rd Stop ~yourfirstvisit.net
• 4th Stop ~  The Disney FAITHful
• Final Stop ~ Disney-Lovin’ Spectrum Mom

HOOP DEE DOO REVUE…REVIEW

Welcome to those coming from The World of Deej as Magical Blogorail Teal writes about our favorite things to do outside the parks!

This site promises first-time family visitors who may never return all the best of Walt Disney World.

From the start, that’s meant the best in or outside of the parks.  Some of the key things outside the parks in the itineraries are Cirque du Soleil at Downtown Disney, and the Gospel Brunch at House of Blues.

Another “best outside the parks” is the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue. [Read more →]

(This is the first entry in a new series on Disney World Controversies.)

AFTERNOON PARADES OR AFTERNOON NAPS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD?

Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Teal. Enjoy the ride as we delve into the great Disney controversies, large and small.

I’m working on revising my itineraries, for a couple of reasons:

• To incorporate the Fantasyland Expansion and a few other more minor changes at Disney World
• To simplify them a bit, and
• To do a little better job at targeting lower crowd days.

While doing so, I’m going back to and testing first principles.  The itineraries are designed to show “all the best” of Walt Disney World in one eight night trip.

So what’s not the best?  What can be left out?  Can I leave out the afternoon parades? [Read more →]

(This page is one of a series explicating Walt Disney World lingo, abbreviations, and FAQ for first time family visitors to Walt Disney World.)

PLANNING DISNEY PARKS ADVENTURES

Welcome to those of you joining from Heidi’s Head as Magical Blogorail Teal focuses this month on different parts of planning Disney park adventures.

My focus is on car rentals and Walt Disney World.

RENTING A CAR AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

My basic advice for first time visitors to Walt Disney World is that they ought not to rent a car, but rather should use Disney’s Magical Express instead.

Why? First, you’ll save hundreds of dollars. Orlando rental car costs vary with the time of the year, the length of the rental, any discount or coupon codes you might have, and the size and capacity of the vehicle, but you’ll always pay more than you would for the free Magical Express, and then the free transport within Disney World itself.

Second, you’ll avoid getting lost. Disney World is pretty well signed given its complexity, but getting just a little bit off track can make it hard to find your resort if you don’t have a good mental map of where it is compared to some of the major, well-signed landmark locations.

That said, a rental car can make getting everywhere except the Magic Kingdom faster (if you don’t get lost), can make it easier to get to Harry Potter and to lower-cost shopping venues, and can make it easier to go from your hotel to another hotel—e.g. for dinner—which, depending on where you stay and where you are going, can be hard to do using Disney transportation.

So for those pursuing a rental car, here’s some thoughts

ONE LAST TIME DOUBLE CHECK WHETHER YOU REALLY NEED A RENTAL, AND FOR HOW LONG

Depending on the time of the year and how long you are staying, a cab, car service, or shuttle may be a cheaper way to travel from and to the airport, or to a grocery/liquor store, than a rental (and their prices are usually the same year round, rather than skyrocketing during the busy times.)

If your issue is just getting back and forth for Harry Potter, consider a shuttle— some are even free.

If you just really need a car for a day or two—for Harry Potter, restocking the chardonnay, visiting the outlet malls–Disney’s on site car rental service will rent you a car for a day or two—and pick you up from your Disney resort to get to the car, and drive you back to your hotel when you are done.

TARGET THE SMALLEST RENTAL CAR YOU CAN FIT

While there are sometimes exceptions, in general the smaller the car, the less expensive it is.

You won’t be spending more than 20 minutes in your rental on most of your trips—and on only one of them will you have your bags. (Just one—the trip from the airport—because you can check your bags at your Disney World resort for your flight back.)

Given this, you likely can rent a smaller car than you are used to at home—although this may mean that due to lack of trunk space, the drive in from the airport may require some bags to ride in laps.

CHECK YOUR INSURANCE COVERAGE

You will be pressed to buy insurance from the rental company which can be inordinately expensive.

In almost all cases this is an expensive waste of money, as your current insurance policy will cover you for normal accident costs while you are driving a rental car, and you should firmly say that you are declining all coverages. (But see below for “LOU”.)

Your insurance, however, may not cover you in rental cars—unlikely, but possible–or may have exceptions for certain fancier or speedier options. So call and double check before you go.

Also check for coverage of “Loss of Use” (“LOU”) charges.

If you are in an accident, some rental car companies will threaten you with additional penalties that most insurance won’t cover–LOU. These are charges to your credit card of the car’s daily (undiscounted) rental rate while it is being repaired, to make up for the revenue lost to the rental car company from its inability to rent the car while it’s being repaired.

As far as I’m concerned, this is a scam meant to scare you into buying the rental car company’s overpriced additional coverage. But check to see if your policy will cover it—likely not—and consider your accident record, including dings that you may not care about but that a rental company would, before deciding to skip the coverage.

WORK AT FINDING A DEAL

When your dates are set, use a source like expedia.com to check base rates. Don’t even consider prices from companies you’ve never heard of, or that don’t have cars in the terminal. While I’m sure some of these are fine at least some of the time, I have yet to use an off-site rental that makes me think the cost savings was worth the inconvenience and hard-sell on insurance.

Then start looking for a deal. The basics are memberships, coupons, and codes.

Other have already covered this terrain—see MouseSavers.com for great stuff on renting cars and getting deals on them, and Steve Bloom’s post on TouringPlans.com that both covers the basics on getting deals and also adds a less common strategy.

And, as Mary notes, once you have a deal, keep checking, as an even better one may emerge!

SOME FINAL TIPS

If you are watching every penny and don’t have a tight schedule on the day of your return, don’t pre-pay your gas. Instead, stop at one of the Hess stations at Disney World to fill up before you return to the airport.

Inspect your car carefully—including the roof—for damage before you leave the rental lot. Report any you see. Some people even make videos to prove that damage was there when they rented their car. If you don’t note any existing damage before you leave the lot, you may end up paying for it.

The Orlando Airport has two terminals, A and B, and identical rental car facilities at both. When you return, follow the signs your departing airline’s terminal, and use the return facilities there.

MORE ADVICE AND HELP ON RENTING A CAR AND GETTING A DISCOUNT

MouseSavers.com has lots of great stuff on renting cars and getting deals on them.

Steve Bloom’s post on TouringPlans.com covers the basics on getting deals and adds a less common strategy.

MORE FROM MAGICAL BLOGORAIL TEAL

Thank you for joining Magical Blogorail Teal this month. We will be back Tuesday, March 27th with an all new theme.

Keep checking in with our blogs in between loops to keep up to date with our Disney info, photos and stories. If you are looking for more Disney magic, you can make your way over to The Magical Blogorail website to see all our members and their blogs, as well as all our previous loops.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail loop should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

• 1st Stop ~ The Disney FAITHful
• 2nd Stop ~ Disney Lovin’ Spectrum Mom
• 3rd Stop ~ Capturing Magical Memories
• 4th Stop ~ Heidi’s Head
• Final Stop ~ yourfirstvisit.net

2012 WALT DISNEY WORLD PLANS

Welcome to those of you joining from The World of Dee as Magical Blogorail Teal focuses this month on our 2012 Disney World plans!

DISNEY WORLD 2012 PLANS

In 2012, my focus will be on completing my hotel reviews, starting the next round of updating them, and seeing and reviewing the Fantasyland expansion.

There’s also some major housekeeping to do–ranging from updating itineraries to reflect the Fantasyland expansion to re-writing some of my more impenetrable pages–e.g. pages that needlessly use abbreviations like “e.g.” and words like “impenetrable…”!

As always, the summer will be particularly busy. Key price data usually comes out from Disney then, and 2012-2013 school year calendars become broadly available.

From these, updates will come to the 2013 weeks to visit rankings, 2013 Disney World crowd calendar, and 2013 Disney resort price season forecasts, and also to be created is a 2013 week picker like the one that already exists for 2012. Then in the fall it’s on to the first look at 2014!

Sadly, none of these plans are on my bucket list! I’ll have to work harder at that…

[Read more →]

A BUCKET LIST FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD

Welcome to those of you joining from  The World of Deej as Magical Blogorail Teal focuses on Disney World bucket lists this month.

MY DISNEY WORLD DREAMS

A “bucket list” is a list of stuff you want to do while you still have a chance, and especially stuff you might not pursue if you didn’t think it through and make a commitment to getting it done.

So what are the things I hope to do someday at Walt Disney World? They fall into a few groups:

• Do some special hotel stays
• See a fifth gate
• Stay during the Christmas holidays
• Take some tours
• See the rest of the Disney parks

[Read more →]