Eat your veggies at the 50's Prime Time Cafe or else!
Two of the questions I get asked most often are, “What do you love about Walt Disney World?” and “What’s your favorite Disney memory?” The answers may vary some but they all revolve around making treasured memories with my family. However, making memories is not always synonymous with having the perfect vacation. Think the Griswolds in the Vacation movies.That’s where Disney comes in. When my family visits Walt Disney World, we become better versions of ourselves and that makes our memories all the more special.
If you walked into my house on any particular day, you may see my adult stepson and his little brother bickering, my five-year old worrying about one thing or another, my husband taking himself and life a little too seriously, and me urging the kids to “Hurry Up!” so I can squeeze in another errand; typical stuff, or so I hope, for a busy family that sometimes lets the stress of everyday life overwhelm them just a bit. That all changes once we set foot on Disney property.
There is an almost twenty-year age difference between my oldest and youngest sons. One of my greatest wishes for my little guys is for them to have a very close bond with their big brother even though they don’t see him every day. My oldest loves his little brothers and spends quality time with them. Sometimes, just sometimes though, the 7:30 a.m. knocks at his door to play or having forty pounds of little brother jump on him when he’s trying to relax and watch a movie can be a little too much togetherness for him. The memories of my then teenage son taking his brother to meet Sorcerer Mickey for the first time, holding his brother’s hand as they walked through Fantasyland together in search of fun, and pushing a sleeping baby in a stroller through Hollywood Studios so his brother could enjoy the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure with Mom and Dad just a little longer are my greatest souvenirs from past trips. My son becomes a more mature and patient version of himself at Walt Disney World.
Some days my five-year old is five going on fifty-five; he is very cautious and quite the worrier. Every new experience is usually preceded with hundreds of questions and reassurances. My husband is a roller-coast aficionado and couldn’t wait to take him on Goofy’s Barnstormer for his first Disney coaster experience a couple of years ago. I was hesitant about my son’s reaction and tried to dissuade him. Boy, was I wrong. You couldn’t wipe the smile off my son’s face after that first ride. He graduated to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad the next year and would ride it again and again and again if we let him. The magic of Walt Disney World helps him become a more adventurous, carefree version of himself.
Restaurant selection is serious business in our house. There are so many unique and delicious dining experiences at Walt Disney World that tough choices must be made. 50s Prime Time Café never made the cut for my husband and me. Never mind that I’m not a big fan of meatloaf or pot roast. My husband and I are the couple that avoids eye contact and fervently thinks, “Please, not me” when the World Showcase Players draft unsuspecting guests into service for their shows. On our last trip with the kids, we knew we had to push aside our shyness and book an Advanced Dining Reservation (ADR) at this restaurant where servers treat you like family and remind you to mind your manners and eat your vegetables. Indeed, Cousin Wendy decided to make an example out of my husband and he hammed it up for our kids. He became a brighter version of himself for our kids’ enjoyment and that meal and that moment are the ones my son remembers most from the trip. He still talks about Cousin Wendy feeding Daddy his vegetables and insists that 50s Prime Time Café is the one restaurant we must return to on our upcoming trip.
Keeping things running smoothly in my house takes organization and mad scheduling skills; I have them in spades. But, being organized and focused is not all pixie dust and light. There are times I regret rushing the kids through an activity to get to the next thing on the day’s to-do list. We always have a touring plan at Walt Disney World but more often than not these days, I toss the plan aside. If my son wants me to climb up the spider web at the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure ten times in a row, I do because creating memories with him is more important to me than seeing all the major attractions before noon. So what if the plan says we go on Splash Mountain right after Big Thunder Mountain. We detour back to the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad standby line so he can ride his favorite attraction again. During our last trip, I even deviated from the bedtime schedule so our sleepy son could watch IllumiNations for the first time. Seeing the spellbound look on his face was one of those priceless memories that was made possible because his mommy is a more flexible, fly-by-the-seat-of-her- pants kind of girl at Walt Disney World.
When you ask me why my family chooses Walt Disney World vacation after vacation, it comes down to this…Walt Disney World makes us better versions of ourselves in one way or another. And I think that would make Walt proud.
Lisa M. Battista is the author of Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers and co-creator of WDW Fan Zone. You can connect with her on Twitter @DisneyExplorer or become a fan of Beyond the Attractions on Facebook.
This article is part of the 18th edition of the Disney Blog Carnival. To read more articles like it, visit the Dismarks Disney Blog Carnival.
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Lisa, I agree with you entirely! I have always said that this is the reason I love Walt Disney World. My hard-working hubby gets to relax and play the fool. My OCD planning can be forgotton and the serious side of me that is always on show in the rest of the world disappears and the child in me comes out. It is not just the fun and the rides and the delicious food, it is who we get to be while we’re there.
Lisa I just had to tell you I thought this was a wonderful post. It definitely hit home with me and my experiences at wdw. Too often my family and I get asked why we continue to go to wdw as adults with no kiddos. Simply put it allows my parents, sister and I to forget adult responsibilities and put our own opinionated differences aside for a few days.
) Couldn’t agree more!
Lisa,
I can totally relate to everything you said here. I feel like Disney helps me to stop and smell the roses with my kids…in fact with each trip I feel myself get better and better at it. I love the part where you describe your family because it sounds a bit like mine…I have a bit of an age gap between my kids…Disney does bring out the best in my kids and their relationships.
Thanks for this great post!! :0)
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[...] that we will not have job stress and long work hours in Florida but Walt Disney World makes us better versions of ourselves and we hope to find a better work/life balance. Once we set foot on property, we become insulated [...]