Lessons From "The World"

This is a tale of two very different vacations that happened all in the space of 12 days. One return flight, Mickey Mouse, a hurricane, ferries, and monorails were all in the mix. In all that, there were some lessons learned. If you have read my blog for a while you know I periodically rant about Disney awesomeness, and this is yet another in that series, but with a twist.

People who read my blog know I am a Disney fanatic and write about the Disney experience relatively often. So it may come as a surprise that I had never been to “The World” before October last year. Disneyland (AKA “The Land”) in California is our family’s go-to happy place and my own fandom centers around the Disney philosophy and business methodology, so making the long trek from Alberta to Florida was not a big priority. This past October however, we had a coincidental opportunity to be in Orlando, so we turned it into a vacation. What follows is the story of lessons learned when visiting “The World” and the unexpected contrast with “The Land”.

Disney World part 1 (off-property) – In addition to being a Disney fan, I am also a Marriott fan so when we started planning this trip we researched Disney hotels and Marriott hotels in the park area. The Disney hotels offer some surprisingly good prices, but the “good neighbor” hotels are better, and when you look at a map, they appear to be just across the street from each other, so it made sense to book that way.

Wrong.

Hindsight is 20:20, but that is a topic for the next section. Heading into the vacation, we had to plan based on maps and reviews, hotel descriptions and some experience. Going on our Anaheim experience, we thought we could trust the fact that a “Good Neighbour” hotel was Disney-trained and endorsed with access to the park transit system as well as park pass sales. What we discovered was far from that.

Our first stay was booked for the full duration at a Marriott Fairfield hotel that was listed as a “good neighbor” hotel with “free transit to all Disney parks”. Apparently, that means something completely different in Florida than it does in California. When checking in, we were asked to pick one of 3 departure times for the bus to the TTC (Travel and Ticket Center) and the options were 90 minutes apart. That was the only option available, which was a huge departure from our California experience of being able to hop on an ART (Anaheim Rapid Transit) bus at almost any time and be in the actual park within 20 minutes from just about anywhere on the route.

It gets worse.

The provided bus was run by a tour contractor who was clearly not Disney-trained, provided limited space (a 20 seat bus for a 200 room hotel? Seriously?) and refused to take any stroller larger than a compact umbrella style. Again, seriously? At Disney World? Fine. We booked the time and waited where the bus was supposed to be… only for it to be 20 minutes late… then fought with the bus driver over the size of the stroller… then it took nearly an hour to get to the TTC because contractors are apparently not allowed to use the same roads that authorized Disney transit staff can use. Keep that in mind for later. The net result was an epic journey that took us nearly 3 hours to get from the hotel room to the Magic Kingdom – something that would have taken us 15 minutes in Anaheim.

Deep Breath.

OK, so that was painful, but the park experience made all of that go away for several hours, until we had to go through it all in reverse… and then repeat it the next day. By the evening of day two, we were so frustrated with the experience, we had considered checking out and just catching an early flight home. I was convinced the vacation was completely ruined. The only reason we did not just pack up and head for the airport was the great experience we had while actually in the park. Disney saved the day and they don’t even know it. We decided to try another option.

Look across the road.

Yup. 200 yards away was the edge of the actual Disney park. I could literally see official Disney hotels across the highway from the top floor of our Fairfield hotel. It was a 15-minute walk to sanctuary and a chance to salvage this nightmare vacation.

Disney World part 2 (on-property) – A quick Google search for “Disney property hotels” and a phone call later, we were booked into the Best Western that was literally 0.9 miles away and across the highway, but was actually located on Disney park property. This is also a “good neighbor” hotel, but from the minute you step onto the property it is obvious they are Disney-trained and proud of it. The difference in service and experience was tangible and it was available for a grand total of $3 per night more. This is where the revelation really kicks in and where I mentioned the hindsight above. Being on park property also means it is serviced by official Disney transit which runs directly between the park hotels and the individual parks about every 30 minutes ALL DAY LONG.

It gets better.

Since transportation is provided by Disney transit, they can use the Disney service roads that can get you from the hotel to the park in 15 to 20 minutes as opposed to an hour. The difference was black and white, night and day. This vacation was saved. Disney buses can take you directly from a Disney property hotel to any of the parks, but busses that travel from NON-property hotels MUST take you to the TTC only and you have to make your way to the actual parks via bus transfers, ferries or monorails. Also, many of the park property hotels are within walking distance to Disney Springs – That is “Down Town Disney” for fans of “The Land”.

Then it got wet.

You may have heard about hurricane Mathew. Yeah, that was us up on the 14th floor watching the hurricane come in off the coast. Did we panic? Heck no. By this time we were in full Disney mode and nothing could touch us. This was one more proof point that staying in a Disney park property hotel was worth it. The management took the crisis and cranked up the Disney effect, opening up the restaurant and bar to full-time access, setting up a makeshift theater in one of the conference rooms to show Disney films for the kids. They generally went out of their way to make storm-enforced quarantine almost unnoticeable.

Just do it.

If you are planning a trip to “The World”, don’t even think about booking a hotel off-property. A Disney hotel is better and actually worth the money, but if you cannot get into one, at least get a hotel that is on park property. You will not be disappointed.

The Park(s) – This place is freaking HUGE. The Anaheim property is all on one plot of land where you can literally walk to every single attraction in a single day as long as you don’t stand in any lines. I know because I have done it. This was core to Walt’s original idea of a family park for all to enjoy; A place to take your kids for an afternoon for some inclusive family entertainment. Orlando is not that at all.

From Wikipedia: The property covers 27,258 acres (43 sq mi; 110 km²), housing twenty-seven themed resort hotels, nine non–Disney hotels, four theme parks, two water parks, several golf courses, a camping resort, and other entertainment venues, including the new Disney Springs. 
~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Disney_World

There is a great post from here from Parker Monroe that clearly shows the Disney World property lines both now and from the original “Project X” days. To make it more clear, I have superimposed the Disneyland property (the black blob) over the area occupied by The Magic Kingdom circled in red in the image here.  While the seem roughly the same size, Disneyland has much more greenspace, where Disney World packs in more attractions (and walking, and lines).

 

 

That image above was from an eye level of 1.32Km (4300 ft). You have to fly out to nearly 15Km (49000 ft) in order to see the entire Disney World property as shown circled in red in the image left. That small red dot represents the area of Disneyland as an overlay on the Magic Kingdom.

 

The point here is that if you are used to the Disneyland park in Anaheim being highly accessible and compact, you are in for a surprise when you visit Orlando.

The important lesson from vacation experience #1 is that if you stay outside park property represented by the red circle, your stay will probably be miserable. 

 

Now for the specific park differences. Being used to the tight arrangement in Anaheim, I was really quite amazed at the expanse of the Orlando property. My observations about the parks are below.

 

 

— Magic Kingdom — 

 

When you first arrive, it makes sense to go here first because this is where the Ticket and

Transportation Center (TTC) is and is where you will likely need to buy or convert your park passes. From here you can get to any of the parks, resorts, and administration areas. The magic Kingdom is just across Bay Lake from here, a quick ferry or monorail ride away.

 

Getting through the main gate and entering Main Street through the train station arches is very similar to Disneyland, but bigger – everything here is just “bigger”. The walk down Main Street and up to the castle was magical, you can really feel Walt’s touch here. It is clear that this is what his original vision was all about and for Disney fans, this is a real treat. Unfortunately, when you leave Main Street, it is pretty clear that Roy’s vision took over and the most of the rest of the Magic Kingdoms seems to have been designed by accountants, with a few notable exceptions.  Prices are higher, there is less green space, and there are more lines.  Most notable is the active funneling of traffic into purchasing areas.  For instance, every ride seems to exit into a gift store that aggressively targets the smallest of your children with expensive toys and there are no alternative routes out.  This is in sharp contrast to our experience at “The Land”.

The prices were really a shock.   A spaghetti dinner that would have cost $13 in Anaheim was $26 in Orlando.  A T-shirt we bought a few months earlier for $14 in Anaheim was $28 in Orlando (for a children’s size 4!!!) We will be more prepared for that on the next visit.

 

The bad stuff:

 

 – Small World had been jammed into a closet and looks like some fan’s backyard homage. Seriously. I was shocked at how hacked up and half-assed this recreation was. If you are from the East Cost and have never seen the *real* Small World at Disneyland, PLEASE take a trip to California just to experience the attraction the way it was originally designed. If you are a Disneyland regular making your first trip to “The World”, prepare to be sadly disappointed.

The *Real* Small World in Disneyland

WDW Small World – A miniature recreation

 

 – Pirates of the Caribbean is another example of a really poor reproduction. No Bayou lagoon, creepy banjo player, lightning bugs or crickets. No scary drop into Davey Jones locker, and no ride back up to the land of the living. Just a ride. So sad. If you have never experienced the original Disneyland version of this attraction, then you have no idea what you are missing. For all the Disneyland fans I know, this ride is a virtual religious experience and many people will start and end their days on “Pirates”. I walked away from the Florida version wondering what I had just experienced.

 

 – The Tiki Room is the last of the real disappointments in the Magic Kingdom. Again, if you have not experienced the awesomeness of the Disneyland original version, then you don’t know what you are missing. I, however, was very aware that there were no singing Polynesian gods entertaining me while I waited for the show, but rather had a couple of comedic parrots talking by a waterfall effect – boring.

 

The good stuff:

 

The Little Mermaid was pretty cool. They have done a really nice job of storytelling in the long line before the ride. I know that sounds like a given for Disney, but it is not necessarily true at the Orlando park. Likewise with Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride, Big Thunder Mountain, and The Haunted Mansion. These all have similar versions in Disneyland, but like much of this park, it is kinda the same, but very different too.

 

One of the benefits of having this much space if that they can just add-on when they introduce new attractions. There is some argument to be had about the amount of space Disney actually has available to them, but so far they have been able to keep old rides while adding new ones as well. This is a luxury not available to the team in Anaheim. Disneyland had to replace the TTA PeopleMover many years ago to make room for newer rides. The same fate was true for Country Bear Jamboree, Swiss Family Tree House, and The Carousel of Progress, which are all still alive and well at the Orlando park.

 

Overall, I was a bit disappointed with the Magic Kingdom. It seemed overly commercialized which is a departure from the Disney experience in Anaheim.  I now understand all those people who claim Disney is a tourist trap with overpriced merchandise.  

 

 

— Animal Kingdom —

 

This is a whole other park in more ways than one. Located about a 30-minute bus ride from the TTC, it is essentially a wildlife preserve and education center. I had originally likened this to visiting the San Diego Zoo, but it is considerably different than that. The Savana Safari, Gorilla Falls, and The Affection Section are only some of the many reasons to visit this park. When we go back again, we will likely make this a separate 3-day vacation and stay in at the Animal Kingdom Lodge right at the park.

— Hollywood Studios —

 

This park is very similar to California Adventure Park in Anaheim but is about a 20-minute bus ride from the TTC as opposed to a walk across the maingate area. This is where you can still find Muppets, Ariel, and the Disney Junior kids, but there is also a great compliment of Star Wars and Hollywood movie excitement as well. I am not sure this is worth a vacation in itself, but certainly worth a day or two.

— EPCOT —

 

I saved the best for last.  Another 20 Minute bus ride from the TTC will get you to what should have been Walt’s city of the future.  Unfortunately, Walt died 16 years before EPCOT opened its gates and it never became the experimental city he envisioned, but the park it became under Roy’s direction is still a great place.  Spaceship Earth (the giant golf ball) is impressive both inside and out, as are the Land and Sea pavilions, but the real meat of this park is the World Showcase. Here you can “visit” at least a dozen countries, taste the food, experience the culture, and maybe take a ride or two.  

There is a good blog post here on the EPCOT Story if you want to read more.