Walt’s World

May 24, 2016

Monday my brother Joe took GG and me on a tour of what’s known as the Walt Disney World Resort. Most of us think of Disney World as the fascinating Magic Kingdom amusement park part of Disney World. To give a perspective, Magic Kingdom takes up only 107 acres of the resort’s 38-plus square miles of property the Disney corporation owns and controls here in central Florida.

We didn’t go into the Magic Kingdom on this visit. This tour was to gain perspective on the business side of how this “Happiest Place on Earth” all works so efficiently.

Joe is a good resource. The family has lived nearby in Longwood for several decades and the kids were regularly in and out of the resort and properties, often working as cast members (AKA employees.) Following his retirement from being an active Episcopal rector, Joe began working three days a week as a Disney Resorts boat captain.

When he first told me what he was doing I thought of the Small Small World boats. Not. Joe is part of a team of captains that run a fleet of shuttle boats on rivers outside the Magic Kingdom transporting guests back and forth to some of the eighteen on-property Disney owned and controlled, individually themed resort hotels.

Disney offers every level of resort hotel from prices beginning at $98 a night to those beginning at $569. The boat shuttles primarily serve the high end resorts, transiting the Disney-made Sassagoula River. These are twenty to thirty minute rides along typically Disney fully landscaped waterway to docks at each resort.

Our day began with a brief stop “back stage” where Joe stopped to pick up something from his locker. It was a drive through a busy back lot filled with pieces of Disney displays, supply vehicles and home of the Disney test kitchen where every food item recipe is developed. As non-castmembers weren’t supposed to be there, so we stayed in the car.

Then a quick tour of Fort Wilderness, the Disney RV park, 799 sites on 750 acres of pine and cypress forest with woodland trails, a pristine beach, pool areas and evening entertainment. Full hookups start at $82.

We went on to check out the  Grand Floridian, the park’s ultra-premium Victorian era resort hotel lakefront property then moved on to other of the resort hotels.

We used a combination of boat shuttles and monorail to the superbly well done faux versions of the New Orleans French Quarter and Polynesian Village. We lunched at Polynesian Village.

Geezer Gal revealing that he isn’t really in Polynesia.

The awkwardly named Contemporary Resort  is designed as a distinctive building within the park  that has the resort monorail running right through its center and a short walk to Magic Kingdom.

All of these resort hotels are outside the entry gates and free to visit. They are also surprisingly large yet appear smaller. The Grand Floridian has 867 rooms, the Polynesian Village  847.

Disney is expert in staging. Each of these resorts is positioned and landscaped to leave the feeling it is a stand-alone version of the original. There is no sense of the “hotel next door.” All opportunities to wander off the hotel site seem to lead either to one of the paid entry parks or to Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) where there are shopping opportunities and themed restaurants.

At the day’s end we ended up in Disney Springs for dinner (it was inevitable).  Sitting in the Rainforest we were surrounded by dripping water, jungle sounds, timed thunderstorms and animated jungle critters.

Despite the distractions we enjoyed our meal and shared a Volcano dessert.

We returned to Longwood after spending twelve hours exploring only a tiny sliver of Walt Disney World.

Impressions:
About three hundred eight to twelve year-old princesses wired, gawking and tugging soccer moms.
Twenty-something dads with light sabers pushing strollers.
Senior grandparents trying to keep excited kids under control.
Hot lines awaiting entries into chilled-air restaurants.
Plenty of benches.
Once-modernistic Monorail thrill is gone as airport monorails have proliferated.
Disney is the king of providing comfortable adventure.
Mickey still rules.

-Geezer