Disney’s dirty secret!

Keeping Disney in Perspective…

When thinking about all things Disney, including a Walt Disney World Vacation, it’s important to keep in mind what the Disney Magic runs on! It’s kind of Disney’s dirty secret!

And no, it’s not imagination, although there is certainly plenty of that employed in the Disney entertainment empire.

The truth is, the Disney Magic runs on Money!

Disney IS wonderful, and no one is a bigger fan than I am, but at the same time, I have to recognize that it is also a ruthless, cold-hearted money making machine!

Someone once described Disney World as a people-trap built by a mouse! It is designed to entice you in, and keep you there, spending your money the whole time. As you experience the marvel that is Disney World, if you are like me at all, you can’t also help marvel at the skill with which the place is designed to suck up money off you every second.

To maintain my sanity, and a sense of balance, I have learned to take Disney in bite-sized pieces which don’t empty my wallet before I can realize what’s happening.

Many of our guests have shared with me that they love staying in the peace and tranquility of our villas, which is easy to understand. But I’ve been surprised at how many stress that they like being treated like they are important and appreciated. And that it matters to their host that they receive value. For them it provides a nice contrast to the Disney money machine, and it helps them to enjoy their vacation!

They receive great accommodations, at a great price and value, and no one is constantly presenting them with more opportunities to spend more money. It’s a very important bonus to them.

A chance to step back, recharge and renew.

If you haven’t explored our website in detail, you may be unaware that our son worked at Disney World as a cast member for 18 months. We have been visiting Central Florida since 1997, and we know the resort very well… inside and out, having taken behind the scenes tours, and visited so many times I have lost count. I love Disney! I am a crazed rabid fan! I can tell you so much trivia about Walt Disney and Disney World that I’ll bore myself in the process!

I have learned however, that when it comes to Walt Disney World, it is absolutely wonderful to leave the craziness behind, escape to somewhere outside the tourist zone, and really rest up before tackling it again.

You see, a ‘vacation’ to Walt Disney World is an amazing experience.  It is exciting, exhilarating, educational, fun, entertaining challenging, and motivating! But it is hardly restful. To me, if you don’t feel like you need a vacation after visiting Disney World, you haven’t done it right!  So in order to experience all of the real magic that is Disney World; meaning the theme parks, water parks, and recreational, shopping and dining attractions, it is great to be able to get away from it and get well rested in between your attacks on this mecca of fun and entertainment.

Now don’t let what I’m saying here scare you away. While expensive, compared to just about any other form of entertainment on the planet, Disney World actually does offer tremendous value – so set aside the funds to do it right, and do it without guilt – BUT, your husband will love being able to escape the resort, truly relax, and not feel like his wallet is being drained every second! Trust me on that one.

One of our first guests described Breezy Oak Villa as the most relaxing place he had ever been on a vacation, and it truly is!  There is an absolute joy that permeates the place. And it is just what you need to not feel ‘trapped by the mouse!’

Important tip: Here is a great idea!  In the midst of a hectic, exciting and fun trip to Disney World, plan to spend a day in the middle of your trip, doing nothing but relaxing at the villa and enjoying the pool. If your kids are anything like ours, years from now it will be a special memory for them that they will cherish, just like all of their time at the theme parks! With time, those park memories will all meld together and become harder to pick out as time marches on. But your day at the villa will be a cherished family memory that everyone will remember all on its own. That’s magic! A quiet day, just enjoying the pool and relaxing, refreshes everyone, eases tensions (every family has them) and renews everyone for the rest of their holiday.

Of course, having separate bedrooms at the villa gives everyone a place to relax and be on their own when needed. That is a different kind of vacation ‘magic’, but is something you have to experience to understand.

And you can’t get it at a hotel… even a Disney hotel!

So when staying at one of our villas, you don’t give up much magic… and you get to experience an additional, different kind of holiday magic, that helps make the first kind even better!

This may all sound too good to be true, but trust me on this. Once you experience it, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. The only way to know it, is to experience it. We did, when we first stayed in a vacation rental on our second Disney trip, and it knocked us over so much, we bought our first vacation home!

I can assure you that the villa magic is just as real as the Disney magic is real.

I know because I’ve experienced it for over a decade now, as have our guests. For many of them (some who have come back as much as five times!) it is just as real, and for some… even more important to them than the magic that Disney provides!