Disney's Death Star is calling me

They gave us Hannah Montana. What's to argue?

 

I retract my assertion and flee the field.

 

If you know someone who lives down there, get them to buy tickets. The resident discount was steep, last I checked. (This was almost 20 years ago, though.) And if you know someone who works for Lockheed Martin, which I understand gets its share of free park passes, even better.

 

Am I correct in assuming that really large swabs are used for this?

 

Yes. But on the upside, you'll have your results back from the CDC in 24 to 48 hours.

 

Mrs. Abbott and i have some special family members that work for Disney at WDW, lower upper management. He and his life partner and their children are treated extraordinarily well by Disney, great benefits and no issues about his 'lifestyle'. Call me when Wal-Mart has life partner benefits, to speak nothing of regular benefits.

 

Disney World may have a higher percentage of gay people working for it than any mainstream business of its size.

Not that there's ....

 

As discussed on the various Wal-Mart threads, good treatment at the corporate level doesn't excuse a company for mistreating hourly employees, using sweat shop labor and destroying the environment.

 

I'll reiterate what a lot of people are saying.

Stay on property. The All-Star resorts are nice, value-wise, but with that value comes a crowded place. I prefer the moderate resorts (Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs, Port Orleans). It's a little less-crowded, but that's my humble opinion.

If you can, do the dining plan. We did this for our honeymoon and it was awesome. It costs mucho dinero to dine in Disney, but if you get the dining plan (and virtually pay for all your meals up front), you don't get hit as hard in the parks. We got the one that allowed for one sit-down meal, one counter service meal (basically fast food) and one snack (coke, popcorn, etc) per day. It was more than enough to keep us going, especially because we'd eat breakfast in our room (fruit, cereal, etc.). It also allows you to visit some of the themed-restaurants, which I think are also must-see attractions. With the dining plan, I don't think we ever paid for any food in the parks out of pocket.

I don't buy the "5 years old is too young" argument. The last time we went, our oldest was four years old and he remembers a heckuva lot more than I do about the trip. He still remembers what color bus we had to take to get out of the campground every morning. When Disney shows come on Travel Channel, he points out all the attractions he visited/rode. Plus, I'll also add what a lot of people are saying, going with a kid is completely different. I felt like I was two again, and viewing everything through his eyes.

With all that said, let me say that I was anti-Disney for a long time. Then my wife convinced me to take our honeymoon there. I went there thinking I would hate it, but was doing it to make her happy. I ended up enjoying it more than she did, I think. The customer service is top-notch. You will never be treated as well as you are at Disney anywhere else. Like someone else said, it's the little details that you take for granted that make your day. We went for our honeymoon, then returned a few years later with our two year old, my brother and my mother the week before Christmas. We're in the process of planning another trip for next Mardi Gras, so that our youngest will get his chance to go.

A good website to check out for planning purposes is www.wdwinfo.com. It'll give you rate specials, as well as park hours and other information. Make sure to plan your meals so that you can go to the restaurants you wish to visit. Reservations are not needed, but strongly suggested. Any questions, just PM me, and I'll be happy to help you out.

 

Once the kiddies are in bed, go to Epcot and see how many beers of the world you can drink before the park closes. Great fun.

 

Stay on property if you go. Depending on how many days you go for, you won't see your room a whole lot. If it's a short trip, you'll no doubt try to pack a ton in so odds are you'll be at the parks early and late, a bonus if you stay on property since they open the park an hour early for those guests. Mrs. Treadly and I said we wouldn't take the kids until they could walk (didn't want to mess with the whole stroller thing). We went a month before our two-year-old turned three so she was free for a lot of things. Our other daughter was four at the time. They both remember it since we took a ton of pictures and put them in a photo book that they'll page through from time to time.

One other thing to consider is taking a Disney Cruise. The kids wanted to go back to Disney World but we wanted something a little different. It couldn't have been better. All the characters, lots of stuff for the kids to do while you're island hopping and the like, great food. I can't recommend a Disney Cruise enough. I was skeptical at first but it was one of the best vacations I've taken. Turns out the best cure for getting away from work is getting a boat and going into the ocean. It's hard for anybody to bother you.