(Today's blog is written by Mousin' About Walt Disney World co-author Dann Hazel)

Back in 1991, after saving for several years, I took my parents for their first Walt Disney World vacation to celebrate their retirement. To make the vacation as special as possible, I booked a vacation package known as the Grand Plan, which was a package exclusive to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. Then, to heighten the experience, I requested a room on the concierge level of the Grand Floridian, which was upstairs in the main building where the Grand Lobby is located.

At that time, the Grand Plan (which has evolved into other packages over the years) included all meals at table-service restaurants, along with two snacks per day. You could also book meals in Cinderella Castle, Victoria & Albert's (only one Vickie & Al's meal was allowed, though), and all dinner shows. Even in-room dining was included--which turned out to be a really good thing since we never went to bed early. Consequently, we ordered room service for breakfast almost every morning during our stay (which, by the way, even include filet mignon!). Our food allowances were actually a bit oppressive, though, since our concierge level rooms also allowed us to enjoy food and drinks in the concierge lounges. At times, it felt as though we were wedging park attractions between meals!



I'll never forget the look on my parents' faces when they entered the Grand Floridian's Grand Lobby. My parents had worked hard over the years, and took very few vacations--and often, because four children were involved in their travel plans, accommodations trended toward the more economical digs. Part of my reason for wanting to book the Grand Floridian was to show my appreciation for all they had done for me throughout my childhood--to let them know they deserved to be pampered. I remember my father saying, uncomfortably: "Now, Dann, you knonw we don't normally stay in places like this."

I smiled and said, "You'll get used to it!"

And indeed he did. Within an hour or two, Dad was checking out the resort, listening to the pianist and jazz band, and dropping by the concierge lounge. Finally, though, he got a little restless.

"Okay, Dann. Show me what's so great about Walt Disney World."

Mom was tired, so she decided to take a nap while we spent a couple of hours in the Magic Kingdom.

Dad was wowed by the monorail, and enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion. We also saw the afternoon parade--which was Disney's Easter version. Later that evening, we retrieved Mom from our room, and we returned to the Magic Kingdom to see the Castle fireworks.

"I've seen lots of good firework displays in my day," Dad said, "but this was definitely the best."

(In Epcot, he expressed a similar sentiment about IllumiNations.)

Though it took Mom another day to warm up to the place, both parents ultimately became eager to enjoy all that Walt Disney World had to offer. To this day, Mom will talk about "all that food" she was "expected" to eat. And every now and then, Dad jokes about moving to Florida to become a greeter at the Grand Floridian. Now that I'm living within 45 minutes of Walt Disney World, I tell him to "come on down."

During our visit, a number of European cast members were being trained to run one of the resort hotels at Disneyland Paris. It so happened that our concierge cast member--Tonya, I believe was her name--was one of those individuals. Mom and Dad became friendly with her, and every time she saw them, she would ask if they were enjoying themselves, then offer to make reservations for dinner shows or other meals. Dad, who had served in the Navy, chatted with her about her life in Europe; it was great to see my parents making themselves right at home amid the magic.

Each evening, when we returned to our room, our beds would be turned down, and chocolates left on our pillows. Also, each day we received a gift--including a basket from the Easter Bunny on Easter, filled with Godiva chocolates, cheeses, Disney collectibles and trinkets, and a Grand Floridian coffee mug that I have to this day. Since I'm a big Mickey fan, Mom and Dad said it was okay to keep anything with Mickey Mouse on it. To this day, I still have a collectible plate with Mickey cheek-to-cheek with Walt Disney--a limited edition plate with an edition size of 5500--and a wonderful reminder of the time I was able to "give a little something back" to two people who worked very hard to give me opportunities they never had. But I wasn't the only one "giving a little something back." Frequently, Mom and Dad encountered cast members who bent over backwards, as Mom would say, to be nice to them, to see that they were enjoying themselves, and to ensure that Mom, who was a vegetarian, was enjoying her food.



In a way, this experience makes my long-standing "love affair" with Walt Disney World even more meaningful, because I understand that, while Disney can be incredibly expensive, it has the ability, the motivation--perhaps even the power--if not to deepen relationships, then certainly to remind us how much the people in our lives really matter. Whether spouses, significant others, partners, parents, children, friends or other relatives, a little Disney-branded pixie dust sprinkled on our relationships helps us to look at our loved ones with new vision and deeper appreciation.

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