by Amy Hite

Created on: November 05, 2009

Disney parks are the happiest places on Earth. What overly ambitious marketing assistant dreamed up that motto? The fact is the parks aren't always the happiest places on Earth. With their screaming children, pricey food and souvenirs, long lines, and crowds of sweaty tourists, how could these places possibly be happy? Why then, do parents save for days, months, sometimes even years in order to bless themselves and their tots with a family vacation to end all family vacations - a trip to Disney? Maybe happy isn't the right word. Maybe the correct word here is "magic."

Let's face it. You're just not going to be happy during your entire Disney vacation. You're going to get tired from walking miles and miles through a park with a six year old wondering why "this Disney" (EPCOT) is more boring than "Cinderella's Disney" (Magic Kingdom). You're going to feel a bit stressed when, mid-week through your seven day trip, you realize you've spent double your budget already. And quite frankly, you're going to get tired of wearing those mouse ears with your name neatly scripted on the back.

So, where's the reward from all of this work?

The reward is the feeling you get when you catch your first glimpse of that oh-so-famous castle. It's the look on your kids' faces when they see the real Mickey Mouse for the first time. It's the feeling of exhausted contentment you feel watching the spectacular display of fireworks at the end of the longest of days. It's magical.

Disney parks offer everything a family could want in a vacation, all packed into sprawling acres of non-stop entertainment. If you choose to make Walt Disney World in Florida your vacation stop of choice, and you ride the monorail from park to park, you can almost envision Walt Disney's dream of an actual city within the theme park, where people lived, worked, and played. Even though that dream never quite came to fruition (EPCOT is more like a giant world's fair as opposed to a city), the parks have gone so far beyond Walt Disney's first vision, it's hard to think Mr. Disney would ever be disappointed with the route they have taken. Stay anywhere in the Disney network of hotels, and transportation is a breeze. Employees at the parks wear constant smiles, and whether you encounter a sales clerk at a souvenir kiosk or a barbershop quartet singer wandering the park, they're all trained well to be sure that every visitor is receiving the Disney experience. There is just no doubt that a Disney vacation is sure to please your entire family, no matter their ages.

When you finally find time to reflect on your trip, more than likely after you've had adequate amounts of rest and time to replenish your bank account, what will stand out as the most rewarding part of your Disney vacation? Was it the eighth ride on Space Mountain when little Junior's six dollar Magic Kingdom hotdog finally just couldn't stay in his stomach any longer? Perhaps it was your youngest child's scream of horror when Goofy came too close with those big gloved hands. Surely it was your entire family asleep on the monorail, still wearing their mouse ears, coming back to the freshly cleaned hotel room after a day of fun. No, the most rewarding experience from your vacation was the memories the Disney magic helped create. Because as soon people set foot in a Disney park, they are transformed. They're no longer too-cool teenagers, or cynical parents, or feuding siblings. They are people open to magic, and open to experiences. Disney delivers, and provides happy (yes, happy) family memories that will last a lifetime.

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