Walt Disney World Florida

My views on Walt Disney World are well known to those who have followed me via social media etc etc and to those who know me personally. It'd be fair to say that my Good Wife and myself (and now our daughter) are Disneyphiles. From our investment in Disney Vacation Club to our genuine enjoyment of the immersive experience that is Disney World, it gives you all a chance to "escape" for a few days and become a kid again. And for whatever criticisms that people through at the behemoth that is the Walt Disney Company, NO-ONE does it better when it comes to entertainment for the whole family. Pure and Simple. There is Disney....and then there is the rest.

Saying that, there are definitely some improvements that could be made and Disney are more than happy to take on board constructive criticism. The transport system is a work in progress. For every bus that you wait on to take you to your desired destination, there always appears to be 2-3 buses for every other park or hotel which arrive before yours. Consistency is not their strong suit when it comes to Transport. And even though they would deny it, there is no doubt that Disney favour certain resorts over others when it comes to ensuring timely passenger movements. And the number of electric scooters that Disney transport around thereby adding time to each trip is a particular bugbear of mine. For every legitimate user of the electrical assistance vehicles, there's at least one lazy bastard who takes the piss by being plain and simply a waste of space. You should not be able to access a scooter because you are a fat bastard. Get off your arse and start walking and you never know the results that might well follow. It's not fucking rocket science.

There are some things that you just accept as being part and parcel of Disney. You will encounter queues that sometime appear never ending. And you pay a premium for merchandise that originated in China like 90% of the crap you buy at Walmart and the like. But the joy that appears on your child's face when they curl up in bed at night with their newest plush toy that you can only get at Disney is worth the dough mark my words. And with the advent of Fastpass at the attractions, the queues have been reduced markedly over the years and enables the average punter to plan their day a fair bit easier. The character greetings are an unavoidable queue but a necessary evil when you have a youngster that loves having her photo taken with a Disney Princess or Villain.

Next up a blow by blow account of our stay.....

I arrived at LAX on Thurday morning the 26th of September after the obligatory 13 hour journey across the pond....this time from Brisbane. For all the service difficulties that Qantas have, the addition of the personal video screens have made the trip across literally "fly" compared to the good old days of "92 when I made my first trip to the States. A couple of ripping movies (White House Down, The Internship, The Heat, Fast and Furious 6) and I was landing in LA before I knew it. Customs was successfully negotiated in good time and I trekked across to the Southwest terminal for my 11am flight to Las Vegas where I reconnected with Mac and Vanessa who had arrived a week and a half earlier in order to spend some quality time with the Out Laws in downtown BHC Arizona.

An hour and a half later and we were pulling off the 95 and heading down toward Laughlin and Bullhead and my first taste in 3 years of In 'n Out burger. For those of you who haven't had the deeply moving religious experience of a Double/Double then you are missing out on one of life's true highlights. Even at 46 years young, the taste never gets old or taken for granted. I will once again treasure a visit to church before I leave in 6 days time I can assure you. (And if you think I'm kidding, then visit the Las Vegas outlet on East Tropicana. Our visit there had a queue almost out the door of one of the biggest In 'n Outs that I've ever seen, and a drive thru line that was so long it required a waitress with a I-Pad to take orders before the cars had reached the microphone).

A leisurely 3 nights with Maxine and Larry in one of my favorite parts of the country ensued before we headed up to Vegas for our Sunday morning flight to the House of the Mouse....Walt Disney World in Orlando Florida, our East Coast home away from home.

In our last week......

Well due to a spectacularly non responsive notebook and some less than stellar connections, the updates have been somewhat less than successful and woefully inadequate as we have proceeded on our travels. HOWEVER I will not be defeated by such nuances!!! Of this I am determined!!! So I will start posting my recalls from the start of our journey some three weeks ago and take you through blow by blow our journeys from AZ to FL to WA to Canada and back to AZ.
So strap in and here we go.........

Well well well. After a 3 year hiatus its time to resurrect our travel blog for the 2013 version of the Strahans across America. After the super popular 2010 version, 3 years later sees a slightly reduced group size travelling across this time, but the excitement is still as tangible as ever.

Vanessa and Mackenzie are heading across mid Sep for 2 months. A chance to spend some quality time with Mum / Nana and Grandpa Larry beckons for their first couple of weeks before I fly closer to the end of September for my month travelling the country of a million choices.

V & M are spending their first night staying at, and exploring Knotts Berry Farm in Anaheim before heading to SW Arizona. Upon my arrival into Vegas we all board our flight a couple of days later for Orlando and 10 nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World in Florida. It really is the happiest place in the world. I dont give a rats arse whether you are 6 or 60, if you cant completely immerse yourself in Disney World and forget the day to day grind that life sometimes becomes, then pick up the shovel and start digging the hole to bury yourself in.

Investing in Disney Vacation Club back in 2008 really was the best thing we could have done as a family. For an initial investment of $8000USD (along with annual fees of roughly $500) we bought ourselves 50 years of lodging at Disney operated property. We choose to spend our time at WDW in Florida in a 2 bed fully self contained unit for 10 days every 3 years. It rents at $1000 per night to the average non DVC punter so we are already in front after a mere 2 trips since purchasing.....and weve still got 40+ years left!!!

After Orlando we are flying up to the Pacific Northwest and into Seattle, Washington State. From there we grab a car and spend the next 7 days cruising the SW corner of Canada. Through Kamloops, Banff, Jasper and all points in between (Lake Louise & Moraine Lake amongst others) the drive along the 180 odd miles of the Icefields Parkway is one that I am particularly looking forward to. Added to the fact that Vanessa and Mackenzie are coming as well and our first family roadtrip should be a really memorable week.

Well around about a month from now, all three of us will just about be there. Once we are underway I will re-post regularly along with the obligatory snapshot or 20, Feel free to comment or just browse the blog postings.

It might inspire you to venture to the States for your next holiday!!!