Okay, so we're not actually going for another 6 plus months. But I can't wait!
I've always been a little down on Disney, all that manufactured commercial 'fun', compared to say, the more natural wonders of playing on a sandy beach watching the ocean roll in, or hiking through national parks, or visiting foreign lands (theoretically at least - we've never been able to swing this).
My kids (10, 8, 6) are not actually very Disney-fied either. While they've been exposed to most of the animated feature films, they've never been obsessed. My daughter (8) never went through a princess stage, she has no idea what High School Musical is or who Hannah Montanna is, etc...
The first thing that made me reconsider was the fact that Disney is supposed to be so fabulous about food allergies. My daughter has life-threatening allergies to milk, egg, tree nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc...) as well as legumes (peanuts, peas, chick peas, lentils) and many seeds (sesame seeds, sunflower seeds). And, apparently, Disney chefs are well prepared to feed my daughter safely! Plus, our room apparently gets a special "peanut" cleaning, to make sure any families that stayed in it before us didn't leave residue that could harm B.
Usually when we go on vacation, I have to cook all the meals for B., or worry about being within range of a McDonalds, the only "restaurant" B. can eat at, given their separate fryers for French Fries and their standardized food production procedures. I have to bring all B.'s bedding, and my own stuff to clean down the room. I may do this anyway, but it is just very reassuring to know Disney has a policy in place that is intended to protect children such as B.
The second thing that made me reconsider was actually learning something about Disney! It is a pretty impressive complex, with four completely different types of parks, each containing a wide variety of attractions, rides, shows, meals, etc....
Furthermore, I take my kids to many "manufactured" experiences - zoos, museums, movies, amusement parks - and Disney just combines all of these things into one huge complex, with the aforementioned tie-ins to their movies.
But should I really begrudge Disney that? Disney is in the entertainment BUSINESS, Disney movies entertain millions of children (and adults), has done that extremely well over several decades, and, just happens to be a profit-oriented business. And if they are a massive corporate behemoth - well, it is precisely their prosperity and size that makes them able to accomodate my daughter on a scale unthinkable for most entities that deal with children.
We have reservations in a moderate resort, Port Orleans Riverside, which can accomodate our family of five. Now, given my daughter's food allergies and asthma, I do feel a little concerned about some of the on-line reports I've read that have indicated Riverside rooms are shabby and poorly maintained. But Riverside also has many positive reports, and if the room exacerbates my daughter's asthma, I have plenty of coping skills thanks to experiences in other hotels that exacerbated her asthma. Plus, Riverside is apparently being rennovated in 2008, so perhaps they'll be finished by the time we get there.
Learning All The Time
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