Why Disney? The Top Five Reasons

You're probably here because you are a fan of Disney or at the very least want to know more about Disney. You've probably heard that familiar question from your friends or other family members "Why Disney?" They just can't understand why Disney pulls such loyalty or affection from its fans.

In this post, I'm going to give you a top 5 reasons Walt Disney World is like no other place on Earth.

Top 5 Reasons Disney is Like No Other Place on Earth

5. It's so clean!

Before I went to Walt Disney World the first time, I would not have imagined a theme park to be clean, but Disney is always (well, almost always) sparkling. Custodial staff are in the parks 24/7. You may have seen them in Tomorrowland, picking up litter with claws on poles and happily stashing it away where it belongs.

You may have noticed when you walk in in the morning that the streets are damp - they've just been pressure washed. Every night.

You may have noticed the lack of those dark sticky spots on the pavement and seats where guests have abandoned their gum. It's not sold in the parks for this reason.

Most trash cans around Walt Disney World are no more than 30 steps apart so that you can find a place to dispose of your trash quickly.

All of this comes together in a monumental effort to keep the parks clean, and it pays!

4. "Be Our Guest"

No, not the restaurant by the same name, though many love that as well.

I'm referring here to the mentality ingrained in Disney Cast Members that you are a guest. Not a customer, not a client, not a tourist, but their own guest being welcomed into their home and treated with the hospitality one should treat anyone they invite into their home.

3. Something For Everyone

Do you think Disney is just for kids or families with kids? If so, you are mistaken!

I've vacationed at Disney as a teenager with family, an adult alone, an adult with other adults, and now a mom with family. Every time, I've seen a new side to Walt Disney World.

Say you are going with other adults and aren't sure what's in it for you. First of all, many adults enjoy the rides and attractions and like to step back into the child mentality. Disney is the place to do it! Be a kid again!

But if that's not your thing, then enjoy the streetmosphere. You can find performers playing piano, singing quartet, and putting on street comedy performances. Venture to EPCOT and enjoy the many performances around World Showcase Lagoon that you may not have the opportunity to see elsewhere. Or venture to Disney Hollywood Studios and enjoy some Star Wars atmosphere complete with marches of storm troopers down Hollywood boulevard.

If shopping is your thing, there is plenty of it at Disney Springs. I personally also enjoy shopping around World Showcase lagoon at EPCOT and around the monorail loop (especially at the Grand Floridian - Basin, I hear you calling!).

Want a drink? Despite Disney's reputation as "goody two shoes", you can find delicious and unique drinks everywhere. Disney Springs night clubs are an obvious pick, but my favorite is drinking around World Showcase Lagoon. My second favorite is grabbing a tropical drink at the Polynesian and sipping it by the Seven Seas Lagoon. If you are lucky (and arrive early), you can enjoy a drink in Trader Sam's Grog Grotto at the Polynesian, where strange things happen depending on what you order.

Those are just some of the things for adults. There are also scuba adventures, water sports, water parks, mini golf, actual golf, night clubs, fun bars, campfire cook outs, luaus, special safaris at the break of dawn, and pool lounge chairs calling your name.

2. Disney Knows Customer Service

Disney takes customer service very seriously. In fact, when I did the College Program in 1999-2000, it involved seven different seminars entirely on customer service.

This is where one learns the "two fingered point" or "open hand point", for example. Watch a Disney Cast Member direct you somewhere and notice that they do not point with one finger. Why? In some cultures it's considered rude to make that gesture, among others.

You will never hear a Cast Member tell you that you shouldn't be in a certain place if you venture off the beaten path. Instead you might hear them ask "Can I help you find something?"

You will never hear a Cast Member say "I don't know. Sorry." Instead, you will hear them say "Let me find out."

Step off of Disney property after a long vacation and the real world may seem harsh. Disney Cast Members are the most polite, most helpful, and most magical part of your experience.

1. Get Away From It All

When Walt decided to build Walt Disney World, he did it because he had found the real world was encroaching too much on the original park, Disneyland, in California. From within Disneyland, one could still see the buildings out in the rest of the world, completely beyond Disney's control.

With Walt Disney World in Florida, Disney enjoyed the luxury of space. Once in Disney property, you will likely not see the rest of the world. Hotels don't display newspapers in stands because let's be honest, the news on the front page is seldom good and may stress you out even if it doesn't personally affect you. On one of my trips to Walt Disney World, I was there while OJ Simpson was leading cops in a low speed chase in his infamous white Ford bronco. I missed ALL of that and didn't hear about it until I set foot in the airport, and then began the summer of OJ Simpson all the time, impossible to escape when "out there" in the real world.

You will almost never see an ambulance or medical emergency in the parks. Disney is so good at getting medical personnel and ambulances in discretely and hidden backstage so as not to alarm other guests, and they respond to medical emergencies quickly and calmly. On my last vacation, I was in line at Small World wondering why our segment of the line wasn't moving for a half an hour. Only once I started really scrutinizing my surroundings did I realize that about 25 feet away from me, a medical emergency was occurring and Disney Cast Members and medical personnel were loading someone onto a stretcher. They had roped off the queue so people were diverted, and had formed a human barrier around the person in trouble so you really would not have noticed something was happening unless you paid special attention.

The world is not always a pretty place, but Disney works hard so that while you are inside the parks, the world is as pretty as it can be. It is a true escape!