Turns out, I'm a huge fan of Disney.
I was surprised, too. Sure, I grew up knowing the leader of the club of that's made for you and me and watching "The Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday nights (after supper was done, of course.) And I admit I even owned a copy of my all-time favorite Disney movie, "101 Dalmatians," on VHS no less, long before I had children.
But Disney was kids' stuff, a pleasant diversion for the young ones. With three daughters, I appreciated all those Disney movies as an electronic babysitter, a way to keep the kids occupied for 90 minutes at a stretch while I put away groceries or cooked supper, but nothing more.
And then nine years ago, when my kids were 7 and under, we took a trip to Disney World and I kinda fell in love with the place. I knew we would be back someday, once we were past strollers and diapers and regretting the missed afternoon naps.
Of course, Disney World isn't cheap. I've had a credit card that gives Disney reward points for a long time, but a few years ago, I got serious about collecting points. Last fall, it looked like I had finally accumulated enough to make the trip affordable and booked a Disney World package for March, over the kids' spring break.
I was probably more excited than the kids. Some people get pumped to see the characters - that's not us, although I do believe Donald Duck and I may be kindred spirits, and apparently my oldest daughter thought I was a little too enthusiastic about a private photo op with Goofy and Minnie Mouse.
Some people go for the restaurants. Not us - we got by as cheaply as we could, sustaining ourselves with granola bars and bottles of water we carried in.
And the rides? They tell me the ones labeled "thrill ride" are awesome. I wouldn't know: I gave up roller coasters sometime before Y2K. But after a couple of weeks, I'm still marveling at how those Disney "Imagineers" came up with a ride that so realistically captured the sensation of hang gliding around the world. At all four of Disney World's theme parks, the attention to every detail, the care taken to make every experience as immersive as possible, is awe-inspiring and worth every penny.
As much fun as it was to take the little kids there, it was 10 times better to take the older kids. I can see why some families go there year after year, well after their children are grown.
Actually, there were a lot of retired people there who seemed to be enjoying the parks without children or grandchildren. And there were a lot of older people working at Disney World, mostly likely semi-retired.
It got my mouse ears twitching.
Spending retirement at Disney World, maybe working there part-time? Yes. I can totally see it. I hate humidity and always fancied retiring to the Southwest, at least for the winters. But I am nothing if not adaptable.
Florida can't be that bad, right? Easy access to the ocean. Plenty of others in the senior demographic.
And there's Disney World.
There's one potential problem with my plan: My husband John. He likes Disney World, but he made it clear that our most recent trip, his third, will be his last. He's just not that into it.
He loathes crowds and traffic, so I'm guessing he's going to object to my whole scenario of a nice little retirement condo in the Orlando area. I'm not sure, but I think he was picturing us wintering in some kind of rattletrap RV in the middle of nowhere outside of Albuquerque. (He's a big fan of "Breaking Bad.")
Fortunately, we've got some time to figure it out. Retirement's still a good number of years away.
In the meantime, I've already started saving my Disney reward points again. Hey, a mouseketeer can dream, right?
- Mary Jane Grenzow is editor of the Monroe Times.
She can be reached at
editor@themonroetimes.com.
Her column appears on Saturdays.
I was surprised, too. Sure, I grew up knowing the leader of the club of that's made for you and me and watching "The Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday nights (after supper was done, of course.) And I admit I even owned a copy of my all-time favorite Disney movie, "101 Dalmatians," on VHS no less, long before I had children.
But Disney was kids' stuff, a pleasant diversion for the young ones. With three daughters, I appreciated all those Disney movies as an electronic babysitter, a way to keep the kids occupied for 90 minutes at a stretch while I put away groceries or cooked supper, but nothing more.
And then nine years ago, when my kids were 7 and under, we took a trip to Disney World and I kinda fell in love with the place. I knew we would be back someday, once we were past strollers and diapers and regretting the missed afternoon naps.
Of course, Disney World isn't cheap. I've had a credit card that gives Disney reward points for a long time, but a few years ago, I got serious about collecting points. Last fall, it looked like I had finally accumulated enough to make the trip affordable and booked a Disney World package for March, over the kids' spring break.
I was probably more excited than the kids. Some people get pumped to see the characters - that's not us, although I do believe Donald Duck and I may be kindred spirits, and apparently my oldest daughter thought I was a little too enthusiastic about a private photo op with Goofy and Minnie Mouse.
Some people go for the restaurants. Not us - we got by as cheaply as we could, sustaining ourselves with granola bars and bottles of water we carried in.
And the rides? They tell me the ones labeled "thrill ride" are awesome. I wouldn't know: I gave up roller coasters sometime before Y2K. But after a couple of weeks, I'm still marveling at how those Disney "Imagineers" came up with a ride that so realistically captured the sensation of hang gliding around the world. At all four of Disney World's theme parks, the attention to every detail, the care taken to make every experience as immersive as possible, is awe-inspiring and worth every penny.
As much fun as it was to take the little kids there, it was 10 times better to take the older kids. I can see why some families go there year after year, well after their children are grown.
Actually, there were a lot of retired people there who seemed to be enjoying the parks without children or grandchildren. And there were a lot of older people working at Disney World, mostly likely semi-retired.
It got my mouse ears twitching.
Spending retirement at Disney World, maybe working there part-time? Yes. I can totally see it. I hate humidity and always fancied retiring to the Southwest, at least for the winters. But I am nothing if not adaptable.
Florida can't be that bad, right? Easy access to the ocean. Plenty of others in the senior demographic.
And there's Disney World.
There's one potential problem with my plan: My husband John. He likes Disney World, but he made it clear that our most recent trip, his third, will be his last. He's just not that into it.
He loathes crowds and traffic, so I'm guessing he's going to object to my whole scenario of a nice little retirement condo in the Orlando area. I'm not sure, but I think he was picturing us wintering in some kind of rattletrap RV in the middle of nowhere outside of Albuquerque. (He's a big fan of "Breaking Bad.")
Fortunately, we've got some time to figure it out. Retirement's still a good number of years away.
In the meantime, I've already started saving my Disney reward points again. Hey, a mouseketeer can dream, right?
- Mary Jane Grenzow is editor of the Monroe Times.
She can be reached at
editor@themonroetimes.com.
Her column appears on Saturdays.
