The Most Magical Place on Earth

Reliving the memories of my childhood with my kids.

Back on my birthday in April, I wrote about tackling your bucket list in my post The Pandemic: Lessons Learned. In it I said how it’s time to start checking items off your bucket list and to not waste time by waiting any longer.

This past week I crossed the top item off my bucket list. My wife, two kids and I went to Disney World. Our kids are at the ages (3 and 6) where it’s a good time to go. They met the height requirements for just about every ride at all the parks.

We spent a day at each of the four parks (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot & Hollywood Studios). I’m delighted to report that the two hour waits for rides are back. The long lines waiting for $6 bottled water and popsicles in sweltering heat are in full force. The sights, smells (some good and some bad) that I remember from my childhood all returned.

Here were some observations I made.

The staffing shortage issues are very evident. Many rides, shops and kiosks remain closed. The restaurants are packed to the capacities that they can handle. It’s impossible to get reservations to any restaurants the same day. I know because I checked each day to see what was available for lunch and dinner reservations. There was nothing. A few 10:00 or later dinner reservations was all you’d find. Being the foodie I am, I had dinner reservations booked months ago.

The servers and managers of the restaurants we went to said they are overwhelmed with demand. They’re serving what they can with the staff they have. It’s not that the places are to capacity, they’re serving who they can for the number of tables they can handle. Thankfully the quality of the food was on point. We had some excellent meals. Our favorite was Shula’s Steakhouse where I had scheduled two of our dinners.

There is a demand everywhere. Our driver told us in his 14 years of driving in Disney he has never seen this amount of people. No matter where you go there are waits unlike anything he has seen before. Everywhere we went was jammed pack with people. Every ride or attraction was an over 20 minute wait. This was constant all day, every day.

Disney has almost unlimited pricing power. Everything at Disney World is memorable. Every park and attraction. You find yourself in amazement at how they designed and constructed these countless works of art. There is a reason so many travel from all over the world.

A few others we knew who were there with their families mentioned how Disney could charge almost anything they wanted and people would still pay it. We all agreed that everything would still be just as packed.

The Most Magical Place on Earth still stands true. That magical feel that I remember as a child came back. It felt like yesterday. I went on these rides as a kid and now am enjoying them with my kids. It was such a memorable and fun experience. The kids never stopped smiling.

Few places on earth create the type of experience, memories and excitement that Disney World does. The ages of people in lines ranged from newborns to the elderly. Regardless of your age, it’s a magical place for everyone.

Full disclosure: I’m an investor in Disney.