The “Disney Bubble” is a wonderful and beautiful thing. Everything is magical. Doors open with a flick of your wrist. Food and souvenir’s are easily paid for by tapping your Mickey head on a device. You get to go on safari’s, cruise through jungles, ride to space on a mountain, explore the Himalaya’s while avoiding a Yeti, ride haunted elevators, and now even take a flight on a Banshee. You have access to amazing stage shows as well as viewing to unparalleled fireworks displays. The best part is, you can do all this while avoiding the harsh realities of the world outside the “Disney Bubble.” Yes, I could totally live in the “Disney Bubble!”
Sadly, though, there comes a time when you have to leave that bubble and head back to reality. The place where you go to earn money to head back to that magical Disney Bubble. Let’s talk about how difficult it is to acclimate back to the “real world” after a Walt Disney World vacation, shall we?
We live about 7 hours away from Walt Disney World, so we drive instead of flying. That means, for us, it begins with the turn of the key in the ignition. While others dread boarding the Magical Express (a.k.a. Tragical Express), we dread loading up our car and embarking on that 7 hour journey home. In the magic bubble, we have a smiling Cast Member to drive us to every destination we want to go to at Walt Disney World. That ends on the drive home. It’s all up to us, well, my husband really, since he’s the one who does all of the driving to and from Disney. It stinks, it really, really does.
On the drive home, we make one stop to refuel our car, as well as stretch our legs and visit the restroom. Aaaahhh, rest-stop restrooms. What can I say about them in comparison to Disney restrooms? I’ve always been impressed by the way the Cast Members are able to stay on top of things in the park restrooms, keeping them as neat, tidy and clean as possible when there are thousands of people roaming about. They work so hard, and it really shows. Let’s take a moment now to applaud those glorious Cast Members who do the gross work so we can be comfortable. Now check out these bathroom photo’s. Folks, we ain’t in a Walt Disney World bathroom anymore. Gag, gross, ick and all of those other adjectives that describe how I felt walking into this stall, then promptly turning around and walking out. I see no seat covers like you find in every Disney park bathroom. I see no cute Disney theming in this bathroom. All I see are stains, bugs, more stains, and a lot more bugs. I miss my “Disney Bubble” so very much.
Moving on to when we finally pull up in the driveway of our home. We all rush to the door, ready to get into our home after a long drive, but for some reason the magic bands won’t open the door. What is this nonsense? So we try it again, and it STILL won’t open the door. Ridiculous! Yet another cruel slap of reality in the face. We have to actually go to the trouble of putting the key in the lock and unlocking the door. We have GOT to figure out a way to make the magic band unlock the door, seriously!
Another “Disney Bubble” bursting reality check comes when you have to make a purchase, whether it be at a store or you are going out to eat and need to pay the check Again, the “tap your Mickey head against the device” doesn’t seem to apply outside of Walt Disney World. How very inconvenient of the rest of the world to not allow us to use our magic bands when we need to make a purchase. Now I have to go to the trouble of pulling my wallet out of my purse (a Disney purse, of course), and grabbing my Tinker Bell Disney Chase Visa to pay for my purchases so I can earn more Disney cash back. Sigh. I really don’t know how I can continue to function in the real world outside of my precious “Disney Bubble.”
My poor husband just trekked off for his first day back to work after our vacation. I do feel bad for him. You don’t have to work when you are on vacation at Walt Disney World, yet another way it bites to be out of the “Disney Bubble.” Work and real world responsibilities are simply not fun. There’s no fun character and Cast Member interactions at work. I can’t find any cute Disney stickers in that stack of bills that came in the mail while we were gone, no autographs from Disney characters. I certainly can’t seem to log onto my My Disney Experience app and grab a Fast Pass so I can wait a shorter amount of time at the grocery store, bank or post office. No one was available in my kitchen to take our orders and fix our meals but me, and that REALLY bites! No one was there to clean up our mess, wash our dishes and offer us a, “Have a magical day!” while smiling sweetly. When we turned on the television, we found depressing world news instead of the beloved Stacey giving you all the info on things to do at Walt Disney World.
Yes, the real world Bites. But doesn’t that make it so much sweeter when you do get to go back to your favorite Disney destination? Though it would be a dream to be able to live in Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom all the time, I suppose I would eventually become disenchanted with it all. I guess I need that reality check to keep me grounded and humble. I need it to keep me appreciative of all that the Disney Cast Member’s do to make everything so magical when I am at the parks or in the resorts. Who am I kidding? I need that time in reality so I can perfectly plan my next Disney vacation where I can hide away again in that beautiful, magical “Disney Bubble!”
Whether you have never experienced the “Disney Bubble,” or you are ready to go back to your “Disney Bubble,” we can help get you started. Are you ready to start planning your magical vacation and enjoy all that Disney has to offer, but you aren’t sure where to start? Contact our recommended travel agent, Patricia at All Dreams for Travel, and she can do all the work for you. Best of all, all of her services are FREE, all you have to do is click here to request a quote!
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I can totally relate, except for the Tinker Bell Disney Chase……I pull out a Yoda Disney Chase card! Didney withdrawal is real, which is probably why I want to start planning the next vacation as soon as I get back from the next! Loved the post and thanks for sharing on #MouseFanMondays!