Little Things We Love About Disney World

We love Walt Disney World. That should be obvious by the existence of this website. But we’re also critical of the parks & resorts and, especially, current management and the decisions they make. Sometimes, the decisions they make feel short-sighted, seeking short term pain at the cost of long-term guest goodwill.

This type of tension is normal, I think, with something you love. Even the unconditional love of a parent to a child doesn’t come without critique and constructive criticism. Mothers and fathers offer this, presumably, because they want what’s best for their kids. I don’t view Walt Disney World as my child–it’s old enough to be my parent–but my commentary comes from a similar place of love and wanting to see the parks thrive.

In all honesty, it’s also selfish. I’ve been visiting Walt Disney World fan since literally before birth. My first time hearing Country Bear Christmas was in 1984–before I was born! I loved these parks as a child in the 1980s and 1990s, as an awkward teen in the early aughts, as a love-smitten college student in the late aughts, love-smitten newly-wed in 2010s, and love-smitten parent in the 2020s. I’ll be here in the 2030s, 40s, and so forth. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll outlast current and future management, and all of the great and boneheaded decisions they make. Of course, I favor the former given that I’ll be living with these choices for decades to come.

With that said, too much criticism raises the question: why are you even a Walt Disney World fan in the first place? 

This blog is a veritable compendium of answers to that, which I believe is mostly a condescending rhetorical device meant to quell criticism. Nevertheless, sometimes it is nice to stop and smell the roses and share some of the little things we love about the place.

To that end, here’s a list (possibly part one in an ongoing series?) of little things we love about Walt Disney World. Random small stuff–not rides, resorts, restaurants or the other major draws about which we normally focus. Here goes…

Arriving in the Disney Bubble – Walt Disney World just “hits differently” for us when experienced as a wholly immersive multi-day vacation destination divorced from the real world. The Disney Bubble is definitely a thing, and it’s fantastic. To be sure, there are major advantages to being a local, but on balance, I’d rather experience the Vacation Kingdom of the World as a vacation.

It used to be the case that you ‘arrived’ at Walt Disney World when you entered the Disney’s Magical Express staging area at Orlando International Airport. Alas, that is no more and now you have to wait a bit longer.

For us, this feeling hits when driving under those Walt Disney World archways that demarcate the real world from the bubble. They’re simple by Disney’s thematic standards, but they put a big dumb grin on my face every single time. This feeling is further reinforced by the famous Walt Disney World navigational signage and its inexplicably iconic red and purple color scheme.

It’s no surprise that fans had strong opinions about changes to these gateways and signage (I still prefer the old style, pictured above) and that’s because we have fond memories and nostalgia for the many wonderful Walt Disney World vacations that all started by passing through these entrances.

Seeing Pooh’s Posse – Sarah and I have been falling in love with Walt Disney World for the first time all over again vicariously via our daughter, Megatron. Seeing her discover and react to the parks has made for many priceless memories and, quite frankly, this list could be populated entirely with unexpected little things we now love due to our daughter. That’s personal and unique to us, and might be boring for you, so I’m limiting it to just one entry.

Suffice to say, nowhere have these discoveries and reactions better than with characters. Megatron has met Mickey and friends many times at Disneyland. One of her favorite hobbies is grabbing the Fab Five’s noses and whiskers, which are like magnets for little baby hands. This is an activity that she practices on, at least with noses, on her plushies of Minnie and Mickey at home.

Pooh’s Posse is different. She also sees them often at Disneyland, especially now that Bayou Country has reopened. Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger are like Taylor Swift or Christopher Walken to her (two popular celebrities of equal stature). When she spots them walking to or from their greeting place, she goes nuts for them, waving like crazy, making a bunch of noises, and “phoning home” (it’s exactly what you think it is).

I can already tell that watching Pooh’s Posse do their little march from backstage to the Thotful Spot in Hundred-Acre Wood is going to be one of those “little things” for Sarah and I decades from now, when Megatron is in college. Can we freeze time?! Failing that, it’s pretty easy to see why parents keep going to Walt Disney World again and again.

This TTA Scene – One thing I’ve always loved about Tomorrowland ’94 is the worldbuilding. This was accomplished via the science fiction flourishes and ornamentation that established Tomorrowland as a lived-in place. This version of the land will always hold a special place in my heart since it gave us Alien Encounter and Timekeeper (two brilliant attractions), and was the Tomorrowland of my childhood.

It wasn’t just the rides, though. I loved getting lost in the details. If you ask the average fan their favorite PeopleMover scene, most will play it safe and say the Progress City model. And that’s a good answer–probably the correct one! It’s one of my favorite things in Magic Kingdom, but it’s also obvious. Who among us hasn’t daydreamed about where we’d live in such a real E.P.C.O.T. had Walt’s community come to fruition?!

I similarly find myself daydreaming when I look at the above vignette. It has so many subtle details that raises as many questions as it answers about mass transit, alien-robot-human relations, TTA regulations, and more. One of the things I love about Walt Disney World is it unlocks the door of imagination, allowing guests to explore ideas and create their own headcanon. That partly explains why attractions like Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean have enduring popularity. They don’t give you all of the answers or tell a succinct story.

Columbia Harbour House Second Floor – As one of the few good places to eat and a colossal counter service restaurant in the world’s busiest theme park, Columbia Harbour House can be chaotic. It’s also one of my favorite places in Magic Kingdom, in no small part because it’s never really changed.

Columbia Harbour House is like going back into my grandparents’ home after a long absence. Well, if they owned a publick house in New England. More dated than you remember and with a preserved 1970s aesthetic–but comforting. An antique brass helmet in one corner, a banjo in another. Female figureheads, bald eagles, silver steins, and dishware on display. Things that aren’t normally decorations…are decorations.

As much as I love Columbia Harbour House, it’s hard to appreciate the ambiance because it’s always so loud and packed with people. (A problem that, thankfully, my grandparents’ house does not have.) Thankfully, the eclectic interior can be fully appreciated by simply heading upstairs to the second-level seating that’s enormous. That is where Columbia Harbour House truly shines.

There is also no better people-watching location in all of Magic Kingdom than one of the tables with views of the walkway leading to Haunted Mansion in front of the Rivers of America. You can be the only guests in this room during the offseason, on a rainy day, during the first or last seating. etc. The idea that so much valuable real estate in Magic Kingdom could be a “secret” borders on absurd, but Columbia Harbour House truly is one of those “hiding in plain sight” sort of deals.

World Showcase After Luminous – The international pavilions dotting World Showcase are inherently romantic, idealized versions of the countries they represent. There’s something special about being there late listening to the peaceful background music, walking hand-in-hand with someone you love through those beautiful environments, while few other guests are around.

I’ve said it before, but the World Showcase post-show stroll is our favorite EPCOT experience. That may seem crazy since it’s not something you’ll find on a park map and isn’t really a “thing” at all, but anyone who has ever lingered leaving EPCOT knows exactly why this is so special.

For us, Walt Disney World is about the little moments during which we enjoy the place and the presence of one another, and walking through World Showcase after the fireworks at the end of the evening is typically one of those little moments for us. There’s no more satisfying way to end a long day in the parks.

Since the restaurants in World Showcase make dining reservations until right around park closing and it takes around an hour to finish meals (longer in France and Japan), you have time to slowly make your way out of EPCOT. That’s the best way to enjoy this tranquil walk–make an 8:55 p.m. (or so) reservation for a restaurant deep in World Showcase, enjoy Luminous from your table, and take your time leaving. Gazing up from underneath Spaceship Earth with no one else around is also pretty special.

Burning Rome – Campers love the smell of burning timber because it reminds them of fun times spent in the great outdoors. Disney fans love the smell of burning books because it reminds them of fun times spent in dark rides.

More broadly, there’s something comforting and familiar about the smells of the 1980s and older attractions. These scents are often unintentional, more the result of cleaning…or the lack thereof. Burning Rome is the rare one that melds both an intentional artificial fragrance with the Spaceship Earth’s natural scent developed over the decades.

This probably sounds odd to the uninitiated, but for diehard fans, this is arguably the most distinct and memorable scent in all of Walt Disney World. If I weren’t a married man, I’d be in the market for Burning Rome cologne. But I fear such a fragrance would contain a dangerous number of seductive pheromones, making it a wear at your own risk kinda thing.

MuppetVision Pre-Show – After enough times on certain attractions, there are pre-shows you’d like to skip. I’ve never bought a Lightning Lane Single Pass, but if it bypassed the pre-shows on Avatar Flight of Passage, perhaps I’d reconsider. I actually like the lead-up in Cosmic Rewind, but sometimes I just want a thrilling ride set to great tunes.

MuppetVision 3D is the exact opposite for us. The MV3D pre-show is better than the show. Seriously. If we walk into the pre-show area and it’s already half over or more, we come back later. Most people probably feel like it’s a small victory when they can walk right into a show without waiting, but when it comes to MuppetVision 3D, not us. The pre-show video is what we like most, but the gags in this waiting area are also fantastic.

What I most love about the MuppetVision pre-show is watching with a packed house of diehard fans. I hate when people quote the Haunted Mansion stretching room, but for whatever reason, it hits different with the MuppetVision pre-show. Hearing other guests mumble along with the jokes, laugh at the punchlines, and recite the quotes is a lot of fun.

It’s also the pre-show that we reference most at home. There’s probably a limit on how many times you can say, “what foolishness would you like to see?” or “Rat-shmat…besides, they’re tourists, what do they know?” or “Debbie was sick, so the union sent me” before those lines stop being funny. But if there is, I’ve yet to find it. Some might say that not quoting the MuppetVision 3D pre-show is distinctly unpatriotic.

Otter Grotto – There are easily a half-dozen underappreciated animal exhibits and trails in Animal Kingdom. Maharajah Jungle Trek is arguably one of the most underrated attractions in all of Walt Disney World. But it’s also not really a “little” thing–it’s a marquee attraction.

Otter Grotto is a little thing. One that’s easier to pop-in for a few minutes, and is easy to overlook. It features an entire family of Asian small-clawed otters, informational signs, and above-ground and underwater viewing areas. The Asian small-clawed otter is the smallest otter species in the world, and the least aquatic, spending most of their days chilling on land. They’re also absolute jerks.

I don’t mean to cast aspersions. I call them jerks lovingly. I enjoy dropping into Otter Grotto to see what kind of hijinks the little fellas are up to, if they’re even out. Ever since learning that many otters have a favorite rock that they carry around, I’ve been sold on the greatness of these ornery animals. They are cute, amusing, mischievous, hilarious…and sometimes use their superior intelligence for nefarious purposes. But their meanness is part of the charm! Plus, Frogtown Hollow Jubilee Jug Band is one of my all-time favorite musical groups.

The Solarium – Located in a quiet wing of Beach Club as you head towards the Villas, this hallway and airy atrium rarely has many people in it, making it a great place to work or decompress. Honestly, I didn’t even realize it existed until our first stay in the DVC wing about a decade ago.

The Solarium is also a great spot to eat whatever you order from Beach Club Marketplace or, if you don’t mind walking a little farther, even food from Beaches & Cream or the to-go spots around Crescent Lake.

The Solarium can also be used as a place to watch the Super Bowl or, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, a nice reprieve from midday crowds and heat at EPCOT. We’ve spent a lot of time back here, doing everything from working to watching television to napping.

Crisp Morning Air – Generally speaking, my favorite times at Walt Disney World are the beginning of the day or end of the evening. There’s something really special about being up at the crack of dawn, and it’s an experience that I savor whenever I have the chance–and I’ve had hundreds of chances over the last 15 years.

Whether it be for dawn and sunrise photography of the resorts or as I walk to catch the first bus departing for Early Entry, I love these quiet times at the resort. This is true year-round, but especially so between October and April when the morning air actually is crisp. Taking my first deep breath of that cool fresh Florida air–right after chugging a big cup of coffee–has me on cloud nine. My senses are heightened and I truly feel alive. I’d imagine this is what drugs are like. (Well, I guess the coffee is a drug…but you know what I mean!)

It’s impossible to articulate how this feels–it’s one of those “if you know, you know” type of deals. What I will say is that, even after hundreds of times, this hasn’t lost its specialness. If anything, it has only gotten better with the passage of time. More times experiencing the crisp morning air means more nostalgia is evoked and past memories brought front-of-mind.

Sonny Eclipse – Our very first Walt Disney World obsession as a couple was Sonny Eclipse. During our annual summer visits, we spent many a late night in the booths at Cosmic Ray’s watching Sonny perform his full sets. It wasn’t a late night in Magic Kingdom unless we enjoyed the Zorkian musician play to an empty house.

At home we’d “relive” those moments by playing an mp3 of his full show. There may have been a time in college when I was in charge of our playlist curation for a party, and I slipped “Bright Little Star” into the mix.

More recently–much more so–it was the song playing in Cosmic Ray’s as I digested the news that we were having a baby girl. We’ve since introduced Ms. Megatron to Sonny Eclipse, and will be teaching her his memorable music in the years to come.

If there’s a common theme to this list, it’s nostalgia and sentimentality. If you’re planning a first trip to Walt Disney World, this entire post might read as the nonsensical rantings of a lunatic. So let’s see…our favorite things about Walt Disney World are signs on the road, people in animal suits, actual animals you can see in the real world, an outdated fast food seating area, “morning air,” the smell of mildew mixed with fake fire, etc.

I know how it sounds–it sounds crazy! At least…to the uninitiated. For longtime Walt Disney World fans, much of this list–even though personal to us–probably resonates in one way or another. Again, lots of those “if you know, you know” things. Walt Disney World is a truly magical place, with excellent attractions, incredible restaurants, exemplary Cast Members, and so much more. All of that is great, and it’s the hook that gets you there in the first place.

The excellent attractions and everything else in the marketing isn’t what keeps you coming back to Walt Disney World year after year, decade after decade. It’s the indelible experiences we have with family and friends, longing for those nostalgic trips down memory lane, and these silly little things around which so many amazing memories have inexplicably formed that keep so many of us coming back. A decade from now, you probably won’t remember what rides you rode. But there will be some unplanned moment or little thing that  you couldn’t forget even if you tried. That’s the real hook, and what’ll keep you coming back. Those who don’t “get” Disney will never understand, but it’s why so many of us crazy Disney Adults keep going back home to Walt Disney World, again and again.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

Do you have favorite little things, quiet corners, or sentimental favorite things at Walt Disney World? Anything you absolutely adore that isn’t a full ride, restaurant, resort, or some other big thing? Anecdotes of your own about favorite memories or experiences you like to relive from past visits to the Disney parks? Any other questions? Hearing your feedback is always appreciated, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!