My dad, the Disney freak
I recently returned from a trip to Florida to spend a few days in my family’s time-share. Attached to Disney’s Contemporary Resort, the brand-new Bay Lake Towers feature high-rise condominiums with windows stretching two stories.
When my dad opened the door to our new condo and saw the view of Cinderella’s castle, his eyes were misty.
No one in my family, including my father, is exactly sure when his Disney obsession started. I just know that I was old enough to not really appreciate it. For the past 10 years, we have visited the parks too many times to mention, gone on every ride, seen every show and eaten at every restaurant.
Thirty-thousand acres started to look pretty small to me.
Walt Disney World seems like an odd retreat for a middle-aged man, especially one who grew up on the west side of Buffalo and could tell stories of being threatened with a knife as a paper boy and having an uncle who was murdered by the mafia.
But just as other men take up fishing, hunting or golfing as they age, my dad took up Disney as a hobby. He visits the parks an average of four to five times a year, sometimes scheduling “work” conferences in Orlando to spend the weekend there. He also devotes over 20 hours to plan trips where the rest of us tag along.
Before we even step on a plane, each member of our family receives a personalized, color-coded itinerary from my dad detailing exactly how each day of our trip will be spent. Knowing what to pack is never a question.
Once we arrive on Disney property, my 51-year-old father is transformed into a little kid on Christmas. He wakes us up at the crack of dawn to turn up for “extra magic hours,” special times before or after regular park operating hours, and the entire day is spent trading pins, eating Mickey bars, watching parades and, if you’re me, playing games on your cell phone.
The magic doesn’t seem to stop once we leave Orlando, either. At home, my father stays busy reading Disney travel books and researching their latest news online. He also listens to the daily Disney podcast on his way to work.
Our den — the only room in the house where my dad had a say in the decorating — has become somewhat of a Mickey shrine: collectible figurines of characters are displayed in glass cabinets and Disney artwork covers the walls, including a recent purchase of Mickey Mouse painting a smile on the world.
My dad also finds a way to incorporate Mickey into every holiday with Valentine’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving and birthday Mickey antenna toppers adorning his 2008 Honda. And come Christmas time, our tree is reserved strictly for Disney ornaments – forget the macaroni ones my brother, sister and I made in kindergarten.
On our latest trip to the land of Mickey, I was visiting a friend who was living in Orlando who was thoroughly impressed with my dad’s Excel spreadsheet itinerary. He said that he wished he could be so passionate about anything in life as my dad is about Disney – and I realized that I agreed with him.
Although strange and usual, my dad found a love in Disney that the rest of us would be lucky to find. He truly enjoys every moment spent there. And I enjoy watching it – and all the free vacations.
E-mail: jessica.digennaro@ubspectrum.com