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‘It’s a Small World After All’

• Bob Hanna: Someday
• June 17, 2019
• 1414

Well, we’re back from our vacation at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Even now as I write, the song, “It’s a Small World After All,” keeps running in my my head (and now yours), and Taryn has been humming tunes from “Beauty and the Beast” all weekend.

I’m not to bore you with everything we did and everything we ate and everything we saw, but I will say this: There is not and probably never will be anything to compare to the Disney Empire. Disney is simply Disney.

No one including Walt Disney himself could have imagined the scope of what it would become when he and his brother Roy started producing short, animated films in 1923. Today, Disney is one of the largest media companies in the world, worth an estimated $130 billion.

For now I want to touch on the Disney Parks, of which there are six locations around the world: California, Florida, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong and Shanghai. If you’ve never been to a Disney Park, I want to give you some idea of what to expect, should you decide to go.

First, planning is everything, and unless you’re willing to do all the research, hire a specialized travel agent. If you don’t know one, ask me. They’ve done all the homework and in our case actually worked for Disney.

Second, expect to spend a few dollars (well, maybe more than a few). Seriously, decide what you can afford now, then add some for souvenirs. You can economize by staying off of the resort grounds and commuting back and forth. If you’re going to stay at a resort on the grounds, there probably is one that will fit your budget or your (ego) lifestyle.

Just at Disney World (Florida) alone, there are 25 resorts from which to choose. They can range from the Fort Wilderness campsites (your camper) at $56 per night to the lush villas of the Grand Floridian, which go for $582 per night. Wow!

When our girls were younger, we rented one of the cabins at the Fort Wilderness Resort, brought our own meals and ate there. This time we chose the Port Orleans/French Quarter Resort, which is in their moderate range. It was great. As the name would imply, it is structured and decorated in New Orleans style. Getting to and from the parks is a series of bus terminals, of which you should always check to be sure you have the correct schedule and the right bus.

The first night on the way back to our resort, we hopped on the wrong bus and had to make connections at another terminal to get back on the right one. We had a good laugh.

As I said, each plan is different. If you want to carry cash around and pay for everything, that is OK. We were sent a package that included our magic bands, a simple wrist band that, when scanned, identified who you are, which meal plan you choose, your admission into the parks and charged anything you want to buy in the park to your room or a credit card.

Meal plans can be set up to accommodate you throughout the park or resort. Our particular plan allowed us two meals a day plus snacks. Some of these dinners even required special reservations. You could use these anywhere including my favorite dinner, which was at the World of Nations in Epcot. We had a very special dinner in “France.”

Believe me, there was plenty of food of all tastes and cultures, so many people of all, and I mean all countries and cultures, young and old, tall and short, thin and not so thin. It’s what makes up this planet we call Earth. And if you know me, I had conversations with about half of them (kidding).

But one thing is certain: All of them need to know Jesus. If they are to meet him someday, they need to get their reservations ready now, as do you. For he has a plan to fit your spiritual budget. You don’t have to be rich and famous. He doesn’t care about color or race or what shape you are in. He just wants you to call him Lord.

God bless.