With that in mind, what do most children love more than anything? Who are the "locals" with whom they want to meet and share a special moment? Which exotic, far-flung lands do they wish they could visit? What are the adventurous activities that they see on TV and movies in which they dream of taking part? Children fantasize about various realms of Disney and their inhabitants just as we fantasize about sitting around a ceremonial circle in an indigenous village in South America or diving the Great Barrier Reef.
Say what you will about the prefabricated world of Disney, but one thing that is undeniable is that for your children a trip to Disney is the entirety of their bucket list. The alpha and the omega of all that is holy in their world. Disney understands this better than most family destinations. They carefully craft and control the visitor experience to ensure that no child leaves Disney disappointed. Sure, they have a multi-billion dollar franchise built on the assurance that kids continue to patronize their resorts and watch their movies, but put the reasons aside for a moment and focus on the result (for your children).
A Disney vacation positively reenforces the desire your children have to be immersed in their travel experience. It has long been understood that positive reenforcement is the strongest motivator for learning. In the end, is that what we not want... to "teach" our children that immersive, experiential travel is better than sitting on a beach in some secluded resort that bares no resemblance to the communities in which they are located? Don't get me wrong, I get that Disney is too manicured and also does not accurately represent the communities in which they are found. However, they are immersive.
Children can interact with their favorite characters and they can relive exciting adventures from the movies. On Disney cruises, Aluani Resort and Adventures by Disney vacations they can even learn local crafts, learn about local cultures and participate in locally appropriate activities all under the direction of local guides. In a sense, Disney vacations is like experiential travel on training wheels. While there will always be some who feel the best way to learn to ride is to just jump on that bike and fall a few times, most of us opt to gradually build our children's comfort and confidence levels before taking those training wheels off.
I have no trouble reconciling my love of experiential travel with my love of Disney products for family vacations. Instead of getting all worked up on my moral pedestal, I chose to not take life so seriously and to see the world through my daughter's eyes when traveling with the family. We love to help our clients do the same.
