How Walt Disney World Tricks You Into Having a Magical Vacation

Ever wonder what it IS about Disney World and Disneyland that make you want to keep coming back over and over again? It turns out a lot of it is based on how Disney influences our psychology and perceptions when we're in the parks. Do you go to Disney World to escape real life? That's because Disney World is DESIGNED to help you escape real life. They cover up construction, make castles seem taller than they really are, and nix all reminders of the real world while you're having fun in their DISNEY World. It's genius...and we've got all the secrets for you here!

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[JackDecker]

We were in a line for a Magic Kingdom attraction (sorry, I forget which) on a hot day and all the kids in lines were getting upset, complaining, and starting to throw tantrums. Then there was a huge noise and the White Rabbit popped out, complained about our line being too long and taking too much time. All in pantomime no less. He then ran off. A moment later, Alice ran in and asked repeatedly of all the little kids if they had seen the White Rabbit who, she knew, wanted to ride our ride. All the little kids bought into it instantly and shouted and pointed where the White Rabbit ran off to. Alice ran off in that direction after the kids absolutely assured her in which direction the White Rabbit went. The kids couldn't stop talking about it after that. A half hour later, the White Rabbit returned from the direction he had gone, did his pantomime act again and ran off in the other direction. All while the little kids tried to tell him Alice was looking for him. And you guessed it, Alice returned from the direction she went but didn't need to ask a single question as all the little kids were shouting and pointing the direction the White Rabbit went. THEN the Queen of Hearts showed up and all the little kids went momentarily SILENT and then LIED to the Queen in which direction Alice went. One little girl tried to block the Queen from going in the right direction while yelling Alice went in the opposite direction. When the Queen went in the wrong direction, all the little kids cheered and us adults applauded. The smiles on all the little kids faces was priceless. You knew they thought they had just saved Alice from the Queen. None of the cast members returned but they had done their magic. The little kids were all excited. Many kept an eye out for the three and, again, couldn't stop talking about it for the rest of the time the line lasted until they got on the ride. Was this planned? I don't know. Never saw it ever again in all the times I've been to WDW. It might have been just a spur of a moment idea by those three cast members. Whatever it was, it was brilliant.

[zannarn]

Disney has missed a trick. Since it is sleeping beauty's castle that is closed off it should be surrounded by thorns.

[samanthac]

I’m 24 and I still remember being 8 years old and going down to the boardwalk pool when it opened in the morning. I was the first kid to go down the clown face water slide and the life guard came up to me and gave me 3 free fast passes for being the first kid on the slide that morning. It was so magical and I’ll never forget it.

[EtzEchad]

You have to be insane to wait five hours for a ride.

[indiamartin]

We had an issue with our magic bands at animal kingdom and it was so frustrating. My whole family and I were clearly upset because we just got off the plane and were having so many problems. We were also told to keep waiting before we could get help. But when we finally got to the window, the man helping us was way too nice. He made us all so happy and helped us figure out our magic bands. After, he gave us all 3 fast passes EACH! It was the best thing ever and I’ll never forget it

[devenprzybylski]

When I was a kid, I went to Disneyland and I was in line to see my favorite princess, Aurora. Well, she was about to take a break and cut the line right after me and I was able to walk with her to the staff door, which was a fair bit away. One of my favorite memories. I have a picture of us walking together somewhere.

[avoakhian]

I had a Fastpass for Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom when it broke down and didn't reopen for the day. I went to guest services and politely asked if I could get one for Flight of Passage. Without a problem, they gave it, so its always worth a shot. It won't always happen but there is nothing wrong with asking and trying.

[bobprichard]

Good video, but you forgot to mention the Scent HD machines that pumps different smells into the parks and hotels.

[troyhead]

I'm not a very experienced Disney-goer, so on our family's recent trip we had an early morning reservation at Be R Guest in MK. We got a Lyft from our hotel to the Contemporary Resort and were planning to walk to MK. But we were running a bit behind and thought "Monorails go from here to MK". We walked upstairs, saw a waiting monorail and asked a cast member if this went where we wanted to go. He seemed a bit grumpy and annoyed with us, but said that it did. And, of course it does, but not until stopping at several other resorts first (we thought the monorail went two ways and would go straight to MK). Realizing it was going to take forever for us to get to MK, we got off at the Transportation and Ticket Center. But THEN we found out that the monorails from there to MK didn't start running yet as it was still early in the morning before the park had opened! Frustrated and feeling like we were going to miss out on our reservation and all the perks of getting in the park so early, I remembered that the Minnie Vans go right to the gate. So I reserved one, and when the driver showed up he was a bit puzzled why we wanted a ride between these two places. I explained the whole ordeal to him, and he said he would make sure to get us where we needed to be and would cancel the charge so that our morning would be more magical. It was a small thing, but it left an impression.

[carriel]

One aspect that really makes it magical for me, is the customer service. I read a lot of complaints about how the service isn't what it used to be, and maybe that's true, but every time I've run into an issue, the first person I told has taken personal responsibility and solved it for me. Best example - our server at Skipper Canteen fixed a dining credit mistake that had been made at Paddlefish in DS two days prior. He got on the phone with Guest Services himself and had the issue for us, instead of telling us to call ourselves or head to GS in Liberty Square. I was stunned and so thankful to him. Every second of vacation is precious - the last thing you want to do is waste time on hold or in line at GS.

[igelkott]

It was a little thing, but once after riding haunted mansion I was really thirsty and walked over to a drink stand and asked for a coke. She handed me one and I started to use my band to pay for it but then the lady said the machine was broken so the coke was free. They could have just said I should go to the next nearest stand but they didn't. There have been a few little things like that that show they really bend over backward to make sure that it's a magical experience.

[wwaxwork]

How they use technology at Disney to make things run smoothly is amazing. My husband had trouble with his magic bad not working trying to get into the Magic Kingdom, they called a person over with a tablet & in seconds she'd scanned his band & pulled up records & photos of us using the bad at various times throughout the park confirmed that he was the owner of the band & even had a shots of us entering the park the previous day. While it's a little bit like something out of 1984, it sure as heck makes your trip run smoothly, the problem was solved in seconds and we were on our way.

[mmasque]

Walt Disney World is like an enormous magic trick. Attention is paid to every potential issue to make it as small an issue as possible. Transport is fairly easy whether you’ve driven there or staying at a resort; it may take some little time and transfers, but you can get from any publicly accessible place to any other. Once in a park, the illusion is maintained and persistent. In the Magic Kingdom, you can go from one themed area into another and the closest to a ‘jarring shift’ is the actual boundary between them and even those can be extremely subtle. EPCOT does the same as individual buildings might be unique but they blend into a general theme between the two sections of the park. The walk between them lessens the impact of the changes. Disney’s ultimate ‘magic’ is its scrupulous attention to detail; it’s far more easy to see it in hindsight than when you’re actually in the park and completely immersed.

[jennyabel]

A couple of years ago when we were at Disney World, my grandson lost his new hat on Splash Mountain. The amazing cast members from Splash Mountain or down in the bushes trying to find his hat and when they couldn't find it we were given a voucher so he could go and purchase a new hat. Even though the sign says to remove hats before riding the Cast Members were exceptional and providing us a magical experience.

[lilyburbridge]

Disney really does work to keep the magic alive! I was performing in a parade with my marching band and, long story short, a bus had every clarinet (including myself) neglect to move the clarinet container onto the bus we were taking back stage. We were told there was no way they would get our instruments to us and we would have to march without them. I’m still not sure how, but a pair of cast members were there not long after we decided what we would do with our hands and they had our horns with them. There was supposed to be no way to get back to our bus and then bring us the instruments, they told us the parade would be over by then! It was truly magical and I got to play in Disney World with the rest of my band.

[TuggerAbbey]

I love how they make sure handicapped guests have a good time without the extra stress of exhaustion. I also love how they accommodate service dogs and yes horses! I saw a service mini horse that was used for counter balance. I have spinal disorders and cannot stand for long periods of time. I spoke with guest services and the worked something out.

[StepOSX]

Back in 2016 it rained hard so my FP was cancelled for Jungle Cruise as the ride was closed so I was given an additional FP besides the one returned to me and was told by a cast member that all you have to do is show up to a ride and it will be available to use without pre-registering for the ride. The five of us made our way over to Space Mountain and it did not scan. The cast member apologized that we were given incorrect information and I told her, "That's OK. It happens" and as I was telling my family that the FP was not available for Space Mountain and let's get another ride, she added it to our bands so we used the FP. Talk about making an impression, my girls were very happy that we got to ride Space Mountain as the last ride of our trip.

[projectawesome]

my mom said that if we save up our money we will go to disney world im so excited

[shaynenewell]

We stayed at Poly a few years ago when the volcano pool was under construction. To make up for it, we were given free passes for Blizzard Beach! That was an unexpected but appreciated bonus. They even gave us free sunscreen, as I recall.

[penelopepitstop]

We were at Coronado Springs during construction and got the free pins, which I thought was a nice touch! We weren’t bothered by the construction at all.