A Place of Unreal Planned Beauty

Walt Disney World truly is a world of beautiful unreality. In 1998, I remember riding the shuttle from our motel to the airport and seeing all the enclosed backyards. That sight made me realize just how special my holiday at Walt Disney World had been.

Walt Disney World is of course located in a mosquito infested swamp. In the rest of the Orlando area people have huge netted enclosures built so that they can enjoy their back yards in peace. Seeing those enclosures on the way to the airport made me realize that for the past week I had not been bothered at all by bugs nor had I seen any exterminators or smelled any pesticide. Disney World is a place of unreality where there are no bugs in the swamp. It is a place where every view is planned, sculpted and beautified. The buildings are beautiful from every angle. Even the sound is planned. You don't hear the clashing noises of a city: no trash cans banging together, no inconsiderate motorcyclists roaring around, no boom boxes blaring. We stayed “on world” which is Disney's way of saying that we stayed in a Disney property.

We chose the lowest cost accommodations. The rooms were smaller than any two bed hotel room I've ever stayed in but nevertheless there was a certain beauty to the motel complex. The pools were not the elaborate ones with waterfalls that other Disney “resorts” have but they were interesting with clever touches such as being shaped in accordance with the theme of the resort. I remember the last day of our stay when I finally noticed that even the iron railings were designed in line with the theme of the resort. Then I had to laugh because my sister pointed out that even the outside stairwells were designed. In our case they were made to look like giant harmonicas.

I loved our holiday at Walt Disney World and every year I think about returning.

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