At first we thought we would do what any other normal family would do and go to Disney World. But then we looked at the website. And realized we are not a normal family.
I think maybe it was the requisite vacation planning DVD that first turned me off. Was this really going to be so complicated that I would need to view an instructional DVD in order to take my family to Disney World? Yes. We've planned family trips to Europe, to Egypt, to Samos, Cyprus, the middle of nowhere Turkey-- with nothing but a couple of guidebooks. How hard could it be to plan a trip to Disney World? Too hard for us, I guess. Because the longer we investigated pricing guides, moderate versus deluxe resort hotels, dining plans (was this college?), theme park ticketing, interpark transportation, and military discounts (which are really good, by the way!), the less we wanted to go. No wonder every parenting magazine I've ever picked up has articles about planning your Disney vacation. Going to Disney World is even harder than getting your preschooler to eat broccoli.
Then--moments after I said, "Isn't it weird that we're going to stay in a pretend Great American Northwest National Park lodge, when we could just take a trip to the real Northwest instead?"--we realized we don't have to go to Disney World. We can go . . . someplace . . . real. Wow, what a relief!
So we looked at a map, picked Chicago, and bought the Lonely Planet guide. That felt good. And normal. (And much less expensive!)
The beautiful thing is that our kids are still young enough. Young enough to have nary a clue about what Disney World is. Even if we left it up to David (and Mary, who likes whatever David likes), I think they would choose skyscrapers, dinosaurs, revolving hotel doors, subway rides, aquarium tanks, authentic deep-dish pizza, and Millennium Park over Toon Town and a shuttle bus. At least this time. I'm sure we have Disney in our future. But this anniversary, here we come Chicago!
[Besides, I'm holding out for Disneyland. In this case, original (and California) is better. I'm a westerner at heart!]
