People always say that after our basic needs are taken care of, whatever money we have leftover is best spent on experiences rather than material things. I have to admit that in my younger days, I never fully bought into that idea. Would a “memory” really ever trump a nice flashy “fill-in-the-blank”? But as I’ve gotten older, and especially since becoming a dad, I can really say that money is best spent on time together.
We just got back from what I have to consider the BEST vacation I have ever had. And the people who I grew up with, and who know the kinds of vacations my parents were able to take us on, know that this is saying something. But this time, my parents really outdid themselves. They basically treated the entire family – the two of them, their three kids and their spouses, and their 11 grandchildren – on an epic Disney vacation. For those keeping count, our entire party equalled 19 people. This has always been my Mom’s dream, and her dream, finally came true. As Disney would say, “she wished upon a star”. So what was in store for us? Let me give you a quick timeline:
May 28, 2019 – My own family (my wife, our two daughters, and myself) flew ahead of the rest of the clan to LA so we could spend some time with my wife’s LA-based cousins. Aside from seeing family, we thought it would be a good idea to give our daughters an extra week to adjust for jetlag and whatnot before the Disney adventure began, seeing that they are the “babies” of the bunch.
June 2, 2019 – We met up with rest of the Pascua clan in LAX enroute to Orlando, the first leg of the Disney trip. While in Orlando, we stayed in my parents’ Westgate timeshare and sunk our teeth firmly into the Disney experience by hitting up the theme parks in Disney World – Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot. My own family was actually in the exact same spot a year ago (when my dad-in-law treated us) so I thought it wouldn’t be as exciting anymore. But I was wrong. there’s just something about Disney that is literally magical. And I will never tire of seeing my girls’ faces light up being in that magical kingdom.
June 8, 2019 – The reason for the trip begins. We board the Disney Fantasy for the Disney Cruise. I honestly did not know what to expect, though everything I heard about it was great. So, did it meet my expectations?
Let me just say this. If you have kids (and even if you don’t), the Disney Cruise HAS to be on your bucket list. It is truly an experience. Everything from the service to the food to the ambience of the entire ship was, in a word, magical.
Service. Disney is second to none when it comes to customer experience. They know their brand and every single one of their employees live that brand to the fullest. Every staff member from guest services to waitstaff to housekeeping made you feel special and if you happen to be a little girl, well, they will always address you as “Princess”.
Food. The food on cruises have always been highlighted but I did not expect the quality to be THAT high. Everytime you sat down in a restaurant, you had an overflowing selection of gourmet dishes to choose from. And if you couldn’t quite decide, they’d literally bring you everything on the menu. And because the food onboard was already imputed into the cruise fee, you didn’t have to worry about how much that 5-star meal was costing you. Foodie heaven? Yeah, I’d say so.
Ambience. Basically you are living in Disney’s world. The ship is decked out in Disney artwork. The maintenance and upkeep of every corner sublime. And all around you, wherever you went, Disney songs were playing in the background. Then every so often, you would see your favorite Disney characters or Princesses posing for pictures. If you’re a Disney fan (and seriously, who isn’t?) this is one dream you do not want to wake up from.
People always say that after our basic needs are taken care of, whatever money we have leftover is best spent on experiences rather than material things. Based on this last vacation, I can only whole-heartedly agree. I hope and pray that my wife and I can earn enough to be able to give even more magical experiences and moments to our girls. Others can have the designer labels, the fancy cars, and the huge mansions – we’ll spend what extra we have on memories.
Loved this Ninong! It was truly magical – chime
Thanks Chime! We definitely need to do this again!