Last month, I splurged and took my family on a 4-night Disney cruise. It was indeed a magical experience.
Before gushing over Disney, I will acknowledge that I have my disagreements with The Walt Disney Company. I don’t always appreciate the Disney channel and how the kids often talk back to their parents in the shows.
Disney owns ABC and ESPN, among other things. These channels tend to be mouthpieces for big government. It is particularly disappointing with ESPN. I still like ESPN because I like sports, but some of their shows are filled with politically correct nonsense.
My guess is that a majority of men who watch ESPN do not want to hear this politically correct garbage. They don’t want to hear touchy feely stories very often. They certainly don’t want to hear about political issues. One of the whole points of watching and following sports is that it is an escape from the real world, particularly politics.
With all of that said, our Disney cruise was incredible. The staff there went the extra mile for the customers in almost everything.
When you had to board the ship, the process was rather easy. And going through security was nothing like going through the TSA at an airport. They get you through quickly and without trying to humiliate the customers. That is because the cruise passengers are customers. The people flying at an airport are customers to the airlines and not the TSA.
I don’t know what kind of training the Disney cruise staff receives, but they are obviously taught to treat the customers well. They want people to come back. They want people to tell others how well they were treated, just as I am doing here. This is the way the free market works.
We paid a premium to go on a Disney cruise as compared to another cruise line. Therefore, we expected to be treated really well, and we were treated really well. When we got off the ship at one of the ports and later returned, they had cold refreshments and cold wet cloths for the returning passengers. It was all of these little things that made it extra special.
The food was great, and there was plenty of it. They would usually accommodate any special requests, particularly at dinner. Our state-room attendant was especially friendly and would usually check with us each morning to find out our plans for the day.
Even the lifeguards at the pool and water slide were really friendly. I saw one boy ask for a towel. Not only did the Disney worker hand him a towel, but he actually wrapped the towel around the boy because he knew he was cold.
I could go on and on. The point is that the staff on the cruise line made it a point to treat the customers really well.
As I’ve gotten older, I tend to appreciate experiences over things. Sure, I want a nice place to live, and I certainly want certain things such as televisions and a smartphone. But beyond the few things that I use on a regular basis, I don’t want to accumulate more clutter. If I am going to spend money, I would rather it be on experiences that create memories.
I certainly try to be future-oriented, and I encourage others to be the same. It is good to save money for a rainy day, and it is good to save money in order to have more freedom and choices in your life. At the same time, you want to enjoy life in the present, so it shouldn’t be all about deprivation for the sake of saving. It really is important to find that right balance.
Even though the Disney cruise was rather expensive, it was worth it. In today’s world, it seems that there is often a shortage of good customer service. It was nice to get an experience where we were treated like royalty for four days.