Upon returning from a non-Disney vacation

I never realize how much I love Walt Disney World until I travel somewhere else. My husband and I recently went down to Southwest Texas to visit the Frio River and float. If you've ever been to a town whose recreation is centered around water—floating, kayaking, diving, you realize very quickly that the accommodations are extremely low key. Most folks are there to drink beer and float. They are rarely in their rooms, so those rooms are extremely basic. You have just your necessities. There's no fancy flat screen TV, no wi-fi, no game consoles you can pay to rent. If you're lucky, you get a small refrigerator and a shower that has hot water. It's part of the whole experience, and I know that when I go. Sometimes, I stay at a Motel 6 or a Days Inn and have a bad experience, because the room isn't up to snuff or the staff isn't very friendly.

In either scenario, most of the time I stay somewhere on vacations other than those to Disney World or Disneyland, I am reminded that one of the things I love about staying on WDW property is so basic—it's CLEAN. People are friendly. They try to make you happy. The cast members try to help you feel the magic, even when you return to your room with two sleepy toddlers at 12 AM after the last parade and have 8 AM dining reservations to Chef Mickey's. Once you stay on a Disney property, you will quickly realize that there is absolutely no other experience like it. You may be lucky enough to occasionally stay somewhere else that lives up to the Disney standard, but it will be rare. If you're like me, you'll find yourself comparing every hotel and its service to what you receive when you visit a Disney property. And you won't find many that match up.

Disney tries to make every detail of your experience magical. Even where you're brushing your teeth. And on the rare occasion, when I have found their service to be lacking, if a complaint is made, any mistakes are quickly remedied.

If you normally stay off property or are visiting for the first time, I encourage you to stay on Disney property. It may be a little more than the hotel down the road, but at the end of your trip, I dare you to say it wasn't worth it.