75 days until DCP Check In

13 days until Disney World 

As my upcoming family vacation to Walt Disney Word  draws nearer the question that I keep getting bombarded with is “Why are you going to Disney World for a family vacation?” As most of my family can attest, this question is something that has come up almost routinely at this point. Some variations of this question that I’ve gotten over the years include

• aren’t you tired of going every year
• doesn’t your family like to travel anywhere else
• aren’t you a little old to still like Disney?

As stated in my very first blog post, many people don’t understand why I like Disney. Yes, there is that key component that it is the focal point of many of my childhood memories, with our family going almost every year, but what people don’t understand is with growing up with Disney it has become a part of me. I couldn’t imagine not going there for our family vacation, it has become a routine and a tradition. With this expectation of familiarity, another important aspect of our trips is the excitement that goes into it.

Half the fun of going is not even the trip itself, it’s the planning, preparation, and anticipation surrounding it. I regularly follow updates on the Parks & Resorts because things are always changing. Disney knows it has to grow and evolve in order to get its visitor coming back so by updating and reinventing they are hoping that people come check out what is new. The other part of it is the fun that goes into planning your trip. There are so many things to do at Disney, even annual passholders have trouble fitting in everything within the year. So every time you go, you find something new to do in order to change things up. However, you would think after 17 years of going to the same vacation destination that it would drain on me, especially the fact that we are all grown up by now, but what has come with age is the fascination of what goes into making this place the multibillion-dollar industry relevant even after 50 years.

The corporate aspects surrounding the Walt Disney company astound me as a business student.  Innovation is something that has always fascinated me and if you look at the Walt Disney company since it’s start, you will see that innovation is one of its major components, especially in its parks. From the original in California to its Florida parks, and even international locations; they all have their own diversity, but they all hold true to the underlying concepts and ideas that went into the first. What is amazing about this division of the company though is not how many different park locations they have but how they have continued to be a staple in American culture even after 60 years of business and how people just keep coming back. Disney parks have held their popularity with tourists over the years because they have consistently updated their parks to changing consumer interests and standards, have selected a very specific target market to focus their marketing campaign on, and have maintained their particular niche in the theme park industry.

The further I got into my business classes here at Grand Valley the more I realized how big of a company Disney actually is, especially in my major. I’ve always thought I was biased to think that Disney was as great as it was, but since being in college these thoughts have been mirrored in my studies. Disney is one of the top companies in Marketing, Managment, Innovation, Customer Service, & Hospitality. As a Marketing major as well, Disney has been a focal point in the majority of my classes. The further I got into learning what marketing actually is too it dawned on me that I’ve been marketing this company my entire life! After every trip, I would come back and tell everyone everything. When people I knew were going on a trip there I would give them a list of things to do, see, try without them even asking. So why not make a career out of something that I’ve grown up doing? This is where the Disney College Program steps in to help me move up in my aspirations.

 

 

With this realization, I’ve also sparked a new found fascination in the past, present, and future of the entire corporation. What many people don’t realize is that Disney isn’t just movies and the theme parks. Disney is an entire empire! They have the animation department that spits out blockbusters like Frozen, but it is also the same department that created the very first ever animated movie! They have ESPN, Pixar, MARVEL! There are so many different directions you can go within this company that it can make your head spin. The Disney College Program is hopefully a stepping stone into something further with the company. Whatever my future has in store for me I’m about to embrace this new experience in every way I can.

Stay tuned for more

~Kacey

“I suppose my formula might be: dream, diversify and never miss an angle.”

-Walt Disney