What’s Universal about Orlando?
Posted Friday, April 20, 2007
First and foremost, I want to thank my beautiful sister and powerful brother-in-law for the recent invitation they gave me to Florida to celebrate my 40th birthday at Disney World, Epcot and MGM Studios. I was never more relaxed or at peace with the world there. I was even completely at peace with the major milestone birthday. Why?
Because the whole town is a Shangri-la set up for families to enjoy. There’s something for everyone in Orlando. I was just awestruck by the way more than 50 resorts and parks are truly devoted to putting people into a fantastic frame of mind. Talk about customer service –it’s the ultimate for that. Amazing-it all started over 70 years ago with a sketch of a cheerful little mouse. And just look what materialized!
It’s true – anything is possible. The enormity of accomplishment in this vacation destination is legendary. Every resort, park, playground and spa fulfills thousands of customer’s dreams on an hourly basis. Disney is laser focused to stimulate all five of your senses sight, sound, touch, smell and taste in order to create the ultimate experience – remember, people buy when the experience is memorable! And the attention to detail to make that joy and pleasure happen without a hitch is absolutely mind-boggling.
I was wowed by the way they embrace and promote the whole notion of families bonding over fun and relaxation. A friend’s 7 year old niece wanted to go on rides with her parents; his teenage nephew wanted to party. My mom wanted to take in all the sun and garden landscaping on the grounds of our hotel. I wanted to hang out by the pool. Everything that a family could want was right there. Big pools, wading pools, gardening lectures, spas – a quiet oasis or a jamming nightclub – you didn’t have to venture off grounds to find your own particular way to relax. I even caught a great movie on a Sunday afternoon: “Reign Over Me.” Of course, the resort had a strong motivation to keep our families on site but that profit incentive is beside the point, actually.
What is the point is the extraordinary execution of customer service AND the manifestations of dreams. Orlando is like its own country, 50 miles of fun and frolic in what used to be an Air Force landing field. Now that’s manifestation!
The visionary Walt Disney focused on the family – giving families what they wanted. Fun sure, but also optimism and joy. My favorite ride, believe it or not, was “It’s a Small World” - I’m still humming the song! That ride points out so many positives- most important of which was that we are all connected. It promotes respect and love toward everyone, regardless of our differences. That respectful frame of mind played out on every ride and in every restaurant in the parks.
I felt rested, relaxed, united with my immediate family, and the human family at large.
I think that place is a kind of utopia. You feel like a kid again and you get to be with your kids for some downtime, without worries. You get to enjoy the wonder of it all. Not just for the week you’re down there, but hopefully there’s a big takeaway too: that it’s great to be alive, age is all a mindset, as are most things – and absolutely anything is possible - if you take the time to discover what your customers want and you provide it to them consistently.
“Dreams really do come true--- it can happen to you!”
Anything is possible when you visualize it and believe that it is already happening for you. As Walt himself said: “Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.”
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