Lessons from Disney World
When Sean & I were on our babymoon to Walt Disney World two weeks ago, it quickly became apparent to us that Disney does a lot of things everything right; so much so, in fact, that we decided that Disney could stand to teach the rest of the world a few lessons, including these:
Celebration buttons
When you're celebrating something (anything!) in Disney, you're given a free button to indicate your celebration. Some examples: honeymoons, birthdays, first visits, anniversaries... you name it, there's a pin for it (and if there's not, there's a general "I'm celebrating!" pin to cover the rest of your celebratory needs). Because of these buttons, random people wish you well and make your day(s) that much more special. Some of the most unsuspecting people would say "Happy Anniversary!" to us with such enthusiasm and gusto that I was often caught off guard. But you know what? No anniversary has ever meant more to us than the one spent with kind words of congratulations everywhere we went. Can you imagine how much greater the world would be if we recognized people's happiness and acknowledged it on a daily basis?
When you're celebrating something (anything!) in Disney, you're given a free button to indicate your celebration. Some examples: honeymoons, birthdays, first visits, anniversaries... you name it, there's a pin for it (and if there's not, there's a general "I'm celebrating!" pin to cover the rest of your celebratory needs). Because of these buttons, random people wish you well and make your day(s) that much more special. Some of the most unsuspecting people would say "Happy Anniversary!" to us with such enthusiasm and gusto that I was often caught off guard. But you know what? No anniversary has ever meant more to us than the one spent with kind words of congratulations everywhere we went. Can you imagine how much greater the world would be if we recognized people's happiness and acknowledged it on a daily basis?
Wait Times
In Disney, there are wait times posted for EVERYTHING that requires a wait. In my real, everyday, non-Disney life, I would love to know how long my wait will be. Wouldn't grocery shopping or a trip to the bank be so much better if you could select a line based on projected wait time? Even a doctor's visit would be better if I knew I'd be waiting for 30 minutes rather than sitting on edge and wondering when my name was going to be called.
- Cleanliness
Nearly 50,000 people visit Disney World every single day. That's a lot of people. Yet, by some miracle, everything in Disney is clean. There's no trash on the ground, no gum to be stepped on, no leftover food dumped in the grass. I'm sure that there are some moments where the Disney cast members can't quite keep up with the cleanliness demands, but 95% of the time I'm amazed at how neat the parks are kept. Why is it that Wal Mart (or any other store/restaurant/city street - take your pick!) can't figure it out?
Of course, there's a lot more that Disney does well that we should adopt in the "real world" - any other suggestions?!
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