The Disney Bubble

Have you heard of the Disney bubble?  If yes, then you know what it means to be completely immersed in magic, service, fun, adventure, and family.  If not, then let me try to explain the phenomenon of the Disney bubble and how it feels to go in and come out.

I was reminded of the Disney bubble by my husband as when I returned home from work the other day, I couldn’t wait to be inside our home, away from the rest of the world; cocooned.  I told him that coming home that evening was similar to the feeling of being in the Disney bubble.  He then told me the Disney bubble would be a good topic for the blog.  So here it goes. . .

The Disney bubble is the state and feeling of being removed from the real world.  “Leave your troubles and your worries far behind. . .” as the song goes.  It is being isolated, but not alone or lonely.

We begin to experience the state and/or feeling when we all get in the car and head off on vacation.  Somewhat removed, but still having access to news, newspapers, cell phone connectivity, etc.  Since the cell phones go off when we board the airplane, the feeling of being inside the bubble increases. . . but it is not yet a Disney bubble.  Once we board our Magical Express bus to our resort, we have entered the Disney bubble surrounded by all things Disney.  It is a feeling of relaxation, excitement, and anticipation all rolled into one!

From that point on, we are in control of what permeates the membrane of the Disney bubble.  News?  Not usually.  Only the weather report.  Newspaper?  Nope.  Computer?  I did check e-mail a couple of times on our last trip using the free Wi-Fi at the resort.  I didn’t search anything else, though.  Contact from home?  A handful of text messages, and 1-2 phone calls. . . just to check-in. 

We typically don’t leave the Disney bubble until we are back at the airport waiting for our flight back home.  The re-entry into the real world can be painful, almost shocking sometimes.  It’s being re-exposed to news of the world, weather in other parts of the country, and service outside of the Disney bubble.  I can remember us standing outside of the cruise terminal in San Pedro, California, luggage at our sides, waiting for a hotel shuttle that said they would be there in 30 minutes or so.  The husband turned to me and said, “Well, that’s the end of Disney service.”  Yeah!  I can also remember on trip when we returned to Orlando International Airport for our flight home, Sarah Palin’s name was in the news and we hadn’t even heard of her before our trip.  Talk about a feeling of time warp!

Staying in a Walt Disney Resort helps keeps our vacation within the Disney bubble.  Some guest venture out of the Disney bubble voluntarily.  Not us.

There’s a Disney bubble while cruising with Disney, too, but you exit the bubble during shore excursions.  While shore excursions, also known as port adventures, are offered and purchased through Disney Cruise Line, they are not operated by DCL, but outside vendors.  Sometimes dealing with the outside vendors temporarily pops the Disney bubble, but another bubble forms once back on board the ship.  That’s what makes Castaway Cay such a tranquil experience; being on shore and still being in the Disney bubble.

Cocooned describes the feeling and state of the Disney bubble best; cocooned in service, fun, adventure, convenience, efficiency, and magic.  Who wouldn’t want that?