Disney World Behind the Magic – What Disney does behind the scenes to help YOU have a better vacation

Walt Disney World, those two words are enough to make you smile-and that’s no accident! Amazingly, everything from the layout of the parks to the scents wafting through the air is designed to boost your happiness. Our friends at, Woman’s World Magazine, wrote an article on how you can incorporate that magical mojo into your life. We thought it was a good article so we wanted to share with you some other things Disney does behind the scenes to help you have a better and more magical vacation…

Changing Pathways

Sure, Disney World’s fairy-tale skyline invite you to look up-but what’s going on at ground level is just as interesting: The cement on Main Street is mixed with rubber-like material that makes it softer on visitors’ feet! And since sensory information is sent to your brain via your feet, the walkways are also designed to stimulate your imagination. From the rough, Old-West-inspired paths of Frontierland to the gem-studded lanes of Adventureland, each area of the park tells its own story from the bottom up!

Make it work for you by kicking off your shoes! Letting your feet feel a variety of textures-from soft carpeting to cool tile-is proven to de-stress your brain by “surprising” it with new sensations!

Circling The Spot

X marks the spot on the treasure maps of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but everywhere else in the Magic Kingdom, circles rule! From the round shapes of the ubiquitous Mickey-shaped balloons to the circular layout of the theme parks, it’s a loop-after-loop world.  “There’s nothing jagged in Disney World,” notes Lou Mongello , author of The Walt Disney Trivia Book. “Mickey is emblematic of that-every curve flows into the next, just like the soft shape of a human being; it’s a design that puts us at ease.”

Make it work for you by doodling in the round! Doodling circles makes you feel more relaxed and even amps your creativity because tracing curves boosts “automatic flow”- a state of heightened imagination!

Cascading Waters

Water elements are another important design feature in Disney World. “In fact, New Fantasyland boasts a mountain range with huge cascading waterfalls that give it a real kinetic energy ” Mongello says. It is no wonder: Rushing water is proven to create negative ions int he air that have a positive, uplifting effect on your brain, making you happier and more alert!

Make it work for you by sinking stress with water! Whether you add a mini waterfall to your desk, decorate your computer desktop with a watery image or simply listen to a CD soothing ocean waves, incorporating more H2O in your life will help sink stress.

“Wafting Waffles”

Your scene of smell is the most closely associated with warm feelings of nostalgia, a fact the Magic Kingdom takes full advantage of: “Disney pumps out delicious scents from machines called ‘smellitizers,’ ” reveals Mongello. “As you walk by the ice-cream shop, for example, you’ll take in the sweet scent of waffle cones, while the confectionery pumps out ‘candied air.’ ”

Make it work for you by sniffing sweets! It only takes one deep whiff of chocolate to corral stress and make you feel more content, says researchers. Not a cocoa lover? Any sweet aroma-from vanilla potpourri to cinnamon candy-induces a happy mood by conjuring up sweet, “sugarcoated” memories of childhood.

Many of these tricks are what helps us remain stress free on vacation. We do hope that some of these tips will help you have a new and stress free 2013.  Do you have any other stress free tips that you would like to share?

When Amanda is not planning Disney Vacations for her friends and family you can find her covering Disney World Park Info and Interesting News Stories! 

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