International Experiences at Disney World!

       I love Disney World.  Really, I do.  Many years when I was growing up, my family bought seasonal passes to the Disney theme parks in Orlando.  My sister and I almost grew up there.  We really did enjoy it, and so much so that we went 30 times in one year.  That should give you an idea.
 
       As I venture into the world of becoming a "grown up", Disney is still one of my favorite places.  I received the funds for a Disney annual pass as a graduation gift, so I bought the pass.  Now, when I'm on business in the Orlando area (within 100 miles - just kidding), I will sometimes drop by Disney's MGM Studios and Epcot after a day's work.  It can be a nice escape and a way to wind down and simply soak in the Disney atmospheres.  Or, if I'm feeling like it - and I often am - I ride the Hollywood Tower of Terror at MGM Studios.  Don't ask me why I enjoy free falling in a dark elevator shaft.  After dozens of rides over the years, I now relish the experience.
 
       Something that I enjoy about visiting the parks is observing and conversing with the internationals.  It seems that many British families vacation to Disney in Orlando.  The other night, I was about to board a monorail to Epcot from the Magic Kingdom ticket center area.  A man speaking with a British accent was standing near me, so I asked him where he was from in the U.K.  He replied that he was actaully Australian.  I apologized, claiming that I usually can discern between a British and an Australian accent.  He didn't seem to have hard feelings, and we struck up a conversation.
 
       As it turns out, he, his wife, and his sons were on a grand family vacation to America.  They flew into LAX (Los Angeles, CA) and missed their connection to Washington, D.C. by ten minutes.  After a several hour delay, they finally boarded their flight.  They ended up spending around five days in Washington D.C., topped off with some time in New York city.  They "did some shows" as I recall.  They had just arrived in Orlando, checked into their hotel at Disney, and were taking the monorail to catch some last minute theme park action before the gates closed.
 
       We continued our conversation, and he eventually formally introduced himself as Ray.  We spoke briefly about each other's professions.  Ray is in IT, and lives in Brisbane, Australia with his family.  After learning that I have a degree in finance, Ray inquired about my experience of studying finance during the recent financial crisis.  This led to a brief discussion about whether stimulus spending or tax cuts was the best method for stimulating an economy and pulling a nation's economy out of recession.  After a break in our dialogue, Ray asked for tourism advice.  Ray and his family were planning on visiting the Kennedy Space Center / Cape Canaveral area.  I offered to give him advice on things to do, so he gave me his email address.  Within a couple of days, I had spoken with a family friend who works at the Kennedy Space Center and emailed Ray with advice.  He responded quickly with a nice email thanking me for my help and complementing the welcoming nature of the Americans he has encountered.  I suppose I served as a sort of ambassador for America in my own small way!
 
Looking Forward to More Cool Conversations with Internationals at Disney,
Reagan