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shrug of the shoulders. One nonchalant gesture which, to me at least, conveyed so very much more than its intention. To my eight-yearold daughter Aerin, her shrug merely said she was not in the least bit bothered about the prospect of meeting Frozen’s Anna and Elsa on our impending trip to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. To me, however, it signaled the passing of another stage in the relentless march towards her tweens, and this stage really resonated with me. I remember Aerin singing ‘Let It Go’ so often I contemplated letting go of my own life to escape it. Now it’s Justin Bieber’s ‘Despacito’ she sings on loop, making me wish I really had let go. No father wants to see his daughter rebound from a love affair with a Disney princess into the tattooed arms of Bieber. If my wish upon a star was to slow things down in the case of Aerin, it was to expedite them in the case of Pandora, my six year old. She has not so much a comfort zone as a comfort skin, so tight are the boundaries she has set herself. Her timidity has thus far proved a real challenge – it took the best part of a month before she felt brave enough to stroke our fluff ball pet kitten. The required antidote in both cases was the kind of magic only Disney delivers. Yet the first sprinkling of fairy dust came courtesy of our Florida home for the next eight days, Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort. There to greet my girls as we entered our room was a sparkly wand, fluffy crown and starstudded skirt, one for each laid out on the edge of their beds. They were in them within seconds. If that curried instant favour with the kids, the room did likewise with my wife and I – an expansive Park View Suite, dressed in the understated elegance common to Four Seasons properties and comprising two full marble bathrooms and a full-sized living and dining room, leading off from the grand bedroom. Best of all, a huge terrace runs the length of the suite, from where you have an envious and private view of the nightly fireworks that burst into colour above Disneyworld. A daily wrap for the kids, which betters any bedtime story you can muster. My previous experience of a Disney hotel, in Paris, wasn’t quite so magical, having been accidentally locked out of our minibar following a 12-hour day in the park. It was a bit like being deprived a seat after finishing a marathon. There was no chance of such a thing happening here. For a start, this resort is a world away from what your mind’s eye may initially picture when you think of a Disney hotel – but a mere tenminute coach ride away from Magic Kingdom.
52 World Traveller
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
“Our motorbikelike seats, moved to mimic the feel of riding on the back of a banshee as it flies down sheerdrop mountains” This is a sophisticated luxury resort first and foremost, with the Disney magic conjured upon request. That means that you can book your daughter into the outstanding spa, from which she will emerge a Disney princess, replete with a custom dress, hairstyle and crystal tiara. Or reserve a table for the twice-weekly character breakfast, to which Mickey, Minnie and Goofy devote two hours engaging every child in the room. It was the latter that proved Disney had started to wield the magic I had wished for. Thoughts of Bieber were far from Aerin’s mind as she cuddled
Na’vi River Journey at Disney’s Animal Kingdom