This
post represents another installment in The Big Switcheroo series – tales from
last spring’s epic journey from the northeast to the Florida Keys and back –
involving family, friends and an extraordinary range of adventures. Coincidentally, it was exactly one year ago today that the trip began.
This
the first of several posts covering our visit to Walt Disney World and the Orlando
area with our daughter (Kyra), our son (Ryan) and Ryan’s long-time girlfriend
(Anya). Since I prefer to cover topics
in one post rather than interrupt the flow of the “story,” please consider
this your “Long Post Ahead!” alert. That
means it’s time to warm up your coffee or cool down your adult beverage, and
settle in for a longer read than usual.
If you’re not a fan of long posts, you could always read through the
next ten paragraphs, then come back tomorrow to finish up. No extra charge. Seriously, please keep in mind that we camped
at Fort Wilderness in May of 2019. I
understand that the Disney experience may never be the same going forward – or,
at least, not for quite a while.
My
kids call me cheap. I prefer the word
frugal. Merriam-Webster defines “cheap”
as “stingy” (which is further defined
as “not generous or
liberal: sparing or scant in using, giving, or spending“) and “frugal” as “characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources.” Oh, yeah.
I definitely prefer the definition of frugal – especially since another
definition of “cheap” is “contemptible because of lack of any fine, lofty, or redeeming
qualities.”
Ow, that hurts. I really hope my kids believe I have, at least, some redeeming qualities. No matter what definition of “doesn’t like to spend money” you
prefer, the fact of the matter is that I think long and hard before I part ways
with any of my hard-earned dollars. That
being said, I can be quite frivolous with my funds when it comes to something
or someone I consider important. I save
money when and where I can so that I have it to spend on something I enjoy or
want. I’d bet that most people operate
on the same principle, even though what we deem truly important in life may
differ quite a bit from person to person.
Alan
and I will drive a car for more than a decade until it dies on us or it no
longer makes financial sense to invest in costly repairs. But, when we replace it, it will be with a
brand new vehicle, despite the fact that we may lose thousands in depreciation
as we drive it off the dealer’s lot. I
will happily eat a generic brand of cereal as long as it’s tasty and
nutritious, but it will probably be topped (without a moment’s hesitation) with
flash frozen berries at over $3.00 per pound when fresh ones are out of
season. I have no problem buying a less
expensive brand of ice cream as long as it’s creamy and yummy, but I also have
no problem driving an hour roundtrip to my favorite Italian bakery to pick up a
couple of their exquisite Napoleon pastries.
(Their French Cannoli are to die for, too. Just sayin.’)
Now
that it’s too late to make a long story short, here’s the point I want to make
before I launch into our experience at Disney’s Fort Wilderness: While I am frugal by nature, I will also cough
up big bucks for a product, service or experience that I perceive to be a good
value relative to my outlay. Without a
doubt, camping at Fort Wilderness is Expensive with a capital E. But is it worth it?
