Welcome to the happiest place on earth.

Walt Disney World has long been known as a place where children’s dreams come true. A wonderland of fun and happiness where everything is perfect.

During a recent trip to Orlando, my friends and I decided to spend a day in this otherworldly wonderland, and found that this magical place is nothing near utopia.

First of all, if Disney World wants to make the claim that it is “the happiest place on earth,” it has to stop charging $50 for one day’s admission and ridiculously high prices for everything else. Thirsty? A bottle of water is going to run you about $3. Hungry? It’s going to be about $10 for a burger, fries and a drink.

And if you plan on buying souvenirs for your family and friends, you might as well forfeit your last paycheck upon arrival at the park.

But that is not the most disturbing part of visiting the mega theme park.

For me, it is disturbing to see a place that is supposed to be centered around family fun, but in reality is nothing but a hub of commercialism and misplaced values.

You can’t escape the hordes of cheery employees trying to sell you some Disney-related product no matter where you walk.

Also, as soon as you step off a ride, you are thrust into a character-themed store selling products related to the ride you were just on.

I applaud them for marketing genius, but give me a break.

If Disney World is the example of a perfect place where everyone would want to live, then I must be from outer space.

Everyone who works there is insanely, unnaturally happy, and I’m not buying it. Being there is like you have been transplanted to another world where no one is in touch with reality. No one is happy all the time, and I think it would be a little irritating if they were.

The focal point of the Magic Kingdom is Cinderella’s castle, as it is supposedly everyone’s dream to one day get married and live in a castle. It is this huge, overpowering presence at the park that is supposed to leave you in awe of the majesty of fairy tales.

Sorry Disney, but I do not want to be a princess, I don’t even want to marry a prince.

As a matter of fact, if I had to create my own perfect theme park for people to come visit, it would be nothing like Disney World.

The whole place would be air conditioned, and instead of having to look at silly princes and princesses all day, there would be characters of people who were actually important to this country, like Martin Luther King Jr. or Benjamin Franklin.

Also, all of the gift shops on my “Main Street” would have interesting books and educational toys, instead of excessive amounts of stuffed animals or frilly princess costumes.

But I guess that is just me. I think there is only so much phoniness and commercialism that one person can take in the course of a day without going into overload.

At Disney World, your perfect world comes at a price. My

“perfect day” cost about $95.