Super Bowl MVP Ward and veteran Steelers running back Jerome "The Bus" Bettis basked in Florida sunshine and the adulation of fans lining the parade route Monday at Walt Disney World Resort as they participated in a celebratory procession down Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom. Ward rode in a red convertible sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with Mickey Mouse, whom the Steelers receiver has called his favorite character because "he's always happy." Right behind the pair rode Bettis and Minnie Mouse.

The procession also included football stars of the future from NFL Youth Football hosted by Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher.

Ward's Sunday pronouncement and the Monday parade were tied to the latest episode of one of TV's most enduring and celebrated commercials -- in which a person (typically a sports hero) pauses in the afterglow of accomplishment and shouts, "I'm going to Disney World!" (or Disneyland). The "twist" that Ward interjected -- that he was "taking The Bus" -- was to recognize Bettis following Pittsburgh's 21-10 Super Bowl win over the Seattle Seahawks in Detroit.

The commercial started airing Monday morning, becoming the 36th "I'm going to Disney World" commercial produced over a 20-year span.

When the first of the series appeared in 1987 (featuring New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms following his team's triumph in Super Bowl XXI), the commercial was regarded as a groundbreaking concept -- a produced national commercial involving a current event, airing on major networks hours after the event. This latest installment was part of Disney's most visible "I'm going to Disney World" presence in two decades of the TV spot.

Disney this year worked with the NFL to create a retrospective of the game's heroes and 20 years of the "I'm going to Disney World" campaign, then projected the presentation onto a downtown Detroit skyscraper during evenings leading up to the Super Bowl. Accompanied by lively music celebrating the sport and Detroit's heritage, the dazzling visuals -- up to 150 feet high -- added to the fun of Detroit's Motown Winter Blast, a combination of hip and fun winter sports for the entire family to enjoy in Campus Martius Park.

Next came a 60-second commercial that aired during the pregame broadcast and at halftime of the game featuring players from both Super Bowl teams -- including Ward and Bettis -- practicing to deliver the iconic catchphrase "I'm going to Disney World."

Then, for the first time ever, Disney did a post-game reveal of a player to be featured in the "I'm going to Disney World" spot, projecting the image of Ward XL -- extra large -- onto the side of a building in Campus Martius Park Sunday night after the game.

Ward, with Bettis, joins a lineup of sports heroes such as Tom Brady, Emmitt Smith, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Joe Montana, John Elway, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Doug Williams, Magic Johnson and Patrick Roy who have been featured during the two decades of "I'm going to Disney World" commercials.