What Are Your Most Magical Moments at Disney?
As summertime arrives at Disney theme parks, I can’t help but reminisce about lovely vacations of the past.
Friends, if you’re on the fence about Disney during the summer, these memories may help.
Here are some of the most magical moments at Disney.
Entering a Disney Park for the First Time on Vacation
You’ve anticipated the moment. You’ve planned for it. But nothing can prepare you for that glorious moment.
You know the one. It happens when you walk through the entrance gate at Disney and soak in the unforgettable atmosphere.
While everyone plans vacations differently, I try to visit Magic Kingdom first so that I can experience Main Street, U.S.A., immediately.
The satisfaction of this moment is indescribable, as I take in the sights and fragrant smells wafting through the park.
Going on Safari
Walt Disney loved animals so much that he tried to add them to Jungle Cruise in the 1950s.
Imagineers talked him out of the idea, which would have created exponentially more upkeep.
Then, four decades later, the successors to the original Imagineers brought the dream into reality at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
This park has created living habitats for dozens of animal species, and you can watch them all interact in their natural surroundings.
Who doesn’t love watching baby animals play? And you can do this when you take a ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris!
Walking through Your Disney Hotel
Many people don’t realize that Imagineers have a hand in designing official Disney resorts.
So, when you explore your Disney hotel, you’re admiring the artistry of Imagineers.
Not coincidentally, I liken Disney resorts to architectural wonders because they’re stunning in appearance and style.
You’ll recognize the instant you enter your hotel lobby. It’ll possess a distinctive scent that Imagineers have designed solely for this hotel.
Each property’s lobby fragrance permeates throughout the building, automatically relaxing you while you explore.
Don’t miss the theming at every Disney resort! And while you’re there, you should visit the gift shops as well.
You’ll find that walking through a Disney hotel brings much of the same euphoria as a park visit, but it’s calmer since you’re not fighting the crowds!
Watching the Fireworks
In most parts of the United States, you’ll watch fireworks no more than two or three times a year.
At Disney theme parks, nighttime presentations lavish you with fireworks displays to end your visit.
The Walt Disney Company keeps explosives suppliers in business these days.
Disney parks claim the second-most explosives purchases in America, trailing only the Department of Defense!
You’ll reap the reward of this investment when you spend the evening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, or Magic Kingdom.
All three parks host climactic fireworks presentations each evening. And each of them is magical!
Eating a Disney Treat
What’s your favorite Disney treat?
I’m guessing most people would list one of Dole Whips, Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bars, Churros, Popcorn, or Turkey Legs.
Whether you prefer sweet or savory, salty or creamy, you’ll find some tasty goodness at Disney.
You’ll never feel more at home at Disney than when you order that treat, and it’s every bit as tasty as you remembered from last time!
Hopping on the Monorail
I should probably update this one to include the Disney Skyliner as well, but I’m stubborn here.
I can drive 45 minutes and board a similar gondola system. Those of you who live near ski slopes can probably say the same.
While gondolas are unique and undeniably incredible, they’re not unique.
Conversely, most Americans will only ride a monorail when they’re at a Disney theme park.
For this reason, every monorail trip comes with a level of excitement that’s impossible on boats, cars, or even trains.
You know you’re at Disney when you ride the monorail, and that makes it magical.
Hugging Your Favorite Character
During the pandemic, Disney honored the government’s social media restrictions.
For a time, Disney guests couldn’t hug our favorite Disney characters.
Disney fans vented about this matter repeatedly, and I couldn’t blame them.
What’s more Disney than hugging Mickey and Minnie Mouse?
Thankfully, Disney eliminated this rule more than a year ago. Now, we can hug costumed characters again…and it’s a euphoric moment!
Living a Disney Story
I’ve been blessed to speak with various Imagineers regarding their achievements at the parks.
Something that resonates during these conversations is that Imagineers don’t view attractions as rides per se. No, they’re living, breathing stories.
Each Disney dark ride relays the details of a beloved story or creates a new one.
When you ride Peter Pan’s Flight, you’re watching a condensed version of 1953’s Peter Pan.
Many of Disney’s classic rides encapsulate entire motion pictures in a few rides.
More recent attractions like The Seas with Nemo & Friends and Avatar Flight of Passage recreate similar events from those films.
Then, we have Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Spaceship Earth. All these dark rides tell new stories.
When you board any of these attractions, you’re living a Disney story for a few minutes. And the immersion will cause you to forget the outside world for a while.
Reliving Your Childhood
Once you enter the Disney Bubble, something strange will occur.
Those of you who have visited previously will see ghosts…and I’m not talking about the Hitchhiking Ghosts from Haunted Mansion.
Instead, you’ll cycle through a flood of memories as you recall past moments at the parks.
Parents relish the idea of taking their kids to Disney and showing them a world of imagination. It’s an eye-opening experience and a rite of passage.
In later years, when you return to the parks, you’ll sometimes feel those memories resurface, no matter how long it’s been since that visit.
This phenomenon still happens to me even though some of the memories are decades old.
I can see the joy on my father’s face as he pronounces theme park food the best he’s ever tasted.
When I enter EPCOT, I recall my first visit at a time when the park was still new.
Finally, a more recent recollection rises to the surface whenever I walk past a specific spot at The American Adventure at EPCOT.
I cannot help but remember the final time I wished my father a happy birthday…and the annoyance in his voice that I was wasting my vacation thinking of him.
Disney is multigenerational in the best possible way. Memories you make during your next visit will linger for decades afterward.
Meanwhile, you’ll bask in the comforting glow as you recall moments from past visits.
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