I'm not going to lie... I was a little surprised by how much Walt Disney World captivated me the first time we went as a family.
At that time, it had been nearly 2 decades since I had been as a kid, so I was seeing it through a slightly different lens. We were visiting family who lived in Daytona, and decided on a whim to go to Orlando for a Disney day.
We had no idea what we were getting into. But we packed up the family, found our way there, and made the best that we could of a very busy day.
Towards the end of the evening, our then 2-year-old was begging to meet Mickey Mouse. The line was nearly 90 minutes long, but we decided that we would wait for her.
When we finally got up to Mr. Mouse, she hopped right out of the stroller, marched up to him, and said, "Mickey will you be my friend?".
I think everyone in that whole room melted. And this was back when Mickey still talked... so he took her around the entire room to chat. They gushed about Minnie, discussed their favorite hobbies, and gave at least a hundred hugs.
They've been besties ever since.
It was in that moment that we decided we had to plan a trip. A real stay-on-property and go-to-all-the-parks trip.
In planning our own family vacations to Walt Disney World, I dove into the backstory. And I completely bought in:
“We believe in our idea: a family park where parents and children could have fun - together.”
- Walt Disney.
On each of our trips, I make sure to plan things that each individual person would enjoy. Our girls love getting princess makeovers at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
My husband made a custom light-saber in Batuu.
I took my dad scuba diving - in EPCOT!
And my mom, the most talented green thumb I know, got to see the greenhouses on the "Behind the Seeds" tour.
So...is Disney really just for kids? Well, Walt sure didn't think so.
In his speech at the opening of Disneyland on July 17th, 1955, Walt Disney was pretty clear that he created this theme park for all ages.
“To all who come to this happy place: welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America, with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.”
No matter your age, there is magic to be made. From sports, to fine dining, the list of options is endless, and I'd love to help you find the ones that would best fit the individual members of your family.
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