Yes, I am an adult and I love Disney! Does that make me a “Disney Adult”? Maybe! I’d love to share with you my personal history at the most magical place on earth and some of the specific memories that make it so special to me.
From a young age I had a very clear memory of a dark-haired woman in a long dress putting a hat on my head and me reaching up to take it off. I kind of thought maybe it was a dream I had because it was so random and I had no context for it, but I could very clearly see the woman’s face in my head. When I was a little older, I was looking through a photo album from my first Disney vacation in February 1986, when I was about fourteen months old. There were pictures of me, a toddling one year old, at the EPCOT World Showcase with that woman I remembered in the long dress. It was like a lightbulb went off and it just clicked for me – this was the woman from my memory! My mom told me the woman was a cast member, and she played with me and tried to put a little hat on my head, and I kept taking it off! Now say what you will, but I am convinced that this is my earliest memory!
Including that first vacation at fourteen months old, I was lucky enough to visit Disney World with my parents four times – when I was five, eight and twelve years old. I have a very clear memory of digging in the sand on the man-made beach at Disney’s Contemporary Resort when I was five years old. I was so confused when my dad later told me that Disney isn’t on the coast and I was adamant that I remembered playing on the beach there! I couldn’t believe when he told me it was just a man-made beach on Bay Lake. As a kid, it seemed as huge as the ocean to me! That vacation was in November and I also very clearly remember the huge Christmas tree that hung in the center of the Contemporary’s main tower and seeing it from the hallway outside our room that overlooked the monorail.
The last time I went to Disney as a kid was in 1997 during the 25th anniversary celebration (the castle cake)! I remember being confused as to why the castle looked so different than I remembered. During that visit I especially loved MGM Studios (which of course we now know as Hollywood Studios), especially the Backlot Tour (I thought the Golden Girls house was so cool) and Tower of Terror. I remember being disappointed that we didn’t get a chance to go on the Honey I Shrunk The Kids Playground. I loved the idea of being able to see behind the scenes of movies. This was also during the 90’s when it seemed like every TGIF show had a Disney World special episode so I thought that was really cool and I loved being able to go places and do things I had seen on TV.
My first time going to Disney as an adult was not until August 2021 (just before the 50th anniversary celebration)! That is crazy to think if you consider that I have technically been an adult since 2002. I never even went during the Fast Pass era! I still find that so funny because I know people loved it and for me it’s like you can’t miss what you never had! It’s fair to say things changed quite significantly during those 25 years and at first, I was a little overwhelmed! Somehow, I learned everything in the months leading up to our vacation and we had the most magical time. It was the first visit for my husband and our two girls who were seven and three. The memories from that vacation are some of my favorites! Walking into the Magic Kingdom with my family and seeing that beautiful castle in the distance, I realized that no matter how long it’s been, you can’t help but feel pure joy and nostalgia. At least I can’t! Then to experience it again with your own kids – there’s just nothing better! It’s like things have changed but yet, they’re still the same too! I love that feeling so much and I want everyone else to love it too.
Thanks for reading and happy travels!