Magical Blogorail Peach: First Trip to WDW as an Adult

Welcome to those of you joining me from 400 Miles to Disneyland and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 4th stop on our Magical Blogorail.


I've mentioned before on this blog that I used to go to Disneyland with my parents ALL the time, starting when I was 6 months old, but this month we are talking about the first time we went to a Disney park as an adult. Technically I did go to Disneyland a few times when I was 19 and had moved out of my parents house. I mean, I lived about 10 minutes away! Yay! And while it was a whole different kind of magic being able to go whenever I wanted and as an "adult", I honestly don't consider that my first trip as an adult at all.

There were a few years between that time and the next time I had the opportunity to go to a Disney park. In that time I had moved to Virginia, met my now-husband, moved to Cuba, and had a baby. *phew!* Our daughter was born with very mild hip displasia (she's totally fine now) but while they had practically everything we would need at the hospital in Cuba, they sent us off island quite a few times in order for her to see a specialist for her hips. The second time we went, she was 2 months old. We were on the plane to Jacksonville, FL, and Aaron turned to me and asked what we should do during the time we were in Florida after Ashlyn's appointment. I half-jokingly said that we could to go Walt Disney World since it was just about 2 1/2 hours away. We both laughed at the time, but then a few days later, this happened.


And then this (while I bawled my little eyes out).


This was not only my first trip to Walt Disney World, but it was both Aaron's and my first trip to Disney as adults (he had been to WDW once as a kid) and Ashlyn's first trip to Disney at all. It was a completely different experience to go as the parent instead of the child. You see things in a whole new light. You start to believe in fairy tales again. Even if you never quite stopped believing, the spark gets stronger.


We've gone many, many times since this first trip and it just gets better and better because now my daughter is old enough to understand more and enjoys the characters. I may not completely remember my trips as a kid with my parents, but now I can understand even better why it was important to them to start taking me at such a young age and why they believed so strongly in the magic, even as adults. We may not have been able to do absolutely everything that first trip, though we did do a lot, but it was something I will never forget. I don't think I even fully realized just how different my point of view was between my early trips and now as an adult. Just always remember, the magic isn't just for the kids. :)

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Joanna and her Amazing Technicolor Interwebs.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

1st Stop ~ Can Do It Mom AKA Mouse Fan Diane
2nd Stop ~ Disney on Wheels
3rd Stop ~ 400 Miles to Disneyland
4th Stop ~ Disney in Our Blood (You Are Here)
Final Stop ~ Joanna and her Amazing Technicolor Interwebs

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

November 2008 (2 months old)

January 2011 (almost 2 1/2 years old)

We were very happy to be able to take the picture again at Minnie's House in January before Toontown closed.

Never Underestimate the Magic of Disney

Everyone will tell you, including myself, that there is nothing like seeing the joy in a child's eyes when they first see the castle or their favorite character. It's absolute magic! This year, however, I witnessed first-hand that seeing that joy in another adult's eyes is just as heart-melting.

First, a little bit of background. I have mentioned in past posts, particularly my very first post, that my dad adores Disney and passed that love on to me. In fact, for Father's Day I got my dad a Mickey award statue from DisneyStore.com and had the plaque inscribed with "To [my Dad's first and last name] for inspiring generations of Disney lovers." ♥ My dad lives in California and I currently live overseas (close to Florida) where it can be difficult to have visitors fly in. Considering I gave birth to my daughter on island, my dad couldn't exactly be there. We tried for quite awhile to find a way to get him here that would fit with schedules and budgets. When my daughter reached 18 months old, I was determined to find any way to get her and my dad together. My very supportive husband was 100% behind that thought and we did some brainstorming. Long story short, we all met in Florida. My dad had never been to Florida (I'm not counting the few hours we spent just over the border from Alabama the day after Aaron and I got married) and, needless to say, had never been to Walt Disney World! He had always wanted to check it out, though, and we made it work. So he met his granddaughter for the first time at the happiest place on Earth!

So fast forward to our first day at the Magic Kingdom. I made sure our last 1 1/2 days were there. I can't tell you how incredible it was to see his reaction to seeing Cinderella's Castle for the first time and how different it is from Sleeping Beauty's Castle. The kid in him came right out.

He smiled and laughed and just soaked in everything which was incredible. Another little bit of background, my mother passed away 2 years ago last month. Even going to Disneyland was hard for my dad because it brought back so many memories. So to see him smile and really get caught up in the moment made me swell with happiness and, if it is possible, made me believe even more in the magic of Disney.