How I fell in love with Disney

I am a firm believer that there are 2 types of people in the world…those who love Disney and those who are waiting to fall in love with it.

I grew up watching Disney movies and loving EVERY moment of my VHS fueled childhood. My sissy and I would play games where I was Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and she was Ariel (The Little Mermaid). If our mom wanted us to rest our bodies or nap, she would let us cuddle up on the couch and watch one of our favorite Disney films. Many are surprised that with this Disney love, that I never actually got to visit the parks until I was in high school.

My first trip was nothing like my current trips. As much as I dress up now, I don’t even think I wore a Disney shirt or ears. I had no concept for what this magical place that everyone talked about would be, just that I NEEDED to see it. We had one day with my oldest sister who lived in Florida, so the park was more of a highlight tour! It was crazy, and busy (summer), and rained for the entire time we were waiting for Splash Mountain (2-3 hours).

Fast forward to my hubs and I starting a family and taking our oldest son to the parks when he was 2. We had an entire week planned and got to experience all of the wonder that Disney had to offer. Armed with an “Unofficial Guide to Disney” book, I read and studied all the way down to the park for our 8 hour trip. We just happened to arrive during Star Wars days, and I remember completely geeking out as the Storm Troopers yelled at everyone as they stood above the entrance to Hollywood Studios. Or watching M full of such wonder as he experienced everything for the first time.

As amazing as that first family trip was, I still felt like we spent too much time waiting in lines and missed out on more experiences. I was ill prepared, and so I took to the internet before returning to the parks. If they handed out Black Belts for planning and studying, I am pretty sure I’m like a 12th degree blackbelt.

So how was your first trip to Disney? If you could learn just one thing about Disney, what would it be?