How Disney World is Even Better as an Adult
My family first packed me into the car at 18 months old. I knew all of the characters’ names from watching and memorizing The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. From that trip forward, I was a Disney World girl. I cherished the short thrills on rides that I earned from standing in long lines. I collected autograph books and hugged Mickey and Minnie as my mom took pictures. I knew how to get around the Magic Kingdom before I knew how to get around my own hometown.
You might think that Disney World loses its magic as you grow up, but it doesn’t. The magic simply changes. Just as you grow and evolve, Disney does too. I collect Starbucks mugs from each park now instead of pressed pennies, for example. Not only do you still enjoy all of your favorite rides and shows, but as an adult you get to experience facets of the Happiest Place on Earth that you didn’t know were there before. Cue Mrs. Potts “There must be something there that wasn’t there before…”
In March, we are taking Lake on his very first trip to Disney. Up until this point, it has been all adults. So what does a family of six; two twenty-somethings, my parents, and my grandparents, do at a theme park? SO MANY THINGS. Disney is not just for children, it is for people of all ages. You just have to be a kid at heart.
Epcot is one of my very favorite places now, because I thankfully have evolved a bit from the picky eater I used to be and I now LOVE to try funky foods. In Epcot (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), you can visit mini versions of 11 countries: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, the United States, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom and Canada. If you can’t travel to these actual countries, the Epcot versions are truly the next best thing. Plus, there are so many additional food and beverage carts up and running now, especially in the fall months because of the Food and Wine Festival. In college, I started a tradition of eating around the world. I am proud to say that I can stuff myself with a variety of snacks and meals as I waddle from country to country. Why is this gluttonous activity even better as a grownup? My parents, Daniel, and I now have experienced the joy of drinking around the world. Avocado margarita in Mexico, anyone? Actually, maybe pass on it. It got weird toward the final sips.
We tried Saki in Japan (the Saki was Sucky), a shot of something that tasted like mouth wash in Norway, and plenty of wine and beer. The Disney cast members in each country are actually from that country, which is really neat. You can ask them for suggestions and they give honest feedback, except the cast member in Japan who suggested cold Saki over hot Saki. The correct answer was don’t drink it. Just my opinion. Epcot can go from day to night flawlessly, turning into a global party as you walk down the international streets, sipping exotic beverages and bouncing from Mexico to Canada and back again. I think the opportunity to speak to people from across the globe is an invaluable one, particularly for people who perhaps will never have the chance to travel out of the country.
Downtown Disney, now called Disney Springs but I refuse to call it that, is Disney’s shopping mecca. Why is this fun when you’re a kid? Stuffed animals, Sleeping Beauty costumes, and Mickey-shaped candy. Why is it fun now? Fun coffee cups, throw pillows with romantic quotes on them from your favorite movies, and personalized phone cases. My grandma’s favorite store specializes in Christmas ornaments. I don’t think her tree can fit another one on it. My favorite store carries the cutest grownup subtle-Disney clothes, from scarves to shoes. Recently, stores like Kate Spade, Vera Bradley, and Alex and Ani have opened up shop, as well as several restaurants. Surely, there are those who think their home and/or wardrobe isn’t in need of a touch of magic, but even they could not wander around Downtown Disney and NOT buy a sweet snack from Goofy’s candy store, kitchen utensils with mouse-ear cutouts, or pajama pants covered in little Darth Vaders. Daniel and I went to Disney by ourselves a few years ago and while he was at his work conference, I wandered around and had a blast trying snacks like poutine and sushi from the new eateries and shopping at Zara and Anthropology. Downtown Disney also boasts a fun nightlife scene.
Relaxation isn’t usually on the agenda when the Mumaw/Hossfeld/Skelton clan goes to Orlando. We like to go until our feet hurt so much that we just want to chop them off. However, since I was in college, we started staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and with that change came a few slow and lovely moments taking in the view of our backyard- the best backyard in the world. As you sip coffee on the balcony, you can watch as zebras, giraffes, and these big, exotic cows (not sure what the official name is but they look like fancy cows) graze. Being able to sit, relax, watch as my grandma looks for animals with her binoculars, and drink coffee is an adult pleasure that I wouldn’t want to enjoy anywhere else.
The biggest difference between a day at the parks as a child versus as an adult? Tradition. My whole life, my grandpa and I have taken a picture in MGM Studios, now Hollywood Studios but I refuse to call it that, on a street made to look like New York City. This was the normal routine as a child and something fun that we did together. Now, it means everything to me to be able to stand in that spot with my grandpa and take a picture with the man who is MY Walt Disney- the guy behind our family’s magic. When you get older, tradition means everything. For the past few years, I’ve cried when I’ve left Orlando. It may seem so silly, but I just can’t help but mourn the end of another precious trip with my family that I don’t get to see quite as much as I used to. And to think that now we are about to start new traditions with Lake? Ugh so very special. I hope that he loves it as much as I did, and do, and I have a good feeling that he will. He is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse already.
The tradition of going to Disney with my favorite people is one that I will always carve into my brain, saving the sparkly memories to tide me over until next time. When Daniel came along for the first time a when we started dating, I loved being able to show them the place that made me, me. It is an even better feeling watching Daniel become as much of a Disney person as the rest of us. I love Disney for the fact that it is and will always be “our place”; the Happiest Place on Earth.
