Recently, I read an incredibly negative article about couples who choose to use “precious vacation days” in a Disney park. The author was bitter about the fact that women force their significant others to tag along, as if our other halves didn’t agree to this vacation. She also believes that a trip to Disney is not meant for “mature adults” and suggests that couples should choose to find somewhere more appropriate to vacation.
I have so many issues with her article, but I’ve decided to simply compile a list as to what the ingredients are to be a “Disney person.” When I chose to work for the Walt Disney Company, I wasn’t sure what to expect other than living in beautiful, sunny Florida and going to the parks as often as humanly possible because it was FREE!! Along the way, I was fortunate enough to have so many other “Disney people” enter my life who understood my somewhat obsessive love with all things Disney.
First and foremost, Disney people choose to see the magic in the world; both Disney and otherwise. I will admit when I moved back home from my cozy Disney apartment, it was a very difficult transition. I was no longer in a place where you could talk to virtually anyone and they’d reply with a smile. No store or restaurant could stand up to the Disney parks, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t little magical moments everywhere you go.
Disney people know the miracle of bringing movies to life. We have seen the face of children meeting their favorite characters for the first time. However, we also know it’s as equally as magical to see someone in their 80’s meeting the princess they grew up watching as a young girl who taught them to be both beautiful and strong. Everyone deserves to see the magic of Disney come to life at least once.
Like Mary Poppins, us Disney people believe every job needs an element of fun. Even before working for Disney, I was always known for my ability to play with a purpose at work. Fortunately for me, my playful attitude landed me my internship as a character attendant. It was literally my job to play with characters all day for months!! Now, this has helped me realize that every job, no matter how serious, still needs to be enjoyable.
Being in Disney World, as both a guest and a cast member, has shown me how accepting of a community Disney has created. As a guest, I witnessed my disabled sister live without restrictions. As a cast member, I met people from all walks of life gathering together for the same purpose; creating magic for everyone we met. Disney does not discriminate and simply wants all of its guests to be immersed in a world of magic and dreams.
I must admit, Disney people make the best karaoke singers. EVER! Think about it! We’ve been watching Disney movies since we can remember and singing along since we could figure out how to make sound. We’ve been preparing for our perfect opportunity to show off our specific skill set of princess octaves and going the distance like Hercules. We tend to spontaneously break out into song and have zero shame about it!
On that same note, we can relate almost any real life situation to a Disney movie or song. You’re feeling alone in life? You can bet that you’ve got a friend in me! Are you questioning a big decision in life? Well, Rapunzel was trapped in a tower her entire life until she finally decided to venture outside of her comfort zone and she found true love! I’m serious that I could go on for days like this.
Disney lovers like myself have learned to appreciate the little things in life. When you work in such a mesmerizing place like the Magic Kingdom, you are constantly witness to proposals, family reunions, and children seeing the Cinderella’s castle for the very first time. To some, these massive life events may get routine, but to us, every day is a fresh start with new memories and more pixie dust to add. I’ve seen countless proposals in Magic Kingdom, but I still get teary eyed when I witness another. Disney magic makes everything just a bit better.
We make awesome baby sitters! Disney fanatics are truly children at heart and that will never change. Walt Disney even said “growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.” When you combine our Mary Poppins level nannying abilities and our eagerness for sing alongs, we are literally unstoppable! Besides, we are always up for a day filled with Disney movies. To be honest, we are probably the only people that can keep our sanity watching Winnie the Pooh five times in a row.
If you’re planning a vacation to a Disney park, please save your money and ask us rather than going through a vacation planner. We tend to stay in the loop on the current Disney must-do’s and LOVE sharing our pixie dust infatuation. Better yet, we make fantastic tour guides in the parks. You aren’t an inconvenience to us if you have a ton of Disney questions. Trust me, we were you once and we want to make sure you get the most magic out of your trip.
At the end of the day, we all would like to believe that we’ve helped keep Mr. Disney’s dream alive. Being in a Disney park allows you to see the true possibility of dreams coming true each and every day. If you believe that my love for magic, pixie dust, and all things Disney constitutes a title of immaturity, I guess I’ll wear it with pride. However, I believe I’ve just been honored with the ability to see the best in everything thanks to Mr. Walter Elias Disney himself.
