Disney World Brings Hope!

[DSNYKID]

People save for years for a trip of a life time. They plan and plan for the hope of one day being able to peek around the corner of Main Street and catch their first glimpse of the castle. My mom and dad never traveled more than 500 miles from Chicago. They decided to join their grandkids for that trip of a life time. As my mom walked around the corner and the sun revealed itself on the castle, she began to cry. She said, " I never thought I would get here!"

As for me and my family, we go once or twice a year. A trip to Disney World continues to bring us hope. Those 7 days of true escape are well worth the wait...although I'd like to go back much sooner.

People come from all over the world to spend just a special part of their life at Disney. It's no wonder they make sure to do it right!

What about you? How often do you go? What hope does Disney bring for you?

 

[The Mom]

I remember driving to WDW with my then 15 year old niece (she was visiting me for the summer, and working as my Mother's Helper) and as she started seeing the billboards, she started bouncing in excitement.

"Auntie, you don't understand. This is like Christmas, my birthday, and every other good thing that ever happened to me rolled into one day."

 

[hrcollectibles]

Being only 3 gours away from the Magic I am starting to go mor efrequently.. I am now upto my second trip this year (going with me mum for mommys day) ... I judt love the overall disney feeling

 

[LoriMistress]

How sweet. I remember when I had that moment. I've been to DLR countless times, and my DH has only been to the MK once in his lifetime. But when we planned our honeymoon in 2003 we saved for our trip and planned like crazy.

We were getting ready to leave ASMu to head over to Epcot for our first day at the parks and I started to cry. I was telling DH, "We're finally here! I've been dreaming of coming here since I was little. All of the planning and waiting...we're finally here!"

 

[RAZORBRAD]

my family has been going since I was around 8 years old. I am 31 now. Its hard to get my parents, my brother and his family and mine together for a trip now, but when we do its so much fun expererincing it all over again as a family. We still get our family picture taken at the same place just like when I was a kid, now with a few additions though.

 

[wdwmomof3]

There is nothing like a trip to Disney. My DH is wanting to go to Branson, MO in Dec and I am in a panic thinking.... there goes some money that I could have used for Disney. I know that I should relax but I just love it there. I love planning it and everything about it. I'm a dreamer and a kid at heart.:lol:

 

[kbmum]

I've been to WDW many times with my parents when I was a child and as an adult. It was something we saved up for and my mom even took a part-time job to pay for our trips.

Last July, my husband and I decided it was time to take our then six-year-old twins to WDW for their first visit. My parents joined us. It was my dad's fondest wish to walk up Main Street holding his granddaughter's hand so he could talk to her and watch her face as she saw the castle for the first time, sort of introducing her to WDW. Every time I look at this picture, I tear up. (My dad is in the light green shirt and my daughter is wearing a tie-die shirt.)

We're going again this July and my daughter tells anyone who will listen that she can't wait to walk up Main Street with Grampy!:animwink:

 

[pacochran]

We only go once a year and that just started in 2002, when our youngest was 5. I just so look forward to that trip because it is truely a great escape. For those 7 days I don't think about work or problems back home, I truely just have a wonderful fun filled time. I think I am more of a kid than my kids sometimes. (That new Orlando commercial with the parent turning into kids is so great and so true).

I too never traveled far as a child. The only regret I have is that my father and my in laws are all gone and can't enjoy it and my mother is to sickly to enjoy it with her grandchildren.

And a small word of advice to anyone don't wait to take the grandparents. I have a sister in law who is older and a surigate grandmother to my children, and she said oh one day we'll all go together. Well now she has terminal cancer and on dialysis and can't go and see my children have fun at Disney.

On a brighter note, it truely is a magical experience just to walk down main street USA and see that castle. Also just to walk in any park, because we don't always do MK on the first day to just walk in and see the Tree of Life in AK or the Hat in MGM or the Globe in Epcot is just magical.

 

[xensweetie]

I went to DW a couple times as a child - once I was six and honestly, I remember very little and then again when I was 14. We were only in FL one day when we had to turn around and go home as my grandfather passed away. I waited 13 VERY long years to get back and it was my dream to go again...we went last February and it was my husband's first time there as well. The flight was super delayed and I was so upset lol - but the moment we walked in to MK I almost cried. Just felt like my dream was realized and we walked in there and right away saw Mickey and Minnie and other characters and we were so overwhelmed with happiness that it was one of the greatest days of my life!! Our first day there was unbelievable - it was also my hubby's bday and we got him the button and it was awesome! Since then we have gone again this past October and are going again this September. Can't wait!

There is NOTHING in this world like WDW - it's my happy place. People think I'm crazy because I'm going again for a third time in 1.5 years, but they just don't get how amazing and magical this place is. I go there and the real world does NOT exist the entire time I'm there. It's just pure happiness!

 

[Jessie&Buzz]

I remember the first time my daughter was old enough to know that we were at WDW. She was 5. As we came in on the bus to the MK and she saw the castle for the first time, she started jumping up and down in her seat. I started crying. My hubby still makes fun of me for that.

On our last trip my son was a sleep as we made our way to the MK. We were up so early for our flight and our room wasn't ready yet so we couldn't nap. When he finally did wake up he yelled "are we at Disney World?". A CM heard him and said "yep you are really here!" He was so excited the rest of the day.

 

[DroPZ0nE25]

Currently I am 21 and i have been to Disney World at least 25 times in my life. The experience never gets old. I wish i could live closer to the magic but unfortunately i live in New York

 

[smk]

I think all the time of how fortunate we (my family) are! We have traveled to many places on vacation each year. We all enjoy our time together no matter where we are BUT everyone enjoys WDW time even more. It is the only place we went to when our kids were younger that was not a hassle, even the long drive there was okay. I have nothing but good memories of all my trips there. I will be the Grandma who takes the grandkids every chance I am given!

 

[the-reason14]

WDW is just an absolutely wonderland for me. I cant tell you how many times I have escaped the pressures of high shcool here in Houston Texas to go to WDW for spring break, a three day weekend, or any other short break. Its just absolutely incredible and wonderful and worth all the waiting and anticipating ever.

 

[lovepirate77]

Memories past and yet to come

My mother grew up 20 minutes from WDW (they used to sit on a hillside and watch construction while it was being built). I'm 22 and I have been to Disney on average twice a year since I was born. It's been a joy to me watching it grow and change, experiencing the new rides for the first time and refusing to let go of the old ones. It has always been the one place on Earth where I am the happiest.
In 2005 I got to take my girlfriend (now my fiancee) to Disney for the first time (with my parents). It was a magical experience for her and me both. I remember sitting and watching the "Wishes" firework show at MK at the end of our first very very long day (we rode EVERYTHING). My fiancee and I were sitting on the ground trying to let her legs rest (I am very used to the gruelling days of Disney, she is not). As the show reached its climax she squeezed my hand tightly and I looked over to see tears on her face, matching my own. It was a moment I'll never forget. There is something beautiful and innocent and pure about WDW, something I will never let go of no matter how old I get.
My fiancee and I are going back for our honeymoon following our wedding in July. I hope this will become a tradition for us, something we can share the way I used to share it with my parents. Disney has always been a part of my life, for as long as I can remember, and until the day I die, whenever someone asks where I want to go for vacation, there will always be only one answer worth giving.

 

[WDWFigment]

Like the rest, I have many great WDW experiences, memories, and the like. However, I wouldn't say WDW brings me "hope". For that to be the case, I would have to be skeptical of humanity or something to that effect, and it would have to be redeemed by WDW. Maybe I'm overlooking some gravity of WDW, but I don't see it changing the world anytime soon (not that I see so much wrong with the world in the first place, but if I did, I don't see WDW being able to change what's wrong).

Am I right to assume you all think WDW does bring hope, or are we talking about it bringing joy?

 

[Mickeyman116]

Dont get me started on crying at disney! haha! I cry at all times possible. But, the one time that hit me the hardest (other than wishes..) was when i first walked into the animal kingdom lodge. This has been my dream resort since it opened. We walked in and my hurried step came to a lag. We slowly made my way to the center of the lobby and looked around. Every picture i looked at didnt do it justice. I immediately started crying right then and there. I just shook my head in disbelief that i was finally there. I just all choked up thinking about it to this day! Theres nothing like discovering something like that for the first time...

And, I do believe that disney brings hope! I lost my wallet while bus hopping at a saratoga springs bus stop. I noticed it as we were on the bus to dtd. I immediately started searching and when everyone got off the bus, we told the bus driver. He sped off in search of the bus that we were on that brought us to saratoga springs. We found it and ran on the bus. Everyone was so helpful, getting on their hands and knees looking for it. No luck. We get back on the other bus and he gives us a personal ride back to our hotel. The bus driver was awkwardly nice and truly cared about my wallet. We got back to the room and saw the answering machine button blinking. it was a man who found my wallet! All the stress washed away as i heard the message.
The next day we met this man and his family outside animal kingdom. They were all so nice and so happy to give my wallet back to me. Everything was still there. We hugged and shook hands and went our seperate ways. That shows that there is always hope in disney. if it were anywhere else, my wallet would have been long gone. But, in disney, things are just different

 

[Craig & Lisa]

As you go with you children for the first time when they are young. Our sons were 1 1/2 and 4, you can't help but get teary eyed. And as time goes by they get older and that feeling goes away. But then as you walk in with your arm around you not so young child, and seem to need to get that old feeling back, just look at another parent with their children and that same feeling comes back. Take for instance, we were at Crystal Palace in April, and as Pooh Bear started to march around with Tigger and Piglet and Eyore, I watched the kids follow him, I noticed at the table next to us 2 mothers watching their kids and they were starting to cry. I also got alittle teary, I'm a guy, I went over to the table because they started to wipe their tears so the kids wouldn't notice and told them that as they get older that the thrill of watching will go away and you don't have to hold it back. And they let it go, and afterwards said thankyou.