Question of the Day
I know we all miss the parks, so today let’s see, what’s your favorite memory from a theme park (Disney or otherwise?)
I have three!
The first two are from my first visit to Disneyland Paris, specifically in Disney Studio 1 in Walt Disney Studios Park. The first is actually meeting the Boss Man
himself, Mickey Mouse, in his racing day finery. We were exiting from one of the shops when we spotted Mickey and his carer-CM setting up shop near one of the studio lighting installations. There wasn't even a line at the time so naturally, we moved into position, and
voila! We were the first in line to meet Mickey! I even got his signature on the DLR 50th Anniversary signature book, which I still have to this day (it's vintage at this point).
The second one is more of a Cast Compliment. We were taking out pizza for dinner from Restaurant en Coulisse and were told that we would have to wait. The cashier was quite apologetic and gave us these red foldable disc fans that featured Lilo and Stitch to compensate for us waiting for our food. Considering that the French cast members are usually considered "rude" compared to their American counterparts, my experience (as I remember it) in DLP begs to differ.
The third one would be from my first visit to Disneyland. We were in the park for
18 hours and we managed to hit the majority of the DLR Bucket List of Rides (except for some of the Fantasyland ones). Anyway, the park was at capacity by dinnertime and my brother was getting hangry (in Star Tours of all places, but kinda on-brand for that ride) so we (my two brothers and my cousin) decided to go off-property, hit up the nearest McDonald's to get dinner, and try to sneak it in past security. I was a bit nervous since the DLR website says that we can't bring in food or drinks, but surprise surprise, the guards at the checkpoint didn't even bat an eyelash. One of them even joked with us and asked if she could get some French fries. We then entered Disneyland Park, and everyone was settling on Main Street USA for Paint the Night. We settled down near the Christmas tree, and as we went our way, everyone was staring at us and it kinda felt like this:
Looking back, I realize that I have never felt so American at that moment: waiting for a parade in Disneyland at Christmastime while eating Mickey D's.
Oh say can you see...
Question of the Day
Character meet-and-greets are a hallmark of a Disney vacation, but only a small handful of characters can be met. What character that doesn’t have a meet-and-greet at any of the parks would you like to see get one?
Honestly, any of the Theme Park Universe characters deserve a consistent M&G. The idea of Madame Leota consistently speaking to the guests in ominous rhymes makes me chuckle. Also, wouldn't it be cool for Tony Baxter to embrace his dark side and actually give his Barnabas T. Bullion outside Big Thunder Mountain for a day?