Have you ever found yourself wishing that you could be a little kid again? Because I know I definitely have.
No worries. No serious responsibilities. Just the enviable ability to embrace the present moment and really live life to the fullest. It’s no secret that we lose a little bit of that as we grow older. With age comes expectation, with expectation comes responsibility, and somewhere along the way, life loses some of its magic to the regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow. Thankfully, there are places we can go to find that magic again…
Do you remember the first time you visited a Disney park? It’s probably a silly question since I’m pretty sure it’s an experience that no one can forget. The excitement. The enchantment. The adventure… Disney just has that magical ability to make us forget how old we are and let loose; to leave our worries and responsibilities behind and hand the reins over to our inner child; to live life to the fullest once more.
Now that all the excitement of the holidays is over and the winter blues are threatening to settle in, I’ve found myself regularly browsing travel sites, looking at places I can go to escape both the cold and the feeling of blah that tends to hit around this time of the year. Beaches and tropical destinations are an obvious choice, but I find myself thinking about taking another trip to Disneyland. I last visited in the fall of 2012, and while it wasn’t my first trip to the Magic Kingdom, it was the first one I took as an adult, which definitely made it a memorable experience.
Before going, I remember wondering whether or not I’d enjoy it now that I was older — I was actually worried that it wouldn’t be as wonderful as I remembered it; that I was too old to experience the magic I had felt as a child. Turns out I had nothing to worry about — I fit right in.
Disneyland doesn’t have an age limit. It appeals to us throughout the years because it always has something to offer. As children – a sense of wonder and magic. As adults – a chance to awaken our inner child and let loose. As parents – the opportunity to introduce our little ones to the magic and see the joy on their faces (or so I’m told… I’ll update you once I have little ones of my own 😉 ).
Disney has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, from watching The Lion King so often that I can recite it by heart, to having to turn down a proposal from Goofy on my last visit to Disneyland…
It’s safe to say that life wouldn’t be quite as magical without the Disney Side of it.
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Let loose, come play and bring out the fun in your family at Disney Parks! What’s your Disney Side? It’s the side of you that laughs more, screams more, and just plain lives life to the fullest. It’s the side of you that comes out to play the moment your family steps into a Disney theme park. Discover your Disney Side at disneyside.ca.
Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Disney Parks via Glam Media Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Disney Parks.
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What’s your favourite Disney movie? The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.
Have you been to a Disney park before?
no matter how old I am, Disney will always be a part of me 🙂
I absolutely love Disneyworld! That’s actually why I decided to run my first marathon there a week and a half ago. It is truly magical!
I’ve never been to Disneyland, but am hopefully going in March, so I’m pretty excited!
Well damn – didn’t this post just make me depressed. I’ve never had the chance to visit ANY Disney Parks. Thanks Amanda, thanks! Ha Ha kidding 🙂 One day I’ll get my toosh there – until then, I’ll just admire your photos & pretend I was there w/ you.
Favorite Movie: Lion King! I’ve watched all DVD’s, but the first will always remain my favorite.
If you liked DisneyLAND, just wait until you see DisneyWORLD!! I know Florida is a bit farther from you, but I PROMISE you it is so so sooooo worth it!! Disneyland can’t even compare to Disneyworld!!!!!!!!
I love Disney with a passion. I grew up with Disney. I was finally able to go to Disneyland for my first time in 2012 actually for my birthday! It was right around Christmas time, so the park was all decorated. I was in love. It filled me up with so much joy. The rides were fun, a fangirled over seeing the characcters.. It is a trip I will never forget and hold true to my heart. I have really been wanting to go lately. I hope I get that opportunity. This post brung a smile to my face because it is all true. You just.. get me. 🙂
Aww! And your comment brought a smile to my face because I can absolutely relate to feeling that joy. I’ve never seen Disney decorated for Christmas, but I can imagine it must look absolutely magical…
I used to go to Disney World about every other year from the time I was five to the time I was eighteen. It reminds me of my grandparents. They took me for the first time, and each time we’d go, I’d ride with them and sleep on the backseat of the car. And we always went through this tunnel on our way from Baton Rouge to Orlando, and no matter what, my grandparents would wake me up so I could see all the bright lights and my ears would pop when we’d go under water. That is such a fond memory and it’s tied to Disney for me.
I so love this! I was watching the new Snow White remake last night and we got into a long conversation about how amazing Disney is and making up Disney movies of our life ahaha.
I will always love Disney, I don’t care how dumb it sounds but it does feel kind of magical when you are there
Oh i love Disney!!!! I secretly want to kidnap my nieces and go have a hay day at the theme park. Yep. Wanna come?
YES. I’ll even bring snacks 😀
So I’ve never been to Disney; not park or land. Growing up, we went camping instead. Yuck.
Aww the pictures of you in this are really lovely. ( And further emphasise just how youthful you look!)
The Lion King is number 1.
Aladdin, Snow white, Fox & the Hound, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella and Beauty & the Beast all win too.
I wanted to go to Disney sooo bad as a kid, & admittedly the appeal is no longer there. Because I’m boring and old , now most likely :p.
Xxx
Oh how I LOVE Disney! I took my kids to Disneyland a couple of years ago and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. There is just nothing like it. Just this past November, we booked a trip to Disney World that we will be taking in November 2014. I CANNOT wait. We’ll be there with all of the Christmas festivities, which I’ve heard is really awesome. Love the cute pics of you! Definitely lots of photo ops at Disney.
I’ve -always- wanted to go see Disney at Christmastime! You’re going to have an absolute blast 😀 I saw it with all the Halloween decor up, and it definitely adds to the special feeling.
I’ve never been to a Disney park before… My parents went on vacation a few times a year when I was a kid, but they always left my sister and I behind in the care of our grandparents. Rude, right?!
My favourite Disney movies are The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast!
I have never been to a Disney Park. I know I would have loved it as a kid. I wasn’t *super* into Disney movies, but I grew up when they started to get really popular and I loved all the singing. As an adult, I now have no desire to ever go to Disney World! My friends hate me for this!!! I even had one of them say, “Just because your parents couldn’t afford to take you to Disney as a kid doesn’t mean you should hate it now!” Eeeek harsh! (I know I am in the minority. Most sane people love Disney. I just never, ever got into it.)
I LOVE all things Disney! I love RunDisney because it combines two of my favorite things! What could be better than running through the Disney parks?! My all time favorite Disney movie is 101 Dalmatians but Frozen is quickly becoming my new favorite 🙂
Amanda you are gorgeous and glad to hear your having the time of your life! My favourite Disney Movie is the Little Mermaid; I could watch that movie over and over again! & I have been Disney Land! It was such a long time ago but I remember tune town being my favourite!
Definitely The Little Mermaid by far is my all time favourite. Especially with Sebastian and the ‘under the sea’ song Disney gold!
I went to Disneyland in LA when I was 8 years old and absolutely loved it. Especially meeting Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers and Donald Duck. My highlights were the haunted hotel and splash mountain! So much fun and I so want to go back.
That song is -so- dangerous! It doesn’t take a lot for it to get stuck in my head, and now that you mentioned it, I’ll probably be humming it for the rest of the night 😛
No wonder Twitter was telling me to friend all these characters. it all makes sense now.
You know that going to the land of Disney was always a childhood dream of mine, and although I didn’t go to the LA one, the other one counts 😉 I even kissed Cinderella. She turned into a kabocha. the one you ate last week.
I honestly think I am the only one in the whole world that doesn’t care for Disneyland! I went two years ago for my friends birthday and promised myself I wouldn’t go back until I had kids.
Beauty and the Beast! <3
and sadly (!) I've never been to Disney World! 🙁 my parents have deprived me!
Amanda this post is adorable!! I’ve never been to ay of the Disney places but was a firm believer in magic as a child. As an adult, I like to think magic still exists!!
My fave movies are Lady & the Tramp and The Little Mermaid. I adored Ursula believe it or not!! lol 🙂
Have a wonderful Monday princess!
Disneyland is my favourite place in the whole wide world – and I even feel “homesick” about it! (crazy? perhaps!)
I am so desperate to take Jesse to Disneyland – and like you, he feels like he might be “too old” but I don’t think that’s possible! It’s one of those places where you walk through the gates and everything goes away. You don’t think for a second that the mickey ears on your head are silly, you’ll happily whizz through the lines to get to your favourite rides and food tastes a million and one times better.
Definitely not possible! Even my dad starts acting like a goofball as soon as he walks through those gates. Disney doesn’t have an age limit.
I went to Disney World twice when I was a little one, but I haven’t yet experienced the magic of Disney as an “adult” and in the past year or so I’ve had this crazy desire to go again. It’s on my bucket list! As for favourite movies, oh boy did I love them all! I think top spots probably go to Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Lion King.
Picking a favorite Disney movie is like picking a favorite food… Almost IMPOSSIBLE. I always gravitate towards Alice in Wonderland, though, due to the hidden meanings and quotes which make you go, “Hmmm”. Plus, it’s a bit trippy which makes everything more interesting 😉
If you ever go to Disney and need a buddy let me know! 😉
When I lived in San Diego, I had an annual pass to Disneyland and went every 6 weeks or so. I always called it my happy place. I took a trip to Walt Disney World in 2007 and really want to go back again. I was there for a week, but it still wasn’t enough time to experience everything. I love everything about Disney (might be obvious by my cats’ names~ Disney & Cheshire)!!
I hate Disney’s ways of making lots of money off of evvvvverything! Even flushing their toilets! Okay that’s an exaggeration, lol. But you know what I mean? And with that said, I love Disney!! At one point I started to become “bleh” towards it and maybe it was just because I hadn’t been to it for a long time and felt the same as you, kind of nervous I wouldn’t enjoy it! But then once I became older I realized that it has this cool magical power about it that draws you in….! The food, the super happy atmosphere, and fun rides make the price worth it!
Just wait until you can share the experience with Selah 😀
I LOVE Disney!! We go every year with Joel’s family– to the Wine and Food Festival which is like “grown-up Disney” because there’s tons of alcohol!! Wine tastings, mixed drinks, and good food– somehow, the park is even more magical. 😉