Usually, when folks are kids, their parents take them to Disney. That didn’t happen in my family; the first time I visited Florida was when I worked in Walt Disney World. I had the immense pleasure of experiencing the magic for the first time as a 19 year old, but my mum never went. She helped me drag all of my crap to my third floor apartment and said, “I’ll see you in six months!”
To a lot of people, that may seem crass, but I didn’t see it that way. She had just driven me all the way from New York to Florida with way too much stuff packed into the back of her Hylander. But this past February, the tables turned; I got to bring her!
Going to Disney isn’t something I decide on a whim. Because of my history with the parks, both onstage and offstage, there are things that I have to do while I’m there. You can’t skip Dole Whip, Germany’s grapefruit beer, or Illuminations. Also, you have to meet Mickey Mouse. In November, my mum visited me in Maryland for a race. We had been tossing around the idea of going to Disney, but she was worried about the cost. I did some number crunching and realized that I could handle almost all of the cost; I just needed her to get herself there.
We agreed on it, and I started making plans. The trip would be from February 27th through March 5th (including arrival and departure days). I decided that our days would go: arrival, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom (on her birthday!), Disney Springs, EPCoT, and departure. She wanted most things to be a surprise, so I handled booking our restaurants, fast passes, and a special surprise on our non-park day!
We had an incredible time. We both cried, and it was truly magical. Since it was her first visit and her birthday, Cast Members treated us extra magically, and she was beyond blown away.
My favorite memory from this trip was taking my mum to meet Chewbacca. We had just left the Visa Room with Kylo Ren, and I saw that Chewie’s wait was only 15 minutes. I thought that was pretty good, so I suggested that we meet him. She was worried that it would interfere with our other plans, but once I explained that we were clear for a bit, she was down.
We waited our 15 minutes, went in through the space port, and our favorite walking carpet peeked around the partition to welcome us. My mum all but rushed him, asking if she could hug him. When he nodded and opened his arms, she hugged him for at least 5 minutes straight. The character attendant and PhotoPass both checked to make sure Chewie wasn’t squeezing too hard (luckily, he wasn’t). We had the rest of our interaction, and then they had another incredibly long hug goodbye. My mum came out of it in tears, asking if I knew that Chewie was her favorite character. I didn’t, but I was so happy that she had a good time I all but started crying too! It was truly incredible.
I know Disney is expensive, and there are lots of changes happening right now that make it even more so, but I always think it’s worth it. There was nothing like this vacation; bringing someone you love somewhere you love is pure magic. Plus I may have gained a new Disney Parks buddy!
I love you, mum! I hope all of you geeks get some Disney Magic this week, whether it’s from Star Wars, Marvel, or a vacation to the parks!
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