Yo Ho, Yo Ho a Disney life for me!

My parents and I returned a couple days ago from our trip to Disney World. I had such a wonderful time, although we started every day early and often fell into bed exhausted at night. Only at Disney World could you find me eagerly hopping out of bed at 6 in the morning on a daily basis.

I've been going to Disney World every couple of years since I was 3. We have videos of several of those trips, and it's really interesting to see how the parks have changed, which has been quite drastic in some instances, but also how some little corners of the parks have essentially remained the same since my first trip in 1989. Even more interesting is how my family's trips and experiences have changed over the years. My family is clearly now out of the key Disney demographic, and although I experience the parks differently, I don't think I enjoy it any less than when I was 7 or 10.

When I was younger, Disney World trips were a rare, nearly mythical occurrence that happened every 3 years (3 years! That's like an eternity when you're 7...). I had vague memories of previous trips, or what I could see of the parks in videos my dad had taken, but the trips were essentially full of the new: seeing places and riding rides that I had never been on before or that only hazily existed in my subconscious.

Ever since my last trip with my family, which happened in the middle of undergrad, I've noticed a small change. I don't know whether its because I'm older or because I've been on who knows how many trips to Disney World now, but the parks have taken on a sense of comfortable familiarity. So, even though it's been three years since I was last there, I find myself surprised at how much I remember about little specific places or certain attractions. The Disney parks are constantly evolving, probably even more so than most theme parks, so there are always plenty of new things to see after 3 years. But now, I was actually surprised to realize, instead of "the new" defining the trip, it's become more about reliving old, now comfortable, experiences. I don't know if it was because my brother wasn't there, or if I was simply more perceptive this time, but there was much reminiscing that happened on this trip. I tend to be a nostalgic person anyway, and at this point in my family's life, Disney just lends itself towards loads of nostalgia. Instead of finding this disappointing, I really enjoyed it. It's what caused me to tear up when watching the Fireworks at Magic Kingdom or the Fantasmic show (a show that hasn't changed, as far as I can tell, since 1998, but is still completely amazing...how is that?) at Hollywood Studios. It's what makes me smile when overhearing a child exulting over one of my favorite rides that he's just ridden for the first time. It's what, probably to my parents chagrin, still makes me what to stand in lines to get my picture taken with people dressed up as my favorite characters (thankfully, I'm not the only person my age who does this, so I'm not completely insane). I also have a feeling that it's what allows us to continue riding "It's a Small World" while maintaining our sanity.

Not to say that there wasn't plenty of "new" on this trip as well. Staying for the first time in the Animal Kingdom Lodge was amazing, and my only regret was that we didn't have more time to spend at the hotel.

There were also plenty of new rides and attractions to see, all of which were as impressive as I have come to expect from Disney. The most interesting experience was seeing the revamp of Spaceship Earth in Epcot. Spaceship Earth, along with the American Adventure show, is my dad's absolute favorite attraction, and one that always had held more nostalgia for him than anything else. It's undergone some little changes over the years, but this one was the biggest change we've seen. I thought it was great...it kept all of the spirit of the old ride while changing it and updating it enough to keep things interesting. Thankfully my dad liked it too (we rode it 3 times...), so the best news was that we didn't have to go home with a heartbroken Dad on our hands.

Another big surprise was getting to see Cinderella's Castle in it's Christmas lights. We were wandering around Main Street USA, waiting for the parade and fireworks to start and enjoying the shops there, when I suddenly turned to the castle again to find it lit up like this:

This picture doesn't quite do it justice, but it was gorgeous. Leave it to Disney to somehow find a way to make the castle even more beautiful.

Anyway, knowing me I could probably go on and on about Disney World longer than anyone wants to listen to. I really, really love the place. If at some point in my life I have a family and kids, I am so excited about getting to share it with them and reliving the new all over again.