We are a Disney family. We just love going to the Most Magical Place on Earth! It’s not like we get to go every year or anything, but when we do, it’s a special occasion or something that we have saved for. I think I have been seven times in my life, two as a child, one as a young married couple, and three times as a mom. I guess not going every year has made this vacation spot into a really special place for us. I truly feel like a kid again every time I go. I embrace the magic and all that comes with it. The sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and textures that accompany this experience make it an immersive adventure for me. And each trip is different than the last with its own special memories.

My first experience at Disney was when I was in the third grade. All I really remember is how incredibly busy Main Street was and that we were crammed against each other. I could barely keep up with my parents, so it was quite a fearful experience for me at first. But when we went into the Emporium, I fell in love with this incredibly plush Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and my parents let me buy them! I also was able to buy a little stationery set that had a tiny pencil and eraser and smelled like vanilla. Every time I smelled that smell, it transported me back to that special moment and memory as a child. Oh yes, and It’s a Small World! This was a ride we could all ride as a family because my dad had back trouble, and my mom got extreme motion sickness, so there weren’t many rides they could ride. This ride was perfect for any rider! Somehow, that is where the magic started with me.

The next time I went to my Magical Place was on an early high school band trip. MGM (Hollywood Studios) and Animal Kingdom weren’t open yet, so to you other Disney enthusiasts, I am telling my age with these park opening references. This was the first time I was able to experience Epcot, and I loved it! It took me to another place and time with all of the “technology” and “exploration” themes. I loved pretending that I was actually in the countries I was visiting when in the World Showcase. This was the first time I ever rode Soarin’. As long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with flying. I often had exhilarating dreams as a child of flying over clouds with the wind flowing through my hair and then effortlessly gliding back down to earth. I had such confidence and peace during these dreams, so to ride Soarin’ for the first time, I truly felt that I was flying as I did in those childhood dreams. The moment when I smelled the orange groves was my “quintessential Disney experience” from my childhood memory bank. I still recall it every time I ride Soarin’, even though the orange smell has been replaced with a grassy smell at Florida’s Soarin’.

The next time I went to WDW was with my husband, the year after we got married. It was our first adult vacation that we had to pay for ourselves after our Honeymoon, and we felt all big and proud at ages 22 and 25. We were just babies when I look at those pictures! What I remember most about this trip were the souvenirs we brought back from that adventure. I loved the flowers in Epcot. I took pictures of them and sent them to my grandmother who was in a nursing home at the time and didn’t get to see many flowers. I remember visiting countries in the World Showcase and buying a few small items from Germany for my mother-in-law, whose family was from Germany. We bought my mom and dad Disney baseball paraphernalia. If I remember correctly, I believe we bought my father-in-law something related to Donald Duck because there was a running joke about that between my husband and his dad. I think from this trip, I learned to share the magic with others.

The next trip was my son’s first trip when he was almost four. We had always said we wanted to take him before he went to school, so we took him the summer before he started Pre-K in the fall. That was when the real magic started! Seeing it all through his eyes was joyful beyond compare. We spent more time in Animal Kingdom than other parks this trip because he loved animals so much (and still does). We played in the dirt in the dino-dig area, we rode every dinosaur ride imaginable, we enjoyed Cars memorabilia, and we saw Pooh Bear IN PERSON for the very first time! My son had a stuffed Pooh Bear that went everywhere with us. To get my son’s picture made with the real Pooh Bear, while holding his own special Pooh Bear, as Tigger looked on and questioned my son’s loyalty to him, was absolutely priceless. My favorite picture that trip was of my son’s face in awe of big Pooh Bear.

The next trip was 12 years later, so it was magical all over again, seeing WDW through the eyes of my daughter. I don’t know who was more excited to be there, her or us! That trip was composed of my little adventurer riding all of the big people rides multiple times without fear. We started pin-trading on that trip, and now that is one of our favorite things to do there. We have many special pins from that trip. And wouldn’t you know it, but my daughter also had her own special Pooh Bear that also got to meet the REAL Pooh Bear, so yet another of my favorite pictures was from that first meeting of her dear friend in real life.

The next trip fell in our laps the very same year due to a conference my work sent me to. We just picked up and went again, and I believe this is when our obsession really took off. Being able to go to our special place that close together just fueled the passion to go back more often.

So hearing about all of these Disney memories and how special a place this is to me, it is probably an easy guess as to what my answer is to the question this blog addresses. If I ever have the opportunity to go to Disney, I am there! Even with masks and restrictions.

The main question we suggest you ask yourself is, “What makes Disney magical to you?”

Is it the parades, the fireworks, the shows? If so, this won’t be the year for you to go.

Is it the characters? If so, there definitely aren’t as many, but the opportunities to see them now are like no other time. So even though I can’t get up close to them, I am still looking forward to seeing them from a distance in their new habitats and experiences. What is it they say? “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

If it’s food, YES! There is still plenty of food. Our favorite restaurants, Cape May and Ohana, are closed right now, but we still made the choice to go because we are going to try new restaurants, and the rest of the experience is still so magical for us.

Is it the RIDES? Then, yes, this is your year! This is the primary reason we are going back this year. With no fast passes, I was in doubt that we could ride all of the rides we want to, but because the crowds are so low, we have seen multiple videos of people able to ride everything in one park in a day, with time to spare.

So yes, given all of our special memories mentioned above, and the rides and food that are still available, we are going to Disney in 2020!

Check out our video below to hear our thoughts about going to Disney World in 2020 during what is still a global pandemic.

We are firm believers that the positive spirit of Disney and the magic it brings are worth going back, even during this “unprecedented time.”

See ya real soon!

We love this life