My Disney History

My first visit to Walt Disney World was in 1994 when I was in high school.  Looking back on it now, I can’t believe that my parent never took us to Disney World before this, but then again we never really went on family vacations anyway.  My mom decided that since this was our first and what she believed (ha!ha!) to be our only time to WDW, she wanted to do it “the right way.”  Boy, did we do it the right way!!  We stayed at Disney’s Beach Club Resort using what Disney then had, the “Grand Plan (this included ALL food, drinks, tips, park tickets, transportation and a photo session at Downtown Disney).”  From day one of booking this vacation, I was thoroughly engrossed in planning the perfect WDW trip; I read every book I could get my hands on (Birnbaum’s is a great one with great tips), was on the phone with our personal vacation guide once a week and practically had the theme park maps memorized.  I also had breakfast, lunch and dinner reservations made at any restaurant throughout the resort that sounded fun and interesting.  If only I knew the tips and tricks that I know now!  Needless to say, my family and I did not make it to all those dining reservations and we missed a lot of the attractions because the resort can be overwhelming for first time visitors, but the Disney magic that I felt from the moment I set foot on Main Street USA stuck to me like Pixie Dust and has been an integral part of my life almost twenty years later.  Since that first visit many years ago, I have been back to the most magical place on Earth at least once a year, if not more.  Looking back, I am blessed to say that the Disney magic has played a HUGE role in my life and is a part of many milestones.  My hope is to pass on the true magic of Disney to my children and grandchildren, because we all do need a little magic in our lives.  There have been times when that magic is all that I had to cling to, and the words of Cinderella, “…if you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true.”