Before we continue on with my assorted Disney adventures and experiences over the years, I want to explain how I approach the Disney experience. More than a few times I'm either outright asked why I go to
Disneyland so often since I don't have any kids. As I've thought about this, I've found at least part of my answer. By profession I am an accountant, like my father before me. As such, this means that monthly deadlines rule my life. And 6 months out of the year, I face strict IRS imposed deadlines that increase the workload. The clock and calendar dictate what I must do.
All that goes away at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. There the clock tells me when I get to do something fun like ride Space Mountain or when I get to eat a favorite meal such as the Santa Maria Tri Tip at Ariel's Grotto in DCA. When I walk through the entrance gates at Disneyland, I feel the tension and stress from long hours and never ending work wash away. I feel like a kid again without a care in the world. And every once in a while, we all need that. But there's more. The little touches make all the difference in the world which I will demonstrate with 3 experiences I had at Disneyland. Note that none of these experiences happened to me, but rather were moments that I was blessed enough to witness.
The first occurred late on Friday evening during the Labor Day Weekend 2008 trip. After watching the Main Street Electrical Parade, I went back to Disneyland and noticed a large crowd on Town Square by the Disney Clothiers store. Large crowds in this area generally mean one thing. A character. As a wookiee sized man I can usually see what characters are out simply because I can see their head above the crowd. But this time around I couldn't.
Wondering what was going on I stepped closer to discover that there was a little boy, maybe 5 or 6 years old at the most with a severe and very apparent physical disability. He could not walk and had to crawl to Mickey with the help of a walker. Mickey saw this and immediately sat down to meet this little boy. And at this moment, this little boy, who has known so much more of the hardships of life than is fair for a little child to know, was like every other little child in the world. He was meeting a lifelong friend who knew him and loved him. And so the two old friends sat for what seemed to be 5 or 10 minutes, laughing, playing, and hugging each other while the little boys parents looked on, with tears in their eyes and photographs being taken to preserve this special moment forever.
As is always the case when Mickey is around, there are plenty of other guests who want to meet the world's most famous mouse. But in this instance there was no grousing or frustration from those waiting in line who felt like the characters were taking too long to take a picture with a guest. The little boy's parents gently tried to get him to go back so Mickey could meet his other friends, but the little boy wasn't having it. All the while, Mickey treated this little boy like he was the only one there. Eventually the parents succeeded in letting him share Mickey with others and as the moment ended, a few onlookers applauded, the kind of applause meant to tell Mickey that we had all witnessed something beautiful and touching.
The second moment occurred on this same visit, but a day later during the Parade of Dreams. There was a boy who appeared to be 14 or 15 years and probably had Downs Syndrome. He was so happy and excited to see the characters as each float came by. When that last magnificent castle float came by, his excitement went off the charts as he jumped up and down and waved excitedly at the princesses. For longtime Disneyland visitors who remember the Parade of Dreams, it had a showstop where some of the characters got off the floats and twirled those banners ala Fantasmic. In this instance when the showstop came, Princess Aurora stepped off the float, went up to this boy, and gave him a big hug. If you thought he was excited before, that was just the beginning. His smile grew even larger than before as he became Prince Phillip.
The next one occurred a couple of years later. I was enjoying dinner at Ariel's Grotto as the princesses were making the rounds. Have I mentioned that I love the tri tip? At one point this past April, the midst of the stress and tension of the April 15th tax deadline, I was briefly comforted by the mere thought of eating the tri tip from Ariel's Grotto. In short, eating dinner solo at a princess character meal can be a fun experience. I've had CMs tease me by asking I wanted a crown to which I replied that the tri tip is that good. Plus, I've discovered a whole new world of fun character interaction through meeting the princesses, but we'll get to that later on. In this case a nearby family with teenage girls was celebrating something and wanted to know if Belle was there that night. The CM explained that she was off reading with the Beast, but she would see what she could do.
A few minutes later, the CM returned with a little girl maybe 5 years old dressed as Belle and introduced her to the table as Belle. In that moment, that CM and the guests at the table made the little girl's night. The guests applauded happily and posed for pictures with the much younger version of Belle.
It is moments like these that make all the difference in the world. As much as I still remember the heartwarming moments I witnessed, I believe they have become the stuff of family legends and fondest memories for the guests who experienced these moments for themselves. The beauty of Disneyland and Disney World comes because in one way or another these kind of experiences happen to so many guests in so many ways.
