Disney’s latest marketing campaign is called “Let the Memories Begin.”  I’m sure you have all seen the commercials with excited families telling their kids they are off on a Disney Vacation.   I love these commercials!  I admit, I’m a softy (especially with the subject matter at hand!) but I think these real life memories say more about what a Disney vacation can mean than any overly produced ad staring actors who didn’t even know each other before they arrived at the shoot that morning.

I look back at my own Disney memories and it is those moments that made me decide that this is what I wanted to do – I wanted to become a Disney Specialist travel agent and help other families make the dream of a Disney vacation a reality.  As I considered some of the standout memories from these vacations, I realize I have different “landmark” memories from Disney vacations throughout each stage of my life. 

I remember seeing Cinderella castle for the first time as a little girl, wondering what it would be like to live there.  I remember standing in line for Dumbo holding my ticket (this was back when you needed a ticket for each ride) and my mother telling me to hold it tight because it was the last one for that trip.

I remember another visit when I was a little bit older.  It was the trip where I learned to enjoy a roller coaster, much to my father’s delight!  I did great on Thunder Mountain and he spent the trip convincing me to ride Space Mountain.  At the very end of the trip I decided I would give it a try.  Dad and I stood in a line that took forever.  During that line, they played a video about the ride warning that it had flashing lights and quick turns.  That video terrified me!  When we got to the front, I refused to get on the ride!  My father, thankfully, was very patient and understanding and we left through the chicken exit.

Fast forward a couple more years and EPCOT opened.  My father bought a guide-book to plan that trip.  He was SO excited to try all of the different restaurants in World Showcase (still a favorite now!).  The standout memory of that trip?  Heading to EPCOT to be there when the gates open and watching my father, and dozens of other fathers, SPRINT to the reservation center under Spaceship Earth to make dinner reservations!  They had these neat “futuristic” video chat screens where you interacted with the cast member making your reservations.

Nothing compares though to the magic of seeing Disney through the eyes of my children!  On their first trip my oldest was 3 and my youngest was almost 2.  They are now 10 and 8 and are well on their way to becoming Disney fanatics!  My youngest went on his first trip at only 3 and a half months.  He’s 3 now and is telling anyone who will listen that he is about to go on the Mickey ship and to visit his friend Donald Duck again!

I remember my son’s first visit. They had watched the vacation planning video, which they named “Magic Lives,” probably 50 times.  The one thing they wanted was to have breakfast with Pooh so that was the very first thing we did when we got to the Magic Kingdom.  My youngest (at the time) almost overturned his high chair when Pooh came around the corner!  Watching him run full on in to Pooh’s arms saying “my Pooh!” over and over was just about more than I could take!

I remember watching my kids become roller coaster fans.  For my oldest, it took many trips, and many tries to get him on Rock’n Roller Coaster but now he lists it as his favorite ride in all of Disney World.  For my middle son, it was just as soon as the top of his head brushed that 40″ marker outside Thunder Mountain! He was just shy of turning 3.  We rode it and I carried him off kicking and screaming.  I got the “what a horrible Mom forcing that poor little bitty kid to ride that coaster!” looks when in reality he wasn’t screaming because I made him get ON the ride, he was screaming because I made him get OFF the ride!

I remember being at Disney during times of tragedy and thoroughly appreciating the absolute bubble you can live in blocking out the outside world entirely.

I remember it as a place where no matter how much they fight at home, my sons are happy together and can go back to being best buddies.  It’s a place where we can leave cares and worries behind and focus on being a family and having fun with our kids.  There is time for the kids to do their own thing at a kids club or activity and for my husband and I to enjoy a fantastic dinner together somewhere like the Yachtsman Steakhouse (a personal favorite!).

It is where magic lives.  I can’t be there every day so as a Disney Specialist travel agent, the Magic lives for me by helping other families plan their vacations and then hearing from them and seeing their photos when they return. Nothing makes me happier than getting a text or an email from a client with a photo of their child with a favorite character or enjoying a new attraction and hearing what a fantastic time they are having.

Disney Vacations are definitely my family’s Happy Place. We visit Disney destinations frequently – they are our “family research assignments.”  My kids will tell you “we HAVE to go to Disney!  My Mom is a Disney Specialist travel agent so it’s important for us to test out every ride.”  It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it! 

If you haven’t tried a Disney vacation for yourself and your family, I’d highly recommend it!  Forget the fountain of youth, just plan a Disney vacation and become a kid again!

See ya real soon!

Lori Hardegree
Magical Memories Travel
lori@magicalmemoriestravel.com