My family and I are at Walt Disney World right now! When I was preparing this article, my kids kept interrupting to share their excitement about the trip, so I thought I’d let them talk and offer you a different perspective of the Most Magical Place on Earth. You’ll notice a recurring theme in their comments: the magic is REAL!
My oldest child, Kyle, just turned 17. He took his first trip to Walt Disney World at age 11, and while his adventures have grown and changed along with him, he still loves the World every bit as much as he did back then. In his own words, here’s what Kyle had to say about Disney:
I love going to Walt Disney World. We always go to Magic Kingdom first, and that’s where one of my favorite attractions is—Space Mountain. You can’t go to Disney World and not ride Space Mountain! It’s one of the best rides there. It’s fast and dark and really cool!
Magic Kingdom is not my favorite Park, though. That would be Epcot, World Showcase specifically. I love being able to visit so many countries without ever leaving the United States. Each Pavilion is so authentic. The architecture is amazing, how the Imagineers built in pieces of each country to represent that area. It’s so detailed, from the building décor to the colors to the clothes the Cast Members wear. And I really like that the Cast Members are from those countries too. I like how they speak in their own language and teach you how to say certain words and how they tell you what their country is really like.
Even though I’ve been to Epcot many times, I always learn or see something new that I didn’t catch before. I think Epcot is a great place to just walk around and chill and take in all the different cultures. I hadn’t realized it until now, but our family always seems to start our trip at Magic Kingdom and end it at Epcot. We Park hop too, but that seems to be our general plan, and I think it works out pretty well!
I really could go on and on about Epcot, but we’ll save that for another time. For now, I’ll leave you with a list of all my faves!
Favorite Park: Epcot
Favorite Attractions:
#1 DHS Rock-n-Roller Coaster
#2 MK Space Mountain
#3 DHS Tower of Terror
Favorite Shows:
#1 DHS Lights, Motors…Action
#2 MK Mickey’s Philharmagic
#3 AK Tough to be a Bug
Can you tell he’s happy to be here? My younger two agree that Magic Kingdom is their favorite park, saying it just feels like home! Adam called it “the original Park, because you always see the castle on movies and stuff.”
Adam is 6 years old. He doesn’t remember his first trip to the World, because he was only 9 months old at the time. He can, however, tell you all about every visit since! It was tough, but he narrowed down his list of favorites to these top 3:
1) Haunted Mansion at Magic Kingdom – Adam says, “Haunted Mansion seems so real! It scares me a little bit, but the ghosts are funny and it’s fun. I like the upside-down stairs and the bats and the hitch-hiking ghosts who get in the Doom Buggy with you at the end.”
2) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – Adam says, “I like the big hills and the mountain and then how you zoom down and how I fly off the seat! The cave is cool too and the scenery. I really like riding in the back where it’s bumpy and you slide around.” [Adam rode this 5 times at our last visit!]
3) Barnstormer Featuring the Great Goofini – Adam says, “I was really sad when they took this ride down, but I’m happy now that they moved it to the new Fantasyland, because I want to ride it again. It’s a good way to see what a roller coaster is like. It’s short but fast and not too scary.”
Chloe is 8, soon to be 9. She was almost 3 on our first trip to Disney, and she does remember every bit of that trip as well as each visit since. Here are her 3 favorite things about Magic Kingdom:
1) Parades – Chloe says, “I love how the Characters come see you and take your hand and dance with you. It’s so neat, and they just seem REAL. When I look at the Characters, I know it’s just someone in a costume, but to me it’s like that really is Peter Pan or Donald Duck or Cinderella hugging me. It’s especially fun when I’m with my friend Hannah, because she feels the same way. It’s so magical, yet so REAL, and it’s so fun!”
2) Peter Pan’s Flight – Chloe says, “It’s like flying into a movie. It’s so REAL. It’s like I’m watching the movie and in it at the same time, like I can do the stuff with Peter and Wendy and everyone and laugh at Captain Hook.”
3) Pirates of the Caribbean – Chloe says, “This ride is funny! It’s a little scary but it’s silly too, and the scenery is so REAL. The pirates seem like they’re really there doing that stuff and could reach out and tap me on the back. It’s neat when the canons fire and splash like it landed right beside the boat too.”
Well, I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to head back to the parks now. Let me know in the comments below what your kids love about Walt Disney World!
Jodi Whisenhunt’s MAGICAL MOUSE SCHOOLHOUSE: Learn While You Play at Walt Disney World Resort is now available in print and can be purchased at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and CreateSpace. (Kindle version also available!) Come, think outside the textbook and stretch the walls of your home classroom with Walt Disney entertainment!
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