Going to Walt Disney World with my grandmother opened my eyes as a jaded theme park fan
After visiting Walt Disney World for 20+ years, I wondered if anything would ever make the parks feel like they used to. Then I went with my grandmother.
“You live in Orlando? You must go to Disney all the time!” I do, and that’s part of the problem.
Growing up at the doorstep of Disney World
After spending 22 years in Orlando, Fla., I feel as if I’ve grown jaded toward my surroundings. Living in the center of a tourist trap sounds like a dream, and for the most part it has been. I couldn’t imagine growing up anywhere else and I’m overly grateful that my favorite place is just down the street. My first time visiting the local theme parks was when I was a baby, and I’ve been a Walt Disney World passholder for 10+ years now. Being homeschooled in Orlando meant skipping school for the day in favor of a morning at Magic Kingdom.
This always led to the same question from my peers, “Do you ever get sick of it?,” to which I responded, without fail, that it was not possible. While it was true at the time, I’d be lying if I said that sentiment hadn’t changed.
Walt Disney World is up there on my list of favorite places in the world, second only to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. I could never “get sick” of a place I love so much. My love for the parks has never subsided, don’t get me wrong, but experiencing the same things over and over for years has left me desensitized. I still find myself tearing up during shows and smiling uncontrollably on rides, but most park days feel like completing a checklist more than taking time to really absorb the magic.
My gratitude to be living somewhere so incredible is overwhelming, but like Ariel, I want more. After visiting Disneyland for the first time, realizing there are so many different kinds of Disney Parks experiences across the world I have yet to see, returning home to Disney World leaves me yearning for a change of scenery — until a dream of mine since I was younger finally came true.
My grandmother and I
My grandmother — “Armah” as my brother and I lovingly call her — has played a big role in my life since I was born. Since I can remember, Armah has instilled in me a love for history, oldies music, and most of all, musical theatre.
Almost every summer break, my family would trek up north to go visit her and my grandfather. These trips consisted of showing them whatever the newest Disney movies we had acquired on DVD and car rides down the backshore with Broadway show tunes playing in the background. Going to Disney World without her — seeing so many things we had bonded over throughout the years in front of me without her by my side to experience them — always felt like a double-edged sword. I was happy to be around so many things that reminded me of her, but I wanted to experience them with her.
My Armah is not the biggest fan of traveling, especially planes. I couldn’t tell you how many times we have begged her to come down to Orlando. Armah always puts in such a big effort to come visit her family, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been increasingly difficult. This past year was rough, to say the least. I experienced loss and dealt with grief, feelings I’ve never really had to process before.
My grandmother, being the selfless person she is, made a decision: she felt as if this was the right time to push past her anxieties and be with her loved ones during the Christmas season. Saying I was ecstatic would be an understatement. My mind almost immediately went to the idea, “Could this be the trip we finally get to go to Disney together for the first time?”
Taking a grandparent to a theme park is not an easy task, but it was one I was more than up for. Obviously, I was not taking my Armah on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind or subjecting her to the heat of Toy Story Land. The idea was to do an early morning at Magic Kingdom and lunch at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Strolling down Sunset Boulevard had always been melancholy for me. Sunset’s music loop always reminded me of her, especially her favorite, “Begin the Beguine,” which always plays two songs after my favorite, “It’s Been A Long, Long TIme,” which is already a song that without fail stops me dead in my tracks. This loop is replaced with Christmas music during the holiday season, so unfortunately we wouldn’t be able to hear the tunes I’d wanted to experience together in my favorite area of the park. Still, I was going to make the very most of what would most likely be a short day due to my grandmother’s energy levels.
In 2009, Armah and I went to the movie theater to see the new Pixar movie, “Up.” God, I’m sincerely getting choked up just writing this. The future Academy Award nominee for BEST PICTURE had resonated so closely with us. To this day, my grandmother still claims it’s her favorite movie we’ve seen together. A few days before our trip to the park, I gifted her a pin of the iconic house from the movie to commemorate how truly special it was to me that we were going to Walt Disney World. Together. For the first time in my conscious memory. I’m told she was there on my very first trip to Disney, but I, of course, do not remember this on account of being one year old.
Every time a Walt Disney World ad is on TV or online, I tear up. The place is just down the street, yet seeing a family experience the parks for the first time, albeit scripted in the commercial, tugs my heartstrings without fail. I was going to have that same day, unscripted.
A day at Disney for the first time with my grandmother
Magic Kingdom
Going to Magic Kingdom during Christmas break was maybe not my brightest idea. After a 20-minute wait to get into the parking lot and another 20 minutes for the wheelchair rental, we arrived on Main Street, U.S.A.
If you had seen me looking at the castle in the distance, you would have thought I’d never seen it before. My body was overcome with goosebumps. 20+ years of going to the parks were suddenly a distant memory, as if I was here for the first time. I started pondering if our day at Magic Kingdom, a park that I’m not overly fond of, would appear completely new in my eyes as I push my grandmother through.
Our first stop was Peter Pan’s Flight, which she thoroughly enjoyed — as did I, since I was looking at it through Armah’s lens. I don’t even like Peter Pan’s Flight that much, but as I guided my grandmother off of our ride vehicle, my already-elated state was increasing.
A ride I don’t really care for is Pirates of the Caribbean. Disneyland’s version blew me away when I first experienced it back in 2022, but Disney World’s is just “meh” for me. My grandmother is not one for extreme thrills, so I warned her ahead of time of the very small dip the attraction takes. She assured me it would be alright, but after we dropped, she requested “nothing above that thrill level please” for the rest of our day, to which I, of course, obliged. She was absolutely fascinated by the animatronics we sailed past, even asking me if they were real people and shocked to learn they were “robots.”
Sitting next to someone so amazed by a ride I had taken for granted put into perspective how desperately I needed to slow down and appreciate my surroundings. For the rest of the day, I went into things I had possibly grown tired of with an open mind.
I had no desire to see the parade because I assumed it was “Festival of Fantasy,” the same parade that runs every day at Magic Kingdom. Seeing a parade was not in the plans for the day, but I figured it would be a nice memory to look back on. It turns out since it was just a few days after Christmas, Disney was running “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.” This parade is usually locked behind the paywall that is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, so it was a lovely and welcomed treat to experience during the park’s regular operating hours.
My grandmother was in awe the whole time. Neither of us spoke to each other for the parade’s 20-minute duration, other than the few times I heard “wow” under her breath. We were delighted, as during my childhood we had formed a bond over an appreciation of performing and musical theatre.
Speaking of theatre, it was then time for the moment I had dreamed of the longest. Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress had me in a trance the first time I saw it and I knew walking out for the first time that my grandmother would’ve loved it just as much. We sat front-row for this, as it was one of my main reasons for the day itself. After it had ended, I quickly turned to her, excited to hear her review. “I didn’t want it to end,” she claimed with a sense of disappointment in her voice.
A rush of emotions came over me: relieved that a moment I had awaited for over a decade was as perfect as I’d imagined and just so emotional that I got to experience something I love so much with someone I cherish so deeply.
Hall of Presidents is a show I usually avoid like the plague because I remembered it being excruciatingly boring. I was sorely mistaken. We had to see this show because I knew my grandmother would adore it due to her deep love for history and previous reaction to Carousel of Progress. The sheer spectacle of every single president being a moving, albeit limited, animatronic caught me by surprise. I had forgotten how well done Hall of Presidents really was. I gasped when Lincoln stood up, because I fully forgot we had him here and he wasn’t just at Disneyland.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
After our time at Magic Kingdom concluded, we drove over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for lunch at The Hollywood Brown Derby. This, however, was not something I could see through someone else’s eyes, because their cobb salad is already perfect and no amount of overexposure could ever change my mind on that.
Photo courtesy of Disney
To conclude our day, a past top contender for my favorite currently operating ride awaited us. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a ride I adore (despite it sitting on the grave of the former The Great Movie Ride, my all-time favorite attraction anywhere). The Disneyland iteration of Runaway Railway has completely won me over; to me, it’s the superior version. Riding it in Disney World isn’t something I do often, but I really wanted Armah to see this lighthearted, fun ride that holds such a special place in my heart. While she did enjoy it, the waterfall scene spooked her, which I completely understand because it does make you believe you are about to drop.
After this, we returned home, as our energy levels were at zero percent. Before our departure, we had to snag a picture near my favorite park icon on my favorite Disney World street. This picture alone was worth the entire day.
A new perspective after visiting Disney with a first-timer
“Do you get tired of the parks? You go all the time.” It’s true, I do. Fatigue sets in after doing the same attractions regularly. The same could be said about anything a person does on a consistent basis. However, I think this is based on one’s mindset going into it.
Seeing something through someone else’s eyes is so refreshing. Changing your outlook on something that might not have been your thing before might lead you to something you didn’t think you’d enjoy.
I think it’s important to remember this as the parks enter a new era of expansion: “Encanto” and Indiana Jones rides will replace DinoLand, U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom; a “Monsters, Inc.”-themed land will replace Muppet*Vision 3D at Hollywood Studios; and two “Cars” rides will replace the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom.
It’s easy for us theme park fans to hold the stance of “I don’t want change” because something we love is leaving. Seeing these upcoming projects through the eyes of someone who’s never been to Disney before should fill us with hope. A new generation of theme park fans will see the place you love the way you see it. Maybe you welcome change, but you find experiencing the things that don’t change to be mundane. I know just the fix for you: If you ever have the chance to visit Walt Disney World, or any theme park, with a first-timer, go. It’s as if you’re seeing a rainbow for the first time, or tasting your favorite food all over again. This new perspective leads to an increased sense of gratitude you might have lost along the way.
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Wonderful story…but being the same age as your Grandmother..I cant help but think how excited she WOULD have been if Disney hadn’t made the mistake of taking out The Great Movie Ride…I think riding INTO Oz with her would have put both of you in happiness overload! Thanks for a good story. we still love Disney, but haven’t been back in 5 years this March because they keep replacing Attractions with rides we can’t do because of Back Problems…so sad.