Being a Disney Loving Grandma!

Being a Disney loving grandma makes my heart over flow ~ Over flow with happy feelings and love! I feel like I am always planning a new trip to Walt Disney World® Resort to take my granddaughter to experience something new and just to see her grin from ear to ear!

I have been a lover of all things Disney since my very first trip to Walt Disney World Resort in the 70’s. I often try to understand my obsession with visiting the Disney parks but have never been able to put my finger right on the heart of the matter. I’m sure if I really wanted to analyze the whole thing, it has something to do with my first visit so many years ago bringing my family so much happiness during a period when we needed it the most.

I always have some sort of Disney wish list in the works. The list includes tours, shows, restaurants and, of course, the ever elusive stay in castle!!

I do know with each passing year, my love of visiting Walt Disney World Resort grows. I remember the first time I brought my children and have special memories from each of the many trips we took them on over the years. We celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and just about anything we could think of at Walt Disney World while my kids were growing up. I remember the first time my son walked (danced really) his way down the middle of Main Street, U.S.A. and the first time my daughter (at 16 months old) was so excited by the fireworks that her entire little body started to shake. I remember something really special about each of the trips we took with our children over the years.

Never too old for Dumbo!

Fast forward many years and many, many, many visits to Walt Disney World Resort to now ~ when my children are adults who still want to go to Walt Disney World several times a year with their mother. And my children have their own children.

We have taken this same picture in the same spot each year since Disney’s Hollywood Studios has opened and now my granddaughter is part of the picture too!

The new and exciting things that have been added to Walt Disney World over the years makes some trips seem as if we are experiencing the parks again for the first time. So much has changed over the years. Some things have been done away with and much more has been added. When I took my very first trip there was nothing but the Magic Kingdom. I watched the resort grow with my children and always tried to have them experience something new each trip. As they became adults our experiences changed dramatically to more adult experiences but one thing stayed consistent ~ the magic of Disney never disappoints. Walt Disney World is always the destination of choice and we love going together as a family. One of my children suffers from severe food allergies and Walt Disney World Resort has also proven over the years to be the best choice when it comes to dining choices for food allergies.

Now in my retirement I get to share my love of all things Disney with an entirely new generation. I know I am lucky to be able to take my granddaughter to Walt Disney World several times a year. I spend hours planning my granddaughters next trip so that she can experience as much as possible. I don’t have the same financial constraints now that I had when my own children were growing up so my granddaughter actually gets to do just a little bit more on each trip. Having your granddaughter hug you and say “This is the best day of my life!” after she is declared a “Princess for a Day” by Cinderella (Princess Storybook Moment) during breakfast makes you melt and makes you love Disney so much more for making that possible!

I like to plan special trips for my grandaughter. I have a special trip planned for right after her new baby brother or sister is born – just us – just so she gets one last special trip that is all about her and what she likes to do. Then, of course, we are already planning the new baby’s first haircut trip for June, 2017! Harmony Barber Shop – here we come!

My granddaughter watching Tinker Bell fly from Cinderella’s Castle in the Magic Kingdom

The world we live in is so full of hatred and harshness so keeping a child naive and innocent through the magic of Disney is welcome in my mind. On a recent trip my granddaughter noticed the cable that allows Tinker Bell to fly from Cinderella Castle each evening. “Have you and Disney been tricking me?” she asked. Absolutely not! Everyone knows that is where the laundry gets hung at night after the park closes. My son gave me the side eye. My daughter-in-law started laughing. My mother was speechless. But – my granddaughter, in all of her innocence simply said “I don’t think I would like to do that job!”

When we go to Chef Mickey’s now I listen while my kids tell my granddaughter about Chef Mickey’s when it was at Downtown Disney (Disney Springs) or when we go to Animal Kingdom and I listen to them tell her about coming to Walt Disney World and there was no Animal Kingdom!  Seeing the Electrical Water Pageant up close from a specialty cruise and seeing the excitement in your adult child while you listen to him tell his child what he remembers from the first time he saw it.

When I listen to the stories they share with her I know my children have happy memories and it makes my heart over flow! You know that feeling you get as a mother the first time you see your child experience something they love. Something exciting. Something magical. Those butterflies your belly gets when you see your child experiencing complete joy at something wonderful. Well being a Disney loving grandmother lets you multiply that feeling by about 1,000. Seeing your grandchild full of innocence and complete joy in a Disney park is overwhelming ~ but seeing your child watch their child experience complete joy is what sends you over the edge!

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