ActingDude17
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2017
I've occasionally lurked this site in the past, especially when planning my last WDW trip, and have always found it to be an incredibly helpful and lovely community. I'm a big Disney fan (obviously), essentially bred on the Renaissance films. My first trip to Walt Disney World was when I was three years old. My parents took me back for a second trip the next year. Unfortunately, It's Tough to Be a Bug! pretty much traumatized me (to preschool-age me, the "bugs on your legs" effects were all too real) and due to fear I refused to finish our vacation at the parks. I still remember the nice Cast Member gently telling me there was nothing to be scared about and how much there was still to see.
While I still loved Disney with all my heart, for a few years I refused to go to Disney on Ice or even the circus. I was well over this by the time I was eight, at which point my parents planned another Disney trip. We did all four parks (as we always try to do) and I re-rode It's Tough to Be a Bug! just to show it who's boss. I must say, I actually quite liked the ride as an older kid! I had always loved A Bug's Life. In fact, it's one of the first movies I can remember watching. Maybe the realness of its world to me is part of the reason the ride scared me so much when I was three years old!
Regardless, by eight years old, I was well over my imaginary insect-induced trauma, and had a blast at the parks. I still remember the nighttime fireworks show at Epcot on what I believe was our final day at Disney.
By this time, I'd started doing community theatre and fallen in love with acting. I firmly believe that my early exposure to the Disney films, parks, ice shows, etc. is a major reason why I love to tell stories and even study it at school. And not only am I still an actor, I'm also an aspiring writer and director, as well! Over the years I've done Beauty and the Beast twice, once in the ensemble and once as Cogsworth. Both productions are some of my favorite experiences I've had onstage. The original film is my favorite Disney movie (seeing the live-action remake Friday!) and the stage show is one of my favorite musicals.
Eleven years went by after my WDW trip when I was eight years old. For some reason we just never got back down to Florida. Then I had a spring break to fill my freshman year of college. With the prospect of doing Universal Orlando for the first time (big Potterhead here) and returning to Disney after over a decade, I was ecstatic. I hate that we had to cut Epcot to make room for Universal, but I can't wait to go back someday very soon hopefully. And this trip had some of my favorite Disney memories ever! Going back as a young adult I had an entirely new appreciation for the stories Disney tells. I'd also more than warmed up to thrill rides, and so got to do all the big attractions I'd skipped as a youngster. We even finally got to see Fantasmic! after we'd been rained out eleven years earlier. And throughout the trip, I experienced the magic with my parents in ways like never before. I'll never forget steering my Astro Orbiter rocket, with Tomorrowland whirling around me and the sun setting behind Cinderella Castle in the distance, as my now middle-aged but still beautiful mom laughed gleefully in the backseat. The way that this ride was able to bring us together brought so much joy to my heart. Flying mid-air in a lovely Orlando breeze, the whole situation washed over me: here I was, nineteen years old and still enraptured and enchanted by the Disney magic. It was then that I started to understand what adults mean when they say that their best Disney trips were in their later years and looked forward to the day I could bring my own children once I have them.
This was almost exactly two years ago now. I've wanted to go back to Disney since, but the opportunity just hasn't presented itself...until now.
As an American studying in London for the term, I have incredible access to Europe and its many travel destinations. I used my spring break last week to visit Amsterdam, which was lovely. A classmate of mine visited Disneyland Paris for her birthday, which I was happy about but also somewhat jealous of.
Over the past few days, as my mind has shifted to post-term travel plans, I've realized - it's always been my plan to visit Paris before I leave. There's no reason I can't visit Disneyland Paris while I'm there! I've read up on non-American Disney parks before and always wanted to go. It had just totally slipped my mind until my friend went last week that there's one really not far from London at all in Paris! A fellow Disney-obsessed classmate and I are now in the early planning stages of our trip, in which we hope to take advantage of the 25th Anniversary package offers, staying in a Disney hotel for what will be my first time ever. Two nights/three days in the parks followed by a few days in Paris with some of the incredible friends I've made this semester. I'll always love going with my parents, but as someone who has never done a Disney park with non-family members before, I can't wait to experience the magic with other people from the Renaissance generation.
I know this is an unusually long introduction, but Disney means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to everyone here, too, so I thought I'd share my story. Looking forward to chatting with you guys! I've been a regular web forum user for ages now, kinda can't believe it took me so long to join this one. It seems pretty great.
While I still loved Disney with all my heart, for a few years I refused to go to Disney on Ice or even the circus. I was well over this by the time I was eight, at which point my parents planned another Disney trip. We did all four parks (as we always try to do) and I re-rode It's Tough to Be a Bug! just to show it who's boss. I must say, I actually quite liked the ride as an older kid! I had always loved A Bug's Life. In fact, it's one of the first movies I can remember watching. Maybe the realness of its world to me is part of the reason the ride scared me so much when I was three years old!
Regardless, by eight years old, I was well over my imaginary insect-induced trauma, and had a blast at the parks. I still remember the nighttime fireworks show at Epcot on what I believe was our final day at Disney.
By this time, I'd started doing community theatre and fallen in love with acting. I firmly believe that my early exposure to the Disney films, parks, ice shows, etc. is a major reason why I love to tell stories and even study it at school. And not only am I still an actor, I'm also an aspiring writer and director, as well! Over the years I've done Beauty and the Beast twice, once in the ensemble and once as Cogsworth. Both productions are some of my favorite experiences I've had onstage. The original film is my favorite Disney movie (seeing the live-action remake Friday!) and the stage show is one of my favorite musicals.
Eleven years went by after my WDW trip when I was eight years old. For some reason we just never got back down to Florida. Then I had a spring break to fill my freshman year of college. With the prospect of doing Universal Orlando for the first time (big Potterhead here) and returning to Disney after over a decade, I was ecstatic. I hate that we had to cut Epcot to make room for Universal, but I can't wait to go back someday very soon hopefully. And this trip had some of my favorite Disney memories ever! Going back as a young adult I had an entirely new appreciation for the stories Disney tells. I'd also more than warmed up to thrill rides, and so got to do all the big attractions I'd skipped as a youngster. We even finally got to see Fantasmic! after we'd been rained out eleven years earlier. And throughout the trip, I experienced the magic with my parents in ways like never before. I'll never forget steering my Astro Orbiter rocket, with Tomorrowland whirling around me and the sun setting behind Cinderella Castle in the distance, as my now middle-aged but still beautiful mom laughed gleefully in the backseat. The way that this ride was able to bring us together brought so much joy to my heart. Flying mid-air in a lovely Orlando breeze, the whole situation washed over me: here I was, nineteen years old and still enraptured and enchanted by the Disney magic. It was then that I started to understand what adults mean when they say that their best Disney trips were in their later years and looked forward to the day I could bring my own children once I have them.
This was almost exactly two years ago now. I've wanted to go back to Disney since, but the opportunity just hasn't presented itself...until now.
As an American studying in London for the term, I have incredible access to Europe and its many travel destinations. I used my spring break last week to visit Amsterdam, which was lovely. A classmate of mine visited Disneyland Paris for her birthday, which I was happy about but also somewhat jealous of.
Over the past few days, as my mind has shifted to post-term travel plans, I've realized - it's always been my plan to visit Paris before I leave. There's no reason I can't visit Disneyland Paris while I'm there! I've read up on non-American Disney parks before and always wanted to go. It had just totally slipped my mind until my friend went last week that there's one really not far from London at all in Paris! A fellow Disney-obsessed classmate and I are now in the early planning stages of our trip, in which we hope to take advantage of the 25th Anniversary package offers, staying in a Disney hotel for what will be my first time ever. Two nights/three days in the parks followed by a few days in Paris with some of the incredible friends I've made this semester. I'll always love going with my parents, but as someone who has never done a Disney park with non-family members before, I can't wait to experience the magic with other people from the Renaissance generation.
I know this is an unusually long introduction, but Disney means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to everyone here, too, so I thought I'd share my story. Looking forward to chatting with you guys! I've been a regular web forum user for ages now, kinda can't believe it took me so long to join this one. It seems pretty great.
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