Oh, the Disney memories. The moment when, as an adult, I was finally able to make it to see the mysterious and magical world of Disney with my own eyes as I stepped foot for the first time in Disneyland. It's a place of happiness and fun, and perhaps a place of hope. Did it seem silly for me, a single adult woman with no children, to take off to such a place when I could have used my vacation time to go somewhere more exotic like somewhere in the Caribbean with white sandy beaches and azure blue waters? Let me get one thing straight here first, I'd rather go to Alaska or somewhere north than the Caribbean. I'm completely fine with heat, but I've developed a liking to colder climates, but that still doesn't answer the question. Why in the world would a grownup with no little family of my own go wandering off to a place that so many people seem to think is only for children. Let me get one thing straight: I learned from this experience that there are a good many things offered there that are appropriate for all ages. In fact, there are several activities that adults might enjoy doing by themselves when no children are around.
- People watching: I master this skill. It's one benefit of being the quiet one. You get to sit back and watch everyone pass by, and you notice things. Oh dear, you notice things, perhaps things that person was hoping no one notice, but it's usually all fun and entertaining things, like an embarrassing moment such as tripping over the tracks. You also get the benefit of watching the fun and adorable interactions between CMs and guests, or guests themselves. There may also be a sudden marriage proposal happening (seems to happen a lot there).
- Shopping. Ah, shopping. It's not quite my nemesis, but I can only do it for so long; however, my female counterparts (and some male) are a little more normal than I am and actually find fun in wandering around and looking at items in the stores for hours. I don't know how they do it, but even for a non-shopper like me, there are some interesting items on display. Some of the stores have fun things to look at and often there is an artistic Disney themed display (usually super expensive, but still fun to look at). Main Street, U.S.A. has fund details in the buildings themselves and interesting windows and window displays to admire, so whichever side of the spectrum you're on, there's definitely something interesting for the adult to admire.
- Food. It's another enjoyment I lack. I'm usually too distracted by everything going on to experiment with this by myself--perhaps I need someone along to introduce me to this world, but I've observed people go to Disney strictly for the food and treats. Even with weirdos like me who don't get overexcited by tastes, the restaurants have eating areas that are laid out with tables for the adult to sit, relax, and have a casual chat. Depending on the location there might also be a little entertainment on the side.
- Meeting guests and CMs. Yes, my friends, this includes the princesses. I will try to explain my reasoning for this as simply as possible. When you go to a theatre and watch a performance that requires audience interaction, or requires an audience member to walk on stage, do you expect that actor or actress to drop their character because of that person? When you walk into a Disney park or resort, you must be aware that you're actually walking onto a stage. Yes, as an adult I'm completely aware there's a person behind that makeup or costume, but for me it's not necessarily the meeting a specific character that draws importance as much as it is being able to have some congenial human interaction. In fact, on my first visit to Disneyland I was struggling with some things that I haven't talked about, but when I took the opportunity of meeting some of the characters, I was reminded of things that I had forgotten that were important for me to see at the time. It's different as an adult, but sometimes the lighthearted conversations and smiles are exactly what people need.
- Entertainment: Of course the musicians and CMs around the park are going to wander around playing mostly Disney-related music, but these particular performances surrounding the parks are well produced, and anyone who has an appreciation for the performing arts will appreciate the amount of skill, talent, and work it takes to pull off good quality music and performance.
- Artistic atmosphere. I think it's safe to say by now that if you're not into art or the arts, Disney is probably not the place for you, but there are plenty of us out there who do that it's well worth our time. The rides themselves, as fun as they are, are literally works of art, and it's worth going on a ride at least once just to see the artistic touch of the imagineers in charge of creating the settings of those rides. The parks are literally covered in art from their buildings to their walkways.
- Landscaping. From the smallest park to the largest one, the Disney grounds are always well kept, and that's a delight for those of us who enjoy a little piece--or large piece depending on which park--of beautiful grounds to walk around. Some of the landscaping is a form of art as flowers are used to make Mickey's face, and trees and bushes are grown and trimmed into Disney characters and shapes. The place wouldn't be the same without the ducks, geese, and other animals around the parks acting like they own the place.
- Fond memories/nostalgia. This doesn't necessarily mean I go there to relive my memories made there as it might be for locals, because I don't have childhood memories of the parks; however, the setting still brings some nostalgia to me also. Mine are the memories of reading hundreds of times over the Disney books my mom collected for us to read, and how I loved Cinderella and Aurora so much that I did a "radio show" of myself reading them with different character voices and making my own sound effects. It's the memory of how many times I watched The Little Mermaid until, and after, my other family members got tired of it. I have memories of the first time I went to see a Disney movie on a real movie screen, and how absolutely magical it was. Least, but not last, I remember the one and only time I was allowed to be a villain by being Drizella in a production of Cinderella--so many people told me they'd never seen me so mean before. Fun, fun memories.
- Decorations for holiday seasons. Disney decorates for so many holidays, there's bound to be one that would appeal to the adult as they enter the parks. I know a lot of people absolutely love Halloween. I'm not particularly fond of it, though I daresay the pumpkin decorations are adorable. It's the dark and morbid part of Halloween I don't like that much, but it seems like Disney tunes that down for the children, so perhaps I'd like it more than I think I would--I haven't seen it in person yet. For me, it's all about the Holiday and Christmas season. That's my time of year. I love the lights. I love the music. I love the productions that come around during that time of year. I went to see it in reality in 2019, and I can confidently say that Disney does it well. I was happy enough to spend my evenings only walking the parks and enjoying the atmosphere.
- Rides available for all ages. Don't like roller coasters like me? No problem. Health restrictions? No problem. Thrill seeker? No problem. There's a ride there for everyone, and as mentioned before the greatest charm of many of these rides is that they are surrounded by art at every twist and turn. I frankly wouldn't go on the rides as much had it not been for the interesting things to look at. There are rides gentle enough that a baby or an elderly adult could ride them with no problem as well as rides to satisfy the thrill seeking youth.
Some things changed with covid-19 affecting things now, but plenty of these things are distance friendly. The others that aren't, well, we hope they will return again at some point, hopefully sooner than later.
