The Disney Parks Have Changed. The Memories Haven’t.
If you've been following along this week, you've probably noticed a little theme in what I've been sharing.
I've been looking back at some of my favorite Disney memories—one park at a time.
And honestly, it started me thinking.
I've been going to Walt Disney World for a long time. Long enough to remember attractions that are gone, places that don't look the same anymore, and a Disney World that would probably feel pretty unfamiliar to someone visiting for the first time today.
And yet, when I think about why I love going back, I don't necessarily think about the attractions.
I think about the memories.
The Disney World I Remember Isn't Always the Disney World That's There
That's one of the funny things about loving Disney.
The parks don't sit still.
Things change.
Attractions close. New ones open. Lands are redesigned. Restaurants disappear. New restaurants show up. Things that seemed like they would be there forever suddenly aren't.
And yes, sometimes I miss the old stuff.
Sometimes I'll walk through a park and think, I remember when this looked completely different.
But I've come to realize that maybe that's okay.
Because the fact that things change doesn't erase the memories.
If anything, it makes those old memories even more special.
I can look at a picture from years ago and see an attraction that isn't there anymore, but what I really see is who I was with.
I remember my kids being younger.
I remember what our family was like at that particular point in time.
I remember something funny that happened that day.
And sometimes I remember something that nobody else would probably think was important at all.
That's the stuff that sticks.
Four Parks. Four Memories.
That's what I found myself thinking about as I shared these four memories this week.
I didn't choose them because they were the biggest or most spectacular Disney experiences I've ever had.
Far from it.
They were simply moments that stuck with me.
At Magic Kingdom, there was the first time we waited and watched Happily Ever After and how it became a tradition.
At EPCOT, seeing my Daughters and my Granddaughter meeting
princesses.
At Hollywood Studios, there was a little piece of Disney theming I stumbled across when I least expected it.
And at Animal Kingdom, we found out we should have visited Pandora earlier
You can watch each of those stories here:
But I'm not going to retell all four stories here.
That's what the videos are for.
What I really want to talk about is why I still remember them.
Because none of those memories are really about having the perfect Disney day.
They aren't about checking every attraction off a list.
They aren't even necessarily about the things I expected to remember when I walked into the park that day.
They're just moments.
And somehow, those moments stayed with me.
That's the Thing About Disney Memories
You never really know which moment is going to become the memory.
You can spend months planning a Disney vacation.
You can make the dining reservations.
You can figure out Lightning Lanes.
You can plan your park days and make the spreadsheet and try to get everything just right.
And then years later, you might not remember half of what you planned.
But you'll remember something completely unexpected.
Maybe it's your child's face when they see a character.
Maybe it's a conversation you had walking through the park.
Maybe it's a song that was playing at just the right moment.
Maybe it's finding something you didn't even know was there.
Or maybe it's something so small that you didn't realize it was special until much later.
That's what I love about Disney.
You aren't just making memories of Disney.
You're making memories of your life while you're at Disney.
And those are two very different things.
I Don't Want Disney to Stay the Same
I've thought about this a lot as I've watched Disney change over the years.
There are things I miss.
Absolutely.
There are attractions I wish were still there. There are things I wish I could experience one more time exactly the way I remember them.
But I don't really want Disney to freeze in time.
Because if it did, I'd still have all those old memories—but I wouldn't have the opportunity to make new ones.
My daughters are older now.
Our family has changed.
I'm different than I was on some of those early trips.
And that's okay.
That's actually part of the story.
The Disney World we visit today becomes part of our memories tomorrow.
Someday I'll look back at something that's happening right now and think, I remember when that was new.
And that's pretty cool.
The Parks Change. The Memories Keep Growing.
Maybe that's why I don't get too upset when Disney changes.
Don't get me wrong—I reserve the right to complain about an attraction disappearing just like every other longtime Disney fan.
But I've learned that I can miss what was there and be excited about what's coming next.
Because Disney isn't really about preserving one particular version of the parks.
At least it isn't for me.
It's about going back.
It's about seeing what's new.
It's about remembering what's old.
And most of all, it's about having another experience with the people you love.
That's why I keep taking the pictures.
That's why I keep saving the videos.
That's why I keep talking about the trips years after they happened.
Because when I look back, I don't just see Disney.
I see my family.
I see different seasons of our lives.
I see moments that I didn't know would become important when they happened.
And I realize that maybe that's the best part.
The parks will keep changing.
And that's okay.
Because the memories aren't going anywhere.
And I'm still ready to make some more.
Comments