As part of our “A Month of Thanks” celebration, we asked our readers and contributors to share their stories about why they are thankful for Disney. Here is just one of those submitted. If you would like to share why you are thankful for Disney, please see this article or contact Maria (NDM 130)
This past summer my family and I took our 13th trip to Walt Disney World Resort, and, like I do on every trip, the moment we began heading off property, I started crying. Perhaps I‘m just a sap, but there‘s something about leaving property that makes me say a big “THANK YOU” when we pass the “See You Real Soon” sign.
photo credit Brent H.
Why do I owe them a thank you? When I first met my husband, he had no idea what a vacation was. Or rather, he didn’t know how to take one. A workaholic to the core, his idea of a vacation was the occasional built-in holiday weekends that his company provided.
Besides being anti-vacation, he was also anti-Disney. To him, Disney was for children and Walt Disney World Resort was nothing more than a bunch of kiddie rides and overdone cheesiness. Believe me, it was a hard pill to swallow for this lover of all things Disney.
It all changed, however, when we took our honeymoon to Walt Disney World Resort. Suddenly he realized what he had been missing. Not only did he realize vacations were wonderful things, he discovered Disney was a whole lot more than a mouse and his friends. Walt Disney World Resort wasn’t just for kids either. Maybe he wasn’t a ride person, but the artist in him loved the arts and the food he never associated with Walt Disney World.
We may have arrived with one Disney lover and one reluctant new groom, but we returned home united in our love for Disney.
Yes, that honeymoon trip changed a lot of things. It changed the once anti-Disney guy into a reformed Disney lover. No longer do I have to hide my collection of classic Disney movies and watch them alone. In fact, there are times when he has to drag me to them.
My husband now jumps at the chance to take vacations, especially when the words “Walt Disney World” come up. Proven even more when we bought into the Disney Vacation Club a year after we got married. No longer does he question why we need a vacation. Now he just goes.
And this forever Disney lover is more than happy to tag along.
So yes, I do owe a big THANK YOU to and will forever be thankful for Disney.
Growing up inn the suburbs of Washington, D.C., Aleisha has never let distance stop her from enjoying Walt Disney World vacations. From an early age, whether it be on a family vacation or tagging along with a friend on her vacation, she fell in love with the magic and the joy that Disney brought. Now making her own memories as a DVC member with a Star Wars obsessed little boy, she tries to capture the same magical feelings into every day life. She has quickly established a reputation with friends, relatives and coworkers as a real-life Belle. Always with a book in her hand and available to help others plan their magical Disney vacations.
Beyond Disney, Aleisha is a lover of all genres of music; craves a good concert from time to time, considers her food allergies a blessing rather than a curse and can be seen at the good old hockey game during the NHL season.
