Going to a Walt Disney theme park embodies all of life’s most joyous moments. Whether you’re visiting the Most Magical Place on Earth or one of its sister parks across the globe, you’re sure to have a blast. Some of the moments supersede the rest of the experience, though. These are the ones that you anticipate the entire time prior to your trip, the ones that define a trip to a Disney park. Everyone has a different set of favorites, of course, but several of the ones listed below are universal. Here are my picks for the ten best moments at Walt Disney World.
1. Seeing the entrance sign for the first time
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Whether you live in Florida or only get to visit Walt Disney World every few years, this thrill remains the same. It’s the instant where you realize you’re about to leave your worries behind and enter the legendary Disney bubble. Here, all your problems will fall away as you place yourselves in the warm embrace of Disney.
Sure, there are other instances prior to leaving for a Disney theme park that are almost as heart-warming. The first moment I book hotel reservations is great, and advance dinner reservations are another way I know that I’m not that far away from a return visit. Personally, I’m ready to celebrate the instant when the mail arrives and my Magic Express information is contained within. Still, all of these are promises of a future vacation getaway. The instant I pass under that sign, however, I know I’m actually at Walt Disney World instead of simply fantasizing about it. Nothing beats that moment.
2. The nightly spectacular
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Fireworks reduce us as a people to our basic nature. We love loud noises and shiny things. And nobody on the planet puts on a show featuring loud noises and shiny things better than Disney. At Walt Disney World, there are currently three different nightly events, and the fourth one is just around the corner. Whichever one you prefer, there are many ways to watch each of them, and the presentation always astounds.
Personally, I have watched Wishes the most. As a DVC member, I love riding up to the top of Bay Lake Tower to enjoy the view from 150 feet in the air. Still, my favorite nightly display is Fantasmic! The moment I sit down to watch Mickey battle all the iconic Disney villains, I know that I’ll be swept away for the next half hour. Illuminations at Epcot wins all the awards, but I admire the showmanship of Fantasmic over everything else.
3. Seeing Cinderella Castle for the first time
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Walt Disney World contains four theme parks, all of which are among the top eight amusement parks in the world in terms of annual visitors. While I love the other three completely, the reality is that Magic Kingdom is THE most visited theme park in the world for good reason. It’s special.
For all the wonderful things that my family and I enjoy at Magic Kingdom, nothing tops that moment when I push through the turnstiles, walk down Main Street and view that iconic landmark off in the distance. It’s the hub linking the spokes in the park design, but it’s more than that. Cinderella Castle represents the Disney spirit in a single building. Imagineers brought to life something straight from a favorite tale and, later, a popular animated movie. They crafted an engineering marvel that has stood the test of time, and it sits in the center of Magic Kingdom as a sign of its grandeur. Disney long ago conquered the Princess concept, and Cinderella Castle is its masterpiece.
4. Character meet and greet
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Think about your most memorable Disney moments, the indelible ones that linger in your mind. Whether they occurred when you were a child or a parent or even a grandparent, there’s still the same connective tissue. It’s that some of the best moments involve Disney cast members dressed up in ridiculous costumes that they wear in sweltering heat.
On its face, the entire situation is comical, and yet people go with it. For a time, you accept that this person is not an employee drudging through their workday but instead the current embodiment of an ideal. That Disney worker is never Joe or Jane when you remember them. They’re Mickey or Minnie Mouse, and you know this because they’re wearing the costume. The entire situation is pure magic, and I say that as a middle-aged man who has vacation pictures of Stitch hugging me.
5. Getting It’s a Small World stuck in your head
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For better or for worse, there’s no song that encapsulates the Disney theme park experience like It’s a Small World. The iconic ride and its accompanying virulent earworm are tethered with Disney parks the way that Mickey Mouse is with the Disney brand itself.
While I understand the vitriol directed at It’s a Small World, it still embodies Disney to me. It was a ride designed to celebrate multi-cultured living during the Space Age, and there is purity in its intent. I certainly resent those instances when the frustratingly repetitive song gets stuck in my brain, but I still love It’s a Small World for everything it achieves as well as everything it stands for. Even within a company founded on solid ideals, this attraction is still the best thing Disney’s ever done with regards to intent. It deserves all the recognition it garners.
6. Tasting a Disney dessert
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Not everything at Disney is good for your soul. Or your waistline. Such food is wonderful for your belly, though. Disney has mastered the art of the dessert to a degree that makes the envy of any Top Chef. Their legendary finishing courses enjoy name recognition across the globe. Even if you haven’t ever tried them – and I hope you have – you have at least heard of Dole Whip, The Grey Stuff, and The Kitchen Sink. Their decadent treats brimming with all the sugary flavors that keep dentists in business. They also have all the calories that keep gyms open 24 hours a day. No Disney theme park visit is complete until you’ve taken a bite of the forbidden fruit that is their vast array of desserts.
7. The moment you board your favorite ride
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Everyone has a Disney attraction that they love the best. Many people favor the classics such as Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Haunted Mansion. Others prefer the more exciting rides such as Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith, Expedition Everest, or Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Personally, I love Spaceship Earth more than anything else at Disney due to what it represents.
No matter which one you love the best the sensation is still the same. You spend the entire time you’re away from Disney, readying yourself for the big moment when this one favorite attraction begins. It’s a moment of pure satisfaction.
8. Seeing an animal at Animal Kingdom
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Disney’s bold attempt to marry the theme park with the zoo pays dividends in inimitable ways. There’s such a disconnect when you spend time doing ordinary amusement park activities and then suddenly receive that stunning reminder that an entire wildlife habitat surrounds you.
The best way to enjoy this turn of events is by taking a journey on Kilimanjaro Safaris, but you don’t have to follow any kind of structure at this particular park. You’re going to see animals here, and it’s going to blow your mind when the moment arrives. Of course, the true beauty of Animal Kingdom is that it’s not a controlled atmosphere. Unlike the other three Disney parks, there is a randomness here. You never know when some beast will take an interest in you, thereby providing an unforgettable moment.
Personally, I’ll never forget the time that a smaller animal ferociously attacked and then chased three much larger rhinoceroses for over a kilometer. With all due respect to Universal Studios, Six Flags, and Cedar Point, that’s an experience they can never match.
9. Taking your favorite picture
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Disney estimates that their own photographers take as many as 200,000 pictures in a given day. We are talking about somewhere between 50 and 75 million photographs during a calendar year. And that’s just the official ones. We now live in a selfie culture, and people fill up entire Instagram feeds with their finest images.
Yes, taking pictures at a Disney theme park is serious business in the social media era. Still, the goal remains the same. Everyone wants to capture that frozen moment in time where everything is perfect. There are innumerable backdrops at Walt Disney World where this is a possibility. My personal favorites are the Tree of Life and Spaceship Earth, and yet the best image my family captured during our most recent trip occurred outside of Spirit of Aloha as we stood in the rain. It doesn’t even bother me that I look like a dork in that picture. The rest of my family is so happy that the instant I got home, I framed the picture for posterity’s sake. That’s what a perfect Disney picture means to true fans of the experience.
10. Finding the perfect souvenir
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Like everything else at Disney, there’s an art to this. Generally, I’ve discovered there’s an element of magic involved. I’ll stumble into a store to get out from under the blazing Florida sun for a time. Then, I’ll turn a corner and bam! The best gift possible to encapsulate my Disney vacation is staring me right in the eye. It’s a moment of intense satisfaction.
While everyone has a store they love the best – Mouse Gear seems to enjoy the most loyal support – I’m a tourist at heart. Disney created Downtown Disney as a souvenir mecca. The 2015 name change to Disney Springs simply reinforces the fact that they have extended the Disney bubble to a shopping district miles away from the four parks. World of Disney in Orlando holds a strong claim to the title of best Disney store on the planet, and whenever I enter the building, I accept that my wallet’s about to take a beating. After all, paying tourist prices for the best souvenirs is an integral part of the vacation experience.
