What Is Disney Magic?

Confession: Almost every morning I watch the Magic Kingdom "Welcome Show" on YouTube, and every single time I watch it I get choked up.

So, during my daily Disney dose this morning, I found the little voice inside of my brain saying, "That's magic." I realized that "Disney Magic" is something that I never talked about on my blog before, and it's something that is so important to me.

I personally don't believe in David Copperfield kind of magic. It's an illusion and terrific planning. Then I went to Disney World when I was 9 and discovered that there's a different kind of magic that actually does exist in this world.

For me, Disney magic is something you can feel inside of you. It's something you can see in front of you. It's a contagious energy. I've wondered before what creates the magic that touches so many of us.

It dawned on me that the core of the magic is given by Disney Cast Members. It's a wonderful gift that's shared by people that truly believe in it as well. Without Cast Members that care about the company and their jobs, the Disney Company would just be another mediocre amusement park. Every single dancer in a show gives their all with each performance, and it's SO obvious that they care. When a little girl meets Cinderella for the first time and embraces Cinderella so tightly... that's magic. That means that there is a real connection between the guest and the Cast Member.

A few years ago on my birthday, I was in Magic Kingdom looking at merchandise in the Emporium, when a Cast Member asked how I was and saw my birthday button and asked if he could have my button. I handed it to him, and after a few seconds he handed it back to me. He changed the writing on the button from "Stacey" to "Princess Stacey." It was something so subtle and sweet that I'll always remember. I keep it displayed in my Disney room and smile every single time that I look at it.

I think that another element to Disney magic is the quality of work that Disney puts out. It's called the "Disney Difference." A good example that always comes to my mind is when I went to Six Flags in Illinois with my family, and I sat down to eat lunch (very bad Chinese food) under a pavilion. I looked up, and the ceiling paint had clearly been chipping. But, instead of Six Flags painting the whole ceiling, they just got some red paint that barely matched, and painted the chipping areas in patches. It looked awful, cheap, and lazy. However, Disney has TEAMS of people that do NOTHING but paint stuff all over the parks. Every little thing looks so immaculate and cared for.

Disney is always trying to immerse guests in a story. They go all out to make sure that you get a wonderful experience in whatever you're doing. Shops, restaurants, attractions, walkways even are all in a theme that tells a story. There are little details around every corner, and all you have to do is look for them.

Anyone else out there believe in Disney magic?