Another fun fact about me: I am a very passionate person.
Put that together and you can see why I'm so easily enthralled by Disney Parks and the entertainment offerings. I have been for years... just read my blog posts from over the past 7 YEARS. I've been blogging about Disney for a long time. Whoa. That just hit me. Anyway, I have often talked about my love for Disney shows, parades, character experiences, among other things. Being so up close and personal with it is truly a life changing thing that I'll never ever take for granted.
Even as a working cast member for the company, I still feel very attached to visiting Disney as a guest. It's a unique adventure to leave work and then walk around the parks, experiencing the atmosphere and entertainment just as an every day guest would.
Ever since my first trip to WDW in 1997, the Magic Kingdom's day parade has always held a special place in my heart. I first saw Remember the Magic. I was one of the young volunteers that got to step onto the street in the middle of the parade and dance with characters from The Little Mermaid. The memory is still so vivid. Limboing with giant fish as Ariel, high up on her float, flipped her fin and sang right behind me. I'll never for get it.
I've been pretty much obsessed with Disney's latest daytime parade, Festival of Fantasy, since the first time I saw it. The floats, the music, the costumes, the performers. Everything is magical and inspiring. The Tangled float is by far my favorite, and that's not just because Rapunzel has been my favorite female Disney character since Tangled came out, but it's such a unique float. Plus, it's the only place where you can regularly see Flynn Rider... a very big deal for us hardcore Tangled fans.
Another unique part of Festival of Fantasy is definitely when Prince Phillip fights a fire breathing dragon. Yes! An actual fire breathing dragon. I really didn't give much attention to Prince Phillip until I saw Festival of Fantasy. Now, he's one of the dreamiest and most badass Disney princes. Way to be completely fierce and brave, Phillip.
I know many people don't care for Animal Kingdom. I think what people tend to overlook at Animal Kingdom are the entertainment offerings. The park has shows that are some of the best Disney has ever had. My two favorites are definitely Finding Nemo: The Musical and Flights of Wonder. The music for Finding Nemo: The Musical was written by the composers for Avenue Q. If that means nothing to you, ignore what I just said, but know that it's a pretty cool thing. When I would have a bad day working at the bank, I'd turn on Finding Nemo's music and listen to it on repeat. It always made me laugh and sing along. It still does! Plus, the end of the show always makes me a total weeping sap.
Flights of Wonder was something I didn't discover until my first solo Disney trip in 2012. Now, I'm totally in love with it. It's not that I'm a person that's really big on birds, but I do enjoy learning about them and watching them fly right over my head. I think my favorite part is the sentimental message of conservation. That's something very near and dear to my heart.
Obviously there are LOADS more of awesome entertainment offerings at the Disney parks, but those are just a few of my favorites. I feel so lucky to be a part of a company that creates entertainment on such a big scale. I always want Disney to expand and grow. They're good at being cutting edge and unique. Provided Disney doesn't make any more entertainment cuts, we're well on our way to some exciting new things in the future.
