MinnieM.com / Articles / My personal memior of a visit to the Magic Kingdom

For my writing class, I was assinged to write a personal memior of a past experience. I decided to write a story of my first real experience of Walt Disney World. The preceeding is a memior of that experience from August 3, 1999. Let me say that it has virtually changed my way of thinking forever. When people see me at first, they think I'm a tough guy. With my website and interests, it changes those perpectives. What your are about to witness is a pretty long read so get ready!

Before going to this place, I wondered if it would bore me out of my skull. Most teenage kids think Disney just a "kiddy" thing. With some research prior to my trip, I found they had some interesting attractions like Space Mountain. So I decided to just do the just the major thrill rides and avoid all the "kiddy" stuff. Could something "magical" happen to me in the happiest place on earth, making me actually enjoy something such as a character breakfast? On August 1st, 1999, a "magical moment" altered my perception of Disney forever.

It was a warm, sticky morning among the hotels in Lake Buena Vista. Since most of my family wanted to sleep in, my brother, Justin and I decided to catch a shuttle to the Magic Kingdom. We wanted to get in a few rides before the character breakfast at 10:00 a.m. I didn’t anticipate this breakfast, thinking it would be absolutely stupid, but on vacation we do everything as a family.

The time was 8:35 a.m. We both got off the bus at the Transportation and Ticket Center. We wanted to ride Space Mountain first thing, so we both darted out the bus to join a heavy crowd waiting for the monorail. The crowd soon began to move slowly, yet swiftly like syrup, up the ramp while a marching band cheerfully played "The Mickey Mouse Club" theme. The first train left us, but we got on another train with time to spare. We got squashed like cattle as the odor from the icy cold air conditioning engulfed the sun baked passengers. Moments later, a calm male voice announced, "Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantenga alejado de las puertas."

The train whizzed by the white sand beaches of the Polynesain Resort, then onward to the Victorian-styled Grand Floridian resort. After the train departed the Grand Floridian, the monorail made a stop midway. The train ahead of it was still unloading guests. A quick glance of my Fossil watch said 8:45 a.m.! Can we be waiting for Space Mountain any longer? The monorail resumed its travel for the Magic Kingdom. " Once the monorail doors automatically opened, we both began walking vigorously towards Main Street U.S.A.

Walking towards Tommorowland, Space Mountain was still shining in my eyes like a gold medal. The ride was not yet operational, so we had to wait behind a rope in the Plaza Terrace, a dining outlet in Tommorowland. Since people were expecting to run for Space Mountain, the Cast Members warned us not to run but to walk swiftly. This rule was something I just couldn’t follow, but Justin absolutely refused to run. At 9 a.m., the rope dropped and we were off like a horse race! Running with the precision and speed of Michael Johnson, I darted towards the white-domed building which housed the ride. Soon, as I got pretty deep in the ride queue, the wait was finally over! The weeks of anticipation were coming to an end!

The car that came for my travel through the stars was striped in red white and blue, along with a sliver foreground. The seat was also leathered in black with the restrainer at the bottom. I put my belongings between my feet, pulled the rubbery restrainer towards my torso, and the car went off! Before the launch, every car was checked by a Cast Member to make sure it was a snug fit. After the safety check, the car began it’s climb towards uncharted territory in a red-illuminated tunnel along with a countdown on a panel. The countdown went, "5, 4, 3, 2, 1: Blast off!" The cars began their descent into pitch darkness, with blurring lights and neon-green stripes glowing on other cars. I screamed as the car’s direction was traveling in an unpredictable way. The ride was bumpy as if the car was on a road with cobblestones. It was a rough, yet thrilling I was very satisfied for being one of the first to ride it.

When the ride was over, my gray Tigger shirt was fully drenched with my own sweat, the result of sprinting in 90-plus degree heat for the ride. Once my brother departed, he too had his shirt darkened by the massive sweat he was producing. We both shared our experiences with the ride for a short while, then departed for other rides. Almost forgetting that we had to meet family at the Contemporary resort, we advanced towards the monorail. I changed my shirt into a purple FUBU shirt that I had in my book bag just in case I got wet. Back on the train, I saw another glimpse of Space Mountain, with the Fort Wilderness resort in the background. The monorail then proceeded into the interior of the Contemporary resort. Entering the concourse gave us a astounding view of the entire main hotel. As we slowed down for our stop, a large mural came into our view. I really thought the mural was a rather lousy excuse of art. The monorail doors opened and we departed the train and proceeded down the stairs to Chef Mickey’s.

Now this is where we I began to think, "Would I rather be caught dead than in here?" The restaurant was swarming with children as loud happy-go-lucky music emanated from the hidden speakers. I was looking for mom and my other relatives so we could finally sit down, eat and get this over with. A couple of moments later, I realized the restaurant’s design looked awesome to the senses. A black and white checkerboard theme was rather dominant around the place, giving it a old-fashioned kitchen feel. Neon purple streaked out around the steel platform top that below contained an all you can eat breakfast buffet. The buffet featured many mouth-watering food items. There were biscuits with a hot and fresh smell from the oven, pancakes dripping with the sweetness of syrup and Belgium waffles in the shape of Mickey’s face. Forget the characters, I wanted to start eating! Mom finally found us waiting outside the entrance.

"How did you enjoy the park boys?", my mother expressed in a positive tone. "I really enjoyed the rides they have so far." I responded in a rushed voice. "All I want to do now is eat for gods sakes!" Our party began to head for our table in the back of the restaurant. The back wall featured a mural with various Disney characters. It was more aesthetically appealing than the ugly mural I saw previously. While walking towards the food, I noticed a flurry of white handkerchiefs waving in the air like a blizzard. They were all in it, boys, girls, men, women and even couples were all waving them around. Mickey Mouse, donning a white and black chef’s outfit arrived to greet all! From the scene I just witnessed, I finally realized that I could be a kid again and not worry about the stress in everyday life. In Walt Disney World, no one cared what you did, you can find your inner child right here and right now! In a brief moment, I was about test that statement from my mind.

Minnie Mouse began to waltz towards the walkway in such an adorable way. Minnie was wearing her traditional red and polka-dot white dress with matching bow, complete with oversized yellow shoes. Since it was a kitchen, she wore an apron around her waist. Now through with all those thoughts of being embarrassed, it wouldn’t hurt if I got one cute picture.

I tell my brother to take my picture. After signing one child’s autograph , Minnie seemed VERY delighted to see me. I didn’t know what to say to her, but when Justin started to take the picture, the plushy character then proceeded to embrace me with an arms wide hug and kissed me! I could hear that loud SMOOCH in my ear for minutes after the photo. I never imagined that a female Disney character could do such a thing like that to a guy, but we were quite a cute couple! It was a magical moment that I will cherish for the rest of my life!

In what should have been a normal Summer vacation, I experienced something that I never felt before. It was the day when I realized happiness is around you. It was the day when I became a kid again. It was the day that may have changed my life forever. It was the day that I found Walt Disney World. Thank you Minnie Mouse for helping me find it! I would have been lost and full of hopelessness without it.