My Disneyland pass expired today and I’m not renewing it which is so sad:( People kinda make fun of me for my obsession and never really understand why I run off to Disneyland so often. But y’all are just haters and haters gonna hate!! jk jk
But in all seriousness, I get why some people don’t get it. But let me try to explain to the best of my ability.
Disney means so much to my family and I. One of the first vacations I remember is going to DisneyWorld. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been to Disneyland and/or DisneyWorld. We’ve spent a few New Years, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July’s and other holidays at the parks. My family has gone on 4 Disney cruises all over the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America and we’ve traveled with Adventures by Disney (Disney’s travel agency) 3 times abroad in Europe. It seems like since I was 6 years old, there hasn’t been a year of my life that my family hasn’t done something Disney related. So I associate Disney with my family, our love, and lots of memories together:) They say it’s the Happiest Place on Earth, and it really is hard to not be happy when you go to Disney. It’s just a place and a company that makes me feel so good! Not to mention, Disney movies are some of the best ever! Tangled and Tarzan are my two favorites! I dressed up as Tarzan before any Disney princess and I See the Light is such a magical song!!
I’m so fortunate that I’ve been able to have a Disneyland Annual Pass these past few years. I got my first pass on October 21, 2016. And kept it renewed until October 21, 2018. I was abroad that fall semester in London so I wasn’t able to renew it. Then, once I was back in the spring of 2019, I got another pass, but on the same card, on February 16, 2019. With a pass, it’s made it so much easier to head to the park and enjoy some Disney time. Because I go so often, I don’t have to make a full day out of it. I can honestly go to the park, ride a couple of rides, take a few pics, eat a churro and be content. To some that seems like it’s not worth it or a waste of time, but there is no wasted time at Disney and no matter how much or how little time I get at Disney, I’m happy. And each time I go, even if it’s only for 2 hours, I’ve made another visit which makes the cost of my pass worth it. Of course, I’ve also done the full 8 am-midnight kinds of Disney day too and those are still super fun!! Also, the reason I’m not renewing my pass is that I’m not sure if I’m going to be in LA after I graduate, so it won’t be worth it anymore:(
I’ve made some great friends through my Disney obsession and while in college, have found my fellow Disneyland Annual Passholders to go with me. Over the past year, my ride or die Disney wifey has been none other than the beautiful, talented, amazing, Maddie Hawes! Maddie’s knowledge of and love for Disney is beyond any other person I’ve met. She knows the place and the company inside and out! And we’ve celebrated some good moments together! She even bought me my first ever Disney alcoholic drink at the Lamplight Lounge for my bday so something pretty special there 😉 She’s also got some pretty awesome friends who work at Disneyland so we’ve scored some sweet deals with them as well (thanks for my 6 fast passes!!) Her pass expired in January and she, too, isn’t renewing her’s for life after graduation so it’ll be sad to not be able to venture down to Anaheim with her and escape for the day to Disney! But I made some pretty sweet memories with her at the park:) And we joke that the rest of the semester, we’ll be forced to actually be in LA and explore the city while we still have time left at school, so I guess there’s a positive side to it!
In case you were wondering, my favorite rides at California Adventure Park are Soarin’ and The Symphony Silly Swings (lol) and at Disneyland, the Tea Cups! I’m a simple girl lol. I was never a fan of rollercoasters as a kid and only within the past 7 years or so, did I feel comfortable going on the bigger ones! And luckily Disney doesn’t have a ton of big rollercoasters, so I’ve always enjoyed that aspect too. I’ve also received some of the best news of my life while being at Disney so I feel like it’s an extra special good luck charm to me. Lastly, Disneyland was the last place my older brother vacationed with my family before he passed. So ultimately, Disney is just associated with lots of sentimental and heartfelt memories, thoughts, and emotions!
I know this isn’t goodbye forever, in fact, I’m probz gonna just buy a ticket and go sometime this semester lol, but it’s goodbye to my college Disney pass which has been 4 years of some great mems and for that, I shed a small tear :’(
