Many adults fondly remember Disneyland as their favorite childhood vacation spot. For me, it’s more than that. It’s my favorite place to unwind with my friends after class or in the evenings. 

I just renewed by Disney pass for another year and I couldn’t be more excited for the adventures ahead. My family members always ask me, “Why do so many Chapman kids go to Disneyland? Aren’t you guys a little too old for that?” My answer is always, “No, you’re never too old,” because it’s true!

I still feel the magic in the air every time I visit Disneyland. I’m still enchanted by rides that I’ve been on countless times, like Peter Pan. The detail in Cars Land and on Pirates of the Caribbean still leaves me breathless, and I’m just as in awe of the castles and old-fashioned buildings now as I was when I was six years old. 

I enjoy Disneyland just as much as I did when I was a little kid, and I expect to love it just as much, or even more, twenty years from now. There are always new things to discover that will keep my appreciation from wavering. For example, I just learned about the smaller version of the Beast’s library in California Adventure! 

I’m a born and raised Disney kid, with a collection of VHS tapes, Barbies, lunchboxes, and Halloween costumes somewhere in my garage to prove it. The first movies I remember watching were classics like The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. There are multiple photos of me as a child dressed as various princesses including Pocahontas, Ariel, and Aurora. 

Disney is something I grew up with, and it’s been a part of me for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, my family would go to Disneyland every few years, and it would be the best 3 days of my entire year. I would save money for souvenirs in my Ariel piggybank once my dad told me of the next trip we had planned to visit the Happiest Place on Earth. 

The older I got, the more I looked forward to Disneyland. When I was in Southern California visiting colleges, I made sure that my parents, sister, and I set aside at least 2 days of our trip to go to Disneyland. Six, nine, twelve, fourteen, seventeen – no matter my age, I never got tired of the jazzy music that played on Main Street and the excitement in the air during parades and fireworks.  

Now, at nineteen, I still get the feeling of coming home when I walk through Sleeping Beauty’s castle and into Fantasyland. Part of it is nostalgia, for sure. But more significantly, part of it is the fact that I am and always will be a dreamer. I still believe in fairytales, more than I believe in anything else. I love to sit in the French Quarter in the evening with my friends and eat a bread bowl full of gumbo while my heart fills with joy as children run past us with balloons, and train cars full of people shriek as they ride the tracks at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.