Disney will make you believe anything is possible. The company will give you the happiest moments on earth and make you feel like a child again. You’ll fall in love with their movies a thousand times over. It’s hard to believe that the House of Mouse has existed for over 80 years! Now, they’ve put a happy spin on the apocalypse. Imagine waking up and finding out that the world has ended. You’d be scared, right? Wrong! You’d be excited! This is what Disney did to us this April. They gave us an opportunity to forget about all our troubles and live in a magical world for a while. They gave us an opportunity to have some fun. They gave us a reason to party. We got to celebrate life and all it’s wonderful quirks. We got to enjoy the little things again. The world didn’t end, it just changed.
Imagine my absolute delight when, a few days later, I learned about the existence of the Disneyland Paris Resort! I could go there and finally get some justice! I spent the past couple of months waiting for this day, working my tail off to pay for my ticket. Finally, I can rest assured that when I say my name is John and I’m from UK, they’ll know exactly who I mean! I love Mickey Mouse and all things Disney. My whole life is wrapped around them. I grew up in Belfast, and as a kid, went to every single Disney film premier in theaters. It was an addiction. I even had a tiny Mickey Mouse pendant, that I wore every day. I was one of the lucky ones! I had a happy childhood and got to grow up with Disney movies as a backdrop. In college, I moved to the U.S. for a year and visited every single Disney property there. I’ve been to Disneyland, Disney World, and will now get to experience Disneyland Paris. It’s a dream come true!
While Disneyland Paris doesn’t have anything nearly as iconic as the Magic Kingdom, it does have something better: speed! I can’t explain it, but I can assure you that once you there, you’ll understand what I mean. The moment you arrive at the hotel and step out of the elevator, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. As soon as you sit down at a table in the hotel restaurant, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. Wait, did someone say “table”!? Oh boy! This is gonna be fun!
A couple of days later, I was in Paris, sitting at a table in Le restaurant Walt Disney. I got up to leave, and as I walked towards the counter to pay, I heard a voice behind me say, “Are you going to Disneyland Paris?” I turned around and saw a little girl, no more than 10 years old, looking up at me with big, adorable eyes. I smiled at her and said, “Yes, I am!” She smiled back and said, “Me too! We’re going to meet our friends at the hotel and ride the bus to the amusement park. Want to come along?” Without thinking twice, I replied, “Yes, I’d love to!” We walked together to our next stop, the bus stop. As we waited for the bus, we talked about the trip and her friends. I noticed that she hadn’t asked me why I was in Paris, she only wanted to know if I was going to Disneyland Paris. She didn’t even know that there was an amusement park somewhere in France! It was obvious that she was a Disney fan too! As we got off the bus, she gave me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the moment. It was truly magical.
Then it hit me! What if this trip wasn’t just magical for me, what if this was magical for her too? What if this was the first time that something like this had ever happened to her? I mean, it was one thing for me to pop the question and take her for a spin around the amusement park with my family, but what if this was something that she’d never experienced before? What if this was something that she looked forward to? While I certainly didn’t want to spoil the surprise, I didn’t want to ruin it either. There was no way of knowing what kind of effect this could have. At the very least, I could ease her mind and let her know that this was something that she was capable of experiencing. As we walked to our hotel, I asked the girl if she wanted to keep the surprise and she replied, “Yes, please!” We went to our rooms and I helped her get her stuff together. Once everything was packed, we went to the front desk and asked if there was any more we could do. They replied, “It’s already been taken care of. You’ve been very kind.” She looked at me and smiled. Even after all that’s happened, she still has that same smile on her face. It was the sweetest thing!
I don’t know about you, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that this is what Disney does to us. They give us joy and inspiration in the face of tragedy. They give us hope where there is none and prove that anything is possible. They give us miracles every day and let us celebrate life even when there’s nothing left to celebrate. They give us love, even if it’s just for a little while. You’d be a fool to not visit Disneyland Paris and let these wonderful people make your dream come true!