The Dreamer’s Blog

February 19, 2024

Do You Believe In Magic?

Dear reader, in my most authentic Aly & AJ voice, I have a question. Do you believe in Magic? I sure do. I believe in magic so much to the point that I ended up in the most magical place on earth for only 2.5 hours. Yes, I spent 2.5 hours in the Magic Kingdom park in Walt Disney World. I bet you’re wondering by now how did this happen? Let’s talk about it…

It was a sunny and hot Friday in Kissimmee, Florida. My family and I were on vacation. Up to this moment, everything was going well. I drove about 10 hours to get to Florida to meet up with my family. The car I drove, has some hiccups getting there. As a matter of fact, as soon as we got there, the AC stopped working. Let me put this in context for you. THE AC STOPPED WORKING IN A PLACE WHERE THE TEMPS WERE ALMOST IN THE 100s. Got it? Yes, that was horrible. Nevertheless, we still ended up making the most of that trip. Including me getting sick the night before it all went down (sorry to the WaWa parking lot).

This particular morning, there was excitement in the air. A group of about 20+ gathered into our vehicles to head to Universal Studios. This was very exciting because I hadn’t been to Universal since I was a child. I had anticipated this time. What would I ride first? Where would I eat first? So many questions. I won’t bore you with the in between. Although, I do want to mention I was sad to see my favorite attractions were gone. Jaws, twister, and earthquake (Disaster). To add a cherry on top, the mummy ride was down for maintenance. Besides riding and screaming (yes, terrifying screams) on the Rip Rock It ride and the OG rides like ET and Men in Black, the park was void of what I remembered and loved the most. We stayed the majority of the day, until the people that were riding with me started complaining (eye roll). They were not used to full theme park days in the hot Florida sun like I had grown accustomed to (thanks mom). So, I said fine, I will take you all back to the resort and come back and try to enjoy the rest of my time at the park.

After dropping everyone off, I set my GPS to take me back to the park. At this point in time, my day had been somewhat somber due to complaints, missing attractions, and vehicle problems. But I had a determination to make the best of this trip. Thus, I began the journey back. However, a new problem would arrive. Thanks to multiple car accidents, the traffic to get back to Universal was over an hour. The park would’ve been near closing by the time I arrived. I felt disappointment creep in and began to cover me like a blanket. As I turned around, many things went through my mind. Such as how coming to Florida as a child used to mean so much to me. That special time with my family, I cherished more than they will ever know. As I was thinking to myself I started to feel very emotional to the point of tears. Because the Magic as I knew it was gone… or was it?

A light bulb went off. I asked myself “where is the one place I have always felt the magic?”. One thing about me, if I get a thought in my mind, I usually try to accomplish it. Walt Disney World was only 15 mins from where I was. So, I headed there. Because of unexpected expenses, I had no money to gain access to the park. With that, I had to borrow some money. Once the person sent me the money, I felt a spark in my heart and I began to smile, even laugh a little too. I was headed to Disney when I saw the most magical sign ever - “Welcome to Walt Disney World Resort”. The child in me leaped for joy. I parked my car and headed to the gate. The website said no more tickets were left. At this time reservations were required to enter the parks. I didn’t care. I hopped on the monorail and made my way towards Magic Kingdom.

As I got to the gate, the agent seemed rather surprised to see me. It was pretty late (not late enough for after-hours magic), and people were mostly exiting instead of entering. I asked a rather simple question. “Is there enough magic left for me?”. The answer was YES. With my ticket in hand, and a smile on my face, I walked into Magic Kingdom for the first time in almost 6 years. I felt an overwhelming sense of Joy enter my body. I immediately made my way towards my favorite attraction - The Carousel of Progress. From there, I went to space mountain. Then I made my way to Splash Mountain, but due to the impending thunder storm, it was closed. So, I did the hall of presidents instead. I then ran back to the other side of the park in the rain to hit the people mover. And just because the line was short, I rode space mountain again. I took in the sights, the smells, the sounds, the aura, and the joy.

After I finished taking in the moment, I looked for some Dole Whip. I didn’t manage to get any because all the kiosks were closed as it was now nearing time for the fireworks, and park exit. So, I began seeking a good place to watch the fireworks when all of a sudden it started raining HORRIBLY. Thanks, Florida. After about 25 mins of looking for an umbrella, I heard a voice on the speaker announce that fireworks were cancelled due to weather and for everyone to please exit the park safely. I thought I would be sad, but I wasn’t! I stood there in front of the castle, in the pouring rain, soaking wet, with the biggest smile on my face.

Once I got back to the resort, they asked me why was I so wet, and where did I go? I gave them a simple response…

I still believe in magic, do you?

-KD
Dudley’s Dream Vacations
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