 By: Melissa Kratish |
| I vividly remember the first time I went to Walt Disney World, I was about two years old, and my parents had brought me to the Orlando area to visit my uncle. Seeing numerous billboards picturing everyone's favorite mouse, I cried and pleaded to see him. . .so my parents, thinking I was too young to fully enjoy Disney, took me to Downtown Disney (which was then known as Disney Village Marketplace). In a toy store, I played with a giant plush toy of Mickey Mouse, and truly believed it was the real thing.
By the age of three, I was FINALLY ready to experience the "real" thing. Escorted by my grandmother, grandfather, great grandmother, uncle, mom, and dad, our journey began. After a four hour trek from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando, we had made it, and it was time to experience the magic. I'll never forget how magical meeting Mickey was for the first time, or playing tag with Pluto at the Grand Floridian's 1900 Park Fare. . .I guess it was then that one might say the obsession truly began. As I grew older, my grandparents purchased seasonal passes, and overtime, I came to think of Walt Disney World as my second home. I remember the "Carousel of Progress" before the oven burnt the Christmas dinner and when "Now Is The Time" still played, I remember when Astro Orbiter was Star Jets, and when the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea lagoon actually had rides. I remember Magic Journey's move from EPCOT to Magic Kingdom, and I certainly remember the wild rides took with Mr. Toad. . . Over time, my obsession with Disney theme parks and movies was growing, and my room literally became a Disney shrine, cluttered with HUNDREDS of memorabilia. . .snow globes, every Disney movie ever to be released on VHS (and later DVD), special edition Disney dolls, stuffed animals, light-up wands, pillows, blankets, articles of clothing, posters, books, CDs, etc. Immediately following the dreadful day of September 11th, 2001, my dad became one of those people who was afraid of anything that attracted a number of people. . .malls, airports, and worst of all theme parks. . .including Disney. For about two and a half years, I was kept away from my second home. I went through a state of depression (well, not literally, but it seemed like it). . .I had full recordings of rides, and sat there with my headphones on, pretending I was on Spaceship Earth. When it came time to begin looking for where I would go to college, my mom and I took a "Florida school road trip," visiting each of the big state schools here. . .UF, USF, UCF, and FSU. . .and while visiting the University of Central Florida, we decided to head over to Disney World. "How great," I thought to myself, "A gorgeous campus, brand new dorms, a plethora of majors to choose from, friendly people, and best of all. . .its less than an hour away from Disney!" As Grad Nite approached, I knew that the day I would share the same area code with Mickey Mouse was rapidly approaching. So here I am, 18 years old, and a freshman here at the University of Central Florida. While I'm currently undeclared, as far as majors go, I know that I want to do something with the Walt Disney World company (most likely hospitality and management or entertainment). I also founded a club on campus for Disney fans, and thus far, we have over 50 members (all word of mouth, haven't done any advertising for it what-so-ever) For now, I'm back to being a seasonal pass holder, and in the past two months, have visited the parks approximately 20-25 times! In those two months, I've witnessed Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne wipe out park crowds (which meant 0 minute waits for Rockin' Rollercoaster, Test Track, Mission Space, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Thunder Mountain), I've been evacuated from more than one ride, monorail drivers know me by name, and I've even been able to preview Stitch's Great Escape. . . to think, I haven't even finished my first semester! |
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