Where I’ll Find the Magic

Once the Walt Disney World theme parks open again, we know that things will be different. There will be no fireworks, no parades, and changes in how we see characters. Face coverings will be required. There will be no FastPass+, and even the lines that we will wait in will be different. I’ve heard a lot of people say that they will wait until “things return to normal” because the changes don’t sound very magical to them. For me, any moment at Disney is magical. While things will change, here are a few places where I know I’ll find the magic. I’ll list them by park.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

There is something at Disney’s Animal Kingdom that wows me each time. I cannot wait to walk around Pandora after dark once again. I don’t even care if I ride any either of the rides, although, with Virtual Queues maybe I’ll be able to. I’ve never seen the movie Avatar, and honestly, I don’t plan to. I don’t need to know too much of the background to feel a magical transformation when I enter the land. Pandora is beautiful during the day, but it’s even better after dark. With smaller crowds, it’s going to be easier to wander through the land, and also listen to the sounds. I love to stay in Pandora until it’s almost time for the park to close, and then leave slowly so that I can also spend the last few minutes watching The Tree of Life. It’s the perfect way to end a day.

EPCOT

The last park that I visited before the closure was EPCOT. There was a gloominess over the park that day, and it had nothing to do with the weather. The front of EPCOT was filled with construction walls, but World Showcase was still remarkable. That’s where I’ll find magic once I return. Where else can you visit 11 different countries in a day? There is so much to explore in each World Showcase country that I always find something new. I know that the international Cast Members won’t be there once EPCOT reopens, but I’m still looking forward to visiting World Showcase again. Since it won’t be as crowded, it’s going to be nice to leisurely explore.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

My favorite of the four theme parks is Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It always has been. It’s the park the “gets” me. If I felt that way before, you know that it magnified when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was announced. As a Star Wars fan since the beginning, this was a dream come true for me. Unlike Avatar, I do know Star Wars, and I had high expectations. Disney far exceeded them. I know that Batuu hasn’t been part of Star Wars for over 40 years, but that’s fine with me. It still fits in perfectly in the Star Wars universe. Each movie, most books, and each TV show has introduced us to new places. Black Spire Outpost is just another new place. Wandering the streets, running into Kylo Ren, and then seeing Chewbacca working on an X-wing is a dream come true for me. Getting behind the controls of the Falcon, or walking onto the bridge of a Star Destroyer and seeing a squadron of Stormtroopers; I get chills just thinking about it. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge lets me create my own Star Wars story. For me, it takes the magic to the next level.

Magic Kingdom

Can you name anything more magical than seeing Cinderella Castle for the first time? While you only get that first look once, it is going to be just as magical seeing it again after the closure. We’ve had a glimpse a couple of times when we’ve driven through property, but it just isn’t the same. We also knew that Cinderella Castle was going to get a makeover, I can’t wait to see the finished results. I am really looking forward to my first picture in front of Cinderella Castle, even with a face mask. In that magical moment, I will feel like I am finally home.