I wrote this a while back elsewhere, but I thought it might be a good thread to start to hear the most memorable moments people would like to share. Mine was not only memorable, but it was more of a self-realization on how much I love Disney, even when it happened rather "late" in my life.
This was about 4 years ago. It was one of those wet, rainy evenings at The Magic Kingdom. You knew, even by late afternoon, that it was going to be rainy. We still didn't leave because we wanted to watch Wishes, and there were people in our party that hadn't seen it before. So we were determine to stay, armed with our ponchos. I asked one of the cast members if Wishes would still go on if it only rains and not have high winds and stuff. He said yes, it will still go on if it only rains. So that made us want to stay even more.
Our group decided to watch it from a covered area in Tomorrowland right before the bridge. However, having seen it many times before, I knew that the best place was still right at the end of Main Street before the Hub. So I told everyone that when it was going to start, I was going to walk up there and see Wishes from that spot, and to meet each other afterwards. The rain had started to come down, not heavily, but still enough for you to get wet. We were all in our ponchos. So when it was getting close to the starting time, I walked out into the rain and stood at my favorite spot.
Wishes went off on schedule. There was no Tink flying off from the castle, but the rest was as spectacular as ever. Due to the rain, it wasn't crowded at all, but there were still quite a few people standing out there in the rain with me. As I was being dazzled by the fireworks and listening to the music, something just clicked in my head. Here I was, standing there by myself, rain pouring on my face and seeping under my poncho, being aware that I'm getting soaked, with my shoes completely wet, and I realized that at that moment in time, there was no where else that I'd rather be than right there. Through the soaring music, I felt goosebumps and my emotion welled up inside me, and I couldn't tell if I shed a tear or not since my face was already soaking wet. But I did know that, at that moment, I was happy.
It was at that point that I knew that this "connection" that I have with this place was something unusual, and wasn't something fleeting. The realization that even soaking wet, I was still happy where I was at, convinced me that for the rest of my life, I will keep coming back, to try and capture that moment again, and make other moments like this.
I have never forgotten that evening at the Magic Kingdom, because among other things, it was the impetus for us buying into the DVC. But more than anything else, it was my own self-realization how much WDW has affected me, and how much it has meant to me.
Zz.
No longer an active member.
brother played in the arcade. 