It's more than a destination.

I know I talk about Disney far too much but since today is the anniversary of the start of my internship, it’s made me reflect on a lot of things and I realize how much I really miss it all.

I miss going to Epcot for dinner with my roommates on Tuesday nights. I miss standing with a crowd of guests during Wishes and trying to hold back the urge to cry because I am so incredibly happy. I miss watching guests get emotional for the very same reason. I miss telling kids that Mickey saw them earlier and he asked me to give them a sticker. I miss calling Mickey my boss. I miss the feeling I would get in my stomach when I would see Tower of Terror from afar. I miss elderly people asking me serious questions like, “How do you keep your costume so clean?” and seeing a smile spread across their face when I would tell them that Snow White had her woodland animal friends clean it for me. Knowing that you made an adult feel like a child for a moment, and seeing their reaction because of it, is the most magical thing there is.

I miss the excitement of the Magic Kingdom in the morning, and the sleepy calmness at night. I miss watching other Cast Members make magical moments. I miss watching the fireworks from backstage, and falling asleep on the bus ride home after long shifts. I miss the smell of the Grand Floridian, and eating soft serve ice cream during the Beauty and the Beast show. I miss knowing that if i was having a bad day, I could go to a park to feel better. I miss eating pasta and talking about SVU with my roommate. I miss seeing an almost empty Main Street at the end of the night, and taking family photos for people. I miss the way Main Street would look all lit up, and the color the sky would turn as the sun would set behind the castle. I miss the magic. Walt Disney World is so much more than a destination. There’s nothing else like it anywhere.

Something I forgot about.

I had completely forgotten about this interaction that my sisters and I had with Guitar Dan until I saw that my sister had this video on her external hard drive.

One day in July, we went to Camp Minnie Mickey to meet Pocahontas and to watch Guitar Dan. For those of you who don't know, if you give him a subject to sing about, he'll make up a song on the spot for you. I had seen him once before but it never actually occurred to me to request a song. Since my sisters were with me, we thought it would be a good idea to have him sing a song for our parents about how we wished they could be at Disney with us.

I thought he did a really great job! I think my sisters really enjoyed it too.

If you don't know, I don't think Camp Minnie Mickey will be around much longer since Disney is starting the development of Avatarland. I don't think they would get rid of Guitar Dan since he could easily be placed somewhere in the front of the park, but I can't confirm anything. Next time you're in Animal Kingdom though, you should definitely see if he's still making appearances. He really kind of made our experience at DAK.