I recently finished reading Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling in Love With) A Magical Subculture by AJ Wolfe. Until now I’d never even heard of this term but I love it and i’m not ashamed to say I would absolutely lump myself into the category of Disney adult! I write this whilst watching Disney’s Wish with my daughter for the 500th time since it was released only two years ago.

So what got me here?

Before heading to Disneyland Paris this year, I joined a bunch of Disneyland Paris planning Facebook groups. Back in the glory days of the internet, when social media wasn’t a thing, these would have been called forums.

Normally you would go to these forums for advice and I literally lived on them when I was a teenager interested in something passionately. Now, these tend to exist in the form of Facebook groups.

I’ve stayed a member of the groups since returning from Disneyland just so I could share my experience and chat to people who are in the midst of planning a trip. It’s really reignited my passion for Disney and what made me obsessed with the mouse in the first place. It’s been so long that I forgot about all the magic that I experienced long long ago and why I used to love going to Disney so much!

Upon return I spent most of my days on these Facebook groups, chatting to other Disney fans and offering advice and help. It reminded me of the blog I first created when I was working at Walt Disney World. Back in 2010 my little Tumblr blog was so popular that I used to have people contacting me all the time to ask me questions about my experience; Just genuine people wanting to work for Disney.

I have noticed that despite me no longer running this blog, there’s still a demand for it. When I’m answering questions and I’ve mentioned being a former cast member people are in shock. It’s almost like there’s not really that many cast members out there sharing their knowledge. Of course there must be 1000s of ex-cast members but perhaps most are not blogging or chatting on these sites. Not everybody that works there lives and breathes Disney – Understandably!

Talking about it all this year got me thinking about my relationship with Disney and all the things that have happened in my life leading me to where I am now.

Most of my life has been centred around the mouse without me even realising it. It all started back in the 90s. Growing up with my sisters we were brought up on Disney movies. We’d watch the same films over and over because we only had limited ones on VHS. Beauty and the beast, Lion King, Aladdin, Homeward Bound, Pete’s Dragon and Winnie-the-Pooh over and over. Still, in my opinion, some of the greatest Disney movies of all time!

We sang the songs, bought the toys and dreamed of going to Disneyland. My first movie in the cinema was Toy Story and what a banger that is! I even became a massive Phil Collins fan thanks to the Tarzan soundtrack.

Me and my sisters owned a Disneyland promo video which featured clips of the parades at the parks. We used to think it was this amazing fantasy place that was on TV… You didn’t actually visit there. We were obsessed with it but as we grew older we just forgot about it. Then entered my teenage years, I was 15 and my dad announced he was taking us to Walt Disney World. To say I was ungrateful, would be an understatement. I wasn’t just ungrateful, I was dreading it. By age 15 I had no interest in Disney. I was way too cool to be going to Disney World!

My first time at Walt Disney World

It was our first night visiting one of the Disney parks and we were watching the Fantasmic show. I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea that I was about to witness the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in my life! I don’t remember all of the show I just remember loads of Disney characters on boats waving, lots of fireworks, loud music… Everything that is amazing to a teenager.

I will never forget trying my hardest not to cry. I was about to cry because I was so amazed by how fantastic something could possibly be. I’ve experienced many moments of awe since that time, but I genuinely believe in that moment, that was the first time I’d ever been truly amazed. I’ve never told my family this because at the time I was pretty embarrassed. I know some of my family read this blog so I’m sure now they know. I will never forget that moment because it changed my life. This was a real turning point for me as in that moment I knew I was in the best place I’ve ever been and I didn’t want to leave. I was 15 years old and knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life.

I wanted to be somewhere magical. Spread joy to people and be part of something huge.

Until that trip, I never knew what I wanted to do with my life. I never had a clear interest. A talent or hobby that stood out. Even when I picked my subjects at college I wasn’t sure. When I started at university I knew I enjoyed writing but truth be told I didn’t really care what I studied. I just knew I wanted to go back to America and be part of the magic.

Making dreams come true

It was 2009 and I’d heard about something called the Walt Disney World International College Program. This involved international students from outside of the US going to the United States on a J1 visa to work for Walt Disney and be sponsored by the mouse. You could do multiple roles but only for one summer. The one catch was you needed to be a full-time student at university.

So I knew from the offset as soon as I started studying I would need to work hard to get on this program. I decided to study entertainment management and I remember passing all my modules with flying colours. The course was too easy and not challenging enough for me but it worked as a springboard into the industry. All the students in my class secured spots in bars and venues locally for their placement but I took it one step further and using my own initiative I went out of my way to go through the application process for Florida. Applications opened as soon as I started University so from semester one I was dedicated and determined. I went out of my way to apply for the college program and I was eager to get myself out there.

It took months of interviews. Travelling over to Liverpool and down to London. It was so competitive and I couldn’t believe it when I got offered a place on the program!

This was what I’d been waiting years for and it is only now that I’m writing this that I’m realising how much time I put in to making this a reality!

When I really look back on the first year of my uni days from September all the way until I flew there in June, I spent my entire first year dedicated to this program. I’m still amazed that I was able to secure myself a spot.

Flying to Florida alone to work for Walt Disney World wasn’t just going to be a big leap moving abroad for the first time but it would also be my first time living far away from family, my partner and friends. It was a real big leap of faith. I look back now and think it’s crazy that I was doing this at only 19!

Disney’s International College Program

Working for Walt Disney World was not what I expected at all. Disappointingly I ended up really disliking my actual job role. I worked in quick service food and beverage which is not something I would normally do but once you are offered your position, you can’t change it. The only thing they do keep quiet until you arrive in Florida is where you will be working… Sneaky!

I ended up in a glorified McDonald’s. Actually, when I looked into it, it used to be a McDonald’s so I wasn’t far off!

I hated the experience of working 12 hour days, 6 days a week for very little pay and being too young to actually drink or go out.. But despite this I ended up having the most amazing time of my life. The cast members I worked with are people that I keep in touch with even now. I will never forget the experience I had working there. I made memories that will be with me for a lifetime. I have experiences in my mind that I could never recreate.

It genuinely shaped my future but some of the things I remember the most include cast member parties, exclusive events like previewing a new parade or trying out a new ride sequence before it opened to the public! We could enter the park when it was closed. I saw the theme parks in a different light. In ways that the average person will never experience.

It was incredible. At the time, I had no idea that I would still think about it over a decade later. When I talk about it now to people they can’t quite believe that I used to work there and it’s such an interesting fact.

To this date, it’s still one of my greatest achievements, and I’m so proud of this experience that I got to have. Sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t be able to boast about it because I didn’t enjoy it 100% but truth be told, I did it and I worked bloody hard to get there!

What happened next?

In 2013, three years later, I revisited America to work in a different state. This time I was in Wisconsin on a J1 Visa working various jobs. Despite it not being as magical, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. I made lifelong connections and had experiences i’ll never forget. I also lived in the most beautiful little town of Fish Creek in Door County. I’d do anything to go back!

Living in a different part of America that was not as well-known, was a real eye opener. I wouldn’t change it for the world, but I missed Disney, so I spent the entire summer saving to revisit. A few months later, I went back to Walt Disney World at Halloween and stayed for the Christmas celebrations, too. 3 weeks of fun, all play and no work for a change!

This is the last time I visited Walt Disney World and it hadn’t changed much since I worked there. I still felt like I was home.

I’ve only been to Walt Disney World on three separate occasions in my life but I say this with incredible pride because some people will never get to visit. For a lot of people it’s a once in a lifetime trip. I never take for granted how lucky I am to have even stepped foot in the place once.

In 2013, while I was travelling, I had the pleasure of visiting California. During my time travelling around I was able to visit Anaheim and the original Disneyland Park.

To this date, this is my favourite park. It was retro, the shows were amazing and I really loved the look and feel of the place. I don’t remember it very well now as it was over a decade ago but I would love to go again.

When we booked to get married in 2024, our intention was to do our honeymoon at Disney California Adventure Park for the Oogie Boogie Brawl at Halloween. This was part of the reason for choosing our wedding date to coincide with the trip! This didn’t happen because instead I got pregnant and we knew it was too much to spend all that money on a trip to California with a baby that wouldn’t go on much. We’ve always promised ourselves that one day we will go together.

We might not have had our Disney honeymoon but we still brought a little Disney magic into our wedding with a few little treasures. Our first dance being At all costs from Disney’s Wish.

Disney strikes again..

Despite me not returning to Walt Disney World, I always felt connected to Disney. So at a later stage in my life I found myself working as a coach travel agent specialising in trips to Disneyland Paris! I’d only ever been to the Paris Park once in 2009 and truth be-told I wasn’t a big fan. In comparison to Florida It just didn’t live up to it!

Despite this, when I started working for this company I was super excited to be able to talk about Disney again. I now had the knowledge to actually be able to help people plan their holiday and get excited for their experience. With genuine tips I could give I found the job a breeze. Just having the knowledge of the parks was really useful and I was able to converse with people easily because it’s a subject I’m so passionate about. That’s one of the reasons why I loved working in the travel sector so much. Just talking about travel fills me with excitement, especially Disney parks. I even got sent to Disneyland Paris on a work trip and wrote about it on my blog here.

It feels like a long time ago now but I never take for granted that I’ve been able to visit Disney so often. Through opportunities that most people won’t get in their lifetime.

If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll see that I recently return from Disneyland Paris and I’ve been writing about my experience with my family day-by-day.

My latest Disney trip was probably my favourite. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve not been for so long, or if it’s because it was the first time taking my daughter. Taking a child to the Disney parks adds a whole new level of fun. We had such an amazing time.

I’m desperate to go back and like I mentioned at the start of this post it’s really re-lit my fire just talking about the parks again. I didn’t realise how much I missed the magic! There’s no doubt in my mind I will return to Walt Disney World. Next time it will be as a family and I can’t wait to show my daughter something that has shaped my whole life.

Who knew that something so small from your childhood could have such a large impact on your future? After all, they always say… It all started with a mouse.

What next?

I am thrilled to start planning my next trip to Walt Disney World. It might be a few years away yet but the more I start planning the more it is likely to happen. I’m aware of how expensive it can be now and I need to strategically save to be able to afford a trip! If anyone has any tips on how to get the best deals or when might be the cheapest time to visit please leave me a comment. There is a very good chance I already know everything I can learn but i’m always interested to hear money saving tips especially when it comes to holiday planning and Disney!

A Disney cruise is on the top of my Bucketlist but looking at the prices of those I won’t be heading on one of those in a long time, if ever!

What is your favourite Disney trip? Are you a Disney adult too? Did Disney change your life? Share your stories in the comments below > I would love to hear from you!