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Memories of Disney Wedding Magic

26 October 2009 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

J and me, senior year of high school-1990

~~Thirteen~~ Fifteen years ago today, I was getting ready to walk down the aisle to greet my Prince Charming and begin our fairy tale life together. Of course, it hasn’t always been a fairy tale, I’d be a little scared if it was! Our story began a lot more than 13 15 years ago too…almost 19 21 years ago, this long-haired boy that played guitar before school in the auditorium, asked if I’d go out with him. I said yes, and have been saying yes ever since. He told me he loved me the first week we met. Never having had a boyfriend before, I was a little dumbfounded by what to reply and simply said, “okay…” Soon, however, I fell in love with his every breath. He asked me to marry him less than a year later, when I was still 17, giving me a tiny diamond he got at the mall. I said, “yes, but…not for a while!”.

us on prom night, May 1991 (for those curious, these 2 pictures show my natural hair color!)

Years passed and we were inseparable, despite many predictions we wouldn’t last 6 months. In 1995, I convinced him to pack up and move 1500 miles away to Orlando and work at Disney World with me. He had only ever moved once in his life, so this was a huge deal. Soon we decided that the time was right and he took that tiny diamond and added it to the diamond from my mom’s engagement ring and added a new diamond on the other side, creating a past, present and future ring that held so many memories, with the promise of many more.

J and me dreaming at the Wedding Pavilion-1995 I was *very* blonde back then!

While working at Disney World, we had seen the building and opening of Disney’s Wedding Pavilion. On our days off we’d head over to check it out, and dream of the ultimate Disney wedding. We were unable to afford a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding, and also could not get a priest to perform the ceremony outside of a church, so we decided to have our reception at the WDW Dolphin instead. It was much more affordable for us, and still gave us the special magic of a wedding at Disney. Planning the wedding was so much fun, and the staff at the Dolphin really took care of everything, we just had to decide what we wanted to eat and what kind of cake we preferred.

There were a few mix-ups along the way from the other vendors, but the Disney part was perfect. One issue was the florist who assured us he could find delicate tiny pale pink tulips to match perfectly with the Stargazer Lilies in my bouquet. When we arrived at the church, the tulips were HUGE and a deep dark pink. Nothing we could do at that point! The other issue was the balloons. Keep in mind this was the mid-90’s (as the pictures of my poofy veil will reveal!) and I guess balloon arches were pretty popular, at least in my mind. I had this vision of a cool twisted archway of pink and white balloons framing our head table. When we walked into the reception hall, there were *single* balloons arranged in a sort of arch shape against the wall behind the DJ. I can laugh about it now. The issues definitely did not ruin the day, though, we had amazing food at the Dolphin, the cake was heavenly and I think everyone had a great time at the party.

We loved being able to take our families around the parks before the wedding too. That year was only the 1st annual International Food & Wine Festival at Epcot so we were excited to share that new experience with our friends and family.

jsgoof — Goofy wishing us well at the Chef Mickey's rehearsal dinner

Our rehearsal dinner was held at Chef Mickey’s, and as you can imagine that was anything but quiet and reserved. We were so well taken care of and everyone had a blast. I can’t recommend Chef Mickey’s enough for a large group – you’re just bound to have fun-and get completely stuffed before the big day!

Just a few of my treasured moments from October 26, 1996…

My mom and me-wouldn't have been possible without all her help & hardwork!

Heading over to the WDW Dolphin-we're married now!

After the ceremony, I remember making the driver pull over (the photographer was following behind us) as I wanted to get a picture in front of the waterfall on the road approaching the Swan and Dolphin hotels. The sun was in our eyes, we were hot and squinting, but it was perfect and that backdrop is one of my favorite photos from the wedding.

Our first dance was to “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra, inspired at the time by the recent remake of Father of the Bride. If I couldn’t have Franck plan my wedding, I could at least dance to the same song! I’m glad we went with it though, because it was a timeless choice and hearing it today instantly brings back memories of 13 15 years ago.

~~Thirteen~~ Fifteen years ago seems both like an eternity ago and just yesterday. An eternity because SO much has happened in our lives. We’ve bought and sold 3 4 houses, moved 10 11 times to 3 different states (26 times and 5 states for me alone), have 3 amazing children and a wonderful family as well. I couldn’t ask for anything more and feel like the luckiest girl in the world, today and every day. There are many more parts to this wedding story, but I will share those another year…and my dream is to renew our vows at Disney’s Wedding Pavilion, completing the circle of Disney magic started so many years ago! Happy Anniversary J, I love you!

What Will You Celebrate? Embarrassing Disney Pictures!

1 October 2009 by Suzannah Otis 8 Comments

Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away there was a planet where it was acceptable, nay encouraged to get bad perms, wear white overall short shorts (oh yes, I said white overall short shorts!), and of course, coordinate your ensemble with matching plastic beaded necklaces, twisted together, forming the perfect accessory. Ladies and gentleman, that planet was called The 80’s.

As most of you no doubt know, today is the anniversary of the official opening of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in 1971, Epcot (or EPCOT Center as it was known at the time) in 1982 and later Epcot’s Morocco pavilion in the World Showcase, in 1984. I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate those special days in history with my own little stroll down memory lane – Embarrassing Photo Edition. I know there was a picture of me as a baby on my first visit to Magic Kingdom, but I could not find that particular one. Instead, I found one of my sister and brother, proudly representing the 70’s with their attire. The picture was taken in the Main Street Flower Market area, now of course long gone with the Emporium expansion. From the look of the banners, it must have been around the 4th of July, which would make sense because I would’ve been 6 months old, making my brother 9 and my sister 10. I wish we had more pictures from this trip since clearly they are full of Disney history.

Next up, to commemorate Epcot’s anniversary, I wanted to share a picture from one of our earlier visits there. However, I’ve already shared quite a few, including my first 3-Season Salute Annual Pass photo and one of Dreamfinder, Figment and me. So I thought I’d share one with much more to comment on – mid-80’s EPCOT!

In this photo you not only get the treat of the “Rainbow Bright” version of “Space Mickey” but see yet another bad perm on me, countless black rubber bracelets a la Madonna, really, really short shorts (in pink and white stripes no less), white sunglasses with twisted glasses lanyard and of course – a Swatch watch. I was about 13 here so you also get to enjoy my head tilt, which says, “I’m WAY too cool to be seen with Mickey – I mean, just LOOK at me”.

Then, in honor of Morocco’s opening day, I dug up some pictures from a 6th grade class trip to EPCOT. My best friend, Nalani Proctor and I some how managed to be the only two students my mom and dad had to chaperone that day, so we had our own itinerary for fun rather than staying with the class, since we knew EPCOT like the back of our hands already. There are quite a few posed photos like the ones below, including sombreros in Mexico and posing with a castle guard in the United Kingdom. Maybe I’ll scan some of those in later…

I’m not sure why we are posing like we are in this photo, but I know my dad is the one that told us to do it. Maybe some sort of twist on a yoga pose? No clue. Oh, as I was previewing this post it hit me: maybe he wanted us to pretend we were granting wishes like Jeanie in “I Dream of Jeanie”?? In any event, you can see the shame that is tight, white overall shorts. I’m not in anyway sure of how I thought that was a good idea. My t-shirt underneath was a classic EPCOT baseball shirt with the EPCOT symbol in rainbow colors, but you can’t see it under the overalls.

I probably should've put one of those black bars across my face!

Here is a close-up of Nalani and I wearing a Fez. Highlighted here are my first of many bad perms, my super cool twisty plastic necklace (anyone remember those?) and my dire need for braces, which I would obtain a couple of years later. My friend is sporting the also-popular polo shirt-under-a-sweatshirt look, with short shorts. Ahh…Planet 80’s.

I hope you enjoyed this look back at what seems to be a different universe entirely. Of course the funny part now is that many of the styles popular back then (plaid, neon colors etc.) are now “in” again today. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, so they say… 😉

Most importantly, Happiest of Anniversaries to the Happiest Places on Earth…thanks for the memories, embarrassing or otherwise! Here’s to 100 more wonderful years of Magic!

Lifelong Memories in a Disney Minute

24 September 2009 by Suzannah Otis 6 Comments

I recently asked my followers on Twitter and fans of my Facebook page what their “Most Memorable Disney Ride” was on their very first visit to a Disney park. Well let me tell you, this is something my readers were passionate about! I was really excited to read through everyone’s memories and it is truly a testament to why I write here – Disney memories are so special, everyone that’s been there has them. You never hear a first time visitor casually say, “and then we went on Small World”. Quite the contrary there are stories to go along with these memories, experiences to be shared and re-lived again and again. To borrow a quote from a Disney parks ad campaign a few years back, we share these stories to…Remember the Magic.

Some of the funniest responses were remembering Dumbo because the person threw up all over their Dad when the ride ended, and The Haunted Mansion “because it scared the poop out of me”. I was definitely one of those scared by Haunted Mansion…the scene with the doors and coffin being pried opened by creepy hands…and of course the graveyard scene with the pop-up ghouls. I still to this day feel bad for that poor, starving dog as you enter the cemetery – I just want to bring him some Puppy Chow or something!! What more proof of the power of Disney magic than an audioanimatronic figure which can elicit an emotional response of worry! Of course Disney knows how to end on a high note; the hitchhiking ghosts always got even the most scared child (me!) giggling as they realized they made it out alive! One reader loved that part because it turned her 5 year-old brother into a ghost (it’s always fun when they sit on someone’s lap!).

Quite a few other memories were about being terrified on a Disney ride – Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Tower of Terror (many votes for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride too!). The common thread? Everyone survived and then had a great story to tell – “I did it! I rode it!!” It’s such a wonderful feeling to conquer a fear like that and realize that which you might have been scared of is actually loads of fun.

I clearly remember the first time I rode Big Thunder Mountain. I’d never been on anything but a kiddie roller coaster at a carnival before, but my dad insisted I’d be fine and finally convinced me to try it. It was SO fast, but fun too. He was laughing the whole time, pointing out the scenes we were passing – “Look at the piggies, honey!” he said and I replied “NICE PIGGIES!!” through clenched teeth. As he predicted, I was fine and I loved it. Last year I got to share that same experience with my fearless daughter, who did not need reassurance that she’d be fine – she just wanted on! Needless to say, she loved it.

The now extinct Skyway ride was another favorite memory to some, myself included. My mom was scared of heights, so this was another ride my dad and I went on together. We always used to take it from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland because the line was shorter. For me it was such a thrill to just get on the ride. I’d get nervous that I’d miss the Skyway cab and fall out of the building, which was silly because the cast members stopped the cab for you to get on, but at 8 or 9, your imagination gets the best of you. Once we were on the ride itself the views were incomparable. You could see down into 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and get some amazing pictures of Cinderella Castle(in fact I took pictures every ride up until it closed). It was so peaceful and quiet too, a wonderful break from the crowds of the day.

Of course I’ve discussed before my first Epcot ride memory. Pirates of the Caribbean was my first Magic Kingdom ride. My family, having brushed up on the only-choice-at-the-time Birnbaum guide books, always started to the left in Adventureland. I was scared of that ride too – too many skeletons – but I loved the dark air conditioned boat ride and the surprise drop. Plus who doesn’t love Pirates? I know we did It’s a Small World as well, which was another common answer among my readers – rightly so, the song makes it impossible to forget!

The funny thing is, with all our family trips and during my time as a cast member, there were still some rides I’d never been on! I didn’t ride the Mad Tea Party until a friend came to visit and wanted to go on. I thought for sure I’d get sick, but I didn’t. I had no idea you could control how fast or slow you spun on the cups. I’ve since been on with people that spun it a little too fast, but it was still great. I had a bad experience on a Tilt-a-Whirl as a kid and this does not compare. I did not ride Space Mountain until my birthday 2 years ago. Is that not shocking?? I had even been on Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster and been fine, but Space Mountain always ignited fear in my heart. I think it might have been the stories my mom told about riding with my brother and gripping his arm so hard that he had visible fingernail marks at the end of the ride! My friend visiting from Texas wanted to ride it though, and who am I to deny a first-time visitor that experience? We went on, and I loved it! I finally felt like I had done it all now that I’d conquered Space Mountain. Of course, I still need to get over to Expedition Everest…but we’ll see about that.

Whichever ride becomes your favorite that you must experience 20 times each visit, whichever one you’ve done once and don’t plan on riding again, there is only one First Ride…and the memories from it will last a lifetime. What’s your story?

Why Disney?

8 September 2009 by Suzannah Otis 15 Comments

I’m going to confess something right now.

Many people in my life actually don’t like Disney.

I know, I know, it’s hard to believe – but it’s true! My siblings are not Disney people and many, many people I know just don’t “get” the whole “Disney thing”. Especially those who’ve known me for years now see me on facebook posting all these links every day to blog entries about DisneyDisneyDisney and wonder just how obsessed one person can be. So I thought I’d attempt to answer.

If you have read my previous entries, or know me personally, you know how much Disney World has always been a part of my life. However, it has not always been happy pixie dust all the time – there were visits where some pretty bad memories were made. Visits in later years without my dad there, where the memories of the past were so overpowering it was almost unbearable…in both good and bad ways. The first visit after my dad passed away in 2004, I pretty much cried the entire visit. Even in the Happiest Place on Earth, sadness can exist. That is not to say I’ve ever suffered at Disney World, I realize relatively speaking this is not the hardest of crosses to bear – I’m still at Disney World, right? My point is exactly that, I was at Disney World, through thick and thin.

I wish I could figure out exactly what it was about Disney World that embedded itself so completely in my psyche. I wish I could pinpoint that moment in time. I know it was the big family trip in 1983. EPCOT had just opened and at 9, it was just the most magical place ever. Sure, there was the Castle over in Magic Kingdom and all those fun rides over there, but this was NEW…and held so much new excitement. The attractions at EPCOT were truly interactive. You could see real live plants right in front of you on Listen to The Land. You could smell orange groves and choose your own ending in Horizons. You could envision the future of transportation – and then sit in a fancy Cadillac at the end of World of Motion. And then…and then there was Journey into Imagination.

I could perhaps write a dissertation on that attraction. I fell in love on my very first ride. I still remember walking in the doors and seeing the cool crystal elevator in the center of the room. Once seated on the moving cars, it was just…perfection. Sure, it was funny little animatronic figures singing at you, but the message was pure. It was not long before I had (and still do) have One Little Spark memorized from start to finish. The rest of the ride was just like a dream. It had crazy parts, parts where you smelled lovely roses before you passed into the beautiful white room, scary parts with thunder and lightening, parts about drama…but what about Science? The end was a cool time-lapse film room where you saw grass grow, flowers bloom and felt your imagination grow. It ended with what I think was the first “take-your-picture-on-a-ride” moment. Once we discovered where the flash was, my family always made silly faces and scenes in our photo and loved seeing other people’s candid shots.

Needless to say, I found my pixie dust at Journey into Imagination. On the last day of that vacation, I cried during the entire ride, because I didn’t want to leave it. My mom broke the rules and took flash photography the whole time because she wanted me to have the memories of the ride when we got back home to Boston. (Sorry Disney!) I just didn’t want to leave the magic I’d found there. Almost 30 years later, I still feel the same way. The ride has changed a few times and lost a bit of its original charm for me, but I still tear up at the end because the memories are still there. That is the power of Disney magic.

I recently read an article on AllEarsNet by Mike Scopa about the phenomenon of “Mouse Tears” or crying during different events or attractions at Disney. Obviously this is not a new thing, and we are not alone in our experience of it. I used to cry at the Festival of the Lion King at the end where all the kids dance around to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” before I even HAD kids. Music and beautiful images are so powerful, there really IS a magic there, magnified within the borders of Disney property. When I did have kids, those memories and tears just became that much stronger…and now we’re giving them memories to last their lifetime as well. Sometimes all my mom and I have to do is look at each other as we walk toward the Castle and we both start the water works while my husband starts the eye-rolling.

Disney World is more than just a ‘vacation spot’ and I don’t view it as a multi-billion dollar corporate entity out to rule the world. I see it as a place where dreams came true, and can still come true, with each visit. That belief has instilled a passion in me compared only to the love of my wonderful family. If your eyes and heart are open, you can see the magic too.

Sure, Disney can be a crazy, hectic, stressful experience for some. The crowds can be overbearing and oblivious. The heat can be unbearable at times. The prices can be a hardship. But one thing happens for me each time I walk onto Disney grounds…I take a deep breath, and I am home. The memories flood back; the sights, the smells, the tastes…and new memories are welcomed in. I always wanted other people to experience those same memories, to know that it didn’t have to be stressful, it could be full of wonder – but wasn’t sure how to go about doing that.

Then, I discovered Twitter. I started out just posting random updates, but soon found others just like me, that loved Disney too -and more importantly, they weren’t afraid to show it. I had already decided to turn my existing website into a blog, but felt such pressure to *find something funny/interesting to blog about!* that I’d been avoiding really updating. Then it hit me to “do what you love” and make it all about Disney. Once I made that decision, it was simple. My connections and friendships made on twitter gave me such great support. Soon my blogs were being promoted by other people, I was writing guest blogs for other sites – the magic had begun!

It really has been kismet that brought me to twitter and connected me with the people I’ve met there – Disney cast members, pod casters, fellow bloggers. There are so many other people out there with the same passion and enthusiasm for this magical place that we love. My passion led me to ZannaLand and all those Disney tips and stories and memories have a place to live and flourish now. But really, should I have expected any less? This is Disney after all, pixie dust comes with the territory!

I hope this has explained things a little more, given you a bit of understanding of why I am so passionate about this and how its not going to stop any time soon. 😉 I hope it has also served as a thank you for those that have supported me from day one, even with no understanding of what I was undertaking-just cheering me on no matter what.

Thank you all for reading – comments are ♥

Diana, Princess of Wales in Disney: A real Princess in a Magic Kingdom

31 August 2009 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

In August of 1993, my mom and I had planned a little vacation to Walt Disney World. We were living in Massachusetts at the time and I had probably just come to the conclusion that I wanted to work at Disney World. This wasn’t our ‘recon’ mission when we went looking for houses, rather more of a getaway from the grind of school and work, of which we were both a part. What we didn’t plan for was a royal companion during our visit to Disney World – Princess Diana had also decided to take her boys on vacation there during the same time.

We heard the news reports once we got there, and the rumors from cast members about her reserving an entire floor of the Grand Floridian and the special security needed to escort her throughout the parks. We also managed to serendipitously follow her around almost her entire visit.

Princess Diana at the Magic Kingdom-August 1993

We first saw her in the Magic Kingdom, in Mickey’s Starland as Mickey’s Toon Town Fair was called back then. At that time the “Judges Tent” then held a live-show with Mickey and friends. We were all ushered into the hall and completely shocked when we realized the Princess of Wales was sitting two rows in front of us! Prince William and Prince Henry were with her and each had a friend or two as well. She was so elegant and gracious, smiling and laughing at all the appropriate times. I can’t remember one single thing about the show that was on the stage, but I remember her smile in front of me as if it were yesterday.

After that we thought that was the end of our amazing luck with Princess-viewing. Nope, the next day we both happened to be at the then Disney-MGM Studios at the same time. We had just finished up the Backstage Tour and were walking over to the Inside the Magic Special Effects Tour and saw her group being escorted back behind the main buildings at the end of foot of New York Street (where Lights, Motors, Action! now stands). I tried to take a picture then, but it didn’t show the Princess.

Later we stopped for lunch at the Backlot Express over by Star Tours – a favorite counter service spot for us. Wouldn’t you know, Princess Diana stopped in to use the restroom here! You would’ve thought she was royalty the way everything stopped…oh, wait. Yes, it was quite amazing seeing both the special treatment given to such an elegant Princess, and how down to earth and relaxed Princess Diana seemed. She was just in Bermuda shorts and a t-shirt, nothing ridiculously over-the-top. She was clearly enjoying her time with her sons and making sure they didn’t miss out on anything.

I had always held a fondness for the Princess of Wales, having watched her wedding on T.V. and her appearances in the media throughout the years. After this trip though, I had a new respect for her as a mom too. I wasn’t anywhere near being a mom yet in 1993. However, I knew from living with my own mother just how important those special times can be, especially in one of the most magical places on earth. It was truly an honor to witness a real Princess amid the fairy tale ones all around us.

We were living in Orlando, Florida when we first heard news that late night of her car crash. We stayed up the entire night watching the news reports and my mom and I definitely shed some tears. Such a beautiful life, cut so short, so senselessly. Watching her funeral services was heartbreaking.

On this anniversary of her passing, I thought I’d share some of the magic she unwittingly shared with a mother and daughter, as we all enjoyed a little bit of pixie dust. May you rest in peace, Princess…and thank you for all the good you did here on earth.

The World Showcase Dancers

28 August 2009 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Anyone remember the World Showcase Dancers? They were a favorite for my family, since my mom was a professional ballerina. I was very shy, but my mom pushed me up to dance with that guy when they came around looking for volunteers. All I remember is how sweaty he was. And those blue socks I’m wearing. And that I wish I could still get away with wearing matching short/tank top sets.

I have a couple of other pictures I’m saving for an upcoming blog entry on the World Showcase Dancers. Great memories.

Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Villas-a Blast From the Past

13 August 2009 by Suzannah Otis 34 Comments

I mentioned in my Disney Resorts entry how our first foray into “on property” resorts was Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Vacation Villas. I found a few pictures that I scanned in and thought I’d share here.

As I described before, there were 4 different types of Lake Buena Vista Villas: Club Lake Villas were, if I recall correctly, more luxurious than the Vacation Villas. The Fairway Villas were smaller and on the golf course. The Vacation Villas were the attached townhouse style and the Tree House Villas were the really cool two-story tree house style homes nestled in the forest. The only remnants of this era of Disney resorts are the Tree House Villas, now refurbished after being used for years as homes for College Program International Cast Members. You can view the Tree House Villas from the boat that sails from Port Orleans and Old Key West Resorts to Downtown Disney. I always loved riding the Disney resort buses from the parks to the Vacation Villas, because we had to go through the Tree House Villas first and you never knew what you’d see on those dark roads; raccoons, bunnies, deer…it was great fun.

My mom and I posing as my dad took the picture from the loft above.

The layout for the Vacation Villas we stayed in was a typical condo layout downstairs: small kitchen with pass-thru and bar stools at the counter, dining area, bathroom, and family room with a sleeper sofa, tv, etc. The fun was upstairs, where the master bedroom was actually an open loft design. You have no idea how cool this was to an 8 year-old. The master bedroom had a king bed and a tv, then a bathroom too as I remember, but the wall that the tv was on was completely open to the family room downstairs. It was so exciting to me. There was another bedroom upstairs with two twin beds and a bathroom. The family room downstairs had sliding glass doors leading to a patio with chairs. There were several options for views, but we always requested and received an Empress Lily view.

This was me, before heading to dinner at the Empress Lily Room. Pre Pleasure Island too!

Another great part of staying at the Lake Buena Vista Villas was you were able to rent a golf cart for the length of your stay. You could then get anywhere you needed to go in that area with the golf cart. We drove to breakfast at the Buena Vista Club restaurant. (This was the Club attached to the golf course). We explored the other villas…if my dad had been a golfer obviously he could’ve used it for that too! The best part was driving to the Lake Buena Vista Village Marketplace. You may know it now as Downtown Disney.

We could drive our golf cart over the bridge in the area that now houses the bus stops for Downtown Disney. From there we could park over where Downtown Disney Guest Relations now is, plug in the golf cart and explore the shops and restaurants. I think there were only a few at the time Cap’n Jack’s was one, and Chef Mickeys, which stood where Rain Forest Cafe now exists. It was a quaint, little place then. Dark wood decor, windows overlooking the lake and the Empress Lily. It had a separate lounge where you could wait and have a drink while you waited for your table. Back then, if you ordered one of a few specific drinks, you could get a souvenir plastic mug to keep. I remember getting a drink similar to a Shirley Temple, with rock candy swizzle sticks. A lot. I have quite a few of those red mugs with Chef Mickey’s image on them. I had to stop using them because the dishwasher was wearing off the design.

Souvenir mugs from the *original* Chef Mickey's Village Restaurant — Souvenir mugs from the *original* Chef Mickey

I think the only other restaurant was Heidelberg’s deli where Earl of Sandwich is now. Mickey’s Pantry was there, a jewelry store called 24-K and a few other shops. Can you imagine a Marketplace without World of Disney, Once Upon a Toy, the Lego Store or even Pleasure Island?? That’s how it once was. The Marketplace truly was a rainy day excursion and not an attraction unto itself like it is now.

Sadly, Disney decided to discontinue operations of the Villas. They used some of the buildings during the Disney Institute years, but then demolished all of the original villas (apart from the Tree House Villas) and built the Saratoga Springs Resort as part of the Disney Vacation Club program. Saratoga Springs now offers some of those same gorgeous views of the Empress Lily that we once enjoyed, even though it’s now called Fulton’s Crab House.

Another thing I found in my search for old pictures was this coupon for the arcade at the Lake Buena Vista Villa Center. Think they’ll still honor it? 😉

Arcade Coupon good for 1 game at the Lake Buena Vista Center

I welcome any information, links or pictures from this time period at Walt Disney World!!

Do what you love…

11 July 2009 by Suzannah Otis 11 Comments

(and then find a way to get paid for it.) That’s the old saying, right? That is definitely the way I have looked at my quest for a dream job over the years, I just haven’t figured out the latter part of that equation quite yet. I’m not worried, even though some days I feel like a dried up old prune at 35, a good friend of mine’s mom didn’t go back to school and become a nurse until her 40’s. She has always been my inspiration when I remember to think, “it’s never too late!”. My mom could be another example, having reinvented herself several times over the course of her lifetime. She began as a ballerina at Radio City Music Hall (in the Corps de Ballet, not the Rockettes) at the age of 16, continued to dance and teach until she was in her 40’s, then ventured into the world of homemade ice cream shop and restaurant ownership with my father. Later, when I got into the Travel world, she followed me there in the field of cruises, and is now a multi-million dollar cruise agent 12 years going. (She’ll be celebrating her 70th birthday the end of August!)

When I wrote my first ‘published’ work [I use the term loosely because I published it myself…there is a whole subculture of zine-writers out there and I was proud to be a part of them, if only for a short time. It takes a lot of time and energy (and expense) to be constantly promoting yourself and looking for distributors of your work, and then hoping for good reviews as well.], this was actually the topic I covered, my quest for my “Dream Job” (or, My Life as a Slacker). Reflecting back on that piece now, 5 years later, I am starting to realize that the one piece missing in my quest…is the actual QUEST.

I’m not going to open my google inbox some morning and find a “Congratulations, you’re hired at your Dream Job!” email…okay, well that’s a bad example, because I probably have about 45 of those in my spam folder right now, along with Nigerian lottery winnings and lots of other Royalty that wants me to hang on to their inheritances because I’m just THAT special…But my point is this, as with anything in life, if you want it, you’ve got to go get it. Get busy livin’ or get busy dying. Life is like a box of chocolates…I could go on with innumerable life-lessons from movie quotes if you’d like…no? Ok, I’ll stop.

So then what *is* my Dream Job™? From a very young age, I always loved writing. I loved making up stories, either in my head or in papers for school, or in journals I’d keep. For a time, I thought I’d become a teacher, or even a lawyer because I loved to do speech writing and public speaking (despite my neck turning BRIGHT red whenever I did so, I made it to the state finals in Virgina for Forensics in high school – public speaking Forensics, not CSI stuff). Then I went back to the writing idea and thought I’d give Creative Writing for Children a try. Of all my college classes, that (and Medieval Architecture) was my favorite. However somehow in that time frame, I just got lost in the sea of classes and became pretty overwhelmed and took a semester off. It was a weird time. While I was working at my long-time job as a waitress, I got the brilliant idea that working at Disney World was THE best idea ever. That started my time a Cast Member, which I’ll discuss here soon (but you can read about it at afterthemouse.com too).

Eventually I wanted a ‘real job’ (aka weekends off) and got into Travel (which is what I’d gotten my degree in: Travel & Tourism Management). Then I got married, and had babies and never really went back to work full-time. I tried my hand at a few things; The Disney Store, selling travel from home, going back to Disney with their Travel Co, and lastly working as a barista at Starbucks (because I just like coffee THAT much). All the while wishing I could write and get some magical dream job where I got paid to do so.

What kept me from writing though, was the fact that every time I put fingers to keyboard and began to type, I didn’t have any made-up stories to tell. I somehow just kept telling my own stories…about my crazy family, some of their heartbreaking tales, my childhood, my thoughts on things. “Who would want to read THAT?” I kept telling myself. So I’d get an idea of something to talk about, and just push it back further and further until I forgot about it. Fear of failing kept me from ever trying.

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.~Anais Nin

Well, apparently, it’s taken me 35 years to blossom. The women in my family always have had a high threshold for pain. 😉 Even when I decided back in 2004 to write that zine (and I had an essay published and contributed to another well-known zine), the fear came back so I stopped. Well now the fear is gone. I am here and I’m going to share my thoughts and stories and silly tales with the world, even if that world consists of me and my friends on Twitter.

Will I ever get ‘paid’ to do this dream job? Odds are, not too likely. But I should think positively, right? Maybe writing this blog and connecting with others will lead to something wonderful, and in turn to something else amazing. Who knows what the future will bring. My true dream job would be to work for Disney World again in some aspect. Last year I tried out for the Disney Mom’s Panel. I did not make it past the first cut, but I will keep trying because it is a goal I’m ready to work for. Disney has been a part of my life for, well, all my life and I’m just now making the wonderful connection between writing and Disney-and I’m a mom! I know there’s a great future there and I intend to see it through. After all, all it takes is faith and trust, and just a little pixie dust, right?

What is your dream job? Has it changed over the course of your life? What are you doing to get to that goal? I’d love to hear from you.

Remember the Magic

25 June 2009 by Suzannah Otis 3 Comments

I figured the best way to jump into adding Disney-blogging to my site was to start at the beginning, and share how I became Disney-obsessed to begin with. Most people have a definite and strong opinion regarding the Disney Company itself, both the parks and the entertainment/film division. I, have always been a fan it seems. Although I have met many people over the years that do not share my love, I have never really understood how that is possible. 😉

My dad’s family lived outside of Ocala, FL, and I guess I visited when I was less than a year old, but obviously don’t remember that. My first memory of Walt Disney World was when I was about 6 or 7. We went to visit my dad’s family, and Disney World at the same time. I really don’t recall too much from that visit though. I remember chocolate-covered frozen bananas, orange drinks in a plastic orange from The Orange Bird stand outside the Tiki Room, the Wedway People Mover and Small World. However, it was after that visit that my family’s love for Disney really started to grow.
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