This week while walking with my brother in Hollywood Studios, he pointed out a fairly abrupt transition that has been on my mind ever since. There is a place where the Muppets Courtyard (or Grand Avenue, as it’s now called) blends into the entrance of Galaxy’s Edge, and while most Disney transitions are seamless, this one is not.
It’s abrupt.
Two different conceptual identities competing for a home simultaneously struck me as an odd departure for Disney, and more so for myself. I personally love the comfort that comes with anticipating change, and adjusting accordingly. When I walk from Adventureland to Frontierland, I can expect the vegetation to slowly shift and the music to fade in and out as I’m eased into a new land.
Not so with this place we’ve landed in. Our world tilted on it’s axis and while we’ve had a year to adapt, nothing will ever quite prepare us for announcements over the intercom at Disney that threaten being asked to leave if we don’t comply with wearing face masks properly. It’s like standing in Tomorrowland surrounded by futuristic architecture while looking at Cinderella’s Castle… you’re not in Fantasyland but neither are you fully in Tomorrowland. It’s like we’re all living on the bridge to a new land but haven’t quite made it across, so everything is incongruent.
But Disney has found ways to meet us on the bridge, giving us encouragement that there is a way forward, and hope in the meantime as we struggle with the unknown. Watching Mickey roll by with a crew of smiling cast members during a cavalcade reminds us that we can still experience joy in the midst of the chaos, and that there is still so much to celebrate even when the transition has left us feeling worn out and tattered.
This is how we continue on when we are unsure how long the bridge with go on. We dance with Daisy Duck. We wave to Mickey. We eat a Dole Whip in a new location and admit that while it’s not the Tiki Room (previous perfect dining spot for said treat), the view has changed but the delight has not.
We are adapting who we were and becoming who we are meant to be.
There’s no doubt in my mind that even the uncomfortable transitions are taking us where we need to go. The abrupt ones are especially excruciating, and not at all what we would prefer, but there is a new land on the other side worth exploring.
Here’s the thing, though: We have to let go of what was in order to move into what will be.
We have to let go of what was in order to move into what will be.
I’ve heard so many people express their desire to get back to a “normal” Disney experience, and believe me, I’ll be celebrating right alongside all of you when we no longer have to wear masks in the Florida heat. But, at the risk of stating an unpopular opinion, can we all just admit that there was quite a bit that is better now? And, dare I hope, some of the changes stay?
Bear with me here, because I know how much we all loved our beloved pre-pandemic parks. We knew them. We loved them. They were the vacations we hung on our walls and relived over and over. Naturally, they were perfect.
But what if there is a better way that we haven’t considered because we put Disney in a box of how it should be and refused to imagine any other way?
Some of this I talk about in my previous post about Disney ghost rules we don’t know we have, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious to me that some of the creative changes Disney has come up with in this time has made our vacations so much more peaceful. Here’s a short list of changes I’ve appreciated in this new era:
- Single-family elevator and Skyliner rides
- Tables spread out from one another
- Not waiting for hours for a parade
- Not waiting in line to greet characters (but still seeing SO many!)
- Having (most) people respect my personal space
- Two words: Mobile Ordering (yes, please! So convenient!)
- Extra cleaning of surfaces
- A guaranteed seat on the bus ride back to the resort at the end of the day
- Park reservations keeping crowds somewhat even
Of course, I miss nightly fireworks. And hearing what people say to me without it being muffled into obscurity. And if all the plexiglass could disappear overnight, it would make me a happy lady.
But this strange new world we are in has created innovations and a new way of touring the parks that, while seemingly an abrupt change from where we were, is actually ushering in an era of adjustments we didn’t know we needed.
I will propose here that maybe there are some adjustments inside us happening as well in this time, ones we probably needed for a long time but never quite found time to make. Sometimes it takes a crisis to make us reevaluate who we are and what matters most. Pack up what you intend to keep and leave the rest behind… or as Pumbaa would put it, “You gotta put your behind in your past.”
Maybe this time is an opportunity to only put back in our suitcases that which we truly need in our daily lives and let go of the rest. In our pre-pandemic culture, we’ve too easily accepted our overloaded baggage without realizing the impossibility of all we are trying to cram into a limited space.
We’ve too easily accepted our overloaded baggage without realizing the impossibility of all we are trying to cram into a limited space.
Maybe we all need a little more breathing room, and not just for the moment, but in all the moments to come.
So when you stand contemplating at the odd transition before you, keep in mind that the land around the corner holds unexplored delight just waiting to be discovered. Pack your suitcase with the bare necessities and stride forward in confidence. You won’t be on the bridge forever, friends. And there is always a great, big, beautiful tomorrow no matter what lies on the other side.
Need some more Disney inspiration in your life? Sign up below for a weekly dose of magic straight to your inbox!
