Persevere - Disney Cicerone

The Armor We Choose: Finding Grace in Painful Places

Disney Cicerone December 30, 2022 0 Comments

Armor. That's what she had to put on, every day. Amidst cat calls, pranks, and those who watched and waited for her to fail so they could pounce, Grace Huntington walked a daily minefield with invisible protective gear making her not as invisible as she wished she could be. Walt had warned her about this in her job interview for the story department at Walt Disney Studios. He was honest with...

“Did you know that… ?” Seeking the Truth in Disney Stories

Disney Cicerone June 14, 2022 0 Comments

I once had a conversation with a former Imagineer who told me something along the lines of, "Disney people are storytellers." And boy, isn't that the truth? Sometimes Disney fans, creators, and even Cast Members hear a story about something in Disney history and get so excited to hear a "secret" that they immediately pass it on as fact without tracking down the primary source (my professor...

Weather makes a difference (but not the way you think)

Disney Cicerone September 17, 2020 0 Comments

Nothing builds the dread in a Disney planner's heart more than seeing a week's worth of rain in the forecast for a much-anticipated vacation. Sure, we all say, “It’s better when it rains! It clears out the parks!” But nobody really wants it to rain/thunderstorm/hurricane/you name it during your delightfully, thoughtfully planned Disney adventure. But you see, friends, it’s exactly these...

How Disney Teaches You to Persevere

Disney Cicerone September 14, 2020 4 Comments

The fire notices screamed from my phone this week while I dashed haphazardly around my home and debated about what I wanted to take with me as we evacuated the wildfires that have plagued our side of the nation. I picked up objects and put them back. I looked tearfully at others realizing I may never see them again. I threw odd things in my suitcase and forgot what I was doing as...