My Disney Do List

“If you can dream it, you can do it!”

I think that people’s dreams are as diverse as people are themselves. So what I dream of doing may be completely different than what you dream of doing – and that’s awesome! Because if everyone wanted to do the same thing, how boring (and crowded!) would that get?!

Some people dream of climbing Mt. Everest, of winning the lottery, or getting a medal at the Olympics. Some dream of becoming President or marrying royalty. Some dream of hitting the perfect note or creating the next iPhone or Facebook.

As you can probably tell from this blog, I pretty much eat, sleep and breathe Disney.  So it’s probably no surprise that my dreams are about Disney, too! If I wanted to travel the world – I’d want to travel it with Disney. And I’ll admit, I’d love to visit all of the Disney Parks worldwide, but I don’t really expect to have the opportunity to do so.

But there are a few Disney dreams that I have already had the chance to make come true:

I visited the Walt Disney World Resort. More than once. (And I hope to go back again in the next year or two. And again after that!)

I ate at Club 33. The real one – before it was totally changed and redesigned. The one that Walt Disney himself oversaw much of the design of.

Those were HUGE – probably my top two Disney dreams that I waited decades to achieve.

But there is still so much more I dream of doing – and a lot of it, I really hope and think I can do!

So here is my Disney Do List – the things that I would most love to do in the wonderful world of Disney in order from smallest to biggest!

10. Ride in the tender seat on the Disneyland Railroad.

• Really, I’ve no excuse for not doing this other than I always seem to be rushing from show to show when I’m at the park and I simply never took the time to either arrive early enough to request this unique perspective of traveling on one of the trains or waited long enough to do so. On the last day of the railroad before it closed a few weeks ago, the wait for this prime spot was several hours long at various times during the day even with multiple trains running. So now I have to wait till the railroad re-opens. And then I need to do it!

9. Earn my Pilot’s Certificate by riding in the wheelhouse of the Mark Twain

• This one, too, I only have myself to blame for not doing it. It was something one could request, though again there was always a wait and the spots often filled up quickly for the day. Although my understanding was that by the last few weeks before the recent closing of the Rivers of America, you could no longer request the opportunity, it was just being given randomly. I don’t have confirmation on that, however. But I do know when the Mark Twain returns to the Rivers, I will make it a priority to try!

8. Ride in the Lily Belle Presidential Train Car on the Disneyland Railroad

• This luxury caboose that was out periodically was usually just available in recent years to Club 33 members and their guests. Unfortunately, I was not aware of this at the time I went to Club 33, so I missed that opportunity. Every once in a while though, supposedly a few members of the general public have been allowed aboard. I hope for this chance when the railroad reopens, but it may be a rarity.

7. A visit to Walt Disney’s apartment at Disneyland

• The Walk in Walt’s Footsteps Tour I think used to include a visit to this apartment above the Firehouse, however, that may have changed. I need to do some homework to see if this is still included before I would want to take the tour. I’ve not actually taken any park tours and I would like to at some point – although I think I know Disneyland Resort well enough that I’d find the tours of the Walt Disney World Resort far more unique and educational experiences!

6. A visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum

• Since this location is open to the public, it’s just a matter of getting to San Francisco and spending the day there!

5. Stay at the Grand Californian – especially on the concierge level!

• This luxury resort hotel is a wonderful place to visit whether you’re staying there or not. They often have great Mousertainment to offer! But I think it would be amazing to have the chance to stay there, if only for a weekend, to enjoy all of the amenities the resort provides!  When I stayed at the Walt Disney World Resort, I stayed at the moderate resort hotels, so it would be lovely to have a fully pampered Disney deluxe resort experience!  (Not to mention being able to walk directly out of the hotel onto the grounds of Disney California Adventure!)
  

4. Take a Disney Cruise to Castaway Cay

• This one is my most wanted Disney dream that I hope to actually really do in the next few years – take a trip aboard a Disney Cruise Line ship to their private island of Castaway Cay and enjoy everything the ship and island have to offer their guests from great restaurants to recreational activities to themed parties and activities!

3. Stay in a themed suite at the Disneyland Hotel

• This one may actually wait until I win the lottery! But it would so be worth it to be able to spend a few nights in the Pirates of the Caribbean or Adventureland or Fairy Tale themed suites! Probably the only thing more amazing would be to stay in an Alice in Wonderland-themed room at the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel!

2. Stay in the Disneyland Dream Suite

• I’ll admit, I sometimes think I’d sleep in the horse barn just for a chance to spend the night at Disneyland Park – I love it there so much! But some luckier folks starting back in the “Year of a Million Dreams” promotion were chosen to spend the night in far more magical surroundings inside the Disneyland Dream Suite. Situated upstairs at the former Disney Gallery spot in New Orleans Square overlooking the Rivers of America, this wonderful location is a re-invention of the spot where Walt Disney originally planned a family apartment near Club 33. Sadly, that dream never came to fruition, but the suite is still a major dream for park fans who would love to stay there even if only for one night!

1. Stay in the Cinderella Castle Suite

• Inside Cinderella Castle at the Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom is a not-so-secret suite where contest winners and other fortunate souls have spent the night! Inside the Castle. And did I mention it was INSIDE THE CASTLE?!?! Okay, eating inside Cinderella Castle is a pretty awesome experience, but getting to spend a night inside the Castle?! Too, too amazing for words!

I think there’s a reasonable chance that in the next several years I’ll be able to accomplish dreams number 4-10 on my Disney Do List. Number 3 as I noted will likely have to wait until I stumble over a pirate’s treasure chest. And numbers 1 and 2 are truly in the “wildest dreams” category! But then again, it never hurts to dream!

Are any of these activities on your Disney Do List? Is there something Disney I didn’t list that you would love to do?