Day 1263: Life Goals

There seems to be this universal Disney Parks Fan bucket list item that we just all hope to accomplish. When you ask the average person where they'd like to travel in the world, especially outside of the United States, they'll most likely return with an answer of somewhere common: Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo, or so on and so forth. If you ask a Disney fan that same question, they'll give similar answers, only we won't be going to see the Eiffel Tower.

With the, now increasing, number of Disney parks that are scattered throughout the world, there's a part of all of us that aspires to see each of them in person. There's just something about seeing the uniqueness of each castle, and experiencing the differences between not only the attractions, but the cultures in general. After all, an experience at Disneyland Paris is going to be very different from what you'll find at the newly opened Disney Shanghai Resort.

I've said for years that the number one item on my bucket list is to visit every Disney Park in the world, and that hasn't changed. I don't really care if I'm 90 and they've opened two more...I'll see them all. So far I'm not doing too bad, as I've already been to both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, so I have the United States checked off. But that means I still have four other Disney Resorts to visit in my lifetime, and who knows what else could pop up in other parts of the world.

This all comes, of course, because of the new addition in Shanghai, which features the world's largest Disney Castle ever, along with spectacularly designed new lands, and boasts an authentic Disney experience that is also distinctly Chinese. I highly doubt I'll get to see these newest additions for many years, but from the sound of it, the park is already learning as it goes. The gates are packed as we enter the second day of operation, and because of cultural differences, it sounds like safety is going to be a bit harder to enforce (and you thought it was bad at Walt Disney World).

I'm positive, however, that cast members will do their best to make Disneyland Shanghai a safe and magical experience for everyone to set foot there now and forever. I, meanwhile, will continue to sit on my couch, jealous of everyone on the opposite side of the planet. After all, the closest I'll get to Shanghai right now is the Opening Celebration they televised just a couple of hours ago, which honestly sort of disappointed me, but I got to watch the opening ceremony live last night, so I can't complain too much.

To everyone out at Shanghai Disneyland, have a wonderful time, and remember to take lots of pictures for those of us back in the states!

And to everyone stuck at home like me, hang in there. We'll get there someday.

Have a magical day!

Day 1262: Opening Ceremony

When I was a kid, there was a scene near the end of Spaceship Earth with a mother, I believe, more or less facetiming her child a bedtime story. I've actually talked about that scene before, and now that Facetime and Skype have basically become a part of our everyday life, it no longer seems so impossible. But 20 years ago, it was a distant dream that was far from being perfected.

Tonight, on the other hand, anyone from anywhere in the world could watch the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Disney Resort. For me, it's an 13 hour time difference, making us almost exactly on the other side of the world, and yet I was lucky enough to witness a spectacular historic event for both the United States and China.

It's been months since I visited the D23 Expo show floor, where an entire section was carved out to display upcoming attractions to the newest Disney Park, but I can definitely still recall the amazement of myself and those around me as we discovered some of the experiences for the first time, even if they weren't actually in front of us. You could tell immediately that immense thought was put into every element of this resort, and the tagline of "Authentically Disney and Distinctly Chinese" fits perfectly. Of course, I'm still 13 hours away from the actual resort and have pretty much no hope to traveling there anytime soon, but the love and dedication and inspiration that every Disney park, this one included, is made of has been apparent every step of the way.

I'll also be watching the TV special tomorrow on the grand opening of the Shanghai Disney Resort, but for now I'm happy with the presentation, Iger's speech, the beautiful dedication, the culturally enlightening and equally beautiful introductions by Chinese officials, and the delightful performances by some of Shanghai's cast members.

I will say though that the comment about rain on the opening day being a good omen according to Chinese culture kind of gave me hope. I'm positive I'll keep that in mind in the future when it rains on an important day in my life.

And just for the record, it rained here today too.

Have a magical day!