Disney magic alive for young and old

I never got to go to Disney World as a little kid.

There's no doubt I wanted to go. I'd see the commercials on TV, or see images from the theme parks Sunday nights on the old "Wonderful World of Disney" television show.

And though my family took many nice vacations — to places like the lakes of Minnesota, the Black Hills of South Dakota and the skyscrapers of Chicago — Disney World was never in the mix.

It wasn't until my freshman year of high school that I made my first trip to see the mouse in central Florida. It was with my high school band. I immediately fell in love with the place. It wasn't just another theme park — it was a place of whimsy and adventure, where the dreams of tomorrow became the realities of today. On that trip and on another band trip two years later, I began laying plans for future return trips in my adult years.

The first of those trips came in 1998, when my wife, Jena, and I went to Florida, along with my sister and her husband. It would be a year before any of us would have children. It was a great trip, and we pledged to repeat the journey in the years to come, as our families grew.

Three years ago, Jena and I took our two kids, Katie and Drew, then ages 7 and 4, to Disney World for their first trip. It was a magical trip, the fulfillment of many of the plans originally hatched on the high school band trips of many years ago.

But the ultimate fulfillment of my Disney World plans came last week, when we made a return trip to the World, this time with my sister and her family, along with my 70-year-old father. The nine of us, with kids ages 6, 8, 10 and 11 in tow, had a truly spectacular time, making memories that will last us a lifetime.

Visiting Disney isn't like any other vacation. If you picture a vacation as a time to sleep in, lounge around all day and generally relax, Disney World probably isn't for you.

But if you still have a 5-year-old child somewhere deep within your soul, and you want to let that child come out to play for a while, there's no better place to be than Disney World.

On our weeklong trip we piloted a spacecraft to Mars. We hang-glided over California. We road magic carpets. We pillaged with pirates. We took an African safari. We had a close encounter with the Yeti on Mount Everest. We dined in a German village. We braved the spooky Hollywood Tower Hotel.

I could go on and on about the wonderful attractions we saw — which are truly awesome. The imagination and innovation that Disney puts into its attractions are truly phenomenal.

But the best part of our trip was not the attractions we experienced, but rather the people we experienced them with. For instance, the Studio Backlot Tour wouldn't have been nearly as much fun if my sister hadn't been picked to be part of the show. Walking down Main Street USA for the first time wouldn't have been nearly as special if it hadn't been my father's first time seeing Cinderella Castle. And Space Mountain wouldn't have been nearly as exhilarating without the screams and laughter of my children and their cousins ringing in my ears.

In fact, some my favorite parts of the trip had nothing to do with the attractions. Some of the best times were simply the moments spent with family, whether it was around the dinner table, in line for an attraction, on the bus to our resort, or waiting at the airport. That special family time — coupled with the magic of Disney — is what made this latest trip one that will be difficult to top.

It will probably be some time before our family returns to Disney World. Increasingly hectic lives, along with the allure of other locales, (not to mention other financial commitments) will no doubt keep us busy for quite a few years.

But as long as there is still a small child resting deep within my soul, I will always quietly be making plans for my next trip to see the mouse in central Florida. You're never too old for Disney World.