A Dedication Blog for my manager... Walt Disney

"To all that come to this happy place: welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and the promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America.... with home that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world." -- Walt Disney's opening anouncement when Disneyland opened in 1955.



"I've always said that there will never another Disneyland, and I think it's going to work out that way. But it will be the equivalent of Disneyland. We know the basic things that have family appeal. There are many ways that you can use those certain basic things and give them a new decor, a new treatment. This here will have to be something unique, so there is distinction between Disneyland in California and whatever Disney does in Florida." -- Walt Disney



"Why do we grow up? I know more adults who have the children's approach to life. They're people who don't give a hang to what the Joneses do. You see them at Disneyland every time you go there. They are not afraid to be delighted with simple pleasures, and they have a degree of contentment with what life has brought -- sometimes it isn't much, either." -- Walt Disney



"I only hope we don't lose sight of one thing -- that it was all started by a mouse." -- Walt Disney


Walt Disney was such a great guy who loved families and desired to provied a fun place for them to act as a family full of children:). He never focused on the sales of the Disney Company when Disneyland opened which I think made him successful. He focused on the service that he wanted his Cast Members to portray. He always thought that you are always "on stage" when you were on your break, working, walking to work, and leaving work. He loved the whole idea of everyone (Cast Members) wearing costumes. He provided a safe place for families to get together and have fun whether it meant riding rides, meeting characters, and even walking through the front gates onto Main Street, U.S.A.

When Magic Kingdom in Florida was "almost" completed, he wanted to the middle part of Cinderella's Castle to be his apartment/condo for his family. He died before he could see his new home. He died before Epcot was finished. He died before he could see the way Walt Disney World is today...

* Magic Kingdom
* Epcot
* MGM/Hollywood Studios
* Animal Kingdom
* Downtown Disney
* Twenty-four Disney Resorts
* Disney Transportation
* And more...

The way Walt Disney World is today is all because of a man who didn't want to grow up. All because of a man who wanted families to have fun. All because of a man who pulled through people telling him that he couldn't do it.



Now look where his vision is today...

* Disneyland, three resorts, Downtown Disney, and California Adventure
* Disney World, twenty-four resorts, Downtown Disney, Four Theme Parks, and two Water Parks.
* Disneyland Paris
* Disneyland Tokyo



"Why are you working for Disney?"



People have never been able to understand why working for Disney has always been a dream of mine.

"It's too childish, Bethany."

"You need to grow up."

"Disney is only for kids."



It's too childish, Bethany.

I love Disney.

You need to grow up.

What if I don't want leave Disney behind? I refuse to grow up... Peter Pan never wanted to grow up. ;)

Disney is only for kids.

Then why do I see college kids, grown ups, tour groups, and many other people in high school, college, and after college guests spend week after week in Disney?



Why do you work for Disney?



I work for Disney because I get to see God's gift of family walk through the main gates of Disney's Hollywood Studios every single day. Families who want to celebrate new beginnings such as new engagements, new marriages, their anniversary, a family reunion... Even seeing families who are sponsored by the Make-a-Wish, Give Kids the World, or many other foundations... Those kids will probably never be able to come back to Disney again because of their terminal illness. I cry every day when a character spends THIRTY MINUTES with a child from those foundations. They want to make their vacation memorable because of the hard times they are going through already. Disney even lets them cut in front of EVERYONE because they don't want them to wait anymore.

I work for Disney because it has given me great communication abilities for when I find new jobs in the future. This internship will definitely help my resume when I go home to find a great job.



I work for Disney because Disney, to me, is a family that will always support you. My fellow Cast Members are considered family to me. I work with an older gentleman who has been a father figure to me since I don't see my dad every day. He has encouraged me when I got the flu when i first arrived. He has encouraged me when I was nervous about working on my own without a trainer nearby. He has encouraged me when I got the flu this past week. Well...the same goes for pretty much everybody at DHS.



I work for Disney because my character pals give me hugs all the time. They know that i work for Disney when I play in the parks because they give me the BEST CHARACTER HUGS EVER! It's funny how they recognize you if you constantly work character shifts.:) I love you Chip and Dale! <3



Lastly, I work for Disney because Walt Disney was and will always be the greatest human being I have ever worked for. He may not be here on this earth, but he is still very much alive every time you walk through the gates of the Magic Kingdom onto Main Street, U.S.A. He is very much alive when you walk through A One Man's Dream to see his actual drawings of characters, etc. He is very much alive when you walk through EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow). He is very much alive when you drive onto Disney Property for the first, second, and even nineteenth time.



Why Do We Have To Grow Up?



I don't know about you guys... but i have refused to grow up since the first time I met Mickey Mouse in 1994. <3



***Consider this blog to be a blog all about Walt Disney. <3