My Disney reverse bucket list!

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Hey everyone!

So this is an idea I actually saw on someone else's blog first, so before I go any further I wanted to thank whoever it was that gave me the green light to do my own. Unfortunately right now I have the memory of, well something with a terrible terrible memory, and cannot for the life of me remember who that was to link you - I'm so sorry!

Now if you're like me, you might find that you love reading about other people's trips and adventures and experiences, not even just the Disney ones, but sometimes it just leaves you feeling a bit deflated that maybe you haven't achieved as much, or that you've still got so much left on your bucket list to complete. I'll be honest it's a pretty common thing for me and something that I'm learning to try and deal with and make into a positive.

So that's where the reverse bucket list comes in, sometimes you're so busy focusing on all the things you haven't done yet, or can't do right now, that it's all too easy to forget all the things you have already achieved, and I can bet there are a few on there that other people wish they'd done too! So this is a look back at some Disney parks things I have achieved over the years!

  1. My first Disney trip.
Now this is sort of a no brainer I guess, if it weren't for me having actually visited the parks already, this blog wouldn't exist, or if it did a lot of the content would be very different! For me my first visit to a Disney park was a long time coming, unlike many I never visited as a child, it was expensive, my parents weren't that interested and the money just got spent on other things instead. Now please don't get me wrong here, I had an incredible childhood, we still took holidays, we went on days out, we had more pets than people believed (23 at one point!!) and we had more than enough love. But I knew my ambition to one day go to a Disney park wasn't going to go away.



Eventually when i started working and earning my own money, I was lucky enough to win some holiday vouchers from my employers after a particularly successful Christmas season and there was no doubt in my mind what I would be using them for. So in 2010 I got my first passport and headed over to Disneyland Paris, it was the "New generation festival" and pretty much straight away I fell in love!



Being able to finally go, and even better to earn and pay for the trip myself was a huge deal for me, and I'm proud to have achieved it!

2. Getting an annual pass.

What's better than your first trip to a Disney park? Your first annual pass of course! Now before I get started let me make the following super clear.

I do not consider anyone who doesn't own or hasn't ever owned an annual pass for any of the Disney parks to be less of a fan in any way. Having one is a great benefit if you are able and want to visit often, but it doesn't make you any better/more important than any other guest or fan.

For me an annual pass always seemed out of reach, they were only for people who lived much closer than I did to a Disney park and could go way more often! Then in March 2016, I realised suddenly I was becoming one of those people. With 3 trips booked for 2016, the annual pass became a worthy investment where I could make back the cost in discounts and perks over the trips I already had booked.

Two years later I'm onto my 2nd annual pass, have taken 12 trips as a pass holder and have more booked for the next few months! Not only that, going to the parks has not only given me this blog, but it has allowed me to meet and make so so many incredible friends in the Disney community and I feel so very lucky to know them and have them around.

3. My first stay at Newport Bay Club.

This is probably a more unusual one, it's not the priciest hotel, it's not exclusive, it's not 5 star luxury, but for me, Newport bay was always a dream hotel. During my first trip back in 2010, my friend and I decided we wouldn't wait for the Disney shuttle bus to take us from the Santa Fe to the park, and instead, as it was a nice morning, we'd walk it. Well long story short, we got totally totally lost! We didn't know about the path at the back of the resort that would take us along the river and into the village, and our misguided attempt at walking the bus route had somehow taken us to the Newport bay entrance.



Now if you've visited the parks or seen a map of the layout of the hotels in relation to the parks, you'll understand just how ridiculous this is looking back, we really did walk quite far out of our way! Anyway, all's well that ends well as we hopped on a shuttle from there and still made it to the park before our friend who we'd left having breakfast at our hotel. But right from that day when I first set eyes on the hotel, I knew Newport Bay Club was the Disney hotel for me. I don't know what it was exactly about the hotel, they're all pretty impressive and beautiful in their own way, but the Newport really stole my heart.



The nautical theme drew me in, the grand building and beautiful lobby, every trip after that I'd look optimistically at the prices to see if I could make it work, and for a long time I couldn't. I finally stayed at Newport Bay in October 2017 for the Halloween season, and boy I was not disappointed at all! You can catch up with my full hotel review here, staying there was definitely a big tick off my Disney bucket list, and I cannot wait to stay there again some time!

4. Visiting a park for it's anniversary.

See this list is actually quite funny when you think about it, because I'm not sure this is something I ever would have put on a bucket list if I'd written one, or something I ever really thought about doing, until it happened, and now I can't imagine having never got to experience one. Disney is magical, that much is true about pretty much any park on any given day, I'm constantly in awe of everything around me in the parks, the buildings, the shows, the music, the atmosphere. But an anniversary day? That's something else entirely.



I was lucky enough to be in Disneyland Paris on April 12th 2017, the 25th anniversary of the opening of the park. The celebrations and atmosphere that day were incredible, and so so special. It really was a sparkling celebration, the weather was beautiful (if a little too warm) the crowds were all in good spirits and oh boy did Disney put on a show for us! The morning started with the Grand Celebration, a parade starting from the castle and working its way down Main street with over 100 characters! This was then repeated as 2 shorter cavalcades during the day. The VIPs were out meeting in exclusive outfits and for many like myself, it was a first chance to see all of the new entertainment options, which included the Starlit Princess Waltz, the Happy Anniversary show and the incredible Stars on parade. The day ended with Illuminations and a very special good night kiss with not only Mickey, but all 12 VIPs in their special outfits.



If you ever get the chance to go to a parks anniversary event, I couldn't recommend it more. It was an incredibly long and busy day but it left me with the most incredible memories that I'm so grateful for!

5. Complete a Run Disney race.

Completing your first distance race is always a special experience, now imagine your first long distance is in a Disney park? Awesome right?! What if I told you it was also the first time the park had hosted such an event? It's the icing on the cake, and that's why run Disney has made it onto my list!



September 2016 saw Disneyland Paris host its first run Disney event, over a weekend in late September runners could take part in both a 5km race and a half marathon, and for mini runners there were a number of children's races around lake Disney. Run Disney was already well established in the US And was something I always had an ambition for, so when it came to my home park my dream was suddenly a reality.



I can honestly say not only is run Disney not like any other Disney event I've attended, it's also so much more than any other race I've ever partaken in, and being part of the inaugural event just made it extra special. I returned in 2017 to complete the new "Bibity bobity boo" challenge which added an additional 10Km race to the line up and I'm all booked to return in 2018 for the 36km challenge.

My race memories are some of my favourite DLP moments and the medals are something I will cherish for years to come!



So that's my reverse Disney bucket list as it stands, what would be on yours? Have I inspired you to add anything to your bucket list? Let me know in the comments!

Hoodsie xx

5 comments:

  1. I would love to do the Bibbity bobbity boo challenge!

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  2. It was so worth all the hard work!

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  3. The Newport Bay is my favourite hotel after the Disneyland hotel!

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  4. Definitely sounds it. One to be added to my bucket list!

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  5. Ahh loved reading this! It was me who did the post btw and you asked if you could do it too 😀 (mainstreetpixie on twitter)

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