Our Disney Memories
As a kid in the Caribbean, I never got to experience the magic of Disney. It was a dream I lived through a Mexican show called Chiquilladas, since they used to go every year and livestream from the parks. I used to daydream about walking into Cinderella’s castle and magically turning into a blond princess. (Blond since society conditioned me to think that the ultimate form of beauty was based on the level of melanin in my body. White simply meant Beauty. Anything else pretty much depended on how close the person got to the Anglo-Saxon features.)
Once we immigrated to New York and I made my first salary, I decided to take my little brother and sister to Disney! I was 18 at that point and they became my legitimate excuse to go without looking immature (super important for a late teen). We were all living in Washington Heights and for those of you who know my home town, you know what this means.
We went from the piropos of the drug dealers (who literally start escorting you publicly and shamelessly from age 10) to the gentle greetings of the Disney characters. It was an unforgettable experience!
Today, I take my own kids to Disney at least once a year with the Disney Social Media Moms. It has become a family tradition. We use every single excuse to organize a trip. My boys have become the official tour operators for their cousins and any friend who goes to Disney for the first time. I captured a candid conversation we had about the parks. I hope you enjoy it!
A big thanks to Sony for sponsoring this campaign. Click here to see more of the discussion.
Want to capture your own family memories on video? We’re giving away two Sony Handycams! To enter for a chance to win, simply comment on any Sony-sponsored post (including this one) with an answer to the following question: what’s your favorite family memory? Contest runs through 11:59 p.m. EDT on September 30th, 2012, and you may enter once per post. Contest is open to U.S. residents only.
Want a chance to win weekly prizes like a Sony Handycam or a $200 Disney shopping card? Enter to win here!
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Oye! I wear many other hats. Let’s become BFF!
Ana La Revolucionaria can be found on LATISM
Ana La Education Geek can be found on PlazaFamilia
More Blábeando but way shorter on Twitter: AnaRC
Great post, Ana. I never spent much time at Disney, but maybe I’ll have to go sometime. Here is one of my favorite family memories:
When I was a kid, my family used to take a vacation together about once a year. Sometimes we went to Las Vegas, or Yellowstone National Park, but the year that really sticks out in my memory was a trip to Florida. We visited Universal Orlando, which was great as my brothers and I were adrenaline junkies at the time (Not anymore. No thank you, roller coasters).
And then we took a road trip out to the Gulf of Mexico and rented a boat with a guide to take us deep sea fishing. Nobody in my family had done much fishing before but we each ended up catching enormous eighteen-inch fish of some kind. We had a bucket of five or ten of them after a little while. Then we started using those as bait to catch even bigger fish. Something down there had teeth, because we ended up losing all of the fish we’d caught trying to pull something big and heavy out of the water. We never caught him, but he got a nice meal composed of all the fish we caught. It’s probably for the best. Any shark we caught couldn’t have been as great as the one in my imagination.
It was a great time and I remember it fondly. I’ll definitely take my own family to do it when it feels like the time is right.
I LOVE DISNEY and think it’s awesome that you go every year! When my boys were younger we did every other year, but now that they’re almost teens it’s tougher to organize everyone’s schedules and we’ve slacked the past three years or so. Good for you though :)
Disney is amazing! I have been there a few times also, I go with the family and I take my kids too. My kids are still young, which is great!
Hey I take my kids away to Disney once every two years, it’s a great way to spend time with the kids and family. I really enjoy going there, also when I can sneek away and get a few beers with the lads. :)
I have only been there once, about a year a go. I would like to go again but it can be a costly occasion. Considering we have a very large family.
Hiya, we go every year also! I remember the last time we were there, I went with my two kids and husband. My two kids go wild every time we go. And the night before they never sleep!! They keep us up and we end up being tired all day. Our kids get very excited at times :) I guess that’s a good thing.
my kids would be so jealous! they have been begging to go to disney, well since they could talk! we’re surprising them with a trip this year for the holidays, so hopefully well make a great video like yours by the end of it!
My husband and I were just looking for a simple video camera to capture moments like those. My family has tried to take one trip a year together (out of state every other year, out of the country the rest) and I will always remember the fun time we had in Cancun! We have family there and I got to see my great-grandmother for the last time before she passed away. It was wonderful!
Coming up on Independence day, I am reminded of watching the fireworks every year with our family. Eating junky food and laying on a blanket on the grass watching the colors across the sky.
When we were kids trips to Disneyland were extremely special occasions, but now, living just an hour away, we’re seriously considering buying a year pass. Our son is still young, but it’s nice to be able to go whenever and if the crowds are crazy, head home without feeling like we’ve wasted too much money. I can’t wait until he’s old enough to be as excited as his parents!
Great list. Thank you! Buffer seems to be very interesting. I am creating an accout right now