[dctrdez]

I know how ya feel loneknight. I got pretty burned out about Disneyland when I went down for the eveninga year ago to see my brother's band perform in the Disneyland Hotel. I got a free ticket to go into the Park with some friends, but I just didn't enjoy myself as much as I had in the past. The experience was very hollow...

But I discovered how to gain back that magical spark from being at Disneyland. You see, for the past several years now I had only gone to Disneyland with assorted friends, each experience being a little bit different because of who I was with. Last summer, however, I went with my immediate family for the first time in years because they wanted to see the 50th anniversary (and my mother turned 50 in December, so it has extra meaning for her). Being with my family, it was just like old times; the experience was so much more familiar than when I went with friends (who grew up experiencing D-land their own way), and I saw Disneyland in a way that brought back my childhood, being with my mom and dad and sisters and brothers. I felt like a kid again. It all just made sense to me.

Following that, we returned to attend the Halloween event at DCA. The same thing happened, and a bonus--my family had never been to DCA before. I was able to share a new experience with them.

I guess we need to remember Walt's idea for Disneyland, that it be a place where everyone can be a kid again, children and adults alike.

P.S. it also helps to not attend for a while...trust me, you'll miss it, and when you do, continue to deprive yourself of it for good measure. Then when you go, you'll have a blast. It's important not to deaden your mind to something by experienceing it too much.