Confessions of a Disney Adult

All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.

I only visited Disney World twice when I was a kid. Both times, I went to Magic Kingdom for only one day, back when Mickey’s Toontown Fair still existed, and I spent most of my time sitting on Minnie Mouse’s floral couch. I don’t remember how long I stayed, but I do know I never watched the parades or saw the fireworks or met any of the characters other than Mickey and Minnie–the kind of stuff I used to watch on old Disney sing-along VHS tapes, the FULL Disney experience. That was until I returned on October 1st, 2023. For my birthday last year, I, for the first time, visited all four parks, stayed for the parades and the fireworks, and left feeling like a new person. A year later, after having the most magical experience, I returned.

Labeling yourself a “Disney Adult” directly contradicts labeling yourself as “cool.” In fact, if you are an adult who loves Disney, you immediately sacrifice the possibility of the world ever seeing you as cool. Instead, being a Disney Adult comes along with some other labels like weird, cringy, embarrassing, or, as Matt Walsh put it, “mentally ill.” I think what all these label masters are misunderstanding is that adults who love Disney don’t care about being cool and will unapologetically accept any label anyone chooses to put on them because, after all, we’re the ones having fun. For my October newsletter, I wanted to write about why I am officially a Disney Adult, and despite all the societal criticism, I would invite everyone to join me.

I Am Proudly Cringe

My Disney Birthday Hat In Front Of Spaceship Earth.

I know "cringe" is a huge buzzword right now. I went to college at The New School in Manhattan, I've spent nights out in Williamsburg, and I've hung around people who think Taylor Swift is mediocre and pop music is overrated. From these experiences, I've learned that people who are willing to be "cringe" are always having the most fun. If being a Disney adult is cringy, then I know that I am doing something right. I enjoy wearing Mickey ears around the parks, crying at the Happily Ever After fireworks, waving to the Beast when he makes his way around the Be Our Guest restaurant, and clapping along to the music during the Festival of Fantasy parade. I am never having as much fun in life or being my most authentic self as much as I am at Disney World. I actually aspire to take the happiness I feel and the authenticity I express and apply them to my life in the real world.

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible,”-Walt Disney.