Although the Disney Corporation is not without its faults, the Disney Parks are truly extraordinary to me. Join me as I share why Disney World and Disneyland are more than just "theme parks" to me. They are places of comfort and love.
Although the Disney Corporation is not without its faults, the Disney Parks are truly extraordinary to me. Join me as I share why Disney World and Disneyland are more than just "theme parks" to me. They are places of comfort and love.
*For speaking inquiries or for questions or comments on the podcast, contact Nickie at healandgrowwithnickiepodcast@gmail.com
Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal health or professional advice.
Nickie is not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast.
This podcast is not intended to replace professional medical advice.
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It's a small world after all. It's a small world after all. It's a small world after all. It's a small, small world there. Now it's stuck in your head too.
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Welcome to Heal Grow with Nikki. I'm your host, nikki Kraminga Hill. Here we talk about everything grief, hope, illness, work, family, tragedy, possibilities, fun stuff and not so fun stuff. It's all on the table. Let's take a look at our lives and work to heal and grow together. I'm so glad you're here. Hello everyone, and welcome back to Heal Grow with Nikki. Thanks so much for being here today.
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Before we get going on today's topic, I just want to quickly talk about last week. I give another shout out to Elena Glass, who was our guest last week. Elena, you're just a joy and I really love spending time with you. I got such great feedback on that episode. People said that they want me to do more interviews and I assure you it's on the calendar. In fact, our next interview will be on September 5th. I'm not going to tell you who this special guest is yet, but stay tuned for all of that. I appreciate your positive feedback. I, of course, listened to the last week's podcast and thought Elena was great and the subject was great. But man, how come my balance is off and how come I can't edit this the way I want to? I appreciate you and I of course, saw all the yucky things about it instead of all the great things about it. Thank you for all your positive feedback Last week, friends. I really appreciate it and I am going to give myself a little bit of a break on that one and say, hey, it was your first interview and you didn't really know what you were doing, and good job doing it anyway.
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Today's topic is why I love the Disney parks. Now, for those of you that aren't on board with Disney as a company, I completely understand and I'm going to ask you to stick around anyway. I understand why people don't like Disney. I understand why people don't like Florida. Right now. Disney is a huge corporation. Many people think it's evil and I can understand a lot of that actually, and I am so really happy that the Disney parks exist. I love the Disney parks. I don't necessarily love everything Disney. I haven't seen a lot of the more recent movies. I don't think I've seen a new Disney movie in gosh maybe since Moana I'm not sure how long ago that was. Don't have a bunch of Disney stuff in my house and I never have. My love is specifically for the Disney Parks Disney World and Disneyland and it's absolutely on my bucket list to get to all the other Disney Parks in the world. I'm not exactly sure how that's going to happen, but it's on my bucket list.
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But the other day I was listening to a new-ish Disney Parks theme podcast. I think it came out right when this one came out sometime in April or maybe May. It's called Two Finger Points and my friend Zoe turned me on to it and it's hosted by a couple of gals who were part of the Disney College program. So they have a really interesting and unique perspective on the Parks because they've actually worked in the Parks and also worked for the College program and word on the street is that those students are definitely overworked and underpaid. And one of the things I like about this podcast is that it's actually critical of the Disney Corporation and I just really appreciate that. I know a lot of people are like Disney can do no wrong, but actually Disney's done a lot of wrong. I'm glad that they finally took a stance against the don't say gay bill, but they only really did that because they felt the pressure Anywho's it. I'm really enjoying this podcast. I highly recommend it. I will put it, I'll link it in the notes, but anyway, I'm listening to this podcast one day and it just reminded me of the reason why I love the Disney Parks. I have a very specific reason that I would like to share with you today.
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I think many of you have listened to an episode that I entitled the Hospital. It was two episodes ago, and in that episode I talked about how I voluntarily admitted myself into the adolescent crisis unit on Suicide Watch when I was 16 years old. So my story begins right after I leave the hospital and my mom says to my dad we're going on a spring break vacation and we're going to Disney World, and you don't really have a say in it, phil. This is what we're doing, and this was a big deal, because my family only ever went on two vacations while I was growing up. One I was nine years old. We took a road trip to Colorado Springs for a family reunion on my mom's side and we stopped in South Dakota. That was the first trip, and then the second trip was this trip, this Disney World trip, when I was 16. Otherwise, we never went anywhere. My mom and I went to some dance competitions when I was growing up, but the three of us as a family only went on two family vacations. So mom decided we're going to go to Disney World, it'll be a blast, and she books the whole thing.
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Now I remember hearing about the Disney parks, specifically Disneyland, when I was little, because one of our across the street neighbors they went to Disneyland all the time and then they would come back and they would tell our family well, they tell me all about it. And I thought it just started so cool. And I also had one of those, those books that had the record in it. They have a specific name, I can't think of them right now, but you'd play the record and then you'd follow along in your book and then it would go ding and that meant that you were supposed to turn the page. And I had one of those that was about the it's a Small World Ride at Disneyland. So, and I just remember reading that when I was little and they have those Mickey Mouse balloons that are in the shape of Mickey heads that I still this is also on my bucket list. I still wanna buy one of those balloons at the Disney parks. I just never have cause. I was like I don't wanna spend $15 on something that's just gonna pop, but I think they can ship them back to your house for you. Anyway, I found out all about those balloons from my turn of page book when I was little, so that's all I really knew about the Disney parks.
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I grew up watching the wonderful world of Disney. For a handful of years I think it was on Sunday nights, and I of course loved all the Disney movies. But I wasn't really a hardcore Disney fan until I went to Disney World for the very first time. Before we took that first trip in 1992, some family friends came over and they brought us the Burnbomb book. I don't remember the dude's first name, but Burnbomb is sort of like a Eugene Fodor or who's the other guy Rick Steves, like they do these travel books. And some family friends brought over the Disney World Burnbomb book and I read it cover to cover and I highlighted things and I starred things and I dog-eared the pages and being straight out of the hospital and having this Disney World trip to look forward to was a brilliant tactic on the part of my mom. Like let's give our family something fun to look forward to, and this book was amazing. They're still amazing.
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He comes out with a new one, or his company comes out with a new one every year, where they do like a small paragraph on each ride and it gives you tips on how to navigate the parks. Because if you've never been to Disney World, there are four parks. There were only three the first time that I went and they're all huge. They are huge. It's really not in your best interest to just show up at the gate one morning and be like, okay, let's do Disney World today, because you can't. There's four parks, but they're just huge. You really need to do your due diligence and educate yourself a little bit about what you're going into so that you can enjoy yourself. But this would have tips. Like most people, go to the right, go to the left if you want less crowds. If you wanna make sure that you hit all of the rides, then be sure to skip the parade, because people sit down and watch the parade and that means that it's low wait times at the other rides.
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And so I found out I had all this new knowledge on Disney World and by the time we actually went for spring break, I was the one that was in charge of like the itinerary, because I had done so much research and we had a blast. We had so much fun, my parents and I and I certainly wasn't like, oh, this will save my parents' marriage, but it was really fun to see my parents having fun together at that time and the three of us having fun together at that time. We loved the rides, we loved the shows, we loved the parades, we loved the meals. We didn't stay on site that trip, we stayed offsite, but it was great. We rented a car, there was a hot tub at our hotel. I mean, it was just awesome and I was happy. I was happy for the first time in a long time.
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I didn't have to think about anything. I didn't have to think about school, I didn't have to think about dance class, I didn't have to think about church, I didn't have to think about schedules. I wasn't depressed, I wasn't anxious, anxious. All we did was get entertained and entertained and entertained by other people. I didn't have to be entertaining people, I was being entertained. And if you've never been to a Disney park, like every little detail is taken care of, so you are completely immersed in this, in this totally different culture. I mean, it doesn't feel real, which is what I needed at that time. Coming out of the hospital. I just needed no more reality for a little bit. I needed an actual vacation where I could escape and just not think about my life. And it was incredible. And I became a die hard Disney parks fan during that trip.
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The next time I went was in 1997, it was a trip just with my mom. At that point my parents had divorced and so my mom took me to Disney World as a college graduation trip. Now, granted, I hadn't quite yet graduated. We went in March and I was graduating in May. Turns out I actually dropped out of college for a while. I eventually went back. That's a whole nother story, but we would laugh because I'd be like well, I got the vacation out of the deal and then I dropped out.
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But same sort of thing that that second trip. Things weren't really going well for me personally. I was failing a lot of classes. I was really depressed, really anxious. Again, this is all before I found out that I have fibromyalgia and myelgia, concephalomyelitis and premenstrual dysphoria disorders. So now I have reasoning behind why I felt like crap for 30 some years, but back then I didn't have a reason, I just thought I was a really depressed, anxious person. And once again, mom and I went and I planned the whole thing and it was just magic. I mean, I know that that's like a buzzword for Disney, but it really can be magical, and I've gotten a couple more times since then.
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I went another time with my mom in early 2000s I don't remember exactly when. That was In 2010,. My mom and I went again to celebrate her 60th birthday and my 35th birthday, and it was an incredible trip. Little did we know that she'd be passing away in six short years and I'm forever grateful that we spent the time and we spent the money to go do Disney. We actually did Disney World and then a Disney cruise and then Universal. It was a crazy, long, incredible trip.
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But there was this moment on that specific trip where mom and I were watching one of the parades. The parades at Disney World are incredible. So are the fireworks, so are the shows, so is everything. You think, oh, I don't need to go do this parade. I've seen a thousand parades before. You have never seen a parade like this. You have never seen fireworks like this. You've never seen shows like this. I mean you think, oh, what's the big deal? It's just another amusement park. No, it is not. But anyway, I sound like I'm trying to sell you a trip. I'm not. I'm just trying to describe to you that there's magic and there's fantasy in this world and when you need to escape, go ahead and escape exactly how you want to do it. And for me it's the Disney parks. But anyway, I digress.
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So we're at the parade and Mickey and Minnie were the last float and I'm like a kid in the Disney parks. I'm like a kid anyway. I'm always like the oldest kid there. Paul and I joke around that the places we like to go to are places that kids would like to go to, but we're usually the only adults. We're definitely the only adults without children when we go places. Anyway, mickey and Minnie are on the last float and Mickey goes by us and I'm waving and I'm like hi Mickey, hi Mickey, and I swear to you. Mickey Mouse turned around, looked at me, looked at me and pointed to his chest I and then made a heart shape with his hands Heart you, I, heart you. And he pointed right at me and I went back to him. I love you too, and then he gave me the thumbs up and that is how I know that Mickey Mouse was speaking directly to me and I was what did I say? 35 at the time and I just was like, thanks, disney, that's a really nice touch.
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You know, I've done two trips to Disneyland, one in like gosh, I don't even remember 2003, 2004. I actually went with Edelmanso If you might not know that name, but you probably know who he is, if any of you have watched Save by the Bell, the old Save by the Bell, and they always used to hang out in this restaurant called the Max. Edelmanso played Max. He was like this magician owner of the Max, and I know him because he was a magician out at Valley Fair, a theme park here in the Twin Cities, and I was a seasonal manager for the entertainment department at Valley Fair for a couple of years, and so I knew Ed and I knew he lived out in Anaheim and a couple of friends and I were like hey, ed, we're coming out to California. Do you wanna hang? He's like sure, do you wanna go to Disneyland?
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I was like, of course I wanna go to Disneyland, but I was also panicking because I was very poor and the Disney parks are quite expensive, although if you break it down into an hourly rate, it's actually not that expensive, but it's so really expensive. At any rate, my friends Jeff and I, my friends Jeff and Christina are walking up to the front gate and we're like, okay, we think we have enough money to drop on this. It was like at least $100 per person. And then Ed comped us in because he had some ridiculous Save by the Bell benefits that he got free tickets to Disneyland. Disneyland was so much fun because it's the original. Disney World is incredible, but Disneyland is the original. Walt's apartment is still there. He oversaw everything Like he used to hang out in Disneyland and you just really feel Walt Disney while you're there. And then, okay, if you're a die hard Disney parks fan, you will understand why I'm freaking out about this right now. If you aren't, you'll be like whatever.
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Anyway, we're in New Orleans Square, which is the part of Disneyland but not Disney World, and we're walking down this little corridor and it's like a street, a streetway Is that a word, a street in New Orleans? Or at least I'm assuming. It looks like that because I've never been to New Orleans and we go up to this like what I'm assuming is a fake door, because it's all facades, right. And there's this doorbell and Ed rings it and then this voice from nowhere there's no person there was like, yes, can I help you? He says Ed Alonzo, party of however many of us there were. And then this door magically opens and there's a cast member there and she greets us and she's like follow me. And we take this little elevator up and there is a restaurant, a secret restaurant in Disneyland. It's still there. It's called Club 33, because 33 is the fake address number and it's the secret restaurant that only VIPs can get into. And Ed had a hookup there because he was a television personality and this is the biggest deal then and it's the biggest deal now because most people don't get to have this experience. So that was just another magical thing that I got to experience in the Disney parks In 2014, paul and I went on our we called it our Disney moon.
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We actually call most of our vacations something moon, because we usually take our vacation at the same time every year, so like we've gone on a Disney moon and a Colorado moon and a cruise moon, and anyway, paul and I went in 2014. And I feel like he was sort of like okay, we're gonna go to this place because my wife wants me to go and he loved it. And then, most recently, in December of 2021, we went to Disneyland together and I will gladly spend my money at the Disney parks. There was a time in my life where I thought I don't wanna go anywhere other than the Disney parks, but that's just not true anymore. I actually would love to hit all of the countries that are around World Showcase at Epcot Center and, even though the specific countries at Epcot are incredible and extremely lifelike, like you feel, like you're immersed in the country, it's not the same as actually being in the country. I only know that because we went to Italy a few years ago and I was like real Italy is better than Epcot Italy. But if you can't get to real Italy, go to Epcot Italy. At any rate, I'll see you next time. The Disney parks feel like home to me. They feel like love, they feel like comfort, they feel like excitement. I Love planning my vacations there.
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I will get fully immersed in in Disney Park planning when I am feeling really down and out which happens Definitely once a year where I'm just really, really bad. I actually I know I'm bad if I start planning a Disney vacation in in my head. That's when I need to pay attention, like, okay, things are not going well, you need a vacation. Maybe it's Disney, maybe it's not, but you have to take care of this. You have to take care of your soul right now and you need to get out of here for the winter or just for the weekend or whatever. And they just I know that they hold a special place in many people's hearts.
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I know that the term quote-unquote Disney adult is sort of a derogatory term in some circles, and that's okay. I'm definitely a Disney adult. I'm not one that pushes kids out of the way so that I can make sure that I'm in the front row or anything like that, but I'm an adult that loves the Disney parks. When I'm there, I will wear my Disney ears and I will Go Disney bounding, which means that you dress up similarly to the characters. I will absolutely plan out my outfits like okay, and I planned out Paul's outfits one time too so like he had a Star Wars shirt, so I made sure that we War that he wore that to Disney Hollywood Studios so that we could go on Star Tours. This was before galaxy's edge had been created, so I just I love it. I will absolutely go there without children and pretend to be a child, but mostly it just has these.
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Really, it just has really wonderful memories for me and it reminds me that, like escapism is Real and and it's okay to want to escape, and the Disney parks is a perfect place to escape to because Everything has been thought out for you, you. You truly don't have to think about much of anything, especially if you're going to Disneyland. It's a little different. At Disney World, you do need to figure out your, your dining reservations and things like that, but once you get to the parks, like a Magical experience has been created Just for you. Even standing in the line is a wonderful experience. They understand that people are queuing up for hours to get on rides, which can be true at certain parts of the year and certain parts of the day. So if you're gonna be waiting in the line, you might as well make it fun. They have things hidden in the lines and they have games that you can play in the lines and it's just. The queue is actually just as much fun for me as the actual ride is.
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Maybe I'm weird, but anyway it just has really Provided, provided some happiness for me in times that I was very unhappy and Even though I feel like those dark days are behind me, or mostly behind me, I still turn to the Disney parks, even the Disney plus sometimes, when I'm really not not doing well, paul and I will watch, like Disney behind the scenes, stuff till the cows come home when I'm not feeling well and we just have a blast, because we love learning how, how everything works at Disney and I know we all do this, like I know we all. I mean, one of the reasons why I love theaters is because it's another way to escape and you know, I know we do this. We go into entertainment or books or people or you know addictions right, so that we don't have to think and although most of the time I would say something like you got to feel it, to heal it, which is true, it's also okay to just get yourself to the Disney parks or get yourself to Duluth or to Harbour's or St Paul or whatever it is. You know, it's also great to just immerse yourself in your writing or your drawing or your art or whatever. It's okay to do that, as long as it doesn't become harmful to yourself or harmful to other people. And the Disney parks is just one of the ways that I do that. And so, if you're a cast member at Disney, or if you've ever been a cast member at Disney, if you're anyone that works for that company to help create magic and fantasy, thank you Like you've. Like, I see the work that you're doing and I'm just so appreciative and grateful that you are around for people like me who just want to be a kid again.
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Okay, that's it for today. I just, you know, I was listening to that podcast and I was like, yes, the Disney parks are really great for some of us. Definitely, and I understand if you're not on board, you don't have to like send me any hate mail. I get it, I totally get it, but I'm someone who is really benefited from the parks I need. I need fantasy sometimes, and Disney helps me with that. Thank you so much for listening today.
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I always appreciate you all so much. I appreciate that people take time out of their week to just listen to my opinion. It's pretty awesome actually. If you'd like to buy me a coffee this week, I will throw the link in the show notes. Thank you for considering that. I'll also throw a link in the show notes so that you can buy a copy of my book Things I'm Thinking About A Daughter's Thoughts on the Last of Her Mom.
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Let me know if you need a speaker for anything upcoming in your life. Do you have a rotary club? Do you have, you know, something going on at church? Do you have a women's group? Do you have a book club? I would love to come speak for you and your amazing friends and colleagues and, as always, thank you so much for healing and growing with me. See you next week, everybody. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, health or professional advice. I am not responsible for any losses, damages or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. This podcast is not intended to replace professional medical advice.