I really used to dread getting older, having to color my hair, and knowing that I likely had more years behind me than in front of me. In all honesty, I never dreamed I would mellow out in the ways that I have, or enjoy reading a book in the Fort Wilderness campground instead of going to the WDW parks. But my best times aren’t behind me – oddly, I enjoy my travels more than I ever did before. And like everything else at Disney World, that feeling is even more pronounced during my visits there. There’s complete independence, and an endless array of mind-blowing benefits. Here’s a start of my grateful, happy list.
You’ll never have to go to the parks 8-months pregnant again.
For some reason, I was drawn to Disney World in July for each of my pregnancies. For the first one, I nearly fainted in the Magic Kingdom. On the last one, I must have spent 82 hours floating in the Fort Wilderness pools. Is a trip to Disney when you’re pregnant insane or just some strange part of the nesting experience? Oh, and those new stroller rules? Not my problem anymore.
You don’t have to stay in the parks all day.
And you don’t even care. Once you’ve bought lunch at Be Our Guest for all of the kids and grandkids, it’s fairly easy to escape. Time to pick up my golf cart and go looping!
Your Chances of Getting a seat on the bus or monorail increase.
There comes this one single day when you realize that you aren’t among those who needs to get up and let an old person have your seat. Because you are the old one. And it seriously happens out of nowhere. Laugh all you want. It will happen to you sooner than you think.
No more character meals.
Unless you had your children late (and I had my last one around 40), those pricey character meals start to become a thing of the past. With the money you saved, you can get a massage. And maybe a little botox, too.
Look around – you’ve aged well.
Remember when you were 20 and those people over 40 looked like dried raisins? Now, all you have to do is look at a couple of those under-45 who dare to have little shows about Disney and Fort Wilderness on live video. And um, yeah, you may be ancient but you are groomed, and look pretty damned good after all.
Your WDW/Fort Wilderness wisdom comes from experience.
You actually rode the Fort Wilderness train, went water-skiing on the Seven Seas Lagoon, remember the early years of River Country, made your own pizza at Trail’s End, and spent years of your life riding Horizons at Epcot. You can write about it and talk about it with a Yoda-like percipience. And talk about it again. And again.
You are happy when you get carded at Geyser’s Point at Wilderness Lodge.
It becomes a game between me and my husband to see who gets carded the most. But panic still ensues when we can’t find that driver’s license.
You have a lot more money (hopefully).
Those four-day passes have quadrupled in price, but your income may be up ten-fold or more since 1988, and the house is paid off. Just don’t tell the kids.
No worries, no hurries.
Unless I’m trying to get those 20,000 steps in before lunchtime, there’s no reason to rush to rope-drop. Who cares if I don’t get to ride Space Mountain? I’ve already ridden it 4,232 times, and it gives me vertigo anyway. Just do NOT make me wait for the People Mover.
The teenage and grown-up kids will set up the site.
Hopefully, you taught them how to do this during those years that you so ludicrously indulged their every need at WDW. It’s so easy to tell them that you’re going to see if the CMs ever found that umbrella you left on the pier back in 1985, and leave the work to them. In the meantime, secretly frolic on over to Crockett’s Tavern for a beverage. An hour later, your site will be all ready to go.
Annoying cast members are soooo totally less annoying now.
You’ve worked hard for years, and still vaguely recall what it’s like to be on your feet all day for not a lot of money. You’ve chilled out a bit, and realize there’s no point arguing with the two pointing fingers. Besides, the lines in your face can make enough scary expressions that words are never even needed.
Easier to find bucket list items.
Since you’ve already been on every ride and eaten in almost every restaurant over the last four or five decades, there are fewer choices of new things. Fewer choices equals easier decisions. Try one of the unique experiences that you’ve missed such as the Safari Ride at the Animal Kingdom Lodge or Behind the Scenes in Epcot’s Land Pavilion.
There’s opportunity for super-old vloggers.
It seems like about one new Disney-related vlog or YouTube channel starts every day. With some exceptions, most of these tech-savvy hipsters are very young (18-30). If you are 70-80+ and look like a classic granny, grab a camera, a couple of friends (Golden Girls style), and share your experiences on Space Mountain. While you’re at it, let’s see your drink-around-the-world experience up close and personally. Give me a shout out when you become an internet star.
