Why is it that so many people around the world dream of visiting Disneyland? Why do many people after winning a huge event declare, "I'm going to Disneyland?" What is it about that place that draws millions of visitors per year?
Could it be the 55 minute wait times for any given ride or possibly even 75 minutes to see an 18 year old woman dressed up like the girl in the movie Tangled? For the opportunity to spend $62 on lunch for a family of 5? Maybe it's the thrill you get after purchasing a bottled water for $4 or a churro (a fried stick battered in oil, sugar and cinamon, YUMMY!) for $3.50? Maybe it's for the great feeling parents get after they realize their 2 year old has run off into a crowd of 134 people and thinking, "I may never see that kid again." HMMM...could it be for the chance of a lifetime to hear the ever-so-glorious song entitled, 'IT'S A SMALL WORLD' 682 times in an 8 minute time frame? Or maybe it's for the professional photo of yourself going 65 miles per hour in the pitch dark you get after a ride and asking yourself, "Is that really what I look like?" I wonder if it's for the great experience of watching every child under the age of 5 having a complete meltdown while lying on the concrete and screaming, "I don't want to go on any more rides" around 3:00 each day. I'm really not quite sure.
Well my friends, even though all of the above FACTS ARE TRUE, that isn't the reason why millions of people want to visit Disneyland. The reason is found around 9:00pm every evening at Disneyland when it's dark and a spectacular firework show begins. As each Disney character is shown and each Disney song is played, every person, young and old, remembers these characters from their own childhood and feelings of happiness related to each one. Then, when the finale begins and the song plays, 'When You Wish Upon A Star', you start to believe that dreams do come true. You start to realize that when you wish for something, it is possible to have it come true. You start believing that Disneyland affords you the opportunity to Dream Big and so every time you think of Disneyland, you think of your dreams coming true. And therein lies the answer, people go to Disneyland to remember that their dreams do come true.