6. Tasting a Disney dessert

Image: Disney

Not everything at Disney is good for your soul. Or your waistline. Such food is wonderful for your belly, though. Disney has mastered the art of the dessert to a degree that makes the envy of any Top Chef. Their legendary finishing courses enjoy name recognition across the globe. Even if you haven’t ever tried them – and I hope you have – you have at least heard of Dole Whip, The Grey Stuff, and The Kitchen Sink. Their decadent treats brimming with all the sugary flavors that keep dentists in business. They also have all the calories that keep gyms open 24 hours a day. No Disney theme park visit is complete until you’ve taken a bite of the forbidden fruit that is their vast array of desserts.

7. The moment you board your favorite ride

Image: Disney

Everyone has a Disney attraction that they love the best. Many people favor the classics such as Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Haunted Mansion. Others prefer the more exciting rides such as Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith, Expedition Everest, or Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Personally, I love Spaceship Earth more than anything else at Disney due to what it represents.

No matter which one you love the best the sensation is still the same. You spend the entire time you’re away from Disney, readying yourself for the big moment when this one favorite attraction begins. It’s a moment of pure satisfaction.

8. Seeing an animal at Animal Kingdom

Image: Disney

Disney’s bold attempt to marry the theme park with the zoo pays dividends in inimitable ways. There’s such a disconnect when you spend time doing ordinary amusement park activities and then suddenly receive that stunning reminder that an entire wildlife habitat surrounds you.

The best way to enjoy this turn of events is by taking a journey on Kilimanjaro Safaris, but you don’t have to follow any kind of structure at this particular park. You’re going to see animals here, and it’s going to blow your mind when the moment arrives. Of course, the true beauty of Animal Kingdom is that it’s not a controlled atmosphere. Unlike the other three Disney parks, there is a randomness here. You never know when some beast will take an interest in you, thereby providing an unforgettable moment.

Personally, I’ll never forget the time that a smaller animal ferociously attacked and then chased three much larger rhinoceroses for over a kilometer. With all due respect to Universal Studios, Six Flags, and Cedar Point, that’s an experience they can never match.

9. Taking your favorite picture

Image: Disney

Disney estimates that their own photographers take as many as 200,000 pictures in a given day. We are talking about somewhere between 50 and 75 million photographs during a calendar year. And that’s just the official ones. We now live in a selfie culture, and people fill up entire Instagram feeds with their finest images.

Yes, taking pictures at a Disney theme park is serious business in the social media era. Still, the goal remains the same. Everyone wants to capture that frozen moment in time where everything is perfect. There are innumerable backdrops at Walt Disney World where this is a possibility. My personal favorites are the Tree of Life and Spaceship Earth, and yet the best image my family captured during our most recent trip occurred outside of Spirit of Aloha as we stood in the rain. It doesn’t even bother me that I look like a dork in that picture. The rest of my family is so happy that the instant I got home, I framed the picture for posterity’s sake. That’s what a perfect Disney picture means to true fans of the experience.

10. Finding the perfect souvenir

Image: Disney

Like everything else at Disney, there’s an art to this. Generally, I’ve discovered there’s an element of magic involved. I’ll stumble into a store to get out from under the blazing Florida sun for a time. Then, I’ll turn a corner and bam! The best gift possible to encapsulate my Disney vacation is staring me right in the eye. It’s a moment of intense satisfaction.

While everyone has a store they love the best – Mouse Gear seems to enjoy the most loyal support – I’m a tourist at heart. Disney created Downtown Disney as a souvenir mecca. The 2015 name change to Disney Springs simply reinforces the fact that they have extended the Disney bubble to a shopping district miles away from the four parks. World of Disney in Orlando holds a strong claim to the title of best Disney store on the planet, and whenever I enter the building, I accept that my wallet’s about to take a beating. After all, paying tourist prices for the best souvenirs is an integral part of the vacation experience.