Keys to the Kingdom

Today, we woke up with the sunrise to pouring rain, but we didn’t let that stop us. We had two different groups taking the “Keys to the Kingdom” tour. This was a first for many of our group members and acted as our daily meeting. We got to get a deeper look into the magic that surrounds Magic Kingdom. Our tour guide, Darlene, was from Anaheim, CA. Her father was an original Imagineer from Disneyland. Darlene often saw the magic Walt made up close, as he would spend time with her. Darlene pursued her passions and lifetime dream to work as a tour guide in Disney parks. She followed Walt’s quote from so long ago, “don’t give up on a dream because a dream won’t give up on you”. He told her this as they ate ice cream near Main Street in Disneyland. 

 

This specific tour can take the magic away from Disney, as you see many secrets of making the magic. However, many of us left the tour feeling inspired by the true magic that grew within Walt himself. Nate Irskins said, “When I finished the tour, I looked down Main Street and saw pure magic being created flawlessly”. Keys to the Kingdom is a magical experience to learn about the risks and rewards of following your passions. Fully immersed in magic, I have never felt more inspired by the littlest things in each park. Small features have colossal meaning to fulfilling the dream of a man with a raging imagination. 

 

 

Once the tour ended, we found ourselves free to explore the parks. Today was all about diving deeper into our passions to make a draft of our elevator pitch. This will be a fun way to apply all of the knowledge we have gained thus far. Some of us found ourselves watching the Festival of Fantasy parade, while others said a tearful goodbye to Splash Mountain. Of course, with it being in the 60s, Splash Mountain was hysterically freezing. Teeth chattering and laughter were the new staple for our group.

 

 

We had another surprise added to our trip this evening! Junior Ken Casey and Sophomore Lance Fennell got engaged today. The whole group was extremely excited for them and gave proper congratulations! We wish them the best in their future endeavors together!

 

 

Tomorrow marks the end of our time at Disney. While many of us are sad to leave, we are equally excited to travel to Universal at eleven in the morning. We will spend our day relaxing before going to enjoy the parks on Sunday. We are so excited to pursue our passions at Universal. 

 

Elizabeth and Emily