Disneyland Fans Show Their Love in the Parks

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, I put out the call to our Disneyland Fans and asked them to share photos that they felt best captured love and romance in their favorite place.  With such a wide variety of  places that couples and families can share special moments in, you can bet that I received quite a variety of images to choose from!   I’d like to share some of them with you, along with their special stories!

I know these will definitely brighten your Valentine’s Day!

The couple dancing in the photo above, taken by the DIS’s own Mary Jo Mellado Willey, have a wonderfully romantic story.

“Dia de los reyes, (Jan 6), the Mariachi Divas were playing (in Frontierland), and they invited this couple up since it was their anniversary. They played “At Last (my love is here to stay)” and this couple danced the whole time, whispering “I love you” to each other (I could see them mouth the words).

Afterwards, I offered to send them their pictures via text, and they were so happy. They told me that when they got married they couldn’t afford mariachis, and this was their 10th anniversary (that exact day). So, they were thrilled when they were serenaded by the mariachis.

It was so romantic.”

When you think of true Disneyland romance, you can never be too old or too young.  Our next few photos illustrate this beautifully.

Dave and Sally Fynan shared a classic photo – one that many have taken to celebrate special moments.  Dave wrote:

“Here is a picture of me and my Valentine of 40 years, Sally. This was taken during the ABD Backstage Magic 1.0 tour in April 2009.”

Congratulations to the two of you and we hope you have many more Valentine’s Days together.

Let’s look at the opposite end of the romantic spectrum.  Jane Neitz-Singleton (cheshiregirl on the boards) reminds us of how the love of Disneyland is passed on to our next generation.

“The second is in Critter Country in DLR on my now 4 year old’s 1st birthday.  My husband is a major Winnie the Pooh fan and visiting Pooh Bear is an important part of every Disneyland visit.  Although this was not his first visit with the silly old bear, it was the first time that Ty really reacted to Daddy’s favorite guy. The caption is: “Sometimes,’ said Pooh, ‘the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”–A.A. Milne”

Let’s continue that theme with another inspiring photo.

“My Olivia loves her Minnie Mouse! This is the first time she met her in person!”

“I am submitting a photo of my girlfriend Cathy and myself on our first trip to Disneyland in 2010. We ran the 2010 Disneyland Half Marathon together, our first half marathon to do together, and got to spend the day before the race checking things out at Disneyland and California Adventure. The photo was just a quick snap of the camera at the start of the Jungle Cruise. It was one of the first rides we got to enjoy. What makes it stand out to me was the setting, on a boat ride, and the way the sunlight hit us. May not be the greatest of photos but the sunlight made us look glowing, literally, with happiness in the greatest place in the world. “

Kim Monahan-Glaubinger (Kimstar on the boards) sent us a photo on her first Disneyland visit with now-husband, Ian, proving that there is true happiness in sharing your passion with someone you love.

Of course, what would a blog about love and romance be without the gratuitous Disney Fairytale Weddings photo?  To provide that, I had to indulge and throw in one of my own wedding photos from 2001.  As listeners to the show know, my husband and I were married at Christmas time at the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa – the first year it was opened.  Though the resort’s wedding garden is long gone, we are thrilled that Disneyland holds that special place in our family history.

As my final image, I want to thank Raina (Rainasunshine on the boards) for visiting the Animation Building in California Adventure and giving us a reminder of the best way any romantic Disney adventure ends…..