Why we go to theme parks.

It’s pretty simple actually.

Admittedly, I am an avid theme park goer. If I periodically appear like a crazed fan, it’s probably because I am. But this book is really intended to share the wonders and experiences of both an avid fan and a casual admirer of theme parks.

All of us have that element of Peter Pan and never want to grow up.

In October 2017, I visited Universal Studios for the second time. I have visited Disneyland at least twice a year for the past 4 years. And every time I go, my experience is different. Something has changed to make it better; a new ride or exhibit; an special interaction with a character; a tip on how to avoid the lines, what pickle stands to go to, which rides to ride when, because I cared:

• I’ve learned that when the park opens early to the hotel guests that I immediately hit Space Mountain because it becomes way to crowded later in the day. It would have been nice back then to have the Disney app where you could see the wait times.
• I’ve learned that while you’re waiting in line for Indiana Jones that it’s best to grab a pickle from the cart next door because Disneyland has the best pickles.
• I’ve seen the power of the Disney MagicBands, so that way I don’t have to carry cash and worry about it falling out of my pocket.
• I’ve learned to always have the Express passes at Universal Studios. Express passes are basically fast passes, in that you can skip the regular line for a more expedited one, but unlike the Fast pass, you can use them at any time and on every ride.

Every time I go to Disneyland, Universal or any theme park, I think about my own experiences and how the millions of others experiencing this with me could improve, enhance or be different. And as the cool technology like the apps and the MagicBands came out, I began to see elements of technology that take experiences to the next level.

The truth is theme parks are a place for us to get away and escape. And while Disney or Universal are usually at the top of our mind, as you can see in the video above there are lot of different places for different folks (sorry I can’t unsee that image above…)

When I went to Disneyland for my twentieth birthday, I really felt like a princess. Every single park employee that saw my birthday button told me “happy birthday!” I couldn’t walk down Main Street without hearing “Happy Birthday!” My friends were so over it, but it made me smile every time because it made me feel like a kid and the whole world stopped on your birthday.

I love the movie Alice In Wonderland because it’s the story of a girl who feels out of place in her life and she learns, in Wonderland, to revel in the person she is. And when I get my face painted in Disneyland, and I get some weird looks because I’m definitely supposed to be “too old” for that stuff, it gives me the confidence I had when I was young to assume that it is just everyone else around me that’s weird and not me. So I strut my stuff, with a sparkly unicorn painted on my face, and I eat nothing but ice cream and churros and I smile non-stop.

Why do we go?

Because in some way, we’re all chasing the happy…

… and theme parks have always been at the forefront of thinking about how technology can enhance our experience to find our own slice of it.

And it always will.

And please do buy the book at Amazon.com and if you’d like a signed copy, simply message me at mkelley2@wellesley.edu and I’d be happy to sign and mail the first fifty people who ask a signed copy.