My Voyage to Disney Geekdom

Hi everyone!  First and foremost, I want to thank Jason for inviting me to be a guest columnist here at Disney Geek.  I’m excited to be sharing my enthusiasm and love of Disney with all of you and being a member of the Disney Geek family.

My voyage to Disney Geekdom started at the age of six when my parents and grandparents took me, my sisters and brother to Walt Disney World.  My favorite ride was the Mad Tea Party in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom.  With my Dad at the wheel, our teacup spun until I couldn’t hold my head up straight and all I could do was lean back and look up at the drowsy mouse.  Later that day, I remember the awe of meeting Cinderella near the castle.  It was glorious and I was hooked! 

As an adult, my husband Davin, my daughter Melissa and I took the opportunity to go to a Disney Park or on a Disney Cruise as often as our finances would allow.  We developed fun family traditions around these trips, like skipping down Main Street hand in hand on our first day and wearing matching t-shirts (yes…we are THAT family!).  To get my Disney fix between trips, I turned to the internet where I found many kindred souls looking for their Disney fix too.  I must have talked about Disney more than I realized because I started to get a reputation at work as “that lady who knows all the Disney stuff” and co-workers I had never met started asking for planning advice.  I was surprised at how much I could help others with my knowledge of Disney and my- bordering-on-neurotic-plan-for-every-contingency skills.

Over the years, many friends and family told me I should plan Disney vacations for a living.  I guess I’m a little thick because it took me a really long time but eventually I took the leap.  I studied travel planning with Disney’s College of Knowledge and started my own travel planning business; Magical Castle Vacations, specializing in Disney Destinations.  It was the best decision I’ve ever made and I am grateful to my family who has supported me every step of the way.  I love being a part of family vacations where a child spins in the Mad Tea Party Teacups for the very first time.  It’s very rewarding to share what I call “Disney Happiness” with others and sprinkle a little of my own Pixie Dust on their vacations.

The purpose of this article was for me to introduce myself to all of you because I will be writing to you as a guest here at Disney Geek so here I am in a nutshell:

• I am the lady who is so excited she can’t sleep the night before a Disney trip.
• I am the lady who coaxes her family out of bed and is waiting eagerly at the Park Entrance a half hour before the Park even opens just to see the opening ceremony even though I’ve seen it a hundred times.
• I am the lady who is still there when the park closes, tired, but very, very happy.
• I am the lady who has to have pizza from Pizza Planet at Hollywood Studios, Safari Corn Dogs at Animal Kingdom, orange chicken from the Lotus Blossom Café in China at Epcot and a Plaza Ice Cream Sundae sitting on the patio overlooking the Castle in Magic Kingdom on every trip. 
• I am the lady who makes it a mission to experience every attraction in the parks every time.  I don’t want to miss a thing.
• I am the lady who gets teary eyed at every performance of Wishes, Illuminations and The Magic the Memories and You and yes…I carry tissues with me at all times.
• Most of all, I am the lady who believes in the wonder of Disney Magic and I just can’t wait for more.
  

Katherine Schutte  

About the author:

Katherine Schutte first fell in love with Disney as a child on a family trip in 1976.  Her passion for all things Disney led her to her career as the Owner of Magical Castle Vacations where she happily makes the magic of Disney vacations come true for families, honeymooners, adult and senior travelers.  She is a graduate of Disney’s College of Knowledge (yes there is such a thing) and has extensive knowledge of Disney World, Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line through her many visits.  Visit her website at MagicalCastleVacations.com.