Hi, First of all @Ear Scouts - I'm a huge fan and I love your videos. I even watch them when I'm not planning a trip. So, I have an unusual and unique question that I didn't feel comfortable posting publicly on FB or any other social media platform. My youngest son is F2M transgender. The last time he went to WDW (Walt Disney World) was 13 years ago, and he was young and still identified as a female at that time. I remember vividly, even then, him being upset about cast members referring to him "as a princess." He didn't transition to his true self until about 7 years later, but hearing that made him uncomfortable, did hamper the magic of Disney for me at that time. So here we are, 13 years later, and I'm planning to take my youngest son (and my older son, too) to Disney World in February. I want to make this experience truly magical and fun for my sons (my youngest, now 23, and my oldest, now 27). We don't go to Disney World (or DL) often at all because it's very costly and the location is far away from where we live (we live in central NM). With this upcoming visit in a few months, I asked my youngest what he wants to do when we go, he wants to re-experience everything he did back in 2010 and even wants the Mickey hat with his name on it. And I also plan on booking a Crystal Palace dining experience. Do you all know anything else I can do to make this particular experience even more magical? See two pictures below: First picture is our visit in 2010 - my youngest son on the left and my oldest son on the right of me. Second picture is a current picture of my two handsome sons <3
Thank you for your help and thoughtfulness on this topic. Kindest regards, Lacey B Mother of two sons and Stepmother of two children
Just saw this post for the first time. Have you done your trip yet? And how did it go??
Hi Lacey! Disney World is one of the most welcoming and diverse places in the world. There are many transgender Cast Members and I have always thought of the parks as a safe space for people to be themselves and enjoy a break from a world that is not always as welcoming and filled with joy as we might like it to be.
As far as what I would recommend to make the experience more magical – I think it really depends a lot on what your family most enjoys doing on vacation. For me, I love being in the water on vacation, so I would definitely add a day at one of the water parks. I also love the peaceful vibe at Animal Kingdom, so I would tend to add more time there even though it has fewer attractions because I enjoy being there. But it really depends a lot on your family's favorite things to do. Whatever you love, there is a good chance you can do it (or something similar) at Disney World - from scuba diving in an aquarium at Epcot to horseback riding at Ft Wilderness to going behind the scenes at Animal Kingdom to learn how the animals are cared for. It sounds like maybe your family wants to lean into nostalgia, in which case maybe you'd like to spend more time in the parks that you enjoyed most in years past and add Genie Plus to allow you more time to do the things you want in those parks.
If you'd like to share what things everyone most enjoys doing, I can maybe offer more specific recommendations. Whatever you choose, I hope it is an incredible vacation.