Throwback Thursday Stories: Meeting Belle
In 1992 our family went to Disney World. It was the only time our entire family took a plane ride somewhere on vacation. We went for a week and it was an unforgettable trip. I remember my sister and I wearing coordinating outfits every day, having so much fun at Disney World and Universal Studios and enjoying the hotel pool.
The highlight of the trip for me was meeting so many characters at Disney World. It literally seemed like they were everywhere, and I remember being able to easily go up to the characters, with little waiting. My sister and I loved going from character to character getting their autographs.
The characters I wanted to meet the most were those from Beauty and the Beast, my favorite Disney movie. I remember going to an area where the entire cast was appearing.
I was beside myself with joy.
Everyone was there – Chip and Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth and Lumiere and Belle and Beast.
My dad stood in line for Belle and Beast while my Mom, sister and I did the other lines. For 45 minutes he stood, when all of a sudden, with just one family in front of us, they decided to take Belle and Beast in.
To this day I do not understand why Belle couldn’t have stayed outside (it isn’t like her costume was hot like the Beast’s), or why they wouldn’t have cut off the line and let everyone who was waiting meet them (like they do now).
But she didn’t and they didn’t.
My Mom, because she’s awesome, ran after their handler and asked if they could at least sign our autograph books. They kindly did.
Fast forward 20 years to two weeks ago when we took our kids to Disneyland. When we saw a small line on the sidewalk of mostly little girls and their mamas waiting to meet Belle, I about came out of my skin.
So did Adeline.
Elias and Matthew were hot and didn’t want to meet Belle, but Adeline and I were not going to miss the opportunity. Matthew said, can’t we get her later, but I would hear nothing of it.
When Belle got down to Adeline’s level, my heart burst.
All the times I thought about that story of waiting to meet Belle and her going in could not have prepared me for the emotion of my child meeting her. I can’t put it into words. It was truly something I will remember for the rest of my life.
And seeing Adeline’s joy made my 20-year-wait to meet Belle worth it.
Disney sure is a magical place.
What is your Throwback Thursday story for this week? Please link-up in the comments below.
It’s interesting how much Belle’s costume has changed over the years. My daughter would probably faint if she saw Belle. We’re hoping to Disney World soon.
Thanks for the linky.
I was thinking the exact same thing–how in 1992 “Disney Princess” wasn’t a branded concept in and of itself, so why not have Belle in the outfit she spends a lot more time in in the movie?
What a fun collision of your story and Adeline’s, Jessica!
I hadn’t even thought about the “Disney Princess” brand piece, but you are absolutely right.
I love that she is in that blue and white outfit.
This is so sweet. We haven’t made it to Disney World yet, but I had similar overwhelming emotions when we were able to take my daughters to Disney On Ice (way less exciting than meeting Belle!) a couple of years ago. I always wanted to go as a little girl and was never able to, so taking my girls was incredible. Thanks for sharing!
Ohhh my heart….a flood of memories. Pics with Adeline priceless.
First I giggled at your hot pink fanny pack. Then I started crying when I saw Adeline and Belle. The last photo might be one of my favorite photos of your kids EVER. It’s pure perfection!
I have been waiting for someone to comment on the epic fanny pack. It is pretty amazing. 🙂
And I agree, one of the best photos ever. Love it so much.
This story absolutely melts my heart! What a sweet experience for mommy and daughter. That picture of Belle and Adeline is incredible. Was it taken with your camera or by the photopass photographer. Even when I take my SLR, my character pics never seem to turn out that great.
It was taken with my camera (Canon Rebel + 50 mm 1.4). It is by far the best character photo I got. I couldn’t believe that shot when I saw it. It takes my breath away.
I still need to download our photopass pictures. It’s on my list for this weekend.
What a beautiful picture of Belle and Adeline! I am so glad your/her dreams came true in a meet-up with Belle. Priceless!
Thanks so much for the #TBTStories linkup. I love it.
I love how your story came full circle with your daughter! So sweet!
I am absolutely loving this series, a HUGE thank you to Jessica for hosting this party for us. I am in love with your photos of your daughter and Belle. You can truly see how happy she is. How old is your daughter in these photos? My family is thinking about going to Disneyland in 2 years. My youngest will be 3 and I am not sure if he will be old enough to truly appreciate it yet or not. Thoughts?
Yes, Adeline will be 3 in June. I think you will be surprised how much your youngest appreciates it!
That’s it. I am wearing a tiara so I can look like that everyday! 🙂 We went to Disney last fall and I was surprised the characters didn’t walk around freely anymore- tells you how long it’s been since I was there last!
I know!! Once or twice we saw a character walking and they were like, you can meet me here or come see me here… no just hello, take a picture like in the 90s. 🙂