Disney’s animated original 1953 film Peter Pan is what my childhood dreams are made of. The whole notion of flying out of my bedroom window and heading “off to Neverland” was something I used to spend many hours dreaming about, and my bedroom was designed perfectly for it. The ceiling was low, and only a small amount of it was flat. The walls on both sides started coming down at about a 45-degree angle, and then they were straight down about 4 feet from the floor, just like Wendy’s room. The footprint of my room was more of a rectangle-shape (as opposed to square) as it was basically the attic of our house that had been finished off. At the end of my room was a small window that was great for gazing and daydreaming.
I can’t remember what year it was that I actually watched Peter Pan but it was the first video that my family actually purchased.
I had no clue that there was a means to make this childhood dream of mine come true until I was an adult and began planning my family’s first trip to Disneyland. Once I saw the first theme park map, I knew we’d be spending most of our time in Fantasyland. Back in those days, you could go through the online map checking off your must-do attractions – SO fun!!
Some of you may have noticed the wait time for the Peter Pan’s Flight attraction is always long, regardless of the time of day or time of year you visit. I have to say that I’ve almost always had a FastPass+ (before they went away) for it, but there has been a couple of times over the years that I’ve sucked it up and waited forever to ride. With that said, I think it’s well worth waiting for, no matter how long, and here are a few reasons why:
You get to fly away in a miniature Jolly Roger! I just love these attraction vehicles. They are so magical and perfect. My favorite is when the cast member sprinkles pixie dust across your lap bar just before you head into Wendy’s room.
Next is Wendy’s room. I LOVE her room – everything about it is the cutest thing ever to me, and it reminds me of being a kid with my own hopes and dreams. I really love how Raggedy Ann and Andy are sitting at the tiny table having tea. Also, if you look real close, you can see that you’re actually flying out of the window of Wendy’s bedroom. It’s absolute perfection to me and it never ever gets old!
The flight over London’s night sky takes my breath away every single time I see it. I can’t tell you how much fun I have leaning over and looking out at all the lights below and that Clock Tower… SWOON! It’s also fun to look at other guests flying as well, especially if they’re wearing white under the blacklight. Show your kids; they’ll love it!
In Walt Disney World’s version, the scene with the mountains and mermaids is another one of my favorite things. It’s so fun to get such a great view of them! I do wish that you traveled through the attraction a bit slower.
While I do love seeing all the characters on the ship, that part of the movie wasn’t my favorite as it was a little scary to me – especially with Wendy standing at the edge of the plank. All of the characters are so well-done and colorful. I do love Captain Hook at the end where he’s about ready to be swallowed by the crocodile – villains getting eaten was something that didn’t seem scary to me for whatever reason.
My most favorite part is when you’re about to turn the corner at the end of the attraction, even though it’s the end of the attraction. I just love seeing the Jolly Roger all lit up in pixie dust!
To this day, Peter Pan’s Flight is my very favorite, must-do attraction whenever I visit either Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World or Disneyland Park.
Do you love Peter Pan’s Flight too? Please tell me in the comments what your or your kids’ favorite parts are! In case you haven’t ridden in a while, take a virtual ride through by enjoying the video below!
