But, Peter, how do we get to Never Land?
Fly, of course.
In all honesty, the movie “Peter Pan” isn’t even one of my favorites. There are numerous Disney movies that I prefer to watch over and over again and yet while at the Magic Kingdom, my day is not complete unless I get to ride on Peter Pan’s Flight.
On our last trip the wait time was 45 minutes and there were no more FastPasses. I was extremely bummed about that but we actually stood in line for the entire 45 minutes in order to ride on this three-minute ride based on a movie that’s not a family fave! How crazy is that? It is for sentimental reasons that we do it.
I don’t think that I remember so much riding on this as a child but I remember taking our son on it for the first time and seeing HIS wonder at riding over London at night. At 19, he is no longer impressed by it but as we ride it, I still find myself hoping to see just a spark of that wonder that he had at six.
Riding the pirate ships and experiencing all that Michael, Wendy and John experienced on their night with Peter Pan and although the ride itself is quite dated, you still feel the wonder of being in the middle of the movie. The story unfolds quickly and even if it’s been a long time since you’ve seen the movie, you get it all on your ride! It’s the simplicity of the ride that makes it a must see.
On our trip back in 2007, our two boys rode in their own pirate ship while my husband and I had one to ourselves. I have a great picture of the two of them turning around and facing us before we enter the actual “ride” and to see the grins on their faces just makes me smile at the memory every time.
Again, there are no real “thrills” in Peter Pan’s Flight. Yes, you are riding above London but you aren’t particularly high up. The entire ride is over in less than three minutes but this ride is what Disney does best – it captures your emotions. You go on the journey, the story unfolds and you are in the middle of it. You feel fearful one moment and happy at another just from the change in music, lighting, color and scenery. There aren’t too many other places that you can go to that can take you on such a trip in two minutes and forty-five seconds!
I’ll admit that I don’t give in and ride Peter Pan’s Flight when I’m at Walt Disney World without the kids. The other adults in the party don’t share my nostalgia! But if we are there as a family and no matter how old my children get, we are going to wait in line, hop on our pirate ships and take that trip to Neverland (Second star to the right and straight on till morning!) and back again and know that we will always exit with a smile.
I agree:-) For children this is an especially magical ride, and our family won’t miss it either!