THOMASVILLE — My wife Savannah and I got married in 2020, during the COVID pandemic. Though we had planned on a large ceremony with all of our friends and family, like so many others, the pandemic threw a wrench in our plans. We ended up getting married on July 25 in my parent’s backyard in Madison, Mississippi with only our parents and my sisters present. But, our wedding wasn’t the only thing we had to dial back. We were unable to have a honeymoon due to the risks of traveling. However, we told each other that some day soon we’d take a grand honeymoon and that’s just what we did.

Fast forward almost three years and Savannah and I just returned from our nine day honeymoon at Walt Disney World. It was a magical time. It all started with the annual SMA conference, an event that sees people with SMA and their families gather to learn about the latest research, catch up with old friends, and make new ones.

Once we saw that the 2023 conference would be at Disney World, we jumped at the opportunity. Both of us love everything Disney. We nerd out over Marvel and Star Wars and have spent countless nights curled up on the couch watching classic Disney movies. It was obvious that there could be no better destination for our honeymoon. We arrived early and hit Hollywood Studios before the conference and it was stunning.

Growing up, Hollywood Studios, then called MGM Studios, was my favorite park. I was a Star Wars maniac and still am, and the addition of Galaxy’s Edge to the park made me ecstatic to visit with my wife. We started our day by sprinting to the Star Wars themed area, getting our picture in front of the life sized Millennium Falcon, flying the Falcon, and riding Rise of the Resistance. That quickly became our favorite ride at the park.

My wife on the other hand, while she loved Galaxy’s Edge and Rise of the Resistance, took to a different ride, Mickey’s Runaway Railway. The ride took the place of The Great Movie Ride in the Chinese Theater in 2020, and it did not disappoint. It was a whimsically entertaining ride that left us both smiling and asking the ride operator if we could please ride again, which we did often.

After the magic of Hollywood Studios, we settled down for a few days and took in the SMA Conference. While we did attend some sessions to learn, we spent most of our time making new friends and catching up with old ones. We stayed up until 2:00 a.m. two of those nights, not wanting to leave our friends and telling ourselves we’d be ok without any sleep.

After the conference it was back to the parks. We spent an evening in Epcot with our friends, visiting the world showcase. My wife took in the smells and ambiance of her favorite country, France, while I found my favorite country, Japan, both exhilarating and peaceful.

The next day was Animal Kingdom. I hadn’t thought much of Animal Kingdom. For me, it was always like the weird cousin of Walt Disney World. But, despite my misgivings, it turned out to be wonderful. Savannah and I spent most of our time just walking around the park and enjoying the mix of culture and nature that the people at Disney so perfectly blended. Our favorite part was watching the bird show called Feathered Friends in Flight. At one point a bird flew right past Savannah’s face. We got to speak to the handlers after the show, who were so kind to talk with us about the care of their animals.

We took a safari and saw more of the animals at Animal Kingdom, but the highlight of the day was Pandora, the world from the movie Avatar. With incomprehensible floating rocks and the gorgeous scenery that surrounds them, it was a sight to behold. Another highlight was the Lion King show that features a beautiful ballet performance as well as high flying acrobatics and amazing costumes.

The following day was fourteen and a half hours of the Magic Kingdom beginning with a bum rush to the castle for some great pictures. Much of our day was taken up with riding amazing rides like Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, and Jungle Cruise. My highlight for Magic Kingdom was the new Tron ride. I have loved the world of Tron since I saw the sequel film in 2010, and the new ride did not disappoint. Under a massive glowing dome, Tron Lightcylce Run is an exhilarating thrill ride that launches you at 65 mph and puts you right in the middle of the Tron universe. When I got off I was shaking with excitement. I couldn’t believe I had just gone that fast.

One of the best parts of Magic Kingdom was their Fourth of July celebration. Though we went on July 3, Disney put on two July 4 performances, with a fireworks spectacular and the castle lit up like the American flag. The fireworks lit up the sky as speakers played classic patriotic songs that you could hear from all over.

On July 4 we headed over to Epcot, just a five minute walk from our room at the Yacht Club resort. We headed straight for the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride that, for the second day in a row, gave me the thrill of a lifetime. This one went just as fast as Tron but launched backwards and spun as the cars zoomed around the track, putting you in the middle of a battle to save the world alongside the Guardians. It was an incredible experience. We then got to go on some of my wife’s favorite rides like Nemo and Soarin’, which I would argue is the most beautiful ride that Disney World has to offer.

We then hit the World Showcase again, stopping by all of the shops we had missed and looking for pins to trade, which we may have gotten way to into. We also rode Ratatouille, which quickly became Savannah’s favorite ride. As we prepared to ride it a second time the ride broke down and we were evacuated. Normally that would be a downer, but Savannah and I were taken through the ride and ended up being led backstage, somewhere only cast members are allowed. Savannah found the entire thing fascinating and ended up calling the evacuation the best ride at Disney.

As the rain that the forecast promised started to hit, we took cover under the Epcot geosphere, which contains the ride Spaceship Earth. Though we weren’t sure at first, we rode it and ended up having a very leisurely tour of the history of global communication as the rain hit the sidewalk outside.

Our day at Epcot ended like most July 4 celebrations do, with a glorious fireworks display. Epcot played its usual show and then transitioned in to a celebration of the USA. The show was spectacular as we watched from the edge of the water. It culminated in a massive display of explosions above the American pavilion and then ended above the water where the sheer amount of explosions in the air was enough to make your heart stop.

Our final day at Disney was a relaxing one, in which we swam in the Yacht Club pool, inarguably the best pool at the Disney resorts.

For our last evening we had a date night that transported up back the the 1950’s. We took a stroll along the Boardwalk, during which I stopped to play a carnival game and win my girl a prize. We stopped on the bridge to catch the Epcot fireworks and then headed off to the arcade to play games while we waited for our table to be ready at Beaches and Cream Soda Shop.

All-in-all it was a magical honeymoon. and as we packed up and headed off to go home I was reminded that it didn’t have to end when we left Orlando.

As we merged on to the interstate for the four hour road trip and the Disney blues began to rumble, I saw a Disney billboard with two words that stood out to me. Stay Magical. It reminded me that even though we have to leave the happiest place on Earth, the kindness and love we experienced there doesn’t have to go away. We can always stay magical.