[Over 2025, the Sip Family will use their Magic Key year passes to attend the Disneyland Resort frequently. Therefore, a fair bit of my content will be Disney based this year, while also presenting a Disney-themed cocktail recipe.]

Disneyland means a lot to me and my history. I mean, one of the biggest moments of my life took place within its limits. Other unforgettable stories occurred there and with each trip, more remembrances are being created, especially with the Sipplings now joining in the memory making. Here are some of my favourite personal moments in the park:

Humble Beginnings

People are always surprised to hear that my and Mrs. Sip’s relationship began in Disneyland. It’s not a common story for two folks who don’t live local to the ‘happiest place on earth’. When we were both 18, our respective families were on vacation at the resort. Cousin Sip was friends with Mrs. Sip back at home and played matchmaker for us. On Mrs. Sip’s last night at the park before driving home with her family, we met up for that evening’s fireworks spectacular. Fully aware it was now or perhaps never and this was the best chance I was going to get, as the show reached its climax, I asked her out for a future date and she replied ‘okay’. My neurotic brain would later question if that was actually a yes or if she was still processing my query. I mean, she had to at least give me a chance given my romantic timing. Upon getting home after flying back days later, I had barely entered our home when I gave the future Mrs. Sip a call to make first date plans for the following weekend. And, the rest they say, is history!

Indecent Proposal

While Mrs. Sip and I were already engaged, in a perfect world, I would have popped the question where it all began. When I did ask Mrs. Sip to marry me, we had no plans to head to Disneyland anytime soon, so I just couldn’t wait. 10 months later, we were SoCal bound for a trip to the resort, as well as to catch a Vancouver Canucks-Anaheim Ducks game. I figured, what’s wrong with getting engaged twice, so I formulated a plan that included a nice little ring from one of the many Disney shops and as we exited Peter Pan’s Flight, as we had done nearly a decade earlier as our first ride after I asked her out, I dropped to a knee and popped the big Q a second time. Mrs. Sip was taken aback, as other Disney guests cheered us on. Wouldn’t it have been hilarious if she said no this time!?

DisneyBANNED

Some park memories, especially as we got more and more into the resort’s booze offerings, are of the fuzzy variety. The first time Mrs. Sip and I ever attended a California Wine and Food Festival at California Adventure park was completely unplanned. We were in town for brief mini reunion with folks I had met while going to school for a semester in England and the festival just happened to be going on at the time. After our tasting passport was filled, we decided to continue the revelry with 10% ABV festival beers. Let’s just say we all got a little goofy on the way out of the park, with plans to head over to Disneyland, which was open later that night. Without realizing it, park security began tailing us with the goal of ending our evening early. We may have been drunk, but we were still clever, splitting up so the poor security person could only follow half our foursome. Mrs. Sip and I made it into Disneyland, while our pals joined later, helped by the fact one of them forgot their backpack in California Adventure and had to go back to retrieve it. The rest of that night lives somewhere in my brain, but only photographs viewed the next day (ala The Hangover style) helped me piece together what actually happened.

FastPass Fun

On that same trip, when we weren’t being drunkards, we were having a much more innocent brand of fun. When we went to the Big Thunder Mountain FastPass machines and it spit out multiple blank tickets, we decided to try our luck. After writing “Right Now” onto the passes, we approached the cast member guarding the queue entrance. After looking over the tickets, he flashed a smile and gave us front of the line passes to two attractions of our choice. We chose to use them on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (at that time, a new and popular attraction) and Space Mountain (an always popular attraction).

Last Ride

With the extended Sip Family in Disneyland to celebrate Ma Sip’s 60^th birthday, we knew the Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror would soon be closing for good. On our last night at the parks, as we were running around trying to get on one final ride before park closing, we jumped into the queue for the ride. Our timing was just right as our group of five boarded the last run of the night in a car all to ourselves. Our photo is pretty epic, but we weren’t able to purchase it, as I put my feet up on the safety rail, causing the pic to “disappear into the fifth dimension”.

Lost and Found

The chances of losing something at Disneyland are high and those odds only increase with children. On our most recent voyage to the resort, both Girl and Boy Sip managed to lose their MagicBands. We were lucky though, as dear ol’ dad, along with some great cast members, were able to bring a happy ending to both missing band cases. The first disappearance occurred as Boy Sip was in one of the park washrooms. I ran around a number of locations, finally having the band returned to me well after the parks had closed for the evening by the Lost and Found Office. A couple days later, Girl Sip managed to lose her band on the Haunted Mansion ride. Once we realized it was gone, I rushed over to the attraction and spoke to one of the cast members. Minutes later, the band was returned and superglued back onto Girl Sip’s wrist.

50^th Anniversary Anxiety

The whole entire Sip Family attended the parks 50^th anniversary in 2005. Unfortunately, as we made our way through a chaotic crowd, we got separated. This was decades before the park had wifi and many of us didn’t even have cell phones yet, so we couldn’t just send a message or make a call to meet up. Not sure what to do, our splintered crew hunkered down at a place in the park we all liked for its serenity. After waiting only a brief time, we were all reunited and from that point forward, we were very careful to make meeting spots throughout the day, should anyone from the herd get disconnected.

Meeting Minnie

They say you should never meet your heroes, but that wasn’t the case for a young Girl Sip. When she was two years old, we had a single day to enjoy the park, following a coastal cruise to celebrate both my and her birthdays. Our first order of business was to get the kid an autograph book, in case we ran into any characters. Sure enough, who should appear after the purchase but Minnie Mouse. Girl Sip had already been indoctrinated into the Disney cult, thanks to episodes of Minnie’s Bow-Toons. When it was her turn to meet her idol, she clenched her little fists and was literally shaking. Minnie was kind to spend some time with her admirer and give us all a lasting memory.

Milestone Moments

There was really only one place to properly celebrate Mrs. Sip’s 40^th birthday. So, we packed the Sip Family up and journeyed to Disneyland for a week of fun in January 2024. Ma and Pa Sip even managed a surprise cameo appearance for the big day. Another element that made this trip so great was it was the first one where both kids were old enough (at six and almost four years old) to fully appreciate the experience.

Breakdown Bonanza

Ride breakdowns have become a regular part of the Disneyland experience. While most are purely frustrating, the odd interruption can actually be kind of neat. Take the issue that happened to Mrs. Sip and I during one riding of Space Mountain. When the attraction suddenly stopped, we weren’t sure what to make of the situation. Then, the lights came on, illuminating the usually pitch black rollercoaster for a rare glimpse of what it actually looked like inside. When the ride thankfully started up again, we were offered a second go through, even though we had already completed the majority of the track. Of course, we accepted and our car chanted the section we got stuck near and all flashed a ‘Z’ hand sign for the ride photo. Another interesting breakdown occurred for Mrs. Sip and Girl Sip on Indiana Jones. After a delay, they were asked to walk off the ride and got to see the attraction from a whole different point of view.

Scavenger Sights

When I went to school in England, I was able to meet some fantastic fellow exchange program students. One was from San Diego and, like me, had a great affinity for Disneyland. For his birthday each year, he put together a Disneyland scavenger hunt for friends and family to enjoy and Mrs. Sip and I travelled to the festivities in back-to-back years to try our hand at the challenge. The hunt allowed us to experience the park in much more detail, looking out for hidden elements that otherwise often go unnoticed. To this day, we’re still on the lookout for touches the Imagineers snuck into attractions.

Disneyland Memories: Hakuna Matata

• 1.5 oz Spiced Rum
• 0.75 oz Coconut Rum
• 0.5 oz Banana Liqueur
• Dash of Maraschino Cherry Syrup
• Top with Pineapple Juice
• Garnish with a Maraschino Cherry

I could go on and on about my preferred Disneyland tales. Each trip adds more magical moments to the memory bank. What are some of your favourite experiences from trips to the happiest place on earth?