The Flag Retreat at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

 

 

I felt this article by Lisa was appropriate as we celebrate Independence Day in the United States. -Nick

Disney World – Magic Kingdom’s Flag Retreat

By Lisa Green 

 

Better than the Hall of Presidents, more heart-melting than The American Adventure in Epcot, the Flag Retreat, if you haven’t seen it, is a must-do for your next Disney World visit!  The Voices of Liberty may give you goose bumps, but the Flag Retreat will touch your heart (and maybe make you cry)!

On Disney’s website, the Flag Retreat doesn’t sound like something worth stopping for.  They describe it this way, “Pledge allegiance and hear patriotic songs as the flag is lowered, folded and a special Guest is selected to participate.”  It’s so much more that that!  A veteran is pre-selected to gather by the flagpole at the beginning of Main Street U.S.A. with the uniformed Color Guard members who lower the flag.  On the day we were there, The Dapper Dans were standing by to bring their special musical flair to the solemn and extremely patriotic 15 minute ceremony.  The veteran chosen that particular day had served in the US Coast Guard and he stood at attention, eyes on the flag, as the Color Guard slowly and carefully brought the flag down and meticulously folded it.



At this point in the Retreat, the announcer invited guests to join the Dapper Dans in singing God Bless America (one of my most favorite patriotic songs) and I tried – I wanted to sing with the Dapper Dans and the rest of the gathered crowd, but a huge lump had moved from my chest right up into my throat and I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes.  I watched those very serious and reverent cast members hand that flag to the serviceman, moving in uniformed precision and I couldn’t sing a single note.  Moments later, a certificate was slipped into the veteran’s hands behind the flag.  The announcer introduced the special guest and the ceremony concluded as the Color Guard, veteran, and other Cast Members marched away.

 

I’d been hoping to see the Flag Retreat for a long time.  We arrived after the Pledge while the National Anthem was playing and when I realized what was happening I practically ran over to see as much as possible.  This short, seemingly routine daily activity is a wonderful opportunity for Disney guests to remember those who have fallen for our freedom and show appreciation for those brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.  I encourage you to put this 15 minutes of extra-special Disney magic in your plans for the next time you visit the Magic Kingdom at Disney World – you won’t be sorry.

This article was originally posted on Lisa's Living a Disney Life Blog.
She can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LivingaDisLife and on Twitter at @life_of_green

Please be sure to check out Lisa along with me and David Hodges on The Disney Exchange Podcast! 

The Most Emotional Hour I Ever Spent at a Disney Park (From 7/17/13)

By: Nick

I'm going to share a secret with you. I'm an emotional guy. When I encounter something that touches me, I lose it. A movie. A song. A bench.

What type of bench would make me break down? I've actually talked about this very topic in my review of the Walt Disney Family Museum. I sat down on one of the benches from Griffith Park, where Walt would sit and watch his daughters on the carousel. It was on these benches that Walt envisioned a park that families could enjoy together. The act of sitting on a bench that Walt himself likely sat on made me burst into tears.

But I'm getting way ahead of myself.

Let me take you back to a trip I took to Disneyland back in late September of 2010 with my wife and friends, Todd, Meghan, and our Godson, Flynn.

On the last hot afternoon of our 3 day stay at the Grand Californian, the group went back to the  rooms to escape the heat and take a nap. I stayed behind and decided to visit attractions we hadn't gotten to yet, including Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, located at the Opera House at the front of Disneyland.

Upon entering, I saw this:

 

The plaque reads: The Actual park bench from the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round in Los Angeles, where Walt Disney first dreamed of Disneyland. Yes, I started to cry.

On another plaque nearby, under a picture of the carousel:

 

 Walt Disney's Dream
"It came about when my daughters were very young and Saturday was always Daddy's day...So we'd start out and try to go someplace...I'd take them to the merry-go-round and I took them different places and as I'd sit while they rode the merry-go-round - sit on a bench, you know, eating peanuts - I felt that there should be something built, some kind of amusement enterprise, where the parents and the children could have fun together. So that's how Disneyland started."
Walt Disney

I started to sob.
As there was still 15 minutes until the next Lincoln show, I stepped outside to get air, just as the Flag Retreat Ceremony was starting! This is so patriotic and moving, my crying just intensified.

I finally got it together, somewhat, and entered the theater to see Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Due to knowing that this was an attraction Walt was personally involved with, the patriotic nature of the show, and the moving "2 Brothers" Civil War Segment that people who have visited the American Pavilion in Epcot will be familiar with, I broke into tears once again.

I was thankful that my family and friends were not present to see what an emotional wreck I'd become!

Happy Anniversary to Disneyland, which opened on this day in 1955, and thank you Walt! -sniff-

The Most Emotional Hour I Ever Spent at a Disney Park

I'm going to share a secret with you. I'm an emotional guy. When I encounter something that touches me, I lose it. A movie. A song. A bench.

What type of bench would make me break down? I've actually talked about this very topic in my review of the Walt Disney Family Museum. I sat down on one of the benches from Griffith Park, where Walt would sit and watch his daughters on the carousel. It was on these benches that Walt envisioned a park that families could enjoy together. The act of sitting on a bench that Walt himself likely sat on made me burst into tears.

But I'm getting way ahead of myself.

Let me take you back to a trip I took to Disneyland back in late September of 2010 with my wife and friends, Todd, Meghan, and our Godson, Flynn.

On the last hot afternoon of our 3 day stay at the Grand Californian, the group went back to the  rooms to escape the heat and take a nap. I stayed behind and decided to visit attractions we hadn't gotten to yet, including Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, located at the Opera House at the front of Disneyland.

Upon entering, I saw this:

 

The plaque reads:
The Actual park bench from the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round in Los Angeles, where Walt Disney first dreamed of Disneyland.
Yes, I started to cry.

On another plaque nearby, under a picture of the carousel:

 

 Walt Disney's Dream
"It came about when my daughters were very young and Saturday was always Daddy's day...So we'd start out and try to go someplace...I'd take them to the merry-go-round and I took them different places and as I'd sit while they rode the merry-go-round - sit on a bench, you know, eating peanuts - I felt that there should be something built, some kind of amusement enterprise, where the parents and the children could have fun together. So that's how Disneyland started."
Walt Disney

I started to sob.
As there was still 15 minutes until the next Lincoln show, I stepped outside to get air, just as the Flag Retreat Ceremony was starting! This is so patriotic and moving, my crying just intensified.

I finally got it together, somewhat, and entered the theater to see Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Due to knowing that this was an attraction Walt was personally involved with, the patriotic nature of the show, and the moving "2 Brothers" Civil War Segment that people who have visited the American Pavilion in Epcot will be familiar with, I broke into tears once again.

I was thankful that my family and friends were not present to see what an emotional wreck I'd become!

Happy Anniversary to Disneyland, which opened on this day in 1955, and thank you Walt! -sniff-

Flag Day and the Flag Retreat Ceremony at Disney Parks

On August 3rd, 1949, President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States in 1777.

At Disney, every evening around 5:00pm, they hold a ceremony called the Flag Retreat Ceremony. It starts off with the Main Street Philharmonic Band and the Dapper Dans performing patriotic songs along Main Street around the flag, and military veterans are invited to participate. The flag is lowered while the band plays the Star Spangled Banner and everyone sings along.

The veteran that was specially picked that day and their family is presented with the flag, while the history of their military service is recited aloud to the attentive audience. There's never a dry eye in the crowd.

So if you'd like to participate in the event, please go to the City Hall as soon as you can! It is amazing, and you should be acknowledged for your service; and Disney and the visitors there know how to do it right.