About Chris

Year after year, the project my students have loved the most is one I developed. They first learn all about the creation and development of Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and then they get to design their own theme park based on what they learned.

Hi, I’m Chris, and I’m really excited that you found your way here. It seems like a natural extension of a lifelong love of Disney mixed with being a teacher that resulted in the creation of Disney With Kids. Disney, wherever and however you experience it, should be magical. In order to do that especially with kids, but really at any age, takes planning.

My Story

I was born in Hollywood, California. I used to tell people when I was little that being born in Hollywood made me a movie star. My favorite show was The Wonderful World of Disney which was aired on Sunday evenings. By the time I was four I had a complete Davy Crockett outfit, coonskin cap and all. My mother later told me it was difficult to get it off me and into the wash. I have recently watched the original Davy Crockett with my grandson and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Before hitting my teen years, we moved to Hawaii. Growing up on the beach and in the surf is a great experience for anyone. We made yearly summer pilgrimages to visit relatives in California and a trip to Disney was always one of the stops.

After graduating from college in Oregon, my wife and I moved to Alaska where we enjoy the wonders of the great Alaskan wilderness. We have had sailboats, motor boats, and an airplane with which we traveled all over Alaska and between Alaska and the lower 48 states several times. I love being a bush pilot.

We also acquired sled dogs along the way. While teaching in a small Yupik Eskimo village on the Bering Sea Coast that was 400 miles from the nearest road, my wife saw a small sled dog team and said, “That’s what I want.” I took it to mean a sled dog team but she maintains that she really meant only one dog. You husbands out there know she really meant the whole team, right?

Ten years of sled dog teams and having run the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race twice, that’s the 1200 mile race from Anchorage to Nome, we retired in Wasilla, Alaska, where we now live with one dog and two grandchildren.

Back Story for Disney With Kids

One of my early memories is going with my Dad and sister to the grand opening of Disneyland, California. I was five years old at the time of my first Disney adventure. The memory that sticks with me the most is sitting on a bench next to my sister watching the nightly fireworks, that and the Dumbo ride.

We went to Disneyland many times as I was growing up. When my son was five we made another trip to Disneyland, one I had been waiting for, waiting to continue a family tradition of taking my five-year old son to experience Disney Magic. Now my grandson is five. Yes that’s right, we have the trip planned.

That first trip with my five-year old son? It had a serious lack of planning. Oh, we knew what we wanted to do but hadn’t properly calculated the actions, reactions, and behaviors of a five-year old into the equation. We survived, just barely. Subsequent trips to Disneyland, and Walt Disney World in Florida, saw a lot more purposeful planning go into them.

Have Fun

I can’t guarantee that the perfect trip will be yours by using this website. But I can say your Disney experience will be memorable. I wish you and yours great enjoyment. Oh, and one more thing. Don’t forget to have fun along the way. Remember the magic words … Disney Magic … or, if you’re a Fairy Godmother … Bibidi  Bobidi  Boo.

If you have any comments, please feel free to leave them below.

All the best,

Chris Converse