My earliest memory of Walt Disney World dates back to my first trip at 4 years old, when one of our often-referenced family memories was forever enshrined on VHS.
“Where are we?” my dad asks, pointing the camera toward me, a chubby-cheeked preschooler with a little mop of blond hair.
“Restaurant!” was my confident response, making for an adorable family memory captured in a home video clip. Technically, the correct response was “Walt Disney World,” where we had just arrived on a trip that was a surprise to my 2-year-old brother and me.
To my Pittsburgh-based relatives, Walt Disney World has always represented the holy grail of family vacations, a place where characters from our favorite films come to life and sweep us away into a world of fantasy. I returned on trips when I was 10 years old and three times in high school — twice to perform in parades with marching band and once more as a senior for a Thanksgiving trip with more than 30 members of my extended family.
I never imagined I would be writing about those same parks for a living. As longtime Theme Park Ranger Dewayne Bevil stepped down from his post in September, I stepped up to carry the torch — or perhaps the Mickey ears — of covering Orlando’s theme parks and attractions.
Patrick Connolly visits Walt Disney World with his parents and two younger brothers in 2006. (Connolly family archives)
I’ve had opportunities to dabble in theme park coverage since I began my career at the Orlando Sentinel in 2018. Dewayne and I witnessed the opening of Toy Story Land that summer, where we felt minuscule compared to the gigantic props around us.
We also teamed up for the opening of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, woke up entirely too early to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on opening day and later were among the first to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Dewayne and I have braved the haunted houses of Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights together and we documented the historic opening of Epic Universe in 2025.
Patrick Connolly covers the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge with former Orlando Sentinel reporters Gabrielle Russon and Dewayne Bevil. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
It’s those same parks that helped draw more than 76 million visitors to Orlando last year. This year, tourist-tax collections are expected to surpass $400 million for the first time ever. An economic impact study estimated that Central Florida’s tourism industry brought a record $98.6 billion in economic impact last year, supporting nearly half a million direct and indirect local jobs.
Everyone knows what big players the theme parks are in Central Florida’s drawing power. They also have massive political influence, as Scott Maxwell recently wrote about. During this election cycle, Disney has given $5.7 million to politicians on both sides of the aisle.
Patrick Connolly covers the opening of Epic Universe with former Orlando Sentinel reporter Dewayne Bevil. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
In my reporting, I’ll document new attractions and updates to Orlando’s major parks, including Disney’s Villains Land, Piston Peak National Park and Monstropolis. I’ll be keeping an eye on future expansion of Epic Universe, the progress on new Universal rides including Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift and the progress on SeaWorld’s SEAQuest: Legends of the Deep.
My new beat will involve sharing news of the Orlando area’s local gems, including Gatorland, the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Icon Park, Fun Spot, Legoland Florida, Kennedy Space Center, Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, Orlando Science Center, Orange County Regional History Center and beyond.
A high vantage point of Universal Orlando shows The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Dr. Doom’s Fearfall and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit in 2019. Now the skyline has changed as Rip Ride Rockit has been torn down and will soon be replaced by Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)
I’ll also work to report on the sweeping impacts and influence of the theme parks on the Central Florida community. Cruises, things to do in Orlando and the great outdoors are still part of my coverage area.
As I take on this new role, I’ll be thinking about that young boy who brought home a Mickey-themed Interstate 4 souvenir sign — not realizing how much he would later come to loathe that road — or collected autographs from characters and traded pins for his Mickey ears during high school band trips.
Don’t worry, I’ll still make time to escape into Florida’s natural playgrounds in between my theme park visits.
Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. Stay up to date with our latest travel, arts and events coverage by subscribing to our newsletters at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.