A 100-year-old woman celebrated her birthday at Disneyland decades after visiting the theme park on opening day in 1955

• Dee Kolafa is a Disneyland fan who first visited the California theme park on opening day in 1955.
• To celebrate her 100th birthday, Disneyland hosted a private celebration for the centenarian.

A 100-year-old woman who attended Disneyland's opening day in 1955 got a surprise birthday party at the theme park decades later.

The Orange County Register reported that Dee Kolafa visited the California theme park with her family on March 29, nearly 70 years after her first trip there, to celebrate her birthday and new status as a centenarian. Disneyland helped to host the festivities.

"Well, I was a little surprised myself that I woke up, to tell you the truth," Kolafa joked while speaking to ABC 7. "I didn't know they were gonna do this much. I was just real pleased that they were going to bring me for a celebration."

Her grandson Eric Sawyer told the TV station that he wrote a letter to the president of Disneyland, Ken Potrock, simply to share that both Kolafa and the Walt Disney Company turned 100 this year.

"I knew my grandma well enough to know that she'd be happy with just a letter, but instead they actually sent gifts from Disney and then a note saying, 'Come and join me.' She was very excited," he said.

According to The Orange County Register, Kolafa and her family — including her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren — spent their day at the park watching Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, riding It's A Small World, and getting a private tour of Walt Disney's apartment on Main Street.

They also got to spend time with Potrock and Mickey Mouse, who Kolafa greeted by saying: "I'm older than you, Mickey."

"I have come so many times and I've loved it every time," Kolafa told ABC 7 about Disneyland. "I remember just sitting and watching the carousel with a lot of my grandchildren and great-grandchildren on it."

She also noted that Disneyland didn't exist when she was a child. When it opened in 1955, she was already a mother of five.

"It sounds hokey, but I think we all should be almost grateful that we live on the same planet as [Walt Disney], who had that much imagination," Kolafa told the Register.

And it's clear that she shares some similarities with the Disney founder. As the publication reported, Kolafa's advice for living a long life is simple: have a good attitude.