How many times have you gone to WDW?

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

:wave2: Not counting trips that you took as a child, I want to know where you stand in WDW vacation experience.

For me, I have been 8 times since Corey and I first went to WDW together 8 years ago. Corey has been many more times than I have because she lived in FL for many years.

I feel more or less like a pro at WDW vacationing, but sometimes this old dog learns a new trick. ;)

So how about you? :wizard:

[OrlandoMike]

As a child?

Once!

To the preview center, two weeks before opening day! Talk about scar tissue! Mom denies it to this day, but I have pics to prove it!

As an adult...

A few times.......

[Uncle Remus]

This next trip will be #5.

My first was in Apr '78, 2nd Mar '86, 3rd was Sep '06, 4th was Nov '07.

I can't wait. :woohoo:

[DVC~OKW~96]

One of our minor regrets in life is not having kept track of how often we've visited. We go again and again and again.

We so short visits (as in walk around the WS and leave) and we do weekend visits, and extended stays.

Never went as a child! My first visit to WDW was as an adult. The same for my wife. ::yes::

[C&G'sMama]

Our next trip (April 27 - May 4) will be our 12th. Like others we still find out new things and try new things. Except for going to PI when we were on our Honeymoon in 1996 we've never been to DTD. (never seems to be enough time) We have definitely learned a lot on these boards.

[PeterPan09]

My first trip was a LONG time ago...back when Magic Kingdom was the World. We stayed at Florida's Largest Toaster, and woke up every morning to watch all these unmarked trucks going down the road and disappearing underneath Space Mountain. We went back every other year for a long time, took some time off while I was in college, then got serious again when DN was 5. Then, the parentals moved down here and we went even more often....now I live down here and if I don't go over just to hang out at least every other week I start to feel withdrawal symptoms......

[Timrobb]

Well as an adult (over 18) I have been 12 times - yikes that is a lot when you actually type it.

With Tim it has been 5 (twice without our DD and three times with).

Many more to come I am sure . . .

[rpmdfw]

Not really a category for us locals is there?

Does driving through WDW twice a day on my way to and from work count? :confused3 :rotfl:

We're in the "lost count, go all the time, always have fun, refuse to wait in line for more than 10 minutes for anything, go to the parks for a few hours at a time" category.

Not quite the "been there done that" level, but cerainly more than the "have been several times and still learning stuff" group.

Being a local is it's own animal, I'd say. And being a CM is probably another thing entirely.

[tiggr33]

I stopped counting. I am in the over 50 visits catergory.

[MonorailMan]

I honestly lost count. :sad2: It's something like 11....maybe 12 times. I went through most of my twenties without going, and then I managed to go back in 2006 and again in 2008. I want to keep going at least once a year or every other year, but I'll have to wait and see what the "economy cards" hold for me.

[zeitzeuge]

I've only been once and that was two years ago. Can I give you my sob story in a short (as short as I can make it) version?

My ex partner and I planned this trip. He let it slip to his Southern Belle of a Texas Mama and his Good Ol' Boy type Daddy. They invited themselves with us on our 4 day trip. We were going to do a whirlwhind 4 day, 4 park vacation. In August. In Florida. Needless to say, I told him that they would have trouble. His Mama has hair so high, it almost touches Jesus and enough bling and fancy clothes to make Cher drool.. His Daddy goes no where without his cowboy hat and boots.

Needless to say, I wasn't happy because I knew how our trip would turn out.
First off, knowing that we wanted to be at the park at 8am, we couldn't make it until 11am due to it taking Mama 3 hours to do hair/makeup and Daddy having to have a 2 hour breakfast every morning. They complained about the heat at 8am. They complained about how much we walked by noon. They wanted to go back to the hotel by 5pm. We tried to send them back without us, but they refused and insisted on keeping up with us.

Mama had to spend hours in every store shopping. Daddy tried to take control like he normally does and orchestrate our trip. Telling us where to eat, where we're going next, when were going and when we're leaving.

SOMEHOW, my ex and I were able to have a decent time, but my experience was not quite what I had hoped it would be. The magic kind of fizzled and the pixie dust was in short order.

The highlights? Walking around World Showcase and having drink after drink. Best highlight? Getting Mama and Daddy on the (not sure of the name) river rapids ride at AK. Mama and Daddy wore enormous trash bags on their heads to protect her 12" high hair and his cowboy hat and they both STILL got soaked.

Mama's 4 wiglets were falling off her head by the time we got off.

Revenge is so sweet.

[OrlandoMike]

You know that post would be so much better with pics! :rotfl2:

[zeitzeuge]

You know that post would be so much better with pics! :rotfl2:

I didn't actually take tons of pictures of US as much as I did of the park. I do have one of Mama I think and Daddy, but I don't think he's wearing his hat. He traded it in on the 2nd day for an indiana jones hat. :rolleyes1
I'll see what I can find.

[zeitzeuge]

Here's Mama and Daddy on the Nemo ride at Epcot
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/uploads/182769/mamaanddaddy.jpg

Here's a pic of Mama where I kept saying, move back further, move back further.....Perfect! Snap!
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/uploads/182769/mamaplant.jpg

Unfortunately, no pics of them with trash bags on their heads since our cameras were stowed away safely from the water.

Ok, back to your regularly scheduled programming. :)

[soulmates]

Here's Mama and Daddy on the Nemo ride at Epcot
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/uploads/182769/mamaanddaddy.jpg

Here's a pic of Mama where I kept saying, move back further, move back further.....Perfect! Snap!
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/uploads/182769/mamaplant.jpg

Unfortunately, no pics of them with trash bags on their heads since our cameras were stowed away safely from the water.

Ok, back to your regularly scheduled programming. :)


They SOOOO look JUST like I pictured them!! :rotfl:

[soulmates]

I've been 2 or 3 times with the parents. 3 times as an adult. Not counting DL...been there a few times as well. I think we're going to go ahead and start purchasing AP's...that way, once we've bought, we might as well GO!!!:cheer2:

[Tony-NJ]

December will be mine and Chris' 8th time together since 1996. :cool1:

[starann]

2 times with DH and the kids 06, 08
1 time with the ex (day trip) and his family 96
1 time with my mom (day trip) 95
1 time with mom and stepdad with a non-Disney cruise 87
2 times with dad and stepmom and family 96 and 97


Hopefully I can convince dh to go back in 2010...but that would mean I would need to get OT from the hospital, and currently they aren't offering ANY OT :headache: So no OT for me (go figure....I still have a certain tree to pay for)

[tig82174]

Hmm......let's count

1 time when I was a child in the early 80's
2 times when I was in High School in the early 90's
2 times when I was in College in the mid-90's
2 times with my first real BF (right after college---in 1998 & 1999)
2 time with my next BF after that (in 2000 & 2001)
1 time with a group of friends in 2002
....and then in Feb. 2003 is when my and Jason's relationship became serious....and he and I have been to WDW 10 times together and been on 5 Disney cruises together (& bought 2 DVC properties together, as well)....and we're going back to WDW and on a cruise in May of this year...and then back to WDW in Dec. of this year, too....and we're scheduled for a trip to WDW and a BIG cruise in fall of 2010 as well (and toying with the idea of a quick trip to WDW in April 2010, too!!)

So if we count starting with my college trips (which is when I started going without my parents)----then 17 trips to WDW and 5 cruises with at least 3 more trips to WDW and 2 more cruises in the works!!!

And amazingly.....even counted out like that IT STILL DOESN'T SOUND LIKE ENOUGH TO US!!!!!:thumbsup2

[DVC~OKW~96]

Tig, your signature photo is wicked nice! ::yes:: Just thought I'd throw that in there! :teeth:

[tig82174]

Tig, your signature photo is wicked nice! ::yes:: Just thought I'd throw that in there! :teeth:

Aw, thanks!! That was taken on formal night on our most recent cruise (Oct. 2008)....we're wearing our 101 Dalmations bow-tie and cummerbund sets that I made for us.

[Jeff90]

Well....I wish I could say once as a child. My grandparents went back in 81 to visit Epcot and I remember my Granddad saying that he was going to visit the new Disney World park that is just for adults so they did not take me or my brother.:confused3 They only went to Epcot that trip.....

My 1st ever trip was just over a month ago....and we are happy to say we are returning on Sept. 27 2009 for 8 days...:goodvibes

[Uncle Remus]

Well....I wish I could say once as a child. My grandparents went back in 81 to visit Epcot and I remember my Granddad saying that he was going to visit the new Disney World park that is just for adults so they did not take me or my brother.:confused3 They only went to Epcot that trip.....

My 1st ever trip was just over a month ago....and we are happy to say we are returning on Sept. 27 2009 for 8 days...:goodvibes

Do I recall correctly that you said you'd do another trip report? :rolleyes1

I hope so!! :woohoo:

[Goofyluver]

Hmmmm...several times as a kid. And I'm fixin' to depart (in a month! :woohoo: ) on the 4th trip with my own kiddo. And I learn somethin' new EVERY time. :teeth:

I try to "convert" everyone around me. ;)

[DVC~OKW~96]

I thought it looked like a formal sort of event. I love the bow ties! ::yes::

We actually have Mickey bow ties and cummerbunds. ::yes:: Haven't worn them ever though. Don't quite have the nerve. :teeth:

[tig82174]

I thought it looked like a formal sort of event. I love the bow ties! ::yes::

We actually have Mickey bow ties and cummerbunds. ::yes:: Haven't worn them ever though. Don't quite have the nerve. :teeth:

We actually hate dressing up....we hate ties and tuxes....we ONLY wear nice clothes by CHOICE (meaning not at a funeral or a wedding or something like that where it's pretty much required) when we are on a Disney cruise.....and then on DCL trips we dress up for dinner every night no matter what restaurant we're in-----and the fun part is that we only wear Disney-themed ties and formal wear----in fact our collection of Disney semi-formal and formal wear have become quite the event with our DIS friends and fellow cruisers.

At this point we have a collection of over 40 different disney neckties (and very few are Mickey Mouse.....I scour the internet and ebay for unique ties with different characters and disney film themes). So when we cruise we never wear the same tie twice. I also am handy with a sewing machine....so I actually MAKE neckties for us, too....I made us matching tinkerbell ties that were a big hit and on our most recent cruise Jason had a lovely little mermaid tie (which I have now made a companion for!:thumbsup2 ) and I wore a very fun Disney princesses tie, too. (Cinderella and Belle were quite impressed when I wore it to pose for pictures with them on the ship!!princess: )

I also have either bought or made all of our disney tie/vest and tie/cummerbund sets. We have a purchased Mickey set but I've made us a bunch of others (some of which have yet to debut on the ships and will be seen on our may cruise and on our B2B in 2010)----including the dalmation set in our siggy pic, a finding nemo set, a disney princesses set (with matching princess face buttons), and a golden mickeys tie and vest set. (I admit it....I have too much time on my hands....but I always joke and say there are worse addictions!!!:lmao: )

Some of my projects have interesting histories, too-----like our dalmation bowties and cummerbunds in that picture....I love to tell people where THAT fabric came from....I bought a used silk red 101 dalmations teddy/nightie on ebay and cut it up to make that set!! So whenever we wear those to a formal DCL dinner we giggle inside that we're actually wearing women's lingerie! :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

[mjrseb]

since i been an adult... 18 trips:thumbsup2

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

I think it's cool that so many of us feel like we sort of have the whole WDW travel & parks thing down pat. There are more newbie/still have a lot to learn folks here than I imagined though. I have to wonder, what can we do for you guys to help? :confused3