How much do you remember?

[Missytara]

I went with my dad on October 11, 1971.

I remember the caution tape still up around Tomorrowland; it was not yet open.

I remember getting out of line for the Haunted Mansion when I found out what it was.

I remember the snake coming out of the side wall on the Jungle Cruise.

I remember buying slides of the main attractions at one of the stores on Main Street.

And I remember riding on the monorail and hearing my favorite song at the time - "Tell Me Have You Seen Her" by the Chi-lites.

And that is unfortunately it.

I should say I was barely 11 years old.

 

[pumpkin7]

i remember it being very, very hot. and ariel in her grotto, with her hair feeling like straw. i remember the time keeper. i loved that ride. i can't believe they closed it. uhm, i remember ellens energy adventure and how awesome the dinosaurs were. i remember animal kingdom having just opened, and we stayed about an hour before being forced out by the insane amount of people in there. i remember falling over in the lagoon and typhoon lagoon and scratching my knee to pieces and floating around the lazy river, i remember being hugged by eeyore, and he put his hand on my head and her hurt my neck because his hand was heavy lol. i remember how awesome the backlot tour used to be!
un disney, i remember king kong, and earthquake, pre stunt show, i remember being burnt by jaws... now that was heat, i remember the back to the future ride, and going around a preview centre for the islands of adventure. and waving to fred flinstone through his mouth because i knew it was a guy in a costume at the age of 8, although i did try to persuade my mom that i was trying to 'feed him' lol!

i'm sure there's much more but i'd be here forever.

 

[seelyt2]

I went when I was 3 and remember little bits and pieces. However, my daughter, almost 10, remembers parts of her first visit when she was 5, that I don't remember to this day! How embarrassing is that?!!?

 

[That's So Raven]

I was 12 on my 1st trip to WDW, so it's safe to say I remember mostly the whole thing. Now my 1st Disney trip ever was to DLR and I was 3. I can remember some things, but not a whole lot. I'm just thankful cameras and camcorders were invented. I believe at that age it is about parents experiencing the joy of their child's 1st trip.

 

[Satchmo128]

My first trip to WDW was about 2 years ago for our honeymoon. I was 27. So, I remember everything

And I my first trip to DL was when I was 17. I remember pretty much everything from that trip as well.

I think it is fabulous that families take their small children to the Disney parks. My parents/brother are not into Disney (or theme parks/crowds), so it was never a vacation for us growing up. Plus, my family did not have the funds to go on an expensive vacation like that. When I went to DL for the first time, it was only affordable because it was a school choir trip.

 

[kat7709]

I went for the first time when I was three years old back in '96 I believe.

This is all I remember:

- Watching a luau at the Polynesian and thinking that the food was strange. Then begging dad to buy me some Doritos once we got back to the hotel.

- Seeing Cruella de Vil during the stage show in front of the castle and freaking out. I was terrified of her and cried until she went away.

- Sleeping Beauty picking me up and putting me in her lap. She didn't have a very good hold on me and I almost fell out of her lap.

My memories are pretty random.

 

[aripantaloon]

My first trip was when I was 5, but I don't remember a thing about it. This was between kindergarten and first grade, too.

I think a big part of keeping the memories alive is to talk about them. I don't ever remember my parents taking about our trip to Disney after we got home. I know that my dad wasn't exactly into theme parks, so I'm guessing that we didn't spend much time there. We only went for the day since my half sister, who we were visting, lived somewhere in the area.

My kids loved their trips to Disney and talk about it all the time with us, so hopefully they will retain those good memories for a very long time.

 

[SnipsNSnails]

I was probably 1 or 2 so no, I don't remember the first time. My granparents have wintered in FL as long as I can remember and we usually went down and stayed with them at least once a year and would head to MK for one day. I was 16 the first time that we stayed on property for a whole week. I remember that well. I can remember being a teenager and knowing our way around MK like the backs of our hands and rushing to SM at rope drop. I also remember being crushed one time when Minnie (dressed in a kimono at Epcot) left just as we got to the front of the line and the CM saying that she wouldn't be back out (dressed like that, in that spot) that day. I LOVE WDW and am trying my best to pass that love onto my kiddos! So far my 4 yo has stayed on property once and been twice for the day to MK. My 2 yo has been twice for the day to MK. My DH went a few times as a kid but unfortunately doesn't have the same love for Disney as my family. My parents are headed on their first Alaskan cruise in a couple of weeks and are way more excited about our Disney trip in Sept! LOL

 

[Dobby]

I went when I was 8...I barely remember anything, but I have recently discovered that we didn't actually spend much time there. lol! I have a few vague memories of my favorite rides, and especially smells. I remember the first scent of the air coming out of the airport, and the smells inside the rides. When I went to Disneyland last year, the smell in the first ride I went on brought back so much!

 

[GatorMama]

I was 2 1/2 and remember nothing. My first time after that, I was 10 and I remember being very frustrated with my parents because I was obsessed with Jonathan Brandis and he was supposed to be at Planet Hollywood one of the nights we were there and we couldn't afford to go eat there. :-( I also remember thinking that I was way too old to ride some of those silly little kid rides and getting autographs... but I did anyway!

 

[Diz'nsince71]

I was 3, almost 4. I remember the good feeling I had then. Specifically, I remember us leaving the park at night and being very happy. My parents did not have a stroller (as this was a long time ago and strollers were not common) and my dad picked me up and carried me through the gates as we made our way to our car. I was wearing the Winnie the Pooh sweat shirt my parents had to buy me because it got chilly. I remember wearing shorts and white sandals (to this day I associate what I'm wearing with what is happening at the time). That was mid to late October 1971 and we returned the following year and every year since.

....I remember the smell of the submarine on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea not being very pleasant. I remember dancing with Chip and Dale in Frontier Land. I remember Disney (The Magic Kingdom) not being very crowded. I remember Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, The Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf. I remember the ticket booths and buying books of ride tickets. The memories are there and they bring back the warm and fuzzy feelings I had then which began my love of Disney World!

 

[Diz'nsince71]

I was 3, almost 4. I remember the good feeling I had then. Specifically, I remember us leaving the park at night and being very happy. My parents did not have a stroller (as this was a long time ago and strollers were not common) and my dad picked me up and carried me through the gates as we made our way to our car. I was wearing the Winnie the Pooh sweat shirt my parents had to buy me because it got chilly. I remember wearing shorts and white sandals (to this day I associate what I'm wearing with what is happening at the time). That was mid to late October 1971 and we returned the following year and every year since.

....I remember the smell of the submarine on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea not being very pleasant. I remember dancing with Chip and Dale in Frontier Land. I remember Disney (The Magic Kingdom) not being very crowded. I remember Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs, The Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf. I remember the ticket booths and buying books of ride tickets. The memories are there and they bring back the warm and fuzzy feelings I had then which began my love of Disney World!

 

[BBQMommy]

1972 -- I was 3. I remember the monorail, the mosaics at the Contemporary and the castle (and a neat clock/watch shop inside the castle), I remember drinking orange juice out of a plastic orange, and I remember Dumbo.
Now when I visit I am the one crying while standing in line at Dumbo. Taking my daughter on it was overwhelming to me, as both my parents have passed and I remember my time on Dumbo with them.


Caryn

 

[Vivianne]

How much do I remember?

Plenty, it was 1986 and I went on my honeymoon for the first time.
Back then there were only 2 parks MK and Epcot.

My parents couldn't afford Disney if they even wanted to go.

Once was enough for me. to get hooked on this experience I've gone numerous times with DH throughout
the years. He says he's been Mickified...
Guess who plans these trips?

 

[bluezy]

My first trip was over 30 years ago when I was 15. It was my family and another family that we were really good friends with. I have no memories of walking around MK with my family *at all* (which is sad to me). I remember we stayed in a townhouse at Lake Buena Vista village (and I can remember exactly what it looked like inside and out). We were in an end unit of a 4 unit building and our friends were in the other end unit. I remember that there was a bus that picked us up right near our townhouse and took us to MK. I remember that the parents deemed it "safe" for the 4 "kids" (all between the ages of 13-15) to go to the park ourselves one afternoon (I just about hyperventilate thinking about it now). I can remember the 4 of us taking the ferry across the lake. I remember the ticket books. That's about it.

My second trip was literally 2 weeks later (with our high school band). How lucky was I??? I remember very little from that trip either. I can remember marching in the afternoon parade and being able to go backstage at the beginning and end of the parade. They were just starting to build BTMRR at the time.

My third trip was 2 years later. I remember a little more from that one:

- Space Mountain broke down while we were on it -- half way up the hill and it stopped. I remember that by the time we realized the ride had stopped, there was a CM beside us talking to us. All the lights came on and we finished the ride with all the lights on.

- WEDWay People Mover broke down/stopped while we were on it...inside Space Mountain. Go figure.

- Another ride in Tomorrowland broke down while we were on it...can't remember the name of it, it's not there anymore. Had something to do with flights/airports.

- Two girls in our band were arrested for shoplifting in the park. It was quite a shock. Both were really nice, smart, girls. Totally out of character for them. They tried to steal a $5 item by putting it in their bag of already purchased souvenirs -- worth more than $30. To this day, I don't know why they did it. They were taken to the airport that night and sent home.

That's all I remember from my first three trips...and I wasn't even a little kid when they happened! I'm still surprised that I can't remember more. I definitely remember more from my trips in the last 10 years.

 

[MomofKatie]

It was the summer of 1971 and I was 5 when we went to Disneyland. I remember screaming through most of Pirates of the Caribbean because I though the pirate ship was shooting REAL cannonballs at our boat. I remember riding a real, live burro on the Rainbow Canyon Trail ride. I loved It's A Small World (still remember loving the white/gold building with the big clockface rocking back and forth, and the topiary characters in front), the Carousel, and the little miniature storybook scenes you saw from a boat, I think. My brother rode the Matterhorn and I was scared for him. We bought lots of ticket books because the really good rides were all D or E tickets.

 

[FBDM66]

I had just turned 8 when I went for the first time in 1974 and I remember pretty much everything! It was only MK, CR and the Poly (Village) back then. I remember Gramma taking movies (super 8 camera) from the moment we got on the monorail until we went home a week later (I keep telling her to put them on a DVD). I remember getting my first ears at the Chapeau on Main Street. I was enthralled by 20k, IASW, circle vision, If you had wings- I can go on for a while!
HM stands out the most. I was panic stricken! I put my head in gramma's lap and covered my ears. I looked up only once and it was Madame Leota's head!
I remember Mom controlling the ticket books and running out of 'E's. Each day of that trip we watched Fantasy in the Sky and stopped at the ice cream parlor on the way out. That's a tradition that I still do.

 

[Disney9.9.10]

How much do you remember from your very first trip to WDW and how old were you?

I worry about this a little for my 5 year old because I was six the only time I went as a child and while we have photos, I only have fleeting memories of things. I remember bits and pieces of The Haunted Mansion, Tiki Room and It's a Small World. I don't remember meeting characters, though I see photos that I did, and I have no recollection of the castle or what MK looked like in general. Granted, it was 1976, and there wasn't much of a WDW compared to what it is today, and we'll be doing a lot more to make it stuff they remember, like autographs, photos, etc.

If you went as a small child, how much do you remember from that time?

I always talk with people who want to 'wait until the child is older' to take them to Disney. This age varies depending on who you are talking to, but I always advocate for taking them ASAP! lol My family has always been a Disney family. My grandparents took my mom when the Magic Kingdom first opened, and then they were hooked and passed it on to us. So perhaps I am biased because I am such a fan, but my brothers and I all went for our first trip before we were 18 months old. Do I have real specific memories from this trip? No. But we have photo albums and momentos from these early trips and I am really glad that we went when we did. When I was older, and saw my youngest brother in Disney for the first time, it was an amazing experience to see how happy and excited he was - which is a benefit to all parents taking their young children. But the memories are there for the whole family and we have many pictures to remember the details with.

 

[lncbodsmom]

It was 1977 and I was 6. I remember quite a bit. We stayed outside the World, but visited friends at Polynesian... I also remember everyone in the pool and I couldn't go because I forgot my swimsuit at our hotel outside Disney I remember my mom being so impressed by the people that worked there... as I was eating popcorn on Main St and dropping some on the ground, someone was right at our feet sweeping it up (she thought that was just great). I remember 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, If I Had Wings, Carousel of Progress, TeaCups and a new friend I met in line waiting for Dumbo ride. I'm taking my kids next spring, they will be 5,5 and 4. We didn't do it sooner as I didn't want a stroller and diapers to be a problem. I agree with what someone else wrote... they may not remember but it's an experience just like the zoo. We are hoping this will be the start of many yearly trips to come

 

[DisneyFive]

We took 2 1/2 hours of home video last year on our Disney trip when our youngest was 3 1/2 years old. I then put the video to DVD's. He LOVES watching the DVD's of our trip, so even if he doesn't rememebr the actual events, he can always remember the experience from the videos. It worked great to capture time, and it will always be there to watch later in life. A nice small video camera is a great thing to have handy! My wife kept it in her purse, in easy reach. Flip open the display, capture the video, put it back. Worked out great.

This is what I used:
http://camcorder.jvc.com/product.jsp?modelId=MODL028899&pathId=161&page=10


Just my $0.02.

Dan