The moment you were "hooked"??

[DisneyDoc5]

funny trend, so many of us getting hooked as adults....

HOOKED: We took our 2 DS's for the first time in 2006, then 4 and 7. They were going to be Green Power Ranger and Darth Vador for MNSSHP that trip. We stayed at BC and went the first day we arrived to HS. They had the Stars and Card Motor parade and both Darth and Green PR literally came directly to the boys (randomly of course) and did a little pose and interaction with them during the parade. All four of us were astonished, I couldn't believe the magic, how did they know???? Tears, and more tears when we went to MK the next day.

Favorite moment - HOOKED FOR LIFE: - when I realized DH got it. We all held hands on our 2010 trip, and skipped, yes skipped through Fantasyland from the carousel to Peter Pan - laughing, skipping, DH was the leader and loving it, it was magical (I know it sounds dorky a bit, but it was a sincere moment of happiness for us all!)

Having had a difficult childhood where I didn't really allow myself to have much fun since I was always worrying about things, I find our trips allow me to have childlike fun, to be a kid and worry free (my only worry is when can we come back!!) enhanced more by the joy it brings our children and our family as a whole. We have always had a magical moment every trip, some bigger than others, but they are all meaningful.

Thank you OP for turning my frown upside down on this busy morning and reminding me of such wonderful memories, I have enjoyed reading the others as well!

 

[The6Mousketeers]

Never got to go as a kid.

But I can say that the first time going and taking our kids in 2006 was the most magical and memorable trip we've ever had with our children. Seeing their excitement. Hearing my 3 yo (now 9 yo) call the castle hers and light up with excitement about her castle, my son's excitement for the pirates, my oldest dd on Thunder Mountain. it's just all so ...

I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't love it.

We have been back 2 more times and this will be our 4th trip in September and we are all so excited! Like it's new all over again. It's just magical and we are Disney fans for life!

 

[purpledisneyprncess]

The 1st time we went was all because of my job (big thanks to them!), they asked me, more like begged, to go to this dealer convention held in Orlando, with my co-worker. I finally said yes and told them I would drive down, didn't really want to fly- so I convinced DH that we could make it a small Disney trip. Our kids were 2 and 5 at the time- we only did 1 park- MK of course and that is when we fell in love. I had never been as a child, neither did he- but we both were big Disney fans, love all the movies and everything Disney. Needless to say, we went and as soon as we walked down Main St. towards the castle, we were hooked.

Like others have said- that feeling of pure joy, happiness and "feeling like a kid again" is what I felt. Also seeing the joy on our children's faces is priceless. We have been on other vacations to Wildwood, NJ-- Ocean City, MD-- Aruba-- and nothing compares to the feeling that we get when we are in Disney. We feel the magic, that's for sure.

 

[kelticknott]

For me, watching the Disney TV program on Sunday nights at 7:30pm. My parents even allowed my to stay up"late" to watch it. Unfortunately, we could not afford a family trip to DWD BUT as an adult I have been several times. My hooked monent was being the "first family" at Liberty Tree Inn and ringing the bell to declare the Inn open for customers. As a native New Englander, this was magical..as only Disney can be. And the magical monents continue..

 

[Hootch]

came after a few trips.

We added three nights at WDW in conjunction with a beach trip with my family with Disney first.

1. 1. • The day started out with a flight delay. That's expected in Atlanta.
      • My bag was shipped on the wrong flight.
      • The car rental agency only had a 12 passenger van waiting for our family of four. (Shades of Seinfeld's do you know what reservation means.) It took us 45 minutes to get an appropriate car.
      • Upon arriving at All Stars we were told our ressie for a preferred was incorrect but we would save money by not staying in a preferred room. The rate quoted was higher than we booked. It took us awhile to fix that.
      • Headed to DTD for dinner and to buy clothes for the next day for me.
      • Received a call from my boss that my vacation was about to be cancelled because of an issue with a contract I was working on.
      • Next day I spent a lot of time talking with people at headquarters trying to determine the issue.
      • Returned to the room that night and no luggage. My wife started a load of laundry at 10:30 at night for my one set of clothes.
      • Next morning I am worried that the luggage won't show up until after we leave for the beach. I find the home phone number of the person whose bag tag was switched with mine. I find out she took my bag to her hotel and refused to release it until she had her bag.
      • My laptop shows up for me to work on. The consultants for the other guys provided their model but it's locked. An hour later I have the key. Ten minutes later I discovered their mistake.
      • That night my luggage shows up.
      • The next day we left for the beach.
      .

The next winter we had booked a condo on a different beach. I realized that despite all the things that went wrong on the trip, I had a great time with my family. We cancelled the condo and booked a trip to Disney.

Now we append a couple of days at the beach to our Disney trip. We go every other year. We just returned from a stormy trip, but we still had a fun time.

 

[Conan the Librarian]

I was hooked in 1970 when The Wonderful World of Color had a special about WDW. The only thing I really remember about it was the segment on the HM, but, that was it for me.

I begged my parents to get me there, but, turns out that I didn't have to. In August of 72, our church took a group of us down for a weekend and that was it for me! I got to see the candelabra and the singing heads!

I still have part of the ticket book with an "A"s and a couple of "B"s still in it.

Now I am in the DVC and actually own a small chunk of WDW! How cool is that!

 

[TIMLEO007]

Wow great read, thanks for sharing It is amazing how Disney can mean so many different thing to people of all ages too.

my parents brought me and my 3 brothers to Disneyland in 1975. I was 5 years old and it was the first "real" vacation we had been on as a family. 7 entire days. Sure, we had taken long weekend trips in the car, but nothing like this. I guess I owe part of it to my oldest brother as he was an avid disney fan for the longest time and I think he was the one who eventually wore my parents down to take us.

I remember how magical it was. First time on an airplane and all.
The thing I remember from that was when we were leaving Disneyland on our last day there, my mom told my dad, "honey, I don't care what we need to do, but we're coming back"..... My dad agreed. And we did. Each year we would scrimp and save.... and each year we would go.

Back in 1980 was the first year we decided to go to WDW. With a few hick-ups with the first hotel we stayed at, the first trip was not so wonderful, but still memorable. But I do remember being very impressed with the Magic Kingdom and just the sheer size of it vs the size of Disneyland.

We decided to try once again in 1981 and stayed at the Pickett Suites (it is now the DoubleTree) in the DTD area. That trip was a much better experience than the first one, and my family was hooked on WDW. Once again, we saved year after year so we could come back for 10-14 nights at a time.

As the years went by and my parents got older, it was harder and harder for them to make the trip. My dad developed Parkinson's and was wheelchair bound for a few of the trips. But he still wanted to go. I remember times pushing him and we would go get an ice cream while my mom and brother went shopping. I think those were some of the greatest memories I have with my dad. In fact, one of the photos I have of him was a great shot with Pluto. It was in the Oddessy restaurant.... Pluto standing behind him with his ears held out wide, and my dad with the biggest grin on his face.

My father passed away 6 years ago, shortly after my daughter was born.
So my husband and I decided to take our kids, my mom, and my brother (the disney fan) along on our trip. Now my husband's experience was totally different than mine growing up. The first time he went, he was 16 years old. And they went only to EPCOT for one day.... (still can't figure that one out, but that could be an entirely different post)

So this trip was going to be extremely magical for me.... seeing the parks through my eyes, my husbands eyes, our 6 year old son, our 17 month old daughters eyes, but not to forget seeing my mom experiencing all of this through her grandkids eyes. (WHEW!) And what a trip it was. We had so much fun....
That was probably one of the most magical trips that I had been on since that first trip back in 1975.

We lost my mom the past April...but I know that she would have agreed. And the thing I take from her that I will always remember is "honey, I don't care what we need to do, but we're coming back"..... Thanks Mom, I totally agree and I will remember your words always.

So with all the long winded-ness of my post, I think the thing that I can wrap this up with is, each time I go to Disney, I'm hooked. We share so many memories, and do different things each time we go, that it keeps hooking me every time and that's why we keep coming back. Some of the happiest moments and memories I have were because of something Disney. And that ain't to bad in my book....

~D
PS: and we'll be making more memories in 38 days.....:

 

[Cadyrose]

A little back ground....

My husband had never been to the World until our first trip in '07 when he was 29.

I had been once...and it was a fluke! My grandmother (who favored her grandsons over granddaughters) asked to take my brother to Florida. He was in 7th grade, I was in 6th. I put up such a stink about fairness that my mother pushed for me to get a chance to go. We went to WDW for 3 days, MK, Epcot and MGM but we maybe did 6-7 attractions between all 3 parks. Not much fun but I loved it and wanted to be that family that took their kids often if I could as a parent.

Jump to 2007, and my husband and I saw the deal for a family of 4 at a value with tickets for $1600. We were in the process of having our children each diagnosed for autism. We "knew" they were but the formal evaluations can take 6 months. It was a bumpy trip with meltdowns in the middle if the old Donald safari breakfast and a few tantrums waiting for parades. I thought I was crazy for attempting this. Then a few things happened.

1. We were waiting for a parade and getting thirsty. My DH went to get water. The line was so long that they started to close the hub before he could get back. When he finally reached us, he says to me, "I had to use the A word..." Really? You swore on Disney? No...he told the CM at the rope that his children were autistic and were thirsty from the long wait. She let him through. I had him point her out after the parade so I could thank her. She took my hand, told me how her grandson was Aldo autistic and that I should keep fighting for them. Hook....

2. My daughter's face every time she met a new character. The huge hugs she gave all the princesses and then how she just had to kiss Minnie's nose every time she saw her. But the fact that Minnie never minded and in fact ate it up and hugged her tighter? Line....

3. That same little boy who flipped out at Donald's breakfast when being in a tiny room and not knowing to expect characters? Well he waited next to us as his sister met Minnie...again...in HS. Goofy noticed him and not only got him to stand with him, Minnie and his sister for a picture but by waving my son's arms and messing with his hair, Goofy got him to laugh and smile. Sinker!

And each trip has sucked us in more and more. Character meets, holiday parties, new experiences that seem to make each trio better than the last.... worth every penny!

And I'm happy to say that the meltdowns are gone except for our tears when we see the Magical Express bus pull up to bring us back to the airport....

I now have two children, 6 years older, who on our last trip told us they both want to get married at WDW and can't wait to go back with us when they are adults and have their own children...

I couldn't thank Walt enough for his vision of a park that brings families together, away from the everyday distractions and issues. His dream has given us those precious weeks where we are just a regular family making vacation memories...

 

[Brian_WDW74]

This thread is more about theme park memories than theme park planning, so I've moved it to the Theme Parks Community board.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Unlike some people I didn't have that moment when I was hooked. I remember on our family's first trip, sitting in Orlando Airport waiting for our flight home. The rest of my family was talking enthusiastically about what a great time they'd had and how they hated having to go home. However I had kind of a "Ho Hum" feeling of "Been there done that, tick it off my list of things-to-do". But I kept getting drawn back more and more. I do remember the moment I knew I'd been hooked. I was sitting in our living room with a Magic Kingdom map spread out in front of me. DH asked what I was looking at it for. "I want to see where all the restrooms are and see if there are any I haven't been to yet." And as I said it, I knew-I'd been hooked!

 

[cka]

All great stories, love them! I knew I was hooked when I just finished one vacation and in the plane ride home we started planning next year's trip Going to the world again in 100 days!

 

[DisneyDoc5]

more, more, I love this!

 

[TIMLEO007]

lets heam some more i love these

 

[GadgetTheInventor]

My DM is actually the one "hooked on" WDW, and I am just hooked on taking her there (and people say young adult children don't do anything for their parents!).

My DM has been to Disney several times over the years: when the Buckeyes went to the Rose Bowl, post h.s. trip to Florida, early in her marriage, etc. She LOVES the Christmas decorations at WDW now and also reminiscing about when she was younger when going on familiar rides.

I love taking her to WDW because it is mostly barrier-free since she uses wheels to get around. WDW is far from perfect...it is more like being a second-class citizen than a third-class citizen, and it has gone downhill in some areas as much as it has gone uphill (new rides vehicles having wheelchair spots or transferable vehicles...Dumbo and LM included now!). It's nice to be able to vacation in a place free of pot holes, verbal abuse, and most rides being inaccessible!

WDW is the most accessible vacation spot that we have found so we are hooked!

 

[WDWFanTX]

I had gone to Disneyland when I was a toddler, but I don't remember too much from it except for Small World, Storybook Land and Dumbo the Flying Elephant, so I've always wanted to go to the one in Florida.

Fast forward to 2010, I'm in my early 20s and my parents start talking about going to Disney World someday. I thought to myself, "Haven't been there, and I heard it was bigger, so yes, I'd like to do that." Two years later, after watching several documentaries on the place, I started to look up information on the rides and attractions, and on Christmas Day last year, we received the vacation planning kit from my grandma, and my family and I were SO excited. Six months after receiving the planning kit, we were on our way to WDW and a vacation that I'll remember for a lifetime.

 

[TIMLEO007]

keep em coming, great to read so far

 

[disneyhousewife]

I love everyone's stories!

My boyfriend convinced me to go to Disneyland for his birthday a couple years ago. It was my first time in a Disney park ever, and I literally had no frame of reference of what it would be like. I remember getting off the tram and stopping by a little hut where he bought me my first pair of Minnie Mouse ears and as soon as I put them on my head I started getting this weird tingly feeling. (Might have been love, we were still a new couple ) The feeling got really strong and overwhelming as soon as we passed through the gates and I saw the huge flower Mickey at the entrance. I was completely in love as soon as I saw Main Street for the first time I had NO idea that everything was going to be so detailed and beautiful. I was even in awe of the castmembers costumes! Then there was no turning back. I was obsessed with Disney parks. Now my poor husband has to deal with those repercussions, as we've gone every year since then

 

[prettylittlelady]

I went to WDW when I was 3 1/2 and don't really remember much except that I was terrified of IASW. Fast forward 18 years, when I went on a trip with my future husband and in laws in 2006. There were a few good moments but listening to my MIL go on a 3 hr rant about me (even though I did nothing wrong) ruining her "family vacation" definitely dampened the trip. (That is a whole other story that I don't want to go into!) After that trip, I really did not want to go back but my DH did, maybe as a way to erase the bad memories.

Anyways, we planned and then went on our first family trip in Sept last year and I became hooked! Watching our kids experience Disney for the first time was amazing. Seeing them meet characters, going on rides together..the entire trip was, well..magical. (Sounds cheesy, I know) It was the best vacation that we've ever taken and I couldn't believe how much we did on our short trip. When I woke up on our off day the day before we flew back home, I just had this crazy idea to buy 1 day tickets to MK. We ended up going to DTD that day instead but it was in that moment that I knew I was hooked! We started planning our next trip (which is in 7 days!) as soon as we got home from that trip!

 

[mmbl]

I went to WDW when I was 3 1/2 and don't really remember much except that I was terrified of IASW. Fast forward 18 years, when I went on a trip with my future husband and in laws in 2006. There were a few good moments but listening to my MIL go on a 3 hr rant about me (even though I did nothing wrong) ruining her "family vacation" definitely dampened the trip. (That is a whole other story that I don't want to go into!) After that trip, I really did not want to go back but my DH did, maybe as a way to erase the bad memories. Anyways, we planned and then went on our first family trip in Sept last year and I became hooked! Watching our kids experience Disney for the first time was amazing. Seeing them meet characters, going on rides together..the entire trip was, well..magical. (Sounds cheesy, I know) It was the best vacation that we've ever taken and I couldn't believe how much we did on our short trip. When I woke up on our off day the day before we flew back home, I just had this crazy idea to buy 1 day tickets to MK. We ended up going to DTD that day instead but it was in that moment that I knew I was hooked! We started planning our next trip (which is in 7 days!) as soon as we got home from that trip!

Your mother in law sound like a winner! Mine was certifiably crazy- IMHO.

 

[mmbl]

Hooked first trip: June 1973. Age 18. Now have AP and go a lot from 1/2 way across the country!