My very first! I grew up with Disney. As a kid in the 50's my favorite TV program was the Mickey Mouse Club. Annette my first love. As I got older, married and building a career, I never really thought much about the theme parks. I didn't have the extra money or even the notion that WDW existed. Oh, I knew it but not as a reality to my life.
I ran a publishing company and in conjunction with a local
travel agency gave away a trip to Disney World as a prize for entering a drawing that we called "Cabin Fever Get Away Give Away".
During the process I thought that this might be something fun for myself (I was 34 at the time), My wife and two daughters (ages 6 & 8). We still were struggling financially so we saved up, budgeted and headed to Florida. I had no preconceived notions about the place. Had never been there, had no idea that any advance planning would be necessary (at the time very little advance planning was necessary), and didn't even know what Disney parks were all about.
We stayed off site and as we were driving on to the property that very first day, I couldn't believe what this place was like. First, the signs said tune to a particular channel on the radio and it gave us directions, what lane to be in, where the next turn was, how to get and use Disney Dollars and so on. We got in MK and here was all this technology, autoanimatronics, cleanliness and fun. You are still remembering that I was 34 years old at the time aren't you?
This was in February 1983...EPCOT Center had just opened in October 1982. I know that I haven't been there anywhere near as often as many of you folks have, but I consider 21 visits from Vermont since then to be a pretty good average. I'm not what I consider a fanatic. I do frequent these boards, and enjoy my trips. I talk about the place with people who seem interested, but as some of you know, if you have read my posts, I can get tired of the Mouse pretty quickly and need to do something else. That's not a put down of anything Disney, just a personal thing.
Now that I am single again and my children have grown and have children of their own, I still try and get to Florida at least once a year. WDW is usually the focus of my trips but not the only part of my trips. I can go to central Florida for two weeks, have a 10 day park hopper and still come home with 6 days still intact to use the next year. Right now I have three days left on a ticket that I purchased in 2006 and three days left on a 7 day (upgraded) pass from this year. (4/3 Deal)
People that I work with consider me the go to guy for WDW information and frankly, I love to talk about the place. I try to offer suggestions and be helpful, but the best advice that I think I can ever give them is to relax, don't plan your trip like it's life or death military action. Stop, smell the roses, take your time. Give yourself a reason to go again sometime. Plan but not to the point that it absolutely takes over your entire vacation. That just doesn't seem like much fun to me.