Can you remember your first time visiting the world?

[wdwlover88]

Do you remember the first time you set foot in a Disney Theme Park? Do you remember the feeling you got when you looked around and saw everyone laughing and smiling and having a great time? I know I can. The first time i went was in '95 when i was 7 years old. It was neat because at the time my aunt was working for a local radio station 101.3 2WD as the radio personality Carol Lewis with Dick Lamb and Paul Richardson of The Breakfast Bunch. Well, the station had wanted to go somewhere as a group for the longest time but they never really put anything together until my aunt had the idea of going to Walt Disney World. Ofcoarse they thought it was a great idea (DUH who wouldn't want to go to WDW) so the station told her she could bring along three family members and guess what? Me my mother and my sister fit the puzzle perfectly, so she invited us to go along with them. We got the works, first they came and picked us up in a limo and dropped us off at the airpoort where we flew first-class (me being a 7-year old i thought I was in heaven). Dissapointlingly, we didn't stay on Disney property but we did stay in a very nice suite. It was so cool, we got to cut everyone in-line (we didn't even have fastpass) and we got backstage to all the shows. They treated us like celebrities. Even though this will be my sixth time going in a few weeks I have to honestly say that experience was the absolute BEST!

Tell about your first time enjoying the thrills of Walt Disney World! Share your story !!

 

[mskani]

My first visit was in August of 2000, four weeks before my 30th birthday. My dh, dd ds and I went and had the time of our lives. My faves would be:

1) Seeing the MSEP--that parade was the BEST that I have ever seen!!
2) Riding in the front car of the monorail with the conductor.
3) Riding Splash Mt with my then 4yo dd.
4) Watching my then 2yo ds dancing with Minnie Mouse.
5) Having our photo taken by the WDW photographers at Epcot at dusk with the "giant ball" in the background emblazoned with the year 2000. Still one of my favorite pics.
6) My dh getting picked to participate in the FOTLK show at AK.

I could go on. Thanks for letting me relive some great memories.

 

[Memaw2Wm]

My first visit was in the Spring (April?) of 1976. My family was heading to St. Petersburg to celebrate my great-grandfather's 100th b'day!!!

We stopped in Orlando for a couple of days and visited Magic Kingdom (the only park opened) ... there was no planning to this visit, other than ... "oh lets stop at WDW on our way to see Pops"

I was with my father, three younger sisters, BIL and my two kids (2½ and 6 months).

My memories of that trip was meeting "Orange Bird" and climbing thru the Swiss Family Tree House.

In 1978 we drove back down to FL to celebrate my GGF's 102nd birthday and again stopped for 2 days in WDW ... I spent a day in MK with my kids (my daughter was TERRIFIED by the Haunted Mansion) and a day at River Country ... there my 4½ year old son spent the afternoon pretending he was a shark and terrorizing his sister and another child.

Last summer I introduced my 2 younger grandkids to WDW ... we had so much fun that we're going back again later this month!

 

[laurie31]

Originally posted by wdwlover88
Do you remember the first time you set foot in a Disney Theme Park? Do you remember the feeling you got when you looked around and saw everyone laughing and smiling and having a great time? I know I can. The first time i went was in '95 when i was 7 years old.

I was 7 my first time too...but it was in '75

We stayed with relatives in Orlando who had saved up a bunch of their leftover tickets for us. (back then they had those ticket books, with "A", "B", etc, tickets They took us and showed us around. I remember riding Dumbo which I loved. My brother and I had fun in the Swiss Family Robinson tree house, and I got a blue Mickey balloon. I was bored by the Tiki room but loved IASW. My parents wouldn't let us do the HM as they thought it would be too frightening! I remember very little else about it, but there was only the MK back then, and we only went for 1 day. Also it was July, and I remember how miserably hot it was.

Laurie, who can't wait to take her own soon-to-be 7 year old! I want a pic of her on Dumbo to go with the one of me riding it at age 7 - it will make a great scrapbook page

 

[antmaril]

Went to the Magic Kingdom in January, 1980 at age 29. My mother and I were on vacation in Sarasota and took a bus to the Magic Kingdom (one day trip). My mom and I had great fun, and my dad (who stayed in Sarasota - he didn't want to go) was sorry he didn't go with us. My mother passed away two years later (quite suddenly) and that trip to the Magic Kingdom is one of my fondest memories. I've been hooked ever since.

 

[ashlet]

It was August of 1992, and I was 6 years old.

I remember I absolutely LOVED It's a Small World...drove my family crazy with that

I also loved Space Mountain, but my mom was always really over-protective (well, she still is), so she'd have to sit behind me every time and hold onto me from behind. lol!

And I also remember that Splash Mountain was still being built at the time.

I didn't go again until May 2001 on a school trip (our chorus sang in Epcot, and the band played in MK), when I was almost 15. My WDW obsession developed some time between then and the next time I went with my family in October 2002.

-Ashley

 

[Scoootch]

My very first trip I was only 5yrs old and it was 1975!

Back then the only park was MK and we drove from N.J. My parents didn't tell me we were going to WDW even as we were pulling onto property. I found out when they turned on the WDW info. radio station and heard "WELCOME TO WALT DISNEY WORLD" needless to say, my parents then had one excited 5yr old jumping up and down in the back seat of the car yelling "YAY - DISNEYLAND"

Little did they know what they started that day as I am now a DVC member and major Disney enthusiast with too many trips behind me to count LOL

 

[Rikku]

Ah that first trip...

It was during the 15th birthday celebration and I was eleven. I think it was 1985 0r '86.

It was myself, my sister who had a broken leg, my mother, father and grandmother. I think we stayed at a motel in Kissimmee. I remember feeling a little overwhelmed and being a rather timid child I was intimidated by most of the rides and as such didn't ride much. However I do remember riding BTMR with my 86 year old grandmother who I think enjoyed it more than anybody else and had her arms in the air the whole time. She passed away recently and I told this story at her funeral...it brought a smile to my face.

I remember EPCOT more than anything and I thinkI enjoyed it the most. It was probably 13 years before I made it back and all that time I had the song "Imgaination" in my head. Every single word of it!

Truth be known I think I have enjoyed the parks more as an adult than as a child. Our honeymoon there was a blast and the first time we took our DD who was nine at the time was very magical.

We're going back next year and taking two new additions to our family. I cannot wait! OUr DD, 2, already has a fixation for the parks and the closests she's come is the vacation planning DVD...she goes nuts for it. My wife accuses me of brainwashing...I keep telling her it must be genetic!

That first time though is one you never forget and I hope our children's first time is as memorable as mine was.

 

[tinaluis]

Our first time visiting the World was in 1993 for our honeymoon - what a glorious place. We visited MK, MGM and Epcot (there was no AK then) and took a timeshare tour for tickets to US (no Islands of Adventure then either). We've been hooked ever since. My oldest DD took her first trip at 2 1/2 months and has been there so many times since that it's almost embarrassing -- she thinks everyone goes to WDW for two weeks 2x a year. My younget 2 DDs are no exception. Each went for their first trips at about 3 mos. old. We've tried other vacations, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Ixtapa, but nothing compares to WDW for us. It definitely is the happiest place on Earth!

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

I remember visiting MK, not long after it opened. I was 9 or 10.

My father gave in and took us. Usually a trip to Florida revolved entirely out going to the races in Daytona.

Anyway, I remember that we were not there very long at all. The only ride I remember is ?? leagues under the sea. (can't remember the #) We did see the parade, and ate somewhere. It did leave an impression, though, and a BIIGG desire to go back.

My second trip was much more rememberable. It was with my hubby, and it was his first trip to Florida, ocean, and on a plane. that trip got us hooked. I wish we could afford to go every year, Right now we are going for every other.

 

[Kim in TN]

I definately remember my first trip, I was about 12,
I was spending the summer with my Great Aunt and Uncle (my grandpa's brother).They lived about 700 miles from us. It ended up being a summer of education, classical movies, museums, art shows etc, a summer of daily tennis camp, I was so home sick, I had never been away from my parents/grandparents for more than a few days or so. Anyway on July 4th they woke me up early saying they had a suprise, never in a million years would I have imagined we were headed for WDW.
I didn't know anything about WDW except that it existed LOL
We rode: PoC, HM, BTRR, SM, the ferry boat and saw the most beautiful fireworks I had ever seen. It was so cool for them to think of WDW. They weren't huge fans (they were in their late sixties at the time) I remember the huge lines and how we waited...
I even still remember the souvenirs I got that visit: a tshirt it was light blue with a picture of the castle in gold, a penant (that hung on my wall for many years) and an autograph book (that no one from WDW signed LOL)

I still look back on that trip with wonderful memories and I to this day can't help but think of my aging Great Aunt, riding SM with me
I don't know who was more scared at the time, her or me LOL

THANKS FOR THE TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE!

 

[disneys4me]

My first trip to WDW was actually in May of this year at 27 years old it was me , my husband, my mom , and my two boys age 4 and 1 . I walked into MK and saw the castle and i felt like a kid again it was wonderful my 4 year old was so excited i have heard about WDW every day since we left i think me and him have become disneyaholics lol we are already planning our trip for next year in May.

 

[NotUrsula]

Very well. It was the summer of 1970, and the MK was not yet open. I was 9 yrs. old.

I didn't know it at the time, but my father had been diagnosed with cancer. He didn't know how much longer he had to live, and he wanted to take us on one last big Florida vacation. He knew some people who were working on the construction crews at WDW, and he contacted them and finagled a visitor's pass. Dad's friend knew about his illness, and told the construction foreman that he was dying; they let us into a lot of places that we probably otherwise would not have seen.

I remember that my mother whined about the heat and the walking the entire time, but Dad & I put on our hard hats and were thrilled to get the privilege to look around and see behind the scenes of what would become the MK. They hadn't even covered over all the utilidors at that point. Everything in the area that wasn't swamp was still planted in orange groves.

As it happened, Dad did not die until nearly 3 long years later, after several surgeries and many unsuccessful courses of radiation therapy. My first trip to Disney World wasn't about rides and balloons, but I still treasure the memory, because I got to see it with my father.

My next visit was my senior class trip, 9 years later. What I remember most about that trip was the 14 hr. drive each way on a school bus! It was grad night, so we toured the MK wearing dresses and heels.

 

[Amyality]

20 years ago, 8 years old, I do have fond memories of it! Except for space mountain! Amost slipped out of my seat, brother held me in!

 

[pooh2001]

Well - I visited DisneyLand in 1964.
I remember the Matterhorn and screaming my head off.
That is all that I remember. No Mickey Mouse
memories. What were my parents thinking of.

Better memories - at Walt Disney World in 1974
with my Grandma.

Best time 2002 & 2003 with my family at
Walt Disney World, Forida

 

[lmhall2000]

It was the summer of 76- the big bicentennial period. I was 8 years old. It was of course July and sooooo HOT!! The only rides I remember taking were Space Mountain, Carousel, and It's a Small World....my parents were bickering much of the time at how HOT it was and would not wait in a line that was not air conditioned- I vividly remember crying because we couldn't ride Dumbo or the Tea Party ride. We went for one day and rode 3 rides- it was my worst memory- and my mom spent much of the time in shops shopping. Dad would just complain about how expensive the food was.
Now when we go (I'm 35 now) my husband and I spend 7 days with the kids and are goofier than they are about the rides- we manage to fit every ride in that we want- which is everything but the Merry-go-Round- I can get that anywhere! But now we only go in late September or January- never again in July!!!
Tara

 

[marcyinPA]

My first trip to a Disney theme park was in 1983 when I was in the ninth grade. I was in the high school band and we performed in the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena CA. One of our side trips was to Disneyland, and we marched down Main St. We were able to spend the rest of the day in the park. I don't remember much of the trip, except that it was pretty cold and rainy (it DOES rain in Southern California!LOL) and I got my picture taken with Donald Duck!

My first trip to WDW was in October 1993. My Dh and I spent our honeymoon there! We didn't have much money to spend, so we didn't stay on property...we stayed at Holiday Inn Maingate East....not exactly a honeymoon destination. Oh, well...live and learn! I was totally hooked on Disney that trip. I loved every inch of every park! I loved it so much that we planned our next trip, using my SIL's and BIL's DVC points, for our first anniversary. We had a great time, even with morning sickness (I was newly pregnant with our first child)

Ah, I love Disney!

 

[pammypooh]

On my first trip to Disneyworld I was 21 - in 1989 with my boyfriend - now DH, for a few days of Spring Break. I will never forget that feeling of entering Disney property. When it was time to plan honeymoons we knew we had to go back to the most magical place on earth. And now we are blessed to be able to share this place with our children - so they don't have to wait till they are adults to experience the thrill of the Mouse.

Pam

 

[timbud1]

Wow! I was about 10, and it was 1979, I think. Only MK open then, but EPCOT was in the works! I went with my mom, dad and 5-yr-old sister. What a magical feeling it was walking through the train tunnel and seeing Mickey's world! I remember we got on a horse drawn trolley first thing and I got asked to ride up front with the driver. I was a shy little thing, but it was thrilling!

I have a great memory, and I remember lots from that trip - mostly riding HM over and over and over again and watching one of the outdoor mountains being built - not sure which. We were there for several days and went to River Country, DTD, and MK. I remember the evening parade and fw most of all as well as the park being open LATE - like the bus didn't get us back to the hotel until around midnight!

Didn't get to go back until 91 for college grad and 92 for honeymoon. Just took children for first time in May and can't wait to go back. At back-to-school night, my second grader's teacher gave us a quiz about our child and we had to check it against their answers. I knew her "favorite place" would be DISNEY WORLD and I was right!!!

 

[BevS97]

I was just looking at some photos from my first trip this morning. I was about 15 and it was a very rare family vacation, normally we just tagged along on Dad's business trips to somewhere really exotic like Wisconsin or Kansas, but this time we went to WDW for a few days.
It would be early 80's, maybe 1984? There was Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and the Polynesian and the Contemporary where the only onsite hotels. Although the Swan and Dolphin where there along with the hotels near Downtown Disney. We stayed off-site somewhere and I can remember walking past all the hotels upto the 'Disney Village' one evening. I distinctly remember thinking that I wanted to stay on-site one day, but I didn't really think it would ever happen.

We had a great trip, my little brother was only 5, my middle brother would have been 12 and I was 15, so we covered a lot of different age groups! I can remember Its a Small World, Space Mountain, 2000 leagues under the sea and at Epcot, SpaceShip Earth and Journey into your Imagination, also a ride at Epcot which is gone now (well a couple), I think it was called Discovery? I know you went into Space and there was a really neat scene where you were floating in the stars, I was disappointed when we went back to find out that was now gone.

I went back in 1986 with my high school band, we did Magic Music Days and played at Epcot, but after that I had to wait until 2001 to return with my family. My husband wasn't keen and thought it wasn't for him, but I managed to convince him and now he is well and truly hooked too!

Bev