Do You Remember Your FIRST Experience With Disney???

[joshsmom]

I'm sure that this subject has come up before, but do you remember the first time you had an experience with "anything" Disney???

I remember getting on the city bus when I was 10 with my two sisters (5 and 4) and going to a theater "downtown" to see Lady and the Tramp. Guess things were much different then! No way I would let my DS7 go ANYWHERE without an adult!!!! But Lady and the Tramp just impressed me SO much!

I drifted away from Disney after that but then got reaquainted in college when Little Mermaid came out! I had to go see it and my love affair with Disney began all over again! Haven't drifted since!!!

DS7's first experience was Toy Story. I was 7 months pregnant with him and we went to see it! He loves hearing that story!!!

 

[georgina]

The Wonderful World of Disney on TV. It came on right after Mutual of Omaha'a Wild Kingdom.

 

[elemusing]

I remember loving Wonderful World of Disney, but I only got to see it when it snowed and we couldn't go to church on Sunday nights, so it was REALLY special to get to see it. I remember specifically Mary Poppins and the awe I felt watching the animated characters with REAL people!

My first trip was when I was 6. It had only been open a little over 5 years and it was very new. I don't remember alot about the trip, but one specific memory was meeting Pinnochio. I went up to him and said "Hi Mickey Mouse!" And I was SOOOO embarrassed cause I knew it wasn't Mickey but for some reason I was nervous about meeting him and just blurted out the first character I could think of. I remember getting beet red as he was hugging me for the picture. I even remember it was right in front of City Hall just as we were walking in.

I didn't get to go back until my honeymoon but I always knew that I would spend my honeymoon there. Good thing I met a man who loved Disney as much as I!

Angie

 

[ChairborneRangr]

I was there during Spring Break 1977! What time of year were you there?

My first trip to Disneyworld. I had just turned 13.

My first impression of WDW was that it was much bigger than Disneyland, but didn't have as much stuff. I've always considered DL a 2 or 3 day park and the MK as a 1 or 2 day park. But that isn't a bad thing. I like it that WDW has things split up into 1-day parks. It makes planning easier.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Originally posted by georgina
The Wonderful World of Disney on TV. It came on right after Mutual of Omaha'a Wild Kingdom.

Ditto!!!

 

[IvyandLace]

I was 11 years old and my sister was 8 when we "finally" got to WDW!! The year was 1985. It was my first plane ride! We stayed at the golf resort that I believe is now Shades of Green. I remember sitting in the rental car in a heavy downpour while my mom and dad checked us in. I remember thinking, "How can it be so hot and still be raining?" We were on the "everything" plan so we literally did it all...tons of meals, parks, even water mice (which I could drive by myself but my sis couldn't.... )

My favorite memories: We went during July 4th week and I remember being soooo tired at night and just seeing people everywhere I looked. At night when all I wanted to do was sleep, I remember what seemed like a really LONG bus ride home standing along with everyone else. Needless to say, it was crowded.

We still tease my mom and dad about missing the fireworks on July 4th night...for some reason, my parents didn't want to fight the crowds to view the fireworks ("We'll just catch them another night") and so we were in the LAND with some CM talking (droning??) about hydroponics and huge squash. During the middle of the ride, we could look up and see the sky light up with the fireworks we were missing!! My parents will never live that down. ("I can't believe you made us ride that stupid vegetable ride while the July 4th fireworks were going off??)

I also remember being in some ride where you could pick whether you wanted to view life under the sea or space or something....it must have been at the end of another VERY LONG day cuz my parents had fallen asleep in the car next to us and we were so enthralled with this ride that we woke them up yelling, "Mom!! Dad!! Push a button!! We need to go to the ocean!!"

Obviously, I could go on and on...but Yes, I remember my first WDW trip quite vividly as does my sister.


Thanks for letting me relive the memories!
IVY

 

[Mom2Ben02]

My first memory was at WDW at age 7, with my parents, grandmother and younger sister. They all paused at a fork in the path to look at map - and I kept going! Lost for an hour, finally found them under the castle!

 

[Uncleromulus]

My first Disney experience was at the Naval Air Station Theatre in Pensacola, Florida, sometime in mid-1953. My father had been called back up (after WWII) during the Korean War and was a flight instructor there.
Anyway--he took me to see "Peter Pan". I got a kick out of it--just being him, me, and lots of sailors and Marines!!

Being only 7 at the time, I of course didn't make any Disney "connection". So I should note that I didn't become "hooked" on Disney until the original TV show came on in 1954. Watched Alice in Wonderland, Davy Crockett, Ichabod and Mr, Toad etc --when they were first aired. Then add the daily "Mickey Mouse Club" and ---
YIKES!!

 

[ncbyrne]

DH and I visited WDW back when the Magic Kingdom was all there was. I remember driving to the park amidst all that tropical wilderness! It seemed like we drove forever thru "nothing" and then all of a sudden - there it was! Today that "nothing" is filled to the brim - quite a difference.

 

[joshsmom]

Oh my GOSH!!! How could I forget about the MMC???? I probably saw that on TV before I saw Lady and the Tramp in the theater. As a matter of fact, I KNOW I did. But obviously did NOT connect it to Disney--maybe even until this minute!! I just seemed to have forgotten. Man I'm gettin' old!!!!!! Time to go play at my fountain of youth--WDW!!!!

 

[swampkatz]

>>Oh my GOSH!!! How could I forget about the MMC????

You're absolutely right......I think I would have forgotten it also. Spin and Marty and Moochie would be so disappointed in me. I was thinking my first experience was probably going to the theater to see Bambi. My mom took me, my first trip to a movie theater, and we sat up in the balcony in the children's section. I wasn't too thrilled with the outcome of Bambi. But my favorite, bring a smile to my face, memories are of Sunday night and the Wonderful World of Disney. I loved it but could only watch it every other week because my big brother wanted to watch The Rebel with Nick Adams, so we alternated. But every Sunday afternoon, I had power over my much older brother as he tried to negotiate or bribe me out of WWD.
Great thread, thanks for the memories!
Kathi

 

[kevind65]

Hi Joshsmom!
I remember as a kid watching the MMC and especially sunday evenings with the the wonderful world of disney(right after football). My first experience with WDW came almost 25 years ago to the day. Dec10-14 1978. I won a trip for being the newspaper boy of the year from the Inland press association. On that visit, it was just the Magic Kingdom really. My most vivid memories of that trip: mickey's 50th birthday celebration, the monorails(double wow), and the topiaries(sp), thought space mountain was the coolest thing ever!!! didn't return again until 1995 when I took my wife and daughter for her 5th birthday present and absolutely fell in love with this place. We have been back every year since and have averaged spending 35 days per year in WDW. can't wait for the next trip(june)!!! great thread

 

[NMAmy]

I don't remember the first time--but I have the home movies! My parents & grandparents took my older sister and I to Disneyland in 1963--I was 6 months old. I love to watch the movies and see my family--my mom is the only one who is still with me.

My favorite memory of my daughter's first experience with WDW is this: We were living in northwestern New Mexico at the time--high altitude and very low humidity. When we got off the plane in Orlando, she turned to me and said in this disgusted voice, "What is WRONG with this place? There's so much AIR here!"

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Mickey Mouse Club, with Annette !!!

 

[ChairborneRangr]

I'll stay on topic this time

My first experience with Disney I know through home movies only. We went to Disneyland in 1966 when my dad had leave from flying in Vietnam. We came back from Hawaii to visit family and went to DL. I grew up in British Columbia (preschool) and Oregon with the pictures of the family at DL in my room. I watched the Wonderful World of Disney all the time. As a young child I followed the opening and growth of WDW with great interest and had a map on my wall of WDW.

SIDE NOTE: Some cast member had to read a letter written by a 10 year old kid (me) asking all kinds of questions. They took the time to read and respond and sent me a huge poster-sized map of the place. One of my big regrets is loosing track of that letter and the poster.

When I was in grade school we planned a family vacation to Disneyland. We drove down in the yellow Olds stationwagon. We stayed in the HoJo on Harbor Blvd. When I walked in, ticket book in hand, and walked under the tracks into the show, it was a magical moment I will never forget. I remember the sites, sounds smells, etc. It was incredible.

I love WDW. We got to go there a few years later, but I will always have a fondness for Disneyland.

NOTHING can take the place of that first remembered impression from my childhood.

 

[Disney Fool]

I'm another one for Mickey Mouse Club!!! My alter-ego was Darlene. In fact, (shhhh!) She was my imaginary friend; she stayed with me until I started going to kindergarten.

"Now it's time to say good bye to all our company..."
M-I-C....See ya real soon!
K-E-Y....Why? because we love you!

M-O-U-S-E YEAH, Mickey!!!!!

 

[Micca]

My earliest Disney recollection is watching MMC when I was around kindergarten age. Also, I think my mother liked MM quite a bit as she never balked much about enabling my MM habit.

 

[ProfGoofy]

My dad was in the Air Force and he was stationed in New Mexico. I remember seeing Dumbo in the base movie theater. I remember that every movie started with the National Anthem.

I also remember seeing Disney on Parade, kinda like Disney on Ice but without the ice. I remember they had the dancing fish, the fish band, and the dancing lobsters from Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Pinocchio and the Boys and Donkeys from Pleasure Island, Mary Poppins, Burt and the Chimney Sweeps, and finally Goofy being chased around the arena by Herbie the Love Bug. A few weeks ago my folks brought me some of my stuff that was being stored in their home and in one of the boxes was the program from Disney on Parade. I'll have to check the year on it, but my guess is that it was early 70ties.

 

[RealMickey]

The first Disney film I remember was "Jungle Book", with the whole family at the drive-in. I was probably 5.

I loved the "Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday night, and always wanted to skip church to watch it.

My first trip to WDW was 1976, with all of the Bi-Centennial decorations and parade. One of my favorite Disney momentos is the remaining coupon style ticket booklets from that trip. I still have some E Ride Tickets.

 

[lentesta]

The biggest impact of my early exposure to Disney was probably at Pirates in WDW. I remember standing in the queue with my parents and noticing that the interior lights flickered to simulate candlelight. And flickering lights were different from the normal lights at home.

The fact that someone had to go out of their way to specify and design flickering lights for Pirates made a huge impression on me. How easy and inexpensive it would have been just to throw some 15-watt lights in and gone on to something else.

I remember thinking that the designers must have been really, really dedicated (and smart) to go to such lengths. It was particularly difficult to go through the late '90s era of new rides (Magic Carpets/Primeval Whirl/Triceratops Spin) knowing what WDI is capable of. PhilharMagic, thankfully, is a great attraction. But I digress.


Len