Early Disneyland Memories?

[Sosai X]

My first time was in 1981. Most vivid memories:

Riding the Skyway to Tomorrowland, and seeing the Yeti. I was most impressed by him, and spent the rest of the night in the hotel drawing pictures of him.

Getting a pair of Mickey ears, and watching the Cast Member sew my name into the back of the hat. She moved the ears around in the sewing machine so fast, i thought she would get caught in it.

Walking under the arches of Sleeping Beauty castle into Fantasyland.

 

[CindyT]

I remember watching the Mickey Mouse Club in the 50s with my ears on and my thumb in my mouth. I took ballet and tap lessons thinking I would grow up and be a Mouseketeer. I finally got to DL in 1967 at the age of 16 and thought I had died and gone to heaven. The "alphabet" tickets were used then. I didn't get back until 2005, with my husband and son, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of DL. Loved it. We hope to go back on our own 40th anniversary coming up in 4 years. (Our son is in college now, so no trips for a while). We have been to WDW several times and love it there, but as my son says, "there is more magic at DL"

 

[TheTexasKid]

Our first visit, my sister and I, back when both of our parents were still alive. Back in the mid '60's.

Our last attraction, before we left, was the Enchanted Tiki Room. At that time I can remember it being sponsored by Hawaiian Punch. So, there was a Hawaiian Punch stand just before the entrance. My father went to get us a glass, and when he got back to the family, he said, as they were just closing, they were counting out the day's receipts, which came to $500 for that day alone, for that one stand.

$500. I still remember thinking that was alot of money for that time.

 

[jernysgirl]

I remember being there the summer that Splash Mountain opened. As I recall, the wait was over 4 hours during the day. I was young (5 years old) about was terrified because all I could see was people screaming. Finally in the evening, when the line was shorter, my parents and older brother somehow got me in line. It was dark so I probably didn't know what it was. We got up to the entrance of the building and I finally figured it out.

I screamed and cried because I did not want to go. I remember someone having each of my hands and they literally dragged me onto the ride. I must have cried the entire ride, because I remember getting off, wiping the tears from my face and the water from the rest of me. And through the tears I was laughing. After we got off, they all asked me if I wanted to go again...... and I said OK.

Now, it is my favorite ride!

I also remember falling asleep in the Tiki Room that trip late one night.

 

[jernysgirl]

I also remember when Michael Jackson was on the screen in 3D in Tomorrowland

I also remember Captain EO.... I was just talking about it yesterday!

 

[LavenderPeach]

Someone mentioned when they switched over from tickets to day passes. I remember going once when you could choose and so my parents bought the day passes. We pinned them to our shirts with aplastic Mickey Mouse pin. I bet I still have that pin somewhere...

I remember the passes as well. They were called Passports and you could get a certain number of days that you had to show everytime you got on an attraction, which didn't make sense, because you had to buy a "Passport" to get into the park anyway. We had plastic character pins to attach them with as well. I think I had Minnie Mouse.

It didn't take long for DL to stop requiring that you show them!

I remember the passes too! Of course, being PinkBudgie's sister I was on the same trip to DL that she was talking about although I was only 5 at the time. I was just thinking about those the other day and wondering why we had to pin tickets to ourselves. I assumed it was some sort of transition period between the letter tickets and the all day passes. I remember we had to make sure the CM could see them before we could get in line for a ride. I also remember really liking the pins we got with the heads of the different disney characters and i was a little disappointed when we went back years later and there was no need to get the pins.

On that same trip I remember being nervous about going on Big Thunder Mt. because, being only 5, I couldn't understand how you could ride that train without falling out because the track goes sideways! My family convinced me that it would be okay and I rode with my dad. I have loved that ride ever since!

 

[StitchFan1973]

I don't recall my first trip to DL, but my mom has pictures of me in a stroller and I was about 2yo. She said I screamed whenever any character came near me, except for Sleepy and Snow White. It's a good thing I got over my fear of 6 foot tall costumed characters. Now I can take my own 2 DDs to the parks without crying like a baby.

 

[bonofreak]

I grew up in L.A. County in the 60's and we went to Disneyland a lot. I remember sitting with my sister in the car on the way, we thought it took soo long to get there! Back in those days, it took about 15 MINUTES! But it felt like an eternity to us! We would always sing "My Boy Lollipop" all the way there because we always got a big lollipop on our way home.

One of my first memories I shared once before, they brought me up onstage at the Golden Horseshoe when I was like 3. I was VERY shy and could never understand why they asked ME! All the other kids were begging to get up there, not me! But they brought me up. I would not answer any of the guy's questions and he had a good time using me as his "straight man" with his jokes. I remember the crowd laughing hysterically and that I was NOT amused! He made me an animal balloon and then thankfully ended my "suffering" and let me go sit down!

I remember when the Pirates opened and going on it the first time, my sister (who is 5 years older and loved to "abuse" me like this!) whispered in my ear (out of our parent's earshot!) that there were REAL guys on the ride who were going to jump out and grab us. So as you can imagine, I was scared to begin with and with her "help", I got worse and worse until I started screaming my head off, embarrassing my sister, who put her hand over my mouth and I bit her! To this day she reminds me that I bit her, but I still say it was her own fault!

We always rode the Pack Mules, I loved them and we ate at the Mexican restaurant and got the fritos from the machine that looked like a man! Does anyone know what I mean? Maybe he was the Frito Bandito?

I have a sketch of Mickey Mouse that Roy from the Mickey Mouse Club drew for me, he wrote my name on it too. I wish I could say I remember that, but I was too young!

 

[arliepooh68]

I remember potc before the funky opening/line queue it now has. . . and being deathly afraid that the pirates on the ship were going to sink our boat! I totally remember having to purchase extra E tickets! the circlevision movie thing always made me sick, so i hated that thing. . . but the rocket that you sat in a circle and it made like we were taking off into space. . . oh and being shrunk! captain eo. . . when you could roam all of tom sawyers island, oh the fort! and going into bear country and hearing the snoring bear used to scare me a bit! am i aging myself too much?? how bout when autopia had two different entrances??? and the motor boats??? I remember when they had the dance place where the princess thing now is. . . of course i was freshly out of high school for that! Oh and i went to new years eve when they used to have various entertainment throught the park, the year i went there was the cover girls, richard marx and someone else. . . but totally cool groups at that point in time! I was at Disneyland when they had their first murder, only we had no clue, that is how awesome their security is. . . it was a Rohr family night and we were in the area when it happened, but had not a clue till we got home and heard about it on the news, talk about chills. .

 

[LavenderPeach]

I remember when the Pirates opened and going on it the first time, my sister (who is 5 years older and loved to "abuse" me like this!) whispered in my ear (out of our parent's earshot!) that there were REAL guys on the ride who were going to jump out and grab us. So as you can imagine, I was scared to begin with and with her "help", I got worse and worse until I started screaming my head off, embarrassing my sister, who put her hand over my mouth and I bit her! To this day she reminds me that I bit her, but I still say it was her own fault!

Okay, slightly off topic, but I just had to add that big sisters are so good at doing things like this to their younger siblings. That sounds like something my sister (a.k.a. PinkBudgie) would have told me. When I was little (maybe around 3?) PinkBudgie told me that when I turned 12 I would turn into a tree!

 

[disney-inspired]

I remember the skyway and my cousin joking about dropping his shoe and hitting the people below.

I remember when the Sleeping Beauty Walk-through was open.
I remember seeing the rocket rods but being too afraid to go on them.
I remember the Country Bear Jamboree.

 

[lisah0711]

I grew up in Anaheim in the 60's so I have been going to DL all my life.

I remember walking down Main Street when I was about 4 and thinking I was grabbing my Dad's hand and finding out it was a stranger! My Dad was right behind me and thought it was funny -- it was a different world then.

I remember the coupons. I remember being dropped off for the day with my friends when I was 10.

I remember the mule ride, the mine train, Inner Space, Country Bear Jamboree, the Skull Rock in Fantasyland, the Sleeping Beauty walkthrough, the People Mover, when Space Mountain and Big Thunder Railroad opened.
I still don't like those things that scream and pop up in the Haunted Mansion -- I'm 48 now!

Oh, yeah, and I remember when someone spit in my friend's Mom's beehive hairdo from the sky buckets -- yuck!

And I have lots and lots of memories of when I was a cast member in 78 and 79.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Okay, slightly off topic, but I just had to add that big sisters are so good at doing things like this to their younger siblings. That sounds like something my sister (a.k.a. PinkBudgie) would have told me. When I was little (maybe around 3?) PinkBudgie told me that when I turned 12 I would turn into a tree!

Hey! I saw that! But I never did tease you about Disneyland. I remember that about the BTMRR going sideways. I used to think Peter Pan went upside down!

 

[LisaDisney]

I remember the Indians on Tom Sawyer Island and the real mermaids at the submarine ride. Today I was doing a 5K walk at Disneyland and when I passed by, the young guy said "Greetings from Nemo, dude" and I just cracked up, thinking of the difference between then and now.

I really need to get that video on the computer and share it with you guys!

 

[TheAXIOM]

I remember being little and REFUSING to enter either Indiana Jones or Haunted Mansion.... ESPECIALLY Haunted Mansion. Woo, scared the heeby jeebies outta me, when my aunts wanted me to go with them at night... The nerve!