Favorite Disneyland memory

[carrierael77]

In 1985 my mom took us 3 kids to disneyland for the first time. She was a single mom and a waitress so this was a HUGE deal for us. First plane ride, first rides we had ever been on, all of it.

We go to space mountain and my brother (I was 8, he was 12) ride it, while my mom waits with my 5 y.o. brother. She is fine with this as she is apparently terrified of coasters (also balloons, which is odd to me), so she wouldn't go on it. My brother and I had so much fun! Later during the electrical light parade we went on it again as there was no wait. Again, so much fun! But she was not interested, at all.

Our last day there we are eating lunch in tomorrowland when suddenly she grabs my hand and without saying a word we took off. I had no idea what was happening, but we left my brothers behind. Suddenly we were marching our way thru the queue to Space Mountain. There was ZERO line. As we made our way down to the ride she kept seeing the exits along the way for people who chickened out, which made her more nervous.

So, we finally got to the bottom and walked right on. She had no time to chicken out. And off we went, just the 2 of us in the car. I couldn't see her, but could tell she was laughing and crying simultaneously. The ride ended and we got off, and left to find my brothers. My mom all of 32 at the time was so filled with pride she had conquered her fear. All those tables waited on, all the dimes saved (we literally went on our trip using dimes she had saved to pay for it. All, worth it for that moment alone.

She has been gone for 9 years now, and I miss her terribly. Being the only girl, we had a special bond. And that bond is summed up best with our wonderful ride in Space Mountain.

 

[Bud Ice]

Staying at GCH, invited to a private screening of UP with free pizza being served.

 

[carrierael77]

Staying at GCH, invited to a private screening of UP with free pizza being served.

Omg, that had to have been absolutely AMAZING!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

Well I love the memory's of my real dad taking me when he was sick (cancer) so sick that he asked my mom to go with us in case he didn't make it the whole trip. (granted he lived 7 more years) However I remember going on Indian johns with him and playing in toon town.

Then Another memory I have is when my son was finely big enough to ride Indian Johns him self. He was so happy and we went on just my hubby him and I and now it is a must do every trip.

Last big Memory is his face lightning up when he met and got Maleficent autograph and pic at the 2012 party.

 

[grnflash]

Mine is such a simple moment. Our son was 5 and just he and I had made a rare day trip up to DL. He had a minimum day so I surprised him when I picked him up from school. Anyway, we decided to go to DCA. Near closing we were walking from Mermaid toward Goofy's. It was dark and kinda cold, pretty slow and not a lot of people. It was beautifull with all the Paradise Pier lights on. He was skipping and twirling ahead of me when suddenly he stopped and turned to run back to me. He got to me and grabbed my hand and looked up at me and said "Mom, Disneyland is our thing." I know it's small, but that moment was perfect and unforgettable to me.

 

[aroseinwintr]

In 1985 my mom took us 3 kids to disneyland for the first time. She was a single mom and a waitress so this was a HUGE deal for us. First plane ride, first rides we had ever been on, all of it.

We go to space mountain and my brother (I was 8, he was 12) ride it, while my mom waits with my 5 y.o. brother. She is fine with this as she is apparently terrified of coasters (also balloons, which is odd to me), so she wouldn't go on it. My brother and I had so much fun! Later during the electrical light parade we went on it again as there was no wait. Again, so much fun! But she was not interested, at all.

Our last day there we are eating lunch in tomorrowland when suddenly she grabs my hand and without saying a word we took off. I had no idea what was happening, but we left my brothers behind. Suddenly we were marching our way thru the queue to Space Mountain. There was ZERO line. As we made our way down to the ride she kept seeing the exits along the way for people who chickened out, which made her more nervous.

So, we finally got to the bottom and walked right on. She had no time to chicken out. And off we went, just the 2 of us in the car. I couldn't see her, but could tell she was laughing and crying simultaneously. The ride ended and we got off, and left to find my brothers. My mom all of 32 at the time was so filled with pride she had conquered her fear. All those tables waited on, all the dimes saved (we literally went on our trip using dimes she had saved to pay for it. All, worth it for that moment alone.

She has been gone for 9 years now, and I miss her terribly. Being the only girl, we had a special bond. And that bond is summed up best with our wonderful ride in Space Mountain.

That is so sweet it made me cry. I am glad you have such a wonderful memory to look back on.

 

[robinb]

Getting a bag of Fritos from the Frito Kid:
http://www.imagineeringdisney.com/blog/2010/6/26/frito-kid-and-deeee-licious-fritos.html

 

[arcadiandj]

In 1985 my mom took us 3 kids to disneyland for the first time. She was a single mom and a waitress so this was a HUGE deal for us. First plane ride, first rides we had ever been on, all of it.

We go to space mountain and my brother (I was 8, he was 12) ride it, while my mom waits with my 5 y.o. brother. She is fine with this as she is apparently terrified of coasters (also balloons, which is odd to me), so she wouldn't go on it. My brother and I had so much fun! Later during the electrical light parade we went on it again as there was no wait. Again, so much fun! But she was not interested, at all.

Our last day there we are eating lunch in tomorrowland when suddenly she grabs my hand and without saying a word we took off. I had no idea what was happening, but we left my brothers behind. Suddenly we were marching our way thru the queue to Space Mountain. There was ZERO line. As we made our way down to the ride she kept seeing the exits along the way for people who chickened out, which made her more nervous.

So, we finally got to the bottom and walked right on. She had no time to chicken out. And off we went, just the 2 of us in the car. I couldn't see her, but could tell she was laughing and crying simultaneously. The ride ended and we got off, and left to find my brothers. My mom all of 32 at the time was so filled with pride she had conquered her fear. All those tables waited on, all the dimes saved (we literally went on our trip using dimes she had saved to pay for it. All, worth it for that moment alone.

She has been gone for 9 years now, and I miss her terribly. Being the only girl, we had a special bond. And that bond is summed up best with our wonderful ride in Space Mountain.

Marvelous post! Thank you

 

[arcadiandj]

Mine is such a simple moment. Our son was 5 and just he and I had made a rare day trip up to DL. He had a minimum day so I surprised him when I picked him up from school. Anyway, we decided to go to DCA. Near closing we were walking from Mermaid toward Goofy's. It was dark and kinda cold, pretty slow and not a lot of people. It was beautifull with all the Paradise Pier lights on. He was skipping and twirling ahead of me when suddenly he stopped and turned to run back to me. He got to me and grabbed my hand and looked up at me and said "Mom, Disneyland is our thing." I know it's small, but that moment was perfect and unforgettable to me.

OMG, that is wonderful too!

 

[arcadiandj]

For me, I would say seeing my wife do her "Happy Dance" when she heard the fireworks going off just as we were climbing on BTMRR!

 

[cijay]

In 1985 my mom took us 3 kids to disneyland for the first time. She was a single mom and a waitress so this was a HUGE deal for us. First plane ride, first rides we had ever been on, all of it.

We go to space mountain and my brother (I was 8, he was 12) ride it, while my mom waits with my 5 y.o. brother. She is fine with this as she is apparently terrified of coasters (also balloons, which is odd to me), so she wouldn't go on it. My brother and I had so much fun! Later during the electrical light parade we went on it again as there was no wait. Again, so much fun! But she was not interested, at all.

Our last day there we are eating lunch in tomorrowland when suddenly she grabs my hand and without saying a word we took off. I had no idea what was happening, but we left my brothers behind. Suddenly we were marching our way thru the queue to Space Mountain. There was ZERO line. As we made our way down to the ride she kept seeing the exits along the way for people who chickened out, which made her more nervous.

So, we finally got to the bottom and walked right on. She had no time to chicken out. And off we went, just the 2 of us in the car. I couldn't see her, but could tell she was laughing and crying simultaneously. The ride ended and we got off, and left to find my brothers. My mom all of 32 at the time was so filled with pride she had conquered her fear. All those tables waited on, all the dimes saved (we literally went on our trip using dimes she had saved to pay for it. All, worth it for that moment alone.

She has been gone for 9 years now, and I miss her terribly. Being the only girl, we had a special bond. And that bond is summed up best with our wonderful ride in Space Mountain.

I'm scared of balloons too! They smell bad, they bounce around and stick, they're like aliens and you never know when they're going to pop. Mylar ones aren't so bad.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Wow a lot of great stories so far, I can't wait to see what others write. My favorite memory might have to be my first time I entered Disneyland park for the first time. Growing up my family always went to WDW, my mom was afraid of earthquakes so we would never go to California. So I grew up thinking that WDW was by far superior to anything Disneyland could ever have, after all WDW was bigger. So in 2007 my husband and I decided to go because a fairly cheap deal popped up. I wasn't expecting to like it much, I knew it would be fun but really wasn't expecting much. It didn't help that on our walk over from Stovalls on Katella we got a little lost and missed where we were supposed to turn to get to Downtown Disney and the parks, so we were a little hot and tired of walking by the time we got to the gate. But as I looked up at the train station from the turnstiles and saw that Mickey floral the excitement I really hadn't been feeling started to bubble up, then I saw the words under the train station (here you leave today....) by the time I was under the train station and to the Town Square area I was crying with joy. It actually felt like I was finally at home and a piece of my Disney puzzle had been missing and I had found it. It was love at first sight for sure. I still love WDW but I love DL just as much. I hate when people ask me know which one I like better, and they don't understand when I same I love them both the same. Anyway, that is my sappy story.

 

[lalasmama]

For reasons I've never been able to figure out, my mom loved all things Disney. She grew up poor, so it's not like she ever visited DL as a child or such. I'm guessing maybe it was the Sunday night shows on television, but no one could ever confirm it. At any rate, Mom grew up, married my dad, and they made a fair living for 2 20-somethings. One of my aunties followed the love of her life to California (still married, like 60 years later!). So, Mom and Dad, and eventually my older brother would go down to visit Auntie, and Mom would always insist on visiting Disneyland. Mom and Dad took my brother a few times.

By the time I came around, their savings had been exhausted--see, I was a child that they attempted to have naturally first (no luck), then adopt privately (no luck), then through private corporations (no luck), and finally through the state system. It took them 7 years to find and adopt me. In the meantime, Auntie and her husband had moved from California back to Oregon, so Mom and Dad didn't have a "reason" to take me to California. Around my 6th birthday, they were able to save up for an "Oregon tradition"--the 2-week-long California road trip. (Do other states have this too? It seems like everyone I know in Oregon had this experience as a child, packing up the family car and taking a 2 week vacation to see California, ending up in DL.) I remember very little of that trip--I remember Main Street, and the MSEP and that I had a little PVC Cabbage Patch figurine (named Otis, who is still hanging around my house 30 years later, LOL) that I carried around the whole time.

Mom and Dad divorced a little while later, and, as a single mom of 2 kids, working 2 jobs with $150/month in child support, she didn't see how she could ever take us again.

She got married again when I was in my teens. My teen crush adored DL, and so, when I found out I had a "new" Aunt (my step-dad's aunt) living in Orange County, I begged to go visit her. Mom and Step-dad flew down later in the week, and we ended up at DL, just for a partial day. Again, I remember very little. I remember my mom being so excited that she was back at Disneyland. I remember going on a few rides. I remember eating well, and discussing the possibility of C33 (my crush had told me that there was a secret club, though I can't remember if we knew the name of it at that time).

Mom died in 2007. Before she passed, she was able to meet my daughter, but, at that point, we had no idea that the toddler would become my daughter, through the state foster care system, just as how my parents had gotten me.

I was a single mom when I brought my daughter home. My common law husband essentially said "Choose her or choose me" and I chose the better option So, she and I moved into a tiny house (less than 600sqft), and happily lived a rather meager existence for years. After 5 years, I decided DD really needed to go to DL, so I spent our 2 years of tax refunds on a trip. She was still a foster child, legally, so I had to explain why I wanted to take her out of the state, why I wanted to take her out of school for a week, and what would be gained for her by taking this trip. Our caseworker didn't like the idea, so we got approval from a different one. It was a lot of work getting the okay to go.

As we walked through the gates, I totally understood why mom liked this place so much, and why she wanted to bring us kids.

I walked through the gates, hand and hand with my daughter, feeling my mom's presence with us. We couldn't see her, but we knew she was with us as we awed over Main Street, and every step thereafter.

DD is now 11yo. She has little memory of my mom, but, each time we walk through those gates, she says "hi" to my mom up in Heaven, and tells her that she hopes that Grandma enjoys the visit with us.

 

[taniahappy]

Love reading these!... Wonderful post... I make nre ones every trip

 

[Indiana Scott]

Great stories one and all.
One of mine is probably the first time we took my son on Space.
To preface my story, you have to understand that my son is developmentally disabled and will always be a 3~4 y/o little boy.
So we wait until "Wes" is 10 y/o before taking him to DL. We weren't sure what he would think about a roller coaster ride but he seemed to be good on all the other stuff so we took a chance.
So we get on and he has this big smile.. and of course we cant really see him during the ride so we don't know how it's going.
When it ends and we're getting off, he has this horrific look on his face and starts crying. Hard.
My wife asks him if he got scared.. "Nooo" (still crying uncontrollably)
Then my wife asks Do you want to go again? "Yeaaa!!
He was crying because it ended too soon. From then on, all he wanted to do was go on RC's.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

wow you all have such good story's too. I always think of it as a place I say hi to my dad too I think its awesome how many ppl think of the good times with those we have lost, when we walk in to DL.

 

[darcie2000]

My most favourite memory is from our latest trip which was last month.

My teen DD was missing her boyfriend and all she wanted to do was skype him and she was grumpy about the time difference between CA and Australia. She wasn't really appreciating the trip so I was pretty cranky with her.

We had done the BB Fantasmic package and were standing in the area watching the fireworks and projections on the water. It started to snow and DD was laughing and trying to catch the foam. I was just so incredibly happy that we FINALLY had a magic moment on this trip lol.

 

[Indiana Scott]

wow you all have such good story's too. I always think of it as a place I say hi to my dad too I think its awesome how many ppl think of the good times with those we have lost, when we walk in to DL.

I kind of do the same thing.
When I was a kid I was walking next to my dad going down Main Street when all of the sudden, it wasn't him anymore! Somehow I was handed off to a stranger
So sometimes I find myself glancing to the left and silently wishing he was there.

 

[chickapin parterre]

In the year 2000, guide books said be on the watch for conventions taking over the park in the evening, then at closing, go to the far corners of the park. Toontown was that far corner for my 5 year old son who bounced and bounced and bounce and bounce and boucned and bounce and bounce in Goofy's house all to himself for 30 minutes.

 

[4Mickeys]

Ok so a few of these have made me a little teary!

@carrierael77 I hope my kids in the years to come remember their first visit just like you .... I am also a solo mum we live in Australia and last year after lots of saving (and credit cards - yikes) I took my 3 kids to Disneyland - it was a first flight for 2 of them and they had never been out of the country before so a first long haul flight for all of them. Your mum beat me I did not get brave enough for space mountain.

So some of my favourites from the trip as a group are watching their excitement as we got our 1st visit pins and walking under the tunnel towards Main St. also watching Fantasmic together.

Individually:
My daughter who was 10 at the time have her Princess makeover - I love this because I know some of her friends are already in the "I don't like the princesses anymore" phase and this was a chance for her to just enjoy this before she heads into those tween/teen years. Also, just watching her skip and twirl out the gates of DL late one night from happiness.
Son 10 - Jedi training experience - he was so excited.
Son 14 - Got my boy back - he had been doing that thing kids do for a couple of years where they don't want to walk next to you at the shops or get a kiss goodbye at school where they might be seen - but at DL I got him back lol - walked with me with his arm draped over my shoulders, hugged me in lines etc (it also kept up after we got home ). Also, seeing him so happy to get his personalised Mickey Ears which he promptly put on his head and wore everyday.

@Lalasmamma - I also have always been a huge Disney/DL fan - For me it was memories of those Sunday night Disney movies, seeing the castle come up. As a kid I always asked to go to Disneyland. In those times though air travel was a lot more expensive and it would never have entered my parents heads to take us. Mum used to tell me when you grow up you can go. So I did - for the first time in my early twenties but then again it was just such a huge goal for me to be able to take my children there. So I understand your mother's affinity for DL - it is hard to explain - maybe its part of those childhood memories and a desire to just escape from everyday life and DL just does that like no place else.