First Disney memory and is it still there?

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Thinking back, what is your first memory of Disney? Is whatever that memory of still there?

I first went to WDW in summer of 1992. I was 8 years old and so excited! My family was staying at Caribbean Beach, which was actually quite new at the time. As we were pulling into the parking lot, off in the distance we saw what appeared to be characters hang gliding and other strange airplanes and such. The desk clerk told us that it was Surprise In the Skies - a show at Epcot Center (because they hadn't dropped the "Center" from Epcot, yet). The next day (or it could have been a few days later) we went to Epcot so we could see this great show for ourselves... and it did not disappoint!

Surprise in the Skies is gone as it was only there for Disney's 20th anniversary. Caribbean Beach is still there, though. Oh, and we were in Jamaica.


So what's your first Disney memory?

 

[wareagle57]

I'm not sure because I was so young and I don't know what I remember from VRC tapes and what I truly remember. One of the earliest things I'm sure is an actual memory is Maelstrom. I was so scared. I was convinced that backwards drop was as big as Splash Mountain until years later. I couldn't believe how small it was, and how not scary the trolls were. I also remember thinking how real the streets of america looked. haha.

 

[Indio]

We went the 1st time in 1995. We stayed at All Stars Music and only went to the Magic Kingdom for 1 day. I remember my oldest son was afraid of the big boot at All Stars - he thought it was going to step on him. My youngest son (at the time - he's the middle now) cried because he was too little to go on Splash Mountain and his brother got to! Both are still there. That's about all I remember because of not-so-good marital status at the time! OH YEAH - I forgot to bring diapers so we had to go find a store to buy some diapers! Great memory, huh!

 

[andyman8]

To be honest, I can't tell you my first (can't remember!), but I can tell you one of my favorite.

We spent a weekend at the WL in the early 2000s with some family friends from New York. They had never been, so we went all out and spent the entire day on Saturday at MK and topped it off with dinner at Whispering Canyon Cafe. Needless to say, they were tired, particularly their youngest daughter. We were all chatting and next thing we know, we look over towards her and see her face planted in her mac 'n' cheese. She did an all-out face-plant and just fell asleep at the table. It was pretty funny to see and something we'll remember for a while.

WCC is still there too!

 

[Oodalally13]

I was a senior in high school and had not studied up on anything Disney. Our first day on the school trip, a large group of us band kids were standing in awe at the foot of cinderella castle. I guess I was really examining it because I noticed a pigeon on top that looked HUGE compared to the castle. I watched him fly down to a lower level and realized that he looked small there compared to the top. Well being the nerd that I am, I shouted out to my bandmates, "Check it out! It's smaller at the top to make it look taller!!!!"

Of course then all my friends realized it and groaned, "Awwww, way to ruin the magic for everyone on the FIRST day!"

Now I know it is called forced perspective and is employed in a LOT of building designs. At that point I was just in shock and awe mode!

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

My earliest memories come from playing the Kitchen Fridge Andrews Sisters on our tape player, and we were babies when it was taken (but we would play them over and over as youngsters.) I know for a fact that the Dairy Sisters aren't there anymore.

But you know what is, and is a very early memory? The electrical parade! And I feel like it hasnt changed either! Its the same cheerful music (I recommend this for an alarm clock ringtone btw, if you have to wake up, its a pretty happy song.) and the same snails and stuff from Alice. The electrical parade I remember from being very little.

Also in that category is the Carousel of Progress. Otherwise known as a great big beautiful place to sit in AC and rest your feet while you don't have to move for 20 mins. Always a favorite though.

Oh yeah! I remember crying at the Universe of Energy (before it was Ellen) way way back in the 80s, cuz the dinosaurs scared me! I can't imagine the Dinosaur ride in comparison. I might have died! lol.

I also have very young memories of the water tube thingies by Captain EO that jump back and forth, as well as the main fountain by innoventions.

Also, Peter Pan used to rock my world! I even told my friend in 2008 "you GOTTA ride it, its amazing!" and then when I rode it myself, I thought "ok well you do eventually grow up I guess...that wasn't nearly as exciting as it used to be..." But of course, its still a classic and it's also still there. Same for IASM.

I guess they call them Dole Whips now but they used to just be orange and vanilla swirled together. Anytime in my life that we got these, I was instantly transported to the Tiki Room (also early memories!).

I guess when we were younger, we used to go to Whoop-Dee-Doo cuz we have videos of the spoons on the washboards etc.

Random things like the Monorail through the resorts. I know I had an Alice in Wonderland dress and that as twins they used to pose us for photos with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

My earliest memories come from playing the Kitchen Fridge Andrews Sisters on our tape player, and we were babies when it was taken (but we would play them over and over as youngsters.) I know for a fact that the Dairy Sisters aren't there anymore.

But you know what is, and is a very early memory? The electrical parade! And I feel like it hasnt changed either! Its the same cheerful music (I recommend this for an alarm clock ringtone btw, if you have to wake up, its a pretty happy song.) and the same snails and stuff from Alice. The electrical parade I remember from being very little.

Also in that category is the Carousel of Progress. Otherwise known as a great big beautiful place to sit in AC and rest your feet while you don't have to move for 20 mins. Always a favorite though.

Oh yeah! I remember crying at the Universe of Energy (before it was Ellen) way way back in the 80s, cuz the dinosaurs scared me! I can't imagine the Dinosaur ride in comparison. I might have died! lol.

I also have very young memories of the water tube thingies by Captain EO that jump back and forth, as well as the main fountain by innoventions.

Also, Peter Pan used to rock my world! I even told my friend in 2008 "you GOTTA ride it, its amazing!" and then when I rode it myself, I thought "ok well you do eventually grow up I guess...that wasn't nearly as exciting as it used to be..." But of course, its still a classic and it's also still there. Same for IASM.

I guess they call them Dole Whips now but they used to just be orange and vanilla swirled together. Anytime in my life that we got these, I was instantly transported to the Tiki Room (also early memories!).

I guess when we were younger, we used to go to Whoop-Dee-Doo cuz we have videos of the spoons on the washboards etc.

Random things like the Monorail through the resorts. I know I had an Alice in Wonderland dress and that as twins they used to pose us for photos with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.

If it makes you feel any better, this was always my dad's favorite, as well. He loved all of the little detail. When we took my daughter for her first trip in 2012, my parents came along. My dad asked if he could ride with her on Peter Pan's Flight because he loved it so much and wanted to see her reaction. He was really let down. His theory is that they have really darkened the ride (same with Pirates) to try and cut down on people videoing and taking pictures and it has hidden some of the details, such as the smoke coming out of the chimneys and things like that.

 

[Rose23]

Seeing the Contemporary Resort, Cinderella's Castle and Epcot's Spaceship Earth in person...unforgettable.

 

[kastoney]

My first visit was when I was 4 or 5 my only memory is the nighttime water parade. We stayed at the contemporary and I saw the lights one night and told my parents who seemed skeptical. A few nights later it came by again and I was proven right ; ). Finally got to see it again for the first time since then last year and the memories came flooding back.

 

[think-like-tink]

My first trip was awful. We went Christmas of 1990 and I was 13. It was fun at first, then it went down hill. I started my period for the very first time ever. My mom was a "gasp, we don't talk about that stuff" person. So, here I am, 13 with my mother walking around trying to find "those female things". Most embarrassing story ever. But, there you have it. My first Disney memory. Oh and my dad..... "THAT'S whats wrong with her, millions of kids would love to be here and you're grumpy."

 

[grimley1968]

I was about 3.5 the first time I went, and it was about 6-7 months after MK had first opened (spring of 1972). I had never seen red concrete pavement before and for some reason was fascinated by it. Of course I was much shorter then.

Aside from being sunburned on that trip (most of our vacation was at New Smyrna Beach), the biggest other MK memories of that trip were the Skyway (I think it was open then), absolutely HATING Haunted Mansion which I was scared of, and the funny little orange-shaped container that contained an orange drink.

 

[slickpoetry]

My first and only time at Disney World was in the mid-1980s. I was six or seven. We stayed in a cabin at Fort Wilderness Resort. My memories are not very complete, they are more like fleeting images that I can barely recall (I sometimes think my long-term memory capabilities are faulty).

I remember the cabin. I remember country bear jamboree and buying mickey ears with my name on them. I remember falling asleep as we watched a movie about Canada in a round room. I remember Captain EO. I remember Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (now gone). I remember the monorail.

But my most lasting memory is Space Mountain. There was a hurricane off the coast of Florida this day, and Orlando was getting hit with some pretty hard rain. My dad put us all in ponchos and we took off for the park. I rode space mountain about 5 times in a half hour. there was literally no lines--we finally just had to stop because we were getting tired of the ride.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

The Treehouse when I was five. I wanted so much to live in it. I was so happy that my daughter loved it just as much as me.

 

[jeffbear]

My first trip was to Disneyland back about 2 years before the Florida park opened. My sole real memory is of Pirates of the Caribbean. My 10 year old self just loved that ride to death ... still do.

And while they've tweaked it a little, it's substantially the same ride.

 

[amym2]

We went a few times when I was a kid, so I'm not sure which of these came first, but I remember... -Having the dining plan (long before it was DDP) and eating in the castle and getting to order anything I wanted
-Riding the monorail into the CR where we were staying (when it was just CR and the Poly)
-Staying in a Treehouse Villa (the original ones) and thinking how cool it was
-River Country!!!

 

[disney meema]

Riding Snow White at Disneyland and being afraid & the Mickey ears balloons : !

 

[johde]

I'm probably dating myself a little bit. My first trip to WDW was in 1976.
My first memories are riding the ferry boat from the parking lot to the MK. (we rode the monorail back) Ferry boat- Still there.
Waiting "forever" for Country Bear Jamboree. Country Bears- Still There, queue line - Gone replace by the store next door.
Being told I was "too young" even though I was tall enough for Space Mountain when my older brothers and sister got to ride. Space Mountain - Still there.
Running out of D and E tickets - Tickets gone.
Spending time with Grandma and Grandpa who lived in FL. and only got up to Ohio about once a year.

 

[MomofKatie]

My first Disney memory was from DL in 1971. I was 5 and we visited the park with my family and my aunt, uncle, and 3 year old cousin. I LOVED Its A Small World and the train that went through the little storybook scenes (or was it a boat? Can't remember). I was nervous for my 8 year old brother who went on the Matterhorn. That mountain looked too scary to me! My cousin and I screamed and cried on PotC because we thought the cannonballs were going to hit our boat. And I got to ride a real live donkey on the Nature's Wonderland ride.

I know IASW, PotC, and the Matterhorn are still there. I think the Storybook Train (boat?) is still around, but the Pack Mule ride shut down for good in the mid 70s. We have a cute picture of me on one of those donkeys.

 

[kmb584]

Mine is meeting Mickey & Co in their glorious silver spacesuits with the rainbow decal at Epcot.

 

[bjscheel]

We first went in 2005. Our first morning at our off-site hotel my stomach didn't feel good. Toast at the hotel didn't help. We got there early on the hotel shuttle and we were right at the rope before the morning show. I sat down on the pavement at the rope to wait and just felt awful but knew I needed to push through it. Pretty much first thing we had breakfast in the castle and the magical French toast fixed it! I felt fine from there on.

Breakfast at the castle is still there, but I think it is a lot easier to reserve nowadays!