I have so many first memories at WDW but when I was going to WDW as a kid it was just MK and eventually River Country. My first trip would have been at Christmas in 1971 or maybe the summer of 1972.
Riding on the monorail through CR was just awesome. I think my mouth was open in amazement the entire time we were in the building. I still LOVE big open spaces in buildings like the CR. When we visit the CR, I can stand there just looking up in awe.
We had moved from Orlando but our family still lived in town. Either at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, or over the summer we would go to MK. We would leave which ever relative we were staying at before dawn to get to the parks early. Parking was always interesting to me because it was so well organized. Course, we all would have to remember which character designated our parking spot. Getting on the tram was always memorable for some reason.
We would stay all day until the fireworks but we would leave before the show was finished, at my aunt's insistence, to avoid the crowd leaving the park. As a result, my mother never saw the entire fireworks show. On one of our Spring Break trips, we surprised my mother with an Illumination Cruise so she could FINALLY see an entire fireworks show!
Riding across the lake on the ferry is memory as well, though, I always wanted to take the monorail so I could see CR.
I remember paper tickets and especially E Tickets. I think getting in the park was free, you only had to pay if you got on the rides.
At some point, my mom and aunt would let my cousin and I loose on our own in MK. We would go our different ways and meet back at the arcade every few hours so they could check on us and we could get more tickets!
The arcade! I loved the arcade! I miss the arcade!
FINALLY MK had a roller coaster in Space Mountain! My cousin and I were sooooooo excited!
We did not like parades and we quickly figured out that people would go see the stupid parade and the line would be short on SM! Woo HOO!
I can remember the first time we rode SM three times in a row. Walk on, ride, walk off and repeat because everyone was watching the parade.
Being so hot and wishing we could jump the fence to go swimming in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or in the "river" around TSM....
TSM did not have bathrooms nor water fountains back in the day.....
But the tunnels on TSM were COOL and were a wonderful break from the summer heat and humidity. The whole island was a great big playground to me and my cousin.
The Swiss Family Tree House was and is still so cool. I always wanted such a neat tree house but how could you top Disney?
Buying a musket from Frontier Land and marching out of MK at the end of the day...
My cousin and I hated being dragged into Diamond Horse Shoe though we did like the magician. I wish the Diamond Horse Shoe was still running so I could take my mom back for another show.
The first time I ate Sushi was at Japan in EPCOT right after the new park opened. Yummy. I can remember sitting there with my other cousins and thinking how cool the restaurant was and how nice it was looking out the windows.
My dad refused to go to WDW aka MK so it was always just me and mom. I found out that he does not like heights and has never rode a roller coaster. While he still does not like going to WDW because of the crowds he has gone many times now to be with his grand kids...
Before one trip, his youngest grand kid was talking to grandpa on the phone. The youngest was going to be tall enough on the next trip to get on the Yeti Ride as well call EE. Grandpa was telling his youngest grand kid that of course he would go on the Yeti Ride.
I got on the phone and told him that he had just promised a grand kid that he was going to get on EE, the tallest roller coaster at AK!
Grandpa spent a few months trying to wiggle out of his deal, but in the end, he road EE! Once a Marine, always a Marine was his mantra as he got on that little train to visit the Yeti!
This is one of the youngest first memories of WDW.
Later,
Dan
