Tell me about your 1st WDW vacation, please.

[karly05]

First time to WDW for me was in 1999, after literally years of hypothetical planning. It was my "birthday" trip (although we diidn't go on my b'day). Mom & Dad sent my Sister and me, and one of my fondest memories is from a day a couple of months before the trip, when my Dad sat me down and told me about the proposed trip: "We were going to surprise you, but you're the one who knows everything." (about the planning, he meant) So I got to be the planner (yea!). 4 nights at the Beach Club, my dream resort. My sister started out saying, "This is your trip, I'm just tagging along," but I made her look at my copy of the Official Guide and express some druthers, and she was the one who said, "Can we have breakfast at Crystal Palace?" We had a great time; there were a lot of things we didn't do, but a lot of things we did do: CP breakfast was one, Marrakesh dinner back when the Royal Feast really was a FEAST, Buzz 3 times, Splash twice, Candlelight Processional with Robby Benson (really enjoyed him). We went to AK for literally 2 hours because I had to see ITTBAB; we did that and the Maharajah Jungle Trek. I had wanted to see WDW for so long, and it was a blast.

I'm so spoiled now going solo and just "doing my own thing," but it will be fun when my Sis comes back with me someday; she's definitely coming once Star Wars Land is open.

 

[Planogirl]

There were just two parks MK and Epcot and for me Epcot was like a dream come true. I loved Horizons, the World of Motion, Imagination, Spaceship Earth and the Living Seas. I remember that Communicore was a bit stuffy and educational but we still enjoyed poking around in both buildings. We made dinner reservations in the building at the base of Spaceship Earth for that day via a kiosk where you actually spoke to someone which was really cool. We made reservations for Akershus and it immediately became a favorite. There were no princesses at the time. And there were no "tombstones" in the front!

Those were some great days.

 

[BudgieMama]

Our first trip was last summer, and was just me and my husband. Neither of us visited WDW as children (or DLP, which is nearer us by far!) and so it was our first Disney Parks experience.

We spent a week just after mid-August at WDW, staying at Saratoga Springs with free dining plan, which was great for us. We were upgraded from our booked Studio to a One Bedroom Villa, and had the most magical week. We had a pretty packed week, and were in the parks for some time at least every day. We ate at a table restaurant each day: we did Mama Melrose, Be Our Guest (dinner), Akershus, Tusker House, Crystal Palace, and Cinderella's Royal Table.

DH had insisted we would be once and done, but here we are planning our second trip now (and I'm also tentatively planning my third trip for the following year to take my Mum on her first trip!)... loved WDW so much, and can't wait to be home again!

 

[starsweeper]

My mom called more than a year ahead and the first available time she could get a room was August 1979 at the Polynesian. I was 4 years old and by the time of our trip, my mom was pregnant with my little brother. The heat was too much for her, so she had to stay in the room until evening. Dad would take me to MK during the day and Mom would take me to the theater, which was playing "Jungle Book" that whole week, to spend time with me. We saw the movie 4-5 times that week. When the movie came out on DVD in the 90s, Mom bought it for me right away. It's the only thing I remember from that trip.

In January/February 2009, we took our first trip with kids. They were 2.5 years old. DH thought they were too young to enjoy it, but they had a blast and he ended up saying we should plan a trip the next year but in a warmer month (May) because we had some days in the 40s. We had the luck of getting a pre-park open ADR at Crystal Palace. It was so magical to walk into MK with no crowds so the kids could really take in Main Street and the castle for the first time. They loved the character breakfast and that experience so much, they still ask for it on every trip (both are 9 now). I have so many memories of their first rides, chasing birds at AK, etc.

 

[jemlover]

DH and I were just discussing this. We believe it was 1985 and we drove down from Indiana and stayed in a cheap motel in Kissimmee. There was only Magic Kingdom and Epcot so we also went to Cypress Gardens which is now Legoland and the Kennedy Space Center to fill in the week. I remember loving Epcot especially Horizons and World of Motion. We also loved the original Illuminations that had a classical music score including Rhapsody in Blue.

 

[MagentaMulan]

My first trip was January 2015 to celebrate me graduating from college. I went with my mom and it was her first time too. We always dreamed of going to WDW. Not only was it my first time flying and vising Florida, it was also our first week long trip. I planned and obsessed over everything and that turned out to be good. I had no idea how much stuff there was to do. Narrowing down our to-do list really helped us enjoy the trip and not be stressed out.

We rode most of the classic rides at MK like "it's a small world" and meet a lot of the characters. Meeting the princesses was a major to-do for me since I missed out that when I was a kid. We stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter and it was amazing. I didn't think we had it in our budget to stay there at first, but we did and I'm so glad we did. It was a great choice for us.

WDW is seriously become an addiction and I want to go every year, even though I know it's not possible. Our next trip will be in December to celebrate my birthday and i'm so lucky to be going again!

 

[jump00]

Our first trip was 2004 - our kids were 8 and 11. My dh likes to remind me that he "had" to persuade me to go!!! Boy did he "create a monster". Lol It was the most fantastic trip. My kids were in awe. We stayed at CSR and they loved the pool and the Pepper market. They enjoyed all the rides, parades and shows. I even had people tell me in line how well behaved my kids were - they didn't care how long they had to wait - they kept themselves amused. They were real troopers. We have been many times - but now they are in University and are very busy- But I miss those special times. My ds would go tomorrow but my daughter wants to "see the world" so maybe we will go to DIsneyland Paris when she graduates.

Enjoy this wonderful experience!!!

 

[NotTheBatesMotel]

As someone who just brought a 2.5 year old this past Feb. I just have to say you are going into this with the perfect attitude! We also avoided ADRs and had very, very flexible plans. We had a complete blast and I think much of that was due to the "go with the flow" attitude everyone had going into it.

My first trip was in 1989. I was 4 years old. At the time I lived in Rochester, NY. My parents had very little money, so we made the 24 hour drive straight down. No overnight stops! We stayed with my grandparents to save money. I remember parts of the car ride, being mesmerized by the parade, and being terrified of Pluto, but can't remember much else. The pictures say it all, though! I'm the one looking up grinning.

 

[heart4dis]

Mine was in 1991. I did not know to plan very much and luckily back then you didn't really have to. At least I didn't feel like I missed out on anything. I was just thrilled to be there. I was in my late 20's. My husband had been there when he was about 16 or so. We stayed at Carribbean Beach Resort. I remember going to Medieval Times the first night because we weren't ready to activate our WDW passes. I got food poisoning pretty bad. It made it hard touring the next day at Epcot. I was very weak.
On the bright side, I had a GREAT and MAGICAL time. I was hooked. I became a Disney-holic. I know many other Dis'ers have gone more often but we couldn't really make that happen. I am grateful for the times I have been able to go. I have been able to go to Disney Land in CA with my daughter and she and I also have been to Disneyland Paris!
My first time was over spring break for some schools (little did I know). We went to Typhoon Lagoon. It was the only time we've been to the water parks. Like I said, we didn't really have everything planned out in detail like I did when we took the kids in 2003 but we still had fun. A lot depends on what you want out of it and if you are willing to be flexible.

 

[Frozen2014]

I have great memories going with my parents to Disney when I was 6, but my own first trip to Disney World with my kids and DH was exactly one year today (I keep thinking "last year at this time..."). We had booked 9 months out and so did lots of research and managed to get our choices for ADRs and FP+s. I did go in with a schedule (but it was still flexible) since we had a boy and a girl, 4 year apart. That meant, I had to research and plan when we could do things together, and when we'd split up.

We stayed at Art of Animation in the Cars suite (so cute!). We went to Magic Kingdom 2 days, Hollywood Studios 1 day, and had two half days at Epcot (which let us get a Fast Pass for Test Track on one day and Soarin on the other). We also did the Halloween party and saw things light the parade, fireworks, Electrical Parade, Illuminations, Fantasmic. My DD went to BBB and loved it (I see you mentioned that) and my DS participated in Jedi Training.

I hate to sound corny, but our Disney trip really was magical. We thought it would be our only trip since it is quite pricey, but we definitely will be going again at some point.

We also got Memory Maker and when we returned I used to the pictures plus some of our own to create a great photo book.

Enjoy your trip. It's the best!

 

[Danman]

Aside from a trip in '82 at Disneyland, my first trip to the world was in '91 on our Honeymoon. It was an unplanned day trip and I remember being confused wondering what the difference was between Disney world and the Magic Kingdom, to me they were the same

Then I remember walking down main street seeing the castle for the first time and saying to my wife "wow, that castle is for real!"

 

[tomatecerise]

My first trip was 6 Months ago... I return In November!

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Early May 1990. No FP. No Animal Kingdom. Got 4-day hoppers. It was very uncrowded, we could walk up to TS restaurants in the parks and be seated quickly. We stayed at the Caribbean. I liked the long gone Superstar Television in MGM Studios, Monster Sound Show, Horizons at Epcot, and several others. The Studio Backlot Tour was actually worth it back then.

First visit was a one day MK visit during college spring break, then a few years later another one day visit to Epcot.

 

[HadesTX]

My first trip was July 5-9, 1987. I only remember the dates because it was a holiday and the park was PACKED! Back in the days before fast passes & ADR's... we stood in line for over an hour & a half for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (in the hot July sun) and the ride lasted for like a minute. I was not impressed. DH had been to DL & WDW several times as a child & loved that ride.

I remember thinking I was gonna hate Disney World because I didn't like going on rides. I ended up loving it & my favorite part was the World Showcase. I hated the Living Seas... it was very different back then & I was so bored. I thought I would love it, so I was very disappointed.
The only food I remember eating was spaghetti & meatballs. Why I remember that, I don't know. I feel like we ate where the Plaza is... so either I am remembering wrong, the Plaza had spaghetti or Tony's was in the Plaza area once upon a time.

This is the only trip where we stayed off-property. It was fine back then, but now I will always stay at a WDW resort.

Meeting Donald Duck was a trip highlight. He was the only character I got excited to see & wanted my pic with. I got my pic with King Louie, too. He approached me for a pic. He nudged DH out of the pic & claimed me as his. It was hilarious.

 

[caroline1851]

My first time was in 1975 when I was 5. I don't remember anything. My first time with my kids was 2008 and DD was 2 (almost 3) and DS was 6. We only did one night time activity; MNSSHP, because they were tired every day and requested to go back to the resort pool every day. We'd get to the park at RD, have a plan, but often were side tracked by things they would want to do, etc.. We used FP and I had learned a lot from this site, so we rarely waited in any line longer than 15 min. I had gift baskets delivered to the room before we arrived for each of them that included Mickey Ears, Epcot Passport, Autograph book/pen and a stuffed Minnie and Mickey. They loved it. We did the DDP so were able to take nice breaks each day to eat a nice meal. We at at CRT becaue my son wanted to, not even my daughter and she hated meeting Cinderella. haha.

 

[LoverDisney]

Our first trip was August 2012. I took my children age 10 and 8 at the time. We stayed at Pop Century. It was our first trip to Disney and my kids first plane ride. I knew that when we went to MK for the first time that we would be back. We stayed for 7 days and had a blast! A TA booked our trip because I had no clue what I was doing, but now I rather do the planning and booking myself.

 

[mamamary]

Our first trip was July 5, 1976. I remember we all got new outfits to wear on the plane (our first plane ride). We stayed off-site at a Days Inn. We went for a week but I believe we only went to the Magic Kingdom about 3 times. I remember Space Mountain, COP, If you had wings (i think that's what it was called) and alot of other rides. I remember meeting the characters as they just walked around. Our neighbors had been the week before and had alot of tickets left over for rides. I remember being excited about that. One night it poured in MK and we eventually left. On the tram going to our car we were soaked and my parents forgot to take note of where we parked. So we rode around and around until we found our rental car. Lots of good memories.

 

[Sandy Fisher]

Our first trip was in May of 1982. Our younger son was 8 years old and that was perfect. Only Magic Kingdom was there, as far as parks go, but Epcot would be finished the following October. There weren't many choices for hotels and I think we stayed on International Drive. We went to Typhoon Lagoon and also to something called Circus World, I think. We also went to Sea World for a day. We had my mother and my youngest brother along with us. It was a great trip. We did a lot and totally enjoyed it. It was very uncomplicated and we did as much as we could do during our short vacation. We flew down and back, but that was easy since we had a local regional airport just 12 miles from where we lived at the time. There was another water park we went to that wasn't Disney, but now I've forgotten the name of it. We kept going to Disney every 2-4 years and eventually moved to central FL and had annual passes. We used FP only occasionally after it came into use but never used or wanted FP plus. We moved back to PA and went down one more time (2014) but doubt we will again. It was great while it lasted.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

Our first trip starts December 13th! Let me tell you, all of the planning was completely different than our trips to Disneyland where we go 2-3 times a year.

We are renting points at Saratoga Springs (3 days-wanted Poly or GF but waited too long) and Animal Kingdom Lodge (5 days). We are doing two days at US in between the two WDW resorts. We have one ADR for every park day (one day we have two but they are really far apart). We do not plan to do everything, we will concentrate on things different than our two parks, shows, and general ambience. We will park hop 2 of the 7 park days, mainly to hit the restaurants we wanted and fireworks. Twelve total days, about 8 1/2 park days with full and half day breaks in between. Likely to be our only trip to WDW, DL is so close and personal for us.

 

[LJSquishy]

I was around 3-4 when I had my first trip and I only remember a couple of tiny details (the rest of my "memories" are from pictures). My 2nd trip was in 2012 with my husband and we had an amazing time! We had a lot of ADRs which turned out to be a bit much for us (we had free dining) and a rough touring plan in place such as which day was which park and that seemed to be the key to our great trip. We used the crowd calendar from EasyWDW.com (easily the best out there -- and completely free!). The Fastpass system is different now but it should work equally well for us this trip.

Our main goal this trip is to slow down and take everything in. We were very go-go-go last time which was great, but I'm looking forward to a more leisurely trip this time around. We will also be traveling with my folks (staying at different resorts, though) instead of just the two of us so our focus is more on making sure everyone enjoys themselves and gets to do what they want. We're staying 9 nights this time with no time at Universal Studios/IoA; In 2012 we stayed 7 nights with one day at Universal Studios/IoA. As far as ADRs go, this time we still have quite a few but not every day (7 ADRs over a 9nt/10day period) and I still may cancel one more. I hope you enjoy your stay at AKL...that's where we're staying this time as well!