The obsession-how did it all begin?

[hockey mom]

Just thought it would be interesting to see how everyone came about there first trip and if it was supposed to be a one-time deal.

I'II share- My parents and DH's parents were going to Florida in March and both sets told us we should drive down to see them. Sounded good. Then my Dad mentioned Disney World. What's that So I phone and find out the cost of a one day admission I was a SAHM and we could not afford it. For Christmas that year my parents gave us enough cash to cover admission. When we get there I told DH that this is way over priced and no way could it be worth it. Until I walked into the MK We had such an amazing day. On our long drive home we frantically planned when we could go back and do it all. Five years was the plan. Then I got a job and the rest is history. We were hooked.

 

[cdntourguide]

My love of Disney started with Disneyland in 1956. My best friend went with his grandmother. I did not get to go but right then and there I decided that is where I was going to spend my vacations. I made my first trip in 1978, and I have been going to Disneyland and Disneyworld ever since. Probably been to Disneyland 15times and Disneyworld 35 times. I can tell by looking at all the magnets posted on the refridgerator door.

 

[stemikger]

My first trip was sometime in the 70s. I remember feeling like I was in a dream. It was so larger then life I couldn't take it all in. I was probably around 7 or 8. Ever since then, I thought about it all the time. Carol Burnett had a special on T.V. where she rode in the haunted mansion and I waited all week so I could see the haunted mansion on T.V. I was obsessed with the Magic Kingdom. Now I'm a father and husband and I still love that place. Now I got my daugher hooked. Even my wife likes it. But not as much as me.

I don't think I can ever get tired of it. It truly is a magical place that I love visiting as much as I can.

Thanks Walt.

 

[PhotobearSam]

Me...it started late...

I had been 4 times as a kid but the obsession only started when I took DH in 2001.

We had planned a trip for 2000 and had saved all the money and read the unofficial guide (that was so good for my type a personality for trips)and were ready to go but came upon a great condo and used the trip money to buy it. Great investment but it did not help us with the vacation.

We bought the condo in December but by January DH says..."I still want to go to WDW..." He had never been and I wanted to be the one to make his wish happen.

I became the $$$ FANATIC!!!...I was obsessed about saving. I made him empty his pockets as soon as he would arrive from work. He then lost his job at Nortel (as well as 90 000 others did) and he tought the idea of DISNEY was gone...NOT SO!!! I never give up.

Dh found a job but for a lot less $ but I was determined to make it work...and I did. We went for 17 days incuding the drive from Ottawa. When we got to the Florida border, I cried because it did not feel real until then... Since it was just 1 month after Sept 11th, it was even sweeter and seemed more important.

We even got to do MNSSHP.

We did most of our X-mas shopping there and still crossed the border with $10 in our pockets...I am not kidding $10!


DH was all about going again. So we planned 2 more trip for 2003 after our wedding. We were not supposed to go back this year but he looked at me with his puppy dog eyes in August and said "...Disney..." and that's all it took...Now we have a trip in Dec and a cruise in Nov 05...Gotta love it.

 

[MommaBear]

I have visited WDW several times as a child and teen. We owned a trailer and travelled all over Canada and the Eastern portion of the United States. It was a really cheap way for my parents to travel with 4 kids.

My husband and I eloped and therefore there was no honeymoon but 2 years later we had saved enough to have a Florida honeymoon and spent one day in the Magic Kingdom.

15 years later after mini vacations with our boys and saving for our house we finally felt financially secure enough to go.

I spent countless hours on this site and others gleaming off tips and tricks. I also headed to Chapters to buy the I75 book and the Unofficial Guide to Disney.

I expertly guided my men for 3 full days and loved every minute of it. I still love MK the best and when we head back next year that's where we plan on spending most of our time. I guess my love of this original park rubbed off on my men as they only want to go back to the MK.

I even spent countless hours guiding, instructing and giving my new found Disney expertise to our neighbors who went down this past August.

I am truly addicted and counting the days until my next visit!

 

[BLBCB]

I have always loved Disney. We only had one channel, like most rural people in the 70's, and every Sunday our whole family schedule revolved around not missing The Wonderful World of Disney.

Three years ago my sister was taking her family to DisneyWorld, and kept after us to join them. I didn't think we could afford it, but DH finally said that it would be a "once in a lifetime" trip. We started planning, and just before we were to go, my sister cancelled. It ended up being just my DH, DD, DD, DS and I. From that first moment of seeing the castle, we were all hooked. Even my DH who thinks a trip should only be about laying around, to unwind from work. He now tells other people how great WDW is! Since then we have spent a total of approx 6 weeks there and proven that "once in a lifetime" is never enough.

 

[mejaie]

We were in the once in a lifetime club as well. Before we got home on Saturday DW who will only rent a movie once since she has seen it, was talking about going back in 5 years. After one day back at work she came home and said 3 years.

Maybe at this rate I should start checking flights at Christmas. LOL

 

[mbb]

Keep posting, everyone..I love reading your stories of.."where it began.."

 

[iluvwesties]

Back in 1979, I was a "new immigrant" to Canada from England.
I had watched "The Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday evenings in U.K. for many years and had wondered what WDW would be like.

In 1987, when my daughter was 7, we decided to go to Disney World. At that time, there was Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. We bought a 3day ticket and had 1 day in each park and the third day back at Magic Kingdom.

The first time I walked through the main entrance, down main street and saw the castle in the distance I felt like it was a dream.

It is wonderful to see and experience Disney World with your own eyes.

My daughter loved the now absent Skyway (cablecar across fantasyland) and seeing Donald. I loved "It's A Small World" (what is it about that song, that it stays with you in your head?) and Pirate's of the Caribbean.

I still to this day feel that when you walk through the main entrance you can leave your own and the worlds problems at the gate. It is a good feeling.

I have tried to get to WDW at least once a year since 1987.
The magic doesn't seem to disappear. My daughter is now 24, my son is 13 and me (closer to 50 than I would like to admit) are disneyfanatics. We NEVER get bored.

One of these days, I hope to get to the "original" Disneyland, just to see what Walt started with.

I am so happy that everyone visiting these boards feel the same as I do.

It's like "family" here also.

Carol

 

[hockey mom]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I love reading the stories.

MBB- what's up- You have to share also

 

[KLondon]

Back around 1978 we did our first (and only) family trip to WDW (I would have been about 15). This trip was soooooo far out of the realm of our reality - I had never even considered we'd ever get to go and, therefore, did not know much about the place. I devoured all the literature WDW sent with our reservations and grew more excited. Then I read Bob Thomas' (?) biography of Walt and the hook was firmly in me. I was pumped to see this WDW place.

I remember the moment we walked thru the railway tunnel onto Main Street. Music, popcorn smells, balloons..... magic. It was stunning to me. Back then, of course, there were fewer parks, attractions, and resorts (we stayed in the old Golf Resort), but it still took a week to drink it all in.

Of course, I wanted to go back as soon as our vacation was over. As fate would have it, it would be many years later as a grown-up married guy that I would get to fulfill that wish. Now we try to get to WDW every year or two. And you know, I still get that same feeling everytime we land on Main Street, and it's even better now 'cause I get to share it with my wife and kids. What a feeling....

 

[CdnMom2]

I blame all of you! LOL!

Went as a preteen with Auntie's (close Family Friend) family. Only MK then. Loved it & beaches, & orange groves. Wanted to show my kids "someday" all of it.

Went again as a 20-something with newly divorced girlfriend who lived down there. Epcot was new then. Really neat. We had a blast, but was NOT a family-oriented trip.

Since then relatives have sent us photos when they've been, repeatedly, w/o kids. Hey, MGM Studios & especially AK looks really neat too.

My also-working class neighbour has been a few times with her brood & insisted we could do it too.

As I've said on here before -- 1 day "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" was just laying there misplaced on a counter at the Library. Hey, that looks neat -- appealed to the cynic in myself & would to my very cynical DH. Picked it up. Read this silly travel book cover-to-cover (!) and was hooked. Hmmm, actually want to go there for real. Convinced DH we could go -- once in a lifetime, drive & camp is affordable, do as big Xmas gift for family, something there for everyone, really (he wasn't convinced, but he loves us, aah) .... Found the DIS Boards (& a real use for the internet!) & all your help as my obsession for discounts, tricks, treats, souvenirs, ultimate experiences, hidden secrets/locations, hidden Mickeys, Kitchen Sinks, CP, etc. evolved over our 18 months of planning & we did it AND Universal/IoA AND SeaWorld! And shamefully the kids had a jam-packed Xmas tree still with all the things I was convinced they had to have for The Once In A Lifetime Trip.

DH still marvels at the place & how well done it all is. The family joke is "What's in that Big Ball in Epcot?" as I commando-style raced them past it so many times going somewhere else & we never made it in there. So, of course, we have to go back to have a more relaxed trip & to see some more of the things we didn't & just to have The Magic again. So glad the Osborne Lights are back too. Even DH, who had to drive the 3 days there & back agrees! So now early Dec. 2005 1 week WDW, 4 day Cruise, 1 day Universal!

And after that trip we knew we could do anything & what great experiences it was for the whole family to do such a trip & we made it camping for 3 weeks in the Canadian Maritimes. Thanks again DIS Board helpers.

 

[talicskai]

What a great thread!

In March Break of 1974 we (my parents, sister age 15, brother age 10 and me age 5) drove to Florida in my dad's Mercury Cougar. We stayed 3 nights at the Contemporary Resort ($77 per night!) and had a wonderful time. Three months later, July 5, 1974 my beautiful sister was hit by a car while riding her bike and died from her injuries. From that moment on, every single time I walk up Main Street USA, I remember our wonderful family vacation and it brings the biggest smile to my face! I don't believe that anyone can spend one moment in that beautiful place and not smile........It is magical and if I don't get there every year I feel an emptiness inside. It is my "Sandra" fix and I need it.........Thanks for letting me share this with people who understand. My DH just doesn't "get it".

Keep the stories coming ~ I'm love reading them!

 

[Daisy Duck 5]

I went on a family trip to Disneyland in 1972 right after Christmas.
The things I remember most were the large Christmas tree with ornaments as big as our heads and eating oranges off a tree outside our hotel. Coming from a cold climate that was amazing.
My first trip to WDW was in 1978 with my brother and again in 1979 with my graduating class from university.
Then in 2000 I took a "one time trip" with 11 friends and relatives,
including my 2 DD's who were 13 and 15 for their first trip. My 2 DD's fell in love with everything Disney and do not want to travel any where else now. We went back in 2001, 2003 and are returning Dec 2004. Every trip has been a little different as we have gone at different times of the year. We know the parks are going to be extremely busy between Christmas and New Years but we are still excited. We are going on two tours- the Keys to the Kingdom at MK and the Animal Kingdom tour for the first time as we are all over 16 now. We had our first bad snowstorm last weekend so that really got us excited to go to Florida soon

 

[hockey mom]

KLondon- the great way you described walking into MK makes me feel like I am right back there. Thanks.

CDNmom2- I know what you mean. When I read these boards all I want to do is go back.

talicskai- So glad you have such a good memory of your sister. Can you imagine only paying $77/night at the Contemporary.

Daisyduck5- Have a great trip.

 

[AngVen]

I'm so glad to share this with people who really do understand. Like everyone else, I dreamed of going to WDW with my family, DH, DD and DS. I had been years ago before marriage, but wanted so much to go with my family. A very dear friend of mine, who is single and quite comfortable financially, found out summer of 2003 that she has terminal lung cancer. She wanted to share many things/memories with her friends before it was too late, and so she gave my family my dream trip of a lifetime as a gift last yr. We went for one week Nov 2003 and it was all that much more magical because it was such an incredibly special gift. She didn't come with us, but only asked that we go and bring back memories to share with her while she could still enjoy them. I will never forget watching Wishes for the first time and I call could think of was wishing for my friends' continued good health for as long as possible. The wonderful news is that she is doing great, has made it so much longer than was expected, and she's going to be around to hear about our next trip too! That's right, the bug has bitten in a very big way and we're making it happen again, 10 days in Feb.... and we're not telling the kids til Christmas!! It's driving me crazy, and I'm taking a big chance here, but I'm positive this is one site my DD does not read. So, the magic continues for us too.

Ang

 

[pkitty]

first of all I'm the husband of the real pkitty.

back in 1983 I was only a teenager. I had the great fortune of being able to work on a tall ship in Miami; for a teenage Canuk that was an experience of a life time. One weekend my friends and I decided to take a road trip to Orlando and see WDW. I would have to say I was amazed. We saw all the parks that were around in those days. MK, and Epcot I can't remember if MGM was there or not, anyways took a wirl wind visit to as much as one can see and do in just a day. loved it. What I remember about the trip back to Miami was being flat broke afterwards and having to sneak into a camp ground after it had closed for the night. I think the name of it was Jellibean Park you know Yogi the bear. We all (7 or 8 ) of us were to affraid to sleep outside of the stationwagon for fear of gators. So I spent the worst night of my life inside a car with 7 other people all cramped up. Boy what a memory. Oh yeah! the next morning we hit an orange orchard for breakfast. Fresh fruit right off the tree. I can't believe I telling you all this stuff. What one will do when he is young. Anyways got seriously hooked on the place in 1998 when my wife and DD took a drive down the 1-75 from Ontario. We now are DVC owners and will visit at least once a year.

 

[hockey mom]

AngVen- what a great friend you have.
Have a great trip.

pkitty's husband- I love the part about sleeping in the car because of gators. You did exactly what my DH did only he went to Disneyland.

 

[Sandyincanada]

Hmmmm, I'd say I'm half obessed...fully obessed with traveling though, period.

I never went as a child, we did travel all over Canada though. When I got married, we did Europe as DH is from England. Then we had kids! It took several years to convince DH to try WDW. He was not interested but finally relented "for the kids". I was obessed our first trip, read anything and everything I could find, had daily plans. spent a small fortune on our "once in a lifetime trip"...we did WDW and Universal....well, it was fantastic, so much fun. We ended up going on a shorter trip the next year just to do Universal/IOA and Seaworld and that was to be our last Orlando trip.

The next year (or was it later the same year) , Signature had a kids fly free deal soooooooo...we ended up in a condo and found out we really enjoyed that too...we made it a more relaxed vacation.

DH said OK, enough, its fun but lets try other things. SO, we've gone to Mexico, Cuba and Dominican Republic - all inclusives and loved those vacations as well, so relaxing. The kids learned alot on these vacations.

But guess where we are heading back to in Feb/05? LOL

 

[DVCcollector]

My wifes parents took me do WDW with them for a parents only family trip and I have been hooked since.