What is your earliest Disney memory?

[LadyBeBop]

Well, besides watching The world of color on Sunday nights (and yes, I remember seeing it when Walt was still alive)

The Wonderful World of Color with Walt was my first Disney memory too.

My first parks memory. Going through the turnsiles at Disneyland and looking up Main Street to the large castle, the castle that, up until then, only existed on Sunday nights on NBC.

I was 11 at the time. This was 1970. Was it that long ago? It could have been yesterday.

 

[DanMedix]

Sadly, my first trip wasn't until I was in college. Thus, I never had any "first-hand" experience with WDW as a kid. However, I remember when EPCOT first opened, in all the 80's splendor that "EPCOT Center" could provide. I was so enthralled by Walt's "great experiment"! I read every article I could about it. I copied every news and magazine article I could get my junior-high hands on. I watched every tv special. I went to the library to learn more about Walt and his vision. I didn't realize it at the time, but I'd become well versed in WDW-lore at a young age.

Not long after EPCOT Center's opening, I had an aunt and uncle that announced they were going, and wanted to know if anyone wanted to go with them! Sadly, I was at Boy Scout summer camp at the time, and didn't get to cast my vote

When I got back, they soon got back too, with a truckload of SLIDES (..remember those?..)! I'm sure I annoyed my entire family by watching the slides and providing commentary on them. I told everyone where they were, and what they were doing, and more info on what was happening in the picture. I think I had more info on the pics, and I'm not even the one who went!

 

[buffettgirl]

I was listening to the music from the Electrical Water Pageant and thinking that this was my earliest memory of Disney. I remember we were staying at a ground floor suite in the garden wing of the Contemporary. I remember opening the sliding door and not knowing what those magical lights on the water were. When I took my kids for the first time and I heard the music again it really took me back. My DH is new to Disney and didn't understand the fascination this parade held for me.

So I have to ask....what is your Disney memory?

Do they still have this???

My first memory is driving from our hotel (with my grandparents) singing the theme song to the mickey mouse club over and over and over again. I thought my grandfather was going to reach in back and smack us.

 

[thelionqueen]

I was either 5 or 6 and actually have a photograph of this event which is why it is probably by earliest memory..lol.

Climbing down into the submarine voyage and playing with the Pinocchio puppet and watching the penny movies in the arcade for HOURS literally are my earliest park memories.

I also remember the Monorail Cafe' I think it was called that went from the DL hotel to the park. My parents were too poor to ever stay there, so my cousin who worked at DL met us at the hotel and would go into the park with us. I remember they gave us "wings" at that monorail station...kind of like the ones pilots give to kids. I'm pretty sure I still have a button and wings from that cafe'. Also the dancing waters at the DL hotel I loved. Why oh why are those amazing things gone? sigh...

Remember going to "Disneyworld" (which is now just MK) several times with a father who didn't like Disney. I would always want to stay and shop and look and sit and enjoy and all he wanted to do was ride the rides and get going. Probably why I enjoy "just being there" as much I do

 

[MolonLabe]

WDW, MK, at 3~ in a Dolphin stroller.

More than that, not until I was around 5-6 do I really recall anything.

 

[MouseEarsForAll]

Walking into the park for the first time in 2004, and feeling like I was dreaming for the first 30 minutes. Then it was time to go DISNEY!

 

[hookedonears]

Disneyland 1971
Riding Pirates of the Carribean
Doing the Tiki Birds
The last ride before we left the park - Dumbo
Seeing Diana Ross and the Surpremes in concert in the park from a distance as we were leaving the park.

 

[DisneyHardin]

Summer of 1982. The only thing I remember is riding Haunted Mansion and LOVING the hitchking ghosts.

 

[kaybird]

Wow I'm old. 2 years old, 1957, Dad drove us 1500 miles to DL to "see that park Mr. Disney built for families." 48' Plymouth, no air. Remember CLEARLY riding Storybook boats right into the mouth of the Whale!!!! Also remember the sky line across fantasy land as my mom was scared to death!!!

And so began my love of Disney. 1st trip to WDW, honeymoon in 1975, before real people did that. Even the cast members said "you came HERE on your honeymoon!?!" River Country and staying in the back of a Gremlin in the campground!

 

[TDS533]

Mine is going to Phoenix to visit my grandparents, then going on to Disneyland. I was 5. All I wanted was to meet Mickey...and there he was right inside the gate. I still have the picture. Years later I was privileged to work for Disney at our local Disney Store.(Iowa). Didn't think I'd ever have the chance to work for Disney unless I was willing to move to Florida. I worked there until they closed our store and took the last phone call the store ever got while open. I have many special friends from that time. A few even work at WDW now! It was a very special time in my life. Who knows maybe when I retire and my son is grown I'll move to Florida and work for Disney again. Would love that.

 

[Abby Wednesday]

I was just shy of 3 at Disneyland with my family. All I remember about Disneyland is my little brother fussing at my mom because he didn't want to ride in his stroller. The other thing I remember about that trip is having a layover at Chicago O'hare and seeing my aunt who lived in Chicago at the time.

I was 7 for my first trip to WDW, and I remember a lot about that trip-- Pirates, HM, EPCOT in its early days (this was May 1983). We stayed at the Contemporary, and I remember swimming in the lake as well. We also got out to Cape Canaveral which was fun for us.

 

[rdamer70]

Eating an orange "Julius" type drink in the mid 70s. also seeing Baloo in one of the stores around the same time.

 

[rachel09985]

Wondering around the Polynesian looking for the Catholic mass service- apparently they used to have mass there.

Rafiki chasing me out of the restaurant Garden Grove because he thought I was cute and I was trying to get away from him.

 

[kristen1587]

I was 3 on my first trip

For several years afterward I was convinced that I had been to the real Mexico but alas my parents insisted that I was remembering Epcot

 

[john64]

Mine must have been around 6 or so. I grew up in Ft Lauderdale and we where making the trip in February. My mother made us go shopping for gloves because we had to travel up "North" and it was colder.

 

[christym]

I was 8 in the summer of 1984 and it was the first time I went to Disney World. It was so darn hot as we were walking up to MK and it was all I could think about until we got inside to the end of Main St where you can see the castle. I was totally amazed (I still am every time I go, to this day). I don't think that I thought it was real until I actually saw it with my own eyes.

 

[cah5525]

My mom took me in 1983. As we were driving to the Magic Kingdom, mom and my aunt were pointing at the Epcot "ball" - the new park and all I remember thinking...I'm so glad we aren't going to that park, it must be so small inside that "ball" ~
I also remember the Tiki Room, except now, it seems so much smaller ~
and of course, It's a small world - now that memory is vivid! Even as an 8 year old, that ride made me all misty-eyed!

 

[Random Ninja]

My first memory is from the summer after I turned 3. We were at Fort Wilderness camping in my grandparents camper. For years I had no idea my first real camping trip was at WDW. The only memory I had, that I knew about, was being in MK and punching Mickey in the nose. :rotfl2. He really shouldn't have gotten that close to me.

 

[DeaverTex]

In another thread, I said that my earliest memory of Disney was reading about that new park in Anaheim, in Jack and Jill magazine. That was in 1956. I still think that's it, but I also remember watching the original Mickey Mouse Club (Jimmie, Roy, Annette, Darlene, etc.), and watching the Wonderful World of Disney BEFORE it was the Wonderful World of Color.

Sheesh, I feel old. If the parks let me down in October, I'm taking it up with Walt.

 

[cindy17]

It was around 1972 after MK had just opened. We had driven down from NJ to visit family from tampa. We drove over to Orlando, parked and took the ferry over to MK. There was a girl in the corner of the boat throwing up! I think of it everytime I'm on that boat!