What was your reaction when you found out ...

[NCHeel23]

... you were going to WDW for the first time EVER? When I told my fiance where we were going she burst into tears. She had always wanted to go but growing up her family was very poor. A vacation to her family was 2 nights at the beach. Her reaction shocked me even though I knew she would be excited. What was your reaction or someone in your family?

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

REALLY happy, but not shocked. I was 9 when WDW opened, my dad had planned - from the moment they announced a Florida park - that we would be visiting the first year. (we already went down every other year to visit relatives - the combination of travelling in a camper and having relatives to stay with made it affordable for us.) We even made a trip to the visitor's center while WDW was being built!

Now, my DD's first trip - she was three and her reaction alone when we told her was worth every penny of that trip!!!

 

[phisigprincess]

I was 11 or so and I packed IMMEDIATELY!!! I mean, our trip wasn't for a year and I had my suitcase ready to go. My parents had to talk me into at least unpacking my clothes. My little sister made a "Disneyworld or Bust!" sign for our car!

 

[brer rabbit 28]

funny but i get far more excited now than i did on my first trip.I guess the first time i went my companions were not disney mad-they preferred shopping to disney.
Now that mum comes with me its a whole diffrent thing.We wind each othr up into a frenzy all the time!!!!!When we actually get to holiday time i just know we are both gonna go nuts with the excitement!!!

 

[wdwguide]

My first trip to WDW kind of happened by accident. We took a road trip (coming from Missouri) and ended up in Tallahassee around dawn. We figured we might as well keep going and hit WDW, so we did (for one day, I believe - Magic Kingdom and Epcot). I'd been wanting to go since I was a young kid, so I was very excited.

 

[tinkerbell87512]

I wasnt told till we were in the air. When i was 5 my parents and i went to the airport to "look at the planes" (since i had never been on one) well my dad took me aside and i guess my mom checked in and we went on the plane and much to my suprise the plane needed to go so we ended up staying on the plane while it took off...(i was thinking we were in trouble for sneaking on the plane) and about somewhere in the air almost there my dad took out a map with pictures of different popular vacation places on it and he asked if i could go anywhere where would i go. and me being 5 i pointed to the picture of FL with mickey mouse! and then my parents said SUPRISE thats where were going! and we stayed a week and my nana and grandpa were down there too (they drove down). I was so excited and i will never forget it! haha now im 18 and i still love disney world more than anything!

 

[NCHeel23]

I wasnt told till we were in the air. When i was 5 my parents and i went to the airport to "look at the planes" (since i had never been on one) well my dad took me aside and i guess my mom checked in and we went on the plane and much to my suprise the plane needed to go so we ended up staying on the plane while it took off...(i was thinking we were in trouble for sneaking on the plane) and about somewhere in the air almost there my dad took out a map with pictures of different popular vacation places on it and he asked if i could go anywhere where would i go. and me being 5 i pointed to the picture of FL with mickey mouse! and then my parents said SUPRISE thats where were going! and we stayed a week and my nana and grandpa were down there too (they drove down). I was so excited and i will never forget it! haha now im 18 and i still love disney world more than anything!

Thats really good. I'll have to remember that for when I have kids!

 

[YCFAN]

Off topic....but....I love your sign-on name. Only Carolina fans (or enemies) know what that means.

 

[bearbear]

I sent my mom and her best friend for their 60th birthday. I made a certificate for her and had them sit on the couch and open it. They were both speechless. I paid for plane tickets and everything. All they needed was spending money. Neither of them had been there before. It was great to see her so happy.

 

[ilovemcbride]

I was 12 when I went with my parents. When they told me I was just shocked. I was in a daze. I remember just going and getting my suitcase and packing it.

 

[chrisn]

Tell her welcome to the club and watch her eyes as she walks down Main Street toward the castle! Nomatter how many times I see it, I always have to hide behind my dark glasses. How deserving she is...

 

[Micca]

I was on my parent's back for two years before we finally went to DLR(WDW wasn't open yet). Fast forward years later when DW and I moved to Miami. She had to DRAG me to WDW (because I thought it would be inferior to DLR).

 

[YesYourMajesty]

I wasnt told till we were in the air. When i was 5 my parents and i went to the airport to "look at the planes" (since i had never been on one) well my dad took me aside and i guess my mom checked in and we went on the plane and much to my suprise the plane needed to go so we ended up staying on the plane while it took off...(i was thinking we were in trouble for sneaking on the plane) and about somewhere in the air almost there my dad took out a map with pictures of different popular vacation places on it and he asked if i could go anywhere where would i go. and me being 5 i pointed to the picture of FL with mickey mouse! and then my parents said SUPRISE thats where were going! and we stayed a week and my nana and grandpa were down there too (they drove down). I was so excited and i will never forget it! haha now im 18 and i still love disney world more than anything!

What a nice story. That is awesome.

My first trip was my honeymoon. I shouldve had jaw surgery, cause it sure hit the floor hard when my husband agreed to go. (I suspected he would poo-poo the idea as the only time he had ever been was on the fourth of July during the first year Epcot was open. Needless to say it was crowded and hot).
We (I) planned the trip for close to a year and half. The night before my wedding I was thinking how crazy I was because I was equally as excited about going to WDW as I was about getting married.
Three years later, almost to the day, that our first trip occured, and here we are about to take our fourth. Its been a great ride. Cant wait to have kids and take them there.

 

[singingpixie]

I was always a big "it can't be, it's too good to be true so I won't believe it till I'm sure" kinda person. When I was 10, I was already reading planning guides cover to cover repeatedly and planning hypothetical trips so my parents didn't tell me till the week before we went so that I wouldn't be too excited for too long. On easter, my mom gave my brother and me digital cameras that said "only for use in WDW" and my brother thought it meant "wet or dry weather" so we missed that clue. then the week before we were going to leave my mom "accidentally" left the plane tickets on the table and I stared at them for a good 10 mins before working up the nerve to ask if we were really going. When she said yes THEN I got excited and didn't stop planning all week!

 

[LadyZolt]

I was in Navy boot camp in Orlando -- 18 years old. And near the end during one of the final inspections, instead of asking the normal questions, one woman was asked, "Who's the Commanding Officer of Disney World?" And she replied, "Mickey Mouse, Ma'am." LOL! And that's how I found out we were going. It was a blast! I didn't make it back there for another 10 years, but when I did, it was with DH and the kids (who were 5, 3 and 22 months at the time). I remember that there were lots of Navy white uniforms there, but since they closed the Orlando boot camp, I don't imagine seeing sailors in uniform is a common sight any more. But still, it's a memory I'll always cherish. It certainly was a great way to say "goodbye" to boot camp, too.

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[swillis]

I was a freshman in High School, and I actually went for the first time with my best friend and her parents. The really cool part was that after seeing how excited I was to go, my own parents booked a trip for themselves and my 2 younger sisters!! At the same time!

This was during Thanksgiving, and we all had thanksgiving dinner together at the Poly. ( I was 15 and thought it was NOT my idea of a thanksgiving dinner!!)

Funny thing is...at the time I thought I was the cat's *ss for being able to go with my best friend and not have to be with my own family (Yuck, gross!!) but looking back...I really wish I had been with my own family.

 

[eblack0409]

WOOOHOOO It was our Honeymoon....I had wanted to go forever, DH said that's where we would spend our Honeymoon....we honeymooned at POP!

We are going back next month to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary which was yesterday, but May is cheaper than April!!)

 

[mjgruber]

... you were going to WDW for the first time EVER? When I told my fiance where we were going she burst into tears. She had always wanted to go but growing up her family was very poor. A vacation to her family was 2 nights at the beach. Her reaction shocked me even though I knew she would be excited. What was your reaction or someone in your family?

I am 40 and my parents still have NOT taken me ! Thanks for rubbing it in

 

[tarheeltink]

I was 7, and once I found out my family was going to Disney World that was all I could talk about for the next 4 or 5 months. I've loved that place ever since, and I can't wait to go back in September. Hope you guys have a wonderful honeymoon...


Oh yeah, and GO HEELS!! :

 

[slk537]

I was in 7th grade and had a friend who was spending Spring Break in the Cayman Islands with her family. Therefore, I was DYING to go somewhere warm for vacation. For some reason, I decided on WDW. I begged and begged and begged my parents to take us. For my birthday (Feb 28) all I picked out for presents were shorts and tops and summer things. On my birthday, I got all the summer clothes I had picked out but no trip. And then when I was all done with the gifts, my dad handed me a large envelope filled with brochures and plane tickets for ONE WEEK later!!! I screamed, they took my photo, my brother was stunned and pretty happy himself.

So funny that this thread should be on here today...my dad just gave me the photo album with those birthday and vacation photos in it this last weekend!!

My other favorite story was our last trip - we planned a trip for DS's 4th birthday all summer. He had no clue. We had my dad pick him up from daycare that afternoon and we told him we were going up to the Mall of America. After shopping there for a while, we asked him if he wanted to go to watch planes take off...he was all about that. We drove up to the airport, hopped out of the car and began pulling out suitcases. DS was confused and when we told him we were taking him to WDW for his birthday, he almost burst from excitement.

I love WDW surprise trips!