When did it all start? When was your first visit?

[sporter5353]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney-world/when-did-it-all-start-when-was-your-first-visit/

 

[Googelibear]

hmmm, no one has anything to say?
My Disney addiction started with my mother, who way back when she was a kid in Germany, had a wooden Mickey Mouse figure. She always loved Mickey Mouse and even gave me the nickname "Mickey".
The first time I went to DL was in 1981 or 82, when I had just moved to the SF bay area with my new husband. Oh, how I loved it. My mother came along too. We went a few times during the years. Took a break during most of the 90's and took our then 5-year-old twins to WDW in 1999 and every year after that.

 

[Dav2205]

I'd been to Disneyland Paris a few times and Disney World once, and I liked it, but my love affair really started when I went in 2001. I was 13 and my parents had been through a messy divorce for 3 or so years. Getting to Disney made me feel like a normal kid again, and ever since then it's been my special place. I've now been to Disney World 7 times and Disneyland Paris 8 or 9 times. Disney parks are always going to be 'the' place to me, I've given up trying to explain why to my friends. It's an intangible love and passion I have for them and I have no doubt it'll be like that for the rest of my days.

 

[ssei7802]

October 21, 1971, we were at St. Pete Beach on vacation and read opening in newspaper so we came over for the day. We were hooked, coming three or four times at year until we moved two miles south of Animal Kingdom four years ago. Now we go all the time.

 

[GAN]

December, 1975 ......

 

[limabeanmom2003]

1976 - my first trip! So many memories! It's quite a special place for me.

 

[disneysteve]

My first visit was Memorial Day weekend 1978. I was 13. My Disney obsession started several years before that.

 

[22Tink]

My first Disney trip was in 1988 to DLR as a preteen. I loved it but never made it back till I had my own kids. Our next DLR trip was 2001 and we've been going practically every other year since then, more recently it's been every year. First trip to WDW was in 2007 and we're headed back this November. Can't wait!! I would say the obsession began with that 2001 trip to DLR! I'm hooked for life!

 

[Noelle Powell]

1978 - My parents took my brother & myself to WDW. We stayed a week at the Contemporary. I can remember the huge sign announcing the construction of Epcot. My next visit wasn't until I was married, & took our first born at 9 months. As they say "The rest is history". Our family has been Disney fanatics ever since.

 

[kbelle8995]

Early 1970's- I don't know the exact date because I don't remember too young. But I visited many times after and remember most of them.

 

[KingLlama]

August 1981. Only remember two things from that trip(I was six)...1)Space Mountain haunting my dreams for years, and 2)My dad getting into a shouting match with a lady who came and stood directly in front of us as the MSEP passed. I remember being proud of him.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Christmas vacation 1971 at the Contemporary.

You can see how that affected my life.

 

[SaraMc]

October 1986. My first trip.

 

[1Grumpy9]

My first trip was Feb 1979...I was just 2. My parents and grandparents went to Daytona. My grandfather wanted to take me to Disney for one day. That was the start of a trip every year until 1985 for a one day trip while we were in Daytona.

 

[huntconn]

Summer 1972. I was 2 years old. Been hooked ever since. Went almost every year growing up. honeymooned there. Now we take our 2 boys there every summer. Love me some WDW!!!! Lol

 

[jmenjes]

My first trip to WDW was when I was around 6 years old or so. The only thing I can remember from that trip was crying my eyes out while begging not to go on the Haunted Mansion, because I thought (just going by the name) that it would be the scariest thing ever.

And nowadays the Mansion is a multiple ride experience for me every time I'm up there.

 

[SoarinSC]

Summer of 1983 a few months before my 14th. My main memories are the Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, 20K Under the Sea, and Space Mountain at MK...and just about everything at Epcot...Futureworld was mindblowing to me. I remember rounding a corner in the JC queue thinking, "we're almost there", only to see more queue! That's traumautized me to this day. I still regret not giving Robin Hood a hug...he had his arms out towards me and everything...just walked right by him...what a dunce I was!

 

[karen1987]

Summer of 1983 a few months before my 14th. My main memories are the Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, 20K Under the Sea, and Space Mountain at MK...and just about everything at Epcot...Futureworld was mindblowing to me. I remember rounding a corner in the JC queue thinking, "we're almost there", only to see more queue! That's traumautized me to this day. I still regret not giving Robin Hood a hug...he had his arms out towards me and everything...just walked right by him...what a dunce I was!

I remember 20, 000 Leagues Under the Sea! Great memory

It all started for me with several trips as a child with my parents in the 1990's, and then falling in love all over again as an adult in recent years.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Well, I started begging my parents to go in about 1976 or 1977. I seem to remember a lot of Disney commercials pushing Space Mountain around that time, so that was probably what got it started. I'd have to wait until 1985 to actually set foot on WDW soil. Why? Because they wanted to wait until my brother was deemed old enough in their eyes. We did a mix of things on that trip...MK, EPCOT, Sea World, Kennedy Space Center, and several days down in Sanibel. Fast forward less than a year and the biggest thing that would stand out from that trip is that we saw Challenger, fairly close up, while at Kennedy Space Center. When my dad planned this trip, he figured WDW would be a one and done sort of thing, but we all wanted to go back...and starting in 1987, we went back nearly every year ...until...

...we moved to FL...and WDW was a pretty easy drive. In fact, I flew in and out of MCO all the time for college and was always around people either on their way to WDW or starting to deal with the post trip blues. Still, we knew so many anti-Disney people in FL that I didn't get to go as a FL resident as often as I would like. After moving to TX and meeting DH, our first vacay as a couple included WDW...which led to a 10+ year WDW hiatus! We did pop into Disneyland once in this span, but for the most part...we took trips that Disney inspired. Touring Europe and the natural/historical wonders of the US all came as a result. It wasn't until our girls' first trip in 2010 that I really fell back in love with all things Disney and my modern era of Disney obsession started.

 

[Mrs Eeyore]

I went to WDW once as a kid in 1973 and DLR once in 1976. I emphasize "once". My parents didn't really get the whole Disney thing. We were not allowed to watch Disney movies, for example, because we were "too smart for cartoons". Then we never went back to the parks because, as they put it, "You've seen it already!" I was left with kind of a meh attitude to Disney until I went with my own kids in 2006. Then I got it. We went back twice when we were able but haven't been able to afford a return trip in five years. We will be back in 2017 and quite honestly I don't think about much else.