When did you know you were hooked?

[Spartan]

For us, it was after staying on-site the first time. My wife and I had both visited a few times as kids with our families, and again as teens - but never on site. Then in '95 for our 1-year anniv., we were looking for something to do for a vacation. I suggested DW since I had heard that you could stay on-site and not have to use your car (one of the criteria we were looking for). We decided to just do a 4-night package that they had at the time, and opted to go to the beach for a few days after that. We had an unbelievably good time. Neither of us had ever been other than at spring break, and we couldn't believe how relaxing everything was with no lines in mid-September. Neither of us wanted to say it, but we were both bummed we had to leave TL's "beach" and drive over to the real thing. We've averaged about one trip a year since, and never for only 4 days. Since we now have a 3yo, it's given us an even greater appreciation (we never did any kind of character interaction and usually skipped most of fantasy land). We'll be leaving for his third trip in as many years the day after Thanksgiving.

 

[beccasmom]

On my first trip 1981. I don't know why it took us so long to finally get there, but once I did, I did not want to leave! I cried all the way back to the airport! The only parks open then were the MK, Discovery Island and River Country. We went to Hoop-de-Doo and had an absolute blast! Staying at the Contemporary was a dream come true. Eating at the "Top of the World" restaurant and seeing the castle in the distance was pure magic!

Once the DVC was available, we knew it was inevitable we would become members. However, DVC or not, we would still be going every year.....it's wonderful and I never tire of it!

 

[disneysteve]

The very first time I took my future wife was in June 1990. I had already been there 7 times before that but it was her first visit. The first day, we entered MK and were walking down Main Street taking in the sights. Partway down the street, she turned to me and said, "When are we coming back?"

Our next trip in November will be her 15th, my 22nd and my 7 yo daughter's 10th!

Steve

 

[walt's assistant]

1971, I was six years old...the park had just opened that year....my parents, my brother, and I on our first visit. Sitting down for a snack inside the Contemporary, red Mickey Mouse balloon in hand...

I cried when we had to go home!


WDW has been an important part of my life ever since.


WA

 

[coli]

The first time I looked up at that castle - I was 5

 

[Alice28]

Since I was 4. Loved it's a Small World and I have never looked back. I used to always beg and beg to go to Disney every vacation.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Originally posted by Basser
On our first trip in 1999, we fell in love with WDW so much that we purchased DVC with OKW as our home resort and have visited every year since.

Basser, you just described my response to a "T" ! Our first family trip was also in 1999, just after ThanksGiving. For me, the realization was when we were waiting for Tiffany Town Car to come pick us up - I stood there thinking about how much fun we had, and feeling more relaxed than I had felt in years.

Before we returned on our second trip the next november we were OKW owners, sight unseen. I haven't regretted it for one single moment !

 

[goofyernmost]

I have a memory of being a child, watching the Mickey Mouse Club and seeing occasional sections of Disneyland. The image that is most vivid is the Tea Cup ride.

Thirty years later I took my family to WDW. I have not been to Disneyland but the Magic Kingdom has always been close enough for me. I am planning my 14th trip to WDW for next March. I would be there more if I didn't live 1500 miles away.

What started as a childhood wish, ended up being close to an obsession. When I took my family all I had to do was drive on the property to be hooked. It was literally love at first sight. I now can go with friends, family or by myself and never have the enjoyment less than the very first visit. What a wonderful place.

 

[joyful1nh]

Hooked, me? Whoops -- denial!

I think it started in 1972 when I visited WDW the first time -- as a kid I planned all these trips to WDW to stay at the Poly (which we never took). Then as a single adult it was just not "cool" enough. When my daughter was almost two, I went to Orlando on a business trip and said "let's check out Disney for a couple of days." Little did I know what that would lead to.... a repeat visit the following December, annual passes in 2002.... DCL... a "dis veteran" standing on the boards... new friends....planning my life around off peak visits!

 

[Disneyholic]

1997 we went for the first time for our 25th Anniversary. We stayed off-site for 2 weeks (Holiday Inn Nikki Bird and Residenc Inn by Marriot near Universal). We did the parks Commando style so as not to miss anything and later realized that we had still missed a lot. We came home from this vacation with me saying "Been there, done that, over it!"

1999 - Two years later I was on the Disney site and saw that Lord of the Dance was going to be at the American theater and that with Dinner Reservations at EPCOT you could get special seats at the show. DS was 11 at the time and very into Lord of the Dance and Mexico. I booked a week at Coronado Springs and the dinner special for the show. When we checked in at the hotel my DS was facinated by the decor (they had studied Mexico in school that year) and then the CM said "I see you have ressies for the Lord of the Dance dinner package!" You should have seen the look on my son's face. I hadn't told him about that part. When she saw the look on his face she started to apologize for spoiling the surprise, but I told her it was OK. I had wanted to keep it a secret till the show, but she didn't know that. We went to the show and then dinner after at the Japanese Teppanyaki Restaurant. The day was fantastic. Our seats at the show were first row, center. We could see the sweat rolling off them. You just can't see it that close without spending a lot of money locally. And we got a half hour show plus a week at Disney to boot. When we came home after this vacation we were hooked.

2000 - Back again. This time to Wilderness Lodge for 1st week and Days Inn Universal for 2nd week. Big mistake. Never go to a lesser hotel after you've been to a great one. Loved Wilderness Lodge.

2002 - 1st week at Holiday Inn Nikki Bird, 2nd week Wilderness Lodge. Autotrain to and from. Fantastic vacation.

2003 - July 7-18 Hotel Royal Plaza at Downtown Disney. Very nice hotel, tower room. Everytime we passed Wilderness Lodge on the Monorail I felt a tug at my heart. I think I will always think of Wilderness Lodge as "Home". Talk about Hooked.

 

[DisneyCP2002]

For me it would have to be my first view of Cinderella's castle almost 22 years ago. I knew I had walked into a fairytale land where dreams did really come true. It was only a day visit but it couldn't have been more perfect.

Fast forward to last January. I get to live out my dream of working for disney thanks to their college program. I worked at probably not the best job in the park but I was happy because I got to live the magic almost 24/7. I loved working there and really miss it. I'm so looking forward to this trip in december because the magic is so special to me.

 

[jimmytammy]

I grew up watching Sun. night Wonderful World of Disney shows in the 70s. Never really affected me. WDW opens and I see the shows about Haunted Mansion and Pirates of Carribean and think yea that would be fun. I got to see all the Disney movies at the big screen, still no huge effect, though Song of the South did leave me with some wonderful childhood memories.

Fast forward to 1999. My MIL takes us all to WDW. We stay offsite and DW and I agree, it will be onsite from now on. But cost reality sinks in, Im thinking we wont be back for awhile. In fact I remember talking with a gentleman in his 50s -60s at DD. We are both waiting on DWs shopping and strike up a conversation. He asks if I had been to WDW before, I say this is my 1st trip. He tells me this is his 4th trip.....THIS YEAR!
Im sitting there thinking, this man is nuts!

2 mos after the trip, DW and I start scrapbooking and journaling our trip pictures. Well, the emotions of that trip come pouring in at this point. That moment in time is when I got hit with Disneyitis. At that time is when I started figuring a way to make that extra cash to make this an annual event at least. After 3 trips, we bought into DVC. This way I know I can go every year.

So if you are a gentleman in your 50s-60s from NY, were at WDW on Dec. 6 1999, at DD that evening sitting on a brick wall near Disney Days of Christmas waiting on your DW, and if you remember speaking to a 30 something, black haired,clueless man, who was on his first trip to WDW, and he looked at you with oddity at it being your 4th trip....THAT YEAR, let me formally apologize to you if I acted strange towards you. I now understand, you had been bitten by the Disney bug. You had Disneyitis. You were in Orlando for treatment.
If your disease happened to be contagious and I caught it that fateful night, let me say to you dear friend in the words of that famous Marine, Gomer Pyle....

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Angelgirl13202]

I dreamed of going to WDW ever since i was a little girl I would see comercials or a picture of Cinderellas Castle and say "Mom can we go see Mickey" I would always get the response "someday" WEll that day came when i was the summer b4 4th grade my Grandfather took my mom and me. I cant say thats when i was hooked wasnt really impressed (did other things besides disney Church street station and such)

Next trip it was my mom me and my grandmother who had never been their ever (and my little sister but she doesnt really count (she wasn't Born yet)) (stayed at port orleans was dixi landings at the time)

I have to say thou the trip i knew i was hooked i was just coming out of 9th grade I worked the whole summer and paid my own way to fl with my aunt WE stayed at all star music and Thats when i was hooked.


I was always jelouse when someone told me they were going to see my pale Mickey and My girl tinkerbelle..


Fast forward a bit I was a freshman in college saw the poster to interview for the Walt Disney world college program and well I am now the biggest Disney nut in my family along with my Grandmother who is trying to move to orlando within the next year or so... I am going home to see all of my friends in about 9 days and than on my very first cruise so glad its a Disney cruise.

 

[DONALD38]

Number one - I was hooked when I was young with DIsney cartoons and the Mickey Mouse Club on TV. PLus every Sunday night when I was a kid Disney always had a "Wonderful WorlD of Disney Movie."

Number two - The trip to WDW in 2000 got my wife (which is a Disney nut also) and I thinking of Disney all the time, so much we made another trip in 2003 to be apart of MVMCP. This was a great time. Since we can't make it every year we plan on making our next trip to WDW in 2005 or 2007. That's when we can pass off the Disney majic to our child or children.

We keep having vaction thoughts of WDW trips, what can you say Walt Disney knew what he was doing, and that was giving us happy thoughts and dreams......

 

[catherine]

My DH grew up in CA so his very favourite place in the worls was DL. I grew up in the UK, so didn't really know that much about Disney, other than the movies etc. Anyway DL is where my DH wanted to take me for our honeymoon in 1988. From the moment we walked through the gates I knew that I was hooked. I spent the whole of the trip crying!! -- tears of joy -- The 2 of us had lots of trips to see the mouse after that and now we take our 2 DDs, but that trip will always hold a special place in my heart.

We now live in the UK, so it is more difficult for us to get to DL and WDW, DLP is just not the same However we are really looking forward to our trip in Dec and look forward to relocating back to CA so that we can be closer to the mouse!

 

[Uncleromulus]

It was that first night in 1975. We were staying at the Ramada Inn, and on a whim I decided we'd eat at the Papettee Bay restaurant at the Poly. Going there that nite, seeing the main lobby at the Poly, the castle all lighted up in the distance, the evening boat parade, the fine dinner complete with hula dancer and combo---we were hooked!! And we hadn't even made it to the Magic Kingdom yet!!
It was the start of 26 subsequent trips, with 27 coming up!!

 

[ksmg]

I knew I was hooked on the drive back to the airport after our "once in a lifetime trip" in 2001-ha! I was so bummed when we got home, I started surfing the net to relive the experience and found all these discussion forums with folks as passionate about Disney as I was...I then started planning our second trip (Nov 2002) and we are heading back in October for our third trip...Now I'm contemplating DVC--I am sooo hooked!

My parents really don't get it..but neither did I! I don't know if it's walking down Main Street early in the morning looking forward to the day ahead, the expression on my daughter's face when she spots Minnie, my son's wide eyes during the Indiana Jones show, my other son's glee on the Buzz light year ride, having a few beers with my husband during the MGM parade, or relaxing in the hot tub after a brutally long day around the showcase. I love it all and cannot wait to go back.

 

[fumipappa]

when I saw my duaghter was kissing Mickey first time, I was hooked.

Also everyday when I browse this board, I realize I am REALLY hooked.

 

[DisneyDiver]

Well:

1) When my friends ask "aren't you board after going there 13 times?" and I reply... "I didn't think it was that many... But no, I still love it!"

2) When I'm leaving EPCOT after watching the illuminations on the last night of the holiday, and I feel genuinely sad, because I know the holiday really is over.

3) When I see the "Welcome Home" sign at OKW, and feel a shiver up my spine.

4) When I realise I know the roads round Disney as well as any roads in my home town.

5) When I'm driving up the entrance to TL, and I can recite the little limerik/story on the signs as we go past them. From memory.

6) When I'm told by the family that it's not normal to be able to say "please stand clear of the doors" in Spanish - when I don't speak any other Spanish.

Oh crumbs... I'm a total geek!

 

[jimmiej]

I think it was probably when I read my first Unofficial Guide. It showed me several mistakes I had made on our previous trip. I'm a detail person & really got into the planning & research as I read the UG.