When it's all said & done, what will your kids really remember about the world?

[julsmom]

It is funny how kids will focus on the totally off memories of things you do. I kind of wonder what my DD will end up recalling as her favorite memories of our trips to Disney. Will it really be all the things I plan out, like princess meals and tea parties? Or will it end up being something I won't expect?

 

[jeepgirl30]

Probably something we won't expect! I've been prepping my DD6 for awhile about everything there and all she keeps asking about is if there is a McDonalds. I'm telling her we are getting breakfast at the castle, dinner at chef mickey's etc and she smiles through it and then says "and there IS a mcdonalds, right mommy?"

 

[t-beri]

Thunder Mountain. It is my earliest memory of WDW. Of course the first time I went I was 5 or 6. But Thunder Mountain and the campfire at FW are the clearest memories I have.
...t.

 

[dsnymomof4]

I think it will be a combination. I also think pictures help. When we look at our pictures from old trips, they can remember being there and will talk about certain things that happenned at that particular time. For example, when we look at pictures from our dinner at LTT, my DD5 will laugh about when Pluto came over and pretended to eat Daddy's head! And more times that not, my children will remember more little things about the trip than I do!

 

[WantToGoNow]

What my kids usually remember about any of our trips is the hotel swimming pool.

I was just asking my ds5 if he remembered any of the things he did at Disney last time – he was 3.5. He said he remembers the monorail and eating with Mickey. I asked him about specific rides/shows in the parks and he doesn’t remember any of them. He did remember the villa we stayed at (he had a full-size bed to himself) and the pool.

I’m thinking he will remember more of our trip this time around.

 

[MichelleChell]

My DD who is 3 mostly remembers the Tea cups the most and has dreams about it. Funny thing is she didn't want to ride it and then changed her mind.

She also like to talk about the big ball!!

 

[samandryanmom]

OUR DS HAD JUST TURNED 6 ON HIS FIRST TRIP AND THE TWO THINGS HE REMEMBERS ARE MEALS. FIGURES.

WE HAD A CHARACTER DINNER AT GARDEN GRILL AND CHIP AND DALE GOT IN A CRAYON FIGHT AT OUR TABLE. CRAYONS WERE FLYING ALL OVER THE RESTAURANT AND ALSO DOWN INTO THE LAND RIDE. AT THE WHISPERING CANYON CAFE, HE REMEMBERS THE KETCHUP. WE ALSO YELLED "HEY LADY, THIS AIN'T THE GRAND FLORIDIAN" AT SOME POOR WOMAN WHO ASKED FOR PATS OF BUTTER. WE STILL HEAR THAT AT OUR HOUSE AND HE'S 10! MY POOR DD JUST LOOKS AT HIM LIKE HE'S CRAZY.

 

[Becky2005]

This is kind of funny. We only went to Disney World one time growing up & this is what I remember:

A. It rained and I didn't get to see Mickey Mouse and B. because it was raining we saw Hall of Presidents. I LOVED Hall of Presidents -- I was in awe of it.

I remember seeing Mickey before we went into the Hall of Presidents and we didn't get a chance to see him because it started raining. I remember my mom telling me we would see him afterward. We never did.

HOWEVER, my mom doesn't remember this at all -- she remembers we went on a ride that she asked the person working it if it was scary, they said no, I was in the front seat, she was in the back and I was screaming in terror the entire time. We have no idea what that ride was. My mom just tells me there was nothing she could do because she couldn't reach me, etc... I think we narrowed it down to either Pirates or Snow White. My mom mentioned something about skeletons. When we went last summer, I didn't ride either one so I really don't know (figured I might ride one and have some major flashback or something, since we've decided I totally blocked that memory out of my mind!).

I was about 4 or 5 when we went.

Oh well...I sort of repeated it with my DD going on Tower of Terror but that was her choice and she is older, so I KNOW she remembers it. It was all her friends fault, they told her it wasn't that bad so she wanted to go on it. I did ask her about 50 times if she wanted to back out & she kept saying No she went this far, she's going to go. OH MY, she screamed she was so terrified and had to sit down and recover after that. She did love RNR though. I have no idea what my 2 younger ones will remember from their first trip, if anything.

 

[Lulu's Mom]

My DD is only 2 and knows that we are leaving soon, so everyday she says, " Go see Mickey, Goofy, HoHo, boats and trains, yeah, come on lets go," It makes me think that these are the things she remebers from our trips, I know some may not believe it becasue she is so young but this will be her third trip to DW and she has been to DL twice, so maybe the repentivness is helping her to remeber. Either way I know she is excited, jsut like me.

From when I was a kid I remeber POC the most as well as being tricked to going on SM and being terrified. My uncle tricked me by asking me if I wanted to go and see Mickey and what do you know there was no Mickey. I also rember how great the MK looked at night with the twinkle lights in the trees and how my sister and I would also think about hiding in the oark after it closed so we could go on the rides over and over again. Ahhhh... memories.

 

[2dogmom]

My girls remember a lot about their trips. I think it helps that they watch the home videos I took and look at the pictures frequently. We spend a lot of time talking about the rides they like. Even my 3yo will tell you which rides she likes or doesn't (Goofy's barnstormer). They are constantly pretending they are traveling to WDW. My 3yo had on a backpack yesterday and was pushing a stroller around the house. I asked her that she was doing and she said going to Magic Kingdom and she mentioned what ride they were going to go on. So I really think it has a lot to do with parents too in keeping those memories alive.

 

[kimbo73]

We went last november, our DD was 3 1/2. We have been planning this years trip for october and keep reminding her we will be going soon. She told us, "We got to go and get a hotel first and get our pizza from the fridgerator". I was like what is she talking about??! My DH reminded me. On our way to disney last year, we stopped at the hampton and they have a pantry area with a fridge where you can purchase microwavable dinners and snacks. And we got one of those and took it back to our room.

But she does also remember mainly the characters, princesses and mickey and minnie's house. And of course the all star movie resort. She calls it the toy story hotel, "we got to go back to the toy story hotel mommy!"

Oh and the disney busses. She says "And we have to take the disney bus to the rides!"

 

[minkydog]

I asked my big kids (20&13)what they think of when I say Disney World. here's their take:
*packing 6 people into our pop-up @ FW;driving the golf cart around FW
*eating lunch at the Castle
*face painting at AK
*being wet up to the knees at MGM;DS20 getting so mad in MGM he left and went to the pool at POR
*Dumbo
*HM (youngest DS got scared and went screaming out of the building--pretty dramatic)
*eating pizza on our beds & watching Disney channel after a cold day in Epcot
*DS20 taking little sis 13 on her first RockNRoller coaster
*Mom screaming on Dinosaur

Next time we go, I'm not taking them anywhere fancy.

 

[julsmom]

My DD loves the thunder mountain railroad. She would say that is her favorite thing. After all the time I spend planning the princess meals, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Wonderland Tea Party.

 

[ekball]

God willing, my kids will remember having a TON of fun with their cousins - whom they adore and rarely get to see. I say "god willing", because it all depends on whether my ex sister-in-law allows my brother to take them. This is what would absolutely, positively MAKE our trip! So fingers crossed, hoping for lots of pixie dust.

 

[Destination Disney]

My son recalls the water sides at the resorts.
(Although we are DVC memeber and live less then 2 hrs. a way he is only 4 and has been there so many times it is crazy.) But when all is said and done he loves the waterslides.

 

[bartleby1]

Well, I can tell you what my then 20 month old talks about from our trip in July (she'll be 2 in Nov.).

"Duck... bite... hiney... french fries"
(translation: She dropped a french fry on her chair while we were eating by the pool at the beach club and a duck tried to get it and bit her in the butt, lol!)

"Figment...skunk...PeeeeeeeeeUUU"
(translation: She wasn't too hot on the smell in the imagination ride. She tells this to every stranger we see and they probably think she is telling them that they stink, lol!)

"Lala's...castle...pretty...pink...blue...purple...BOOM"
(translation: Cinderellas castle turned pretty colors and the fireworks were loud)

"Pa...mickey...boom...mess"
(Grandpa watched her while the rest of us went on Splash mtn. I guess she got bored and started to fuss so he bought her a mickey ice cream bar. Yup, mickey bar + 20 mth old + July heat = disaster!)

"Dolls...dancing"
(Small world reference, which we rode over and over and over)

"Pooh...stuck...tree...hiney...funny"
(She thought it was hysterical in the pooh ride that he got stuck in the tree.)

"Man...pop up...peekaboo"
(We got stuck in the haunted mansion for 3 or 4 minutes during the graveyard scene so we were playing peekaboo with the ghost popping up from behind a tombstone. She thought it was like a jack-in-the-box )

It is so fun to see the world through their eyes! My 4 and 6 yr old had fun too, but my little one was so funny to watch and to hear her talk about our trip is amazing.

 

[alloyd1170]

My first trip was at 3 yrs old. I can remember bits and pieces of it, and many gaps are filled in from stories my parents told me, and pictures. I remember the carousel, mickey mouse head shaped balloons, standing by the castle with my grandparents, my parents giving me a piece of paper with info on it in case I got lost-they ended up getting lost!, and running into a waitress carrying a tray of red wine in glass, which ended up all over my white dress on the way to the bathroom!

As for my son, his first trip was at 2 yrs old. He didnt remember much, but I took lots of pictures and showed him videos (Sing Along, planning dvd, and home made ones). When we returned the following year, I dont know what all he remembered on his own or from what he had been shown. Either way, it wasnt much. We are about to go back again next week and he remembers a lot now (hes 4.5 yrs old). One funny thing that he remembered that I fogot about was when daddy and he bumped into the back of my Indy car. I had a fit because I was pregnant. The other day he asked if we could hit mommy again. Nice......... It will be interesting to see what my DD ~15 mos recalls. Im guessing not much so will be taking lots of pics and videos! Weve been drilling her with the dvds at home for the last month!

alison

 

[karinbelle]

DS4 1st trip - "Catching" stars at Epcot on the way out and letting them go up in the sky. We still look for the "Disney Star" some nights (3 years later)

yea I'm a Mouseketeer!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I don't know what my kids will remember but I hope whatever they remember makes them happy. My first trip to WDW I was 4 and went with my grandparents and my Mom's 2 sisters. I have such great memories of that trip. I remember riding space mountain with my grandfather, him spinning us on the teacups until I thought we would be sick and he just laughed and laughed! I also remember going on the rocketships. There were so many other great things that happened on that trip. Those memories are priceless to me. I tell my kids all about them especially since my grandfather and one aunt has since passed away. How lucky I was that my parents let me take that trip with them.

 

[tyandbash]

I just asked my 9 yr old ds what he always remembers most about our trips, and he said "Its always family time!!" My 7 yr old dd agreed too!! They will probably always remember my obsessive planning as well, but it makes them and my DH laugh!! I do it because that is what I love!!