Your first trip to Disney, what you remember ?

[Jonfw2]

My parents took me to Disneyland when I was 4-5. Not many memories of the park itself, but I remember seeing e-tickets laying out at my grandfather's house before we left. I had no idea what e-tickets were, but they said "Disneyland" on them, so I knew we were in good shape!

 

[KaTinkerbell]

I’m going to have to read every post on this thread! Summer of 1972 as a child was my 1st visit & I remember how beautiful Main Street was, the Skyway, the attractions of Haunted Mansion, Small World, CBJ, & that Wings of Flight. My memory is terrible, though. It was a day trip so I wished someday to stay at a Disney hotel.

 

[OkanaganAmanda]

Of the first trips that I remember, I recall walking through the dirt of the strawberry fields that edged Disneyland. We were camping at the campground nearby (I learned how to swim at the pool at that campground). I remember sitting up on a bar stool at some bar in the Disneyland Hotel drinking a Shirley Temple, and boy did I feel grown up. Years later, we went to DL the year Splash Mountain opened. We waited almost 3 hours for it! So many memories. So many family trips, later, road trips all the way from Vancouver with friends, holidays with boyfriends, and now, my husband with our two littles. We took the kids once in 2018 when they were 2 and 4. Ihave probably been 20+ times, not bad for someone from Canada where every trip is a BIG trip! These memories are the reason we are prioritizing disney trips for our kids. So so much happiness. On a whim we decided to drive down for Spring Break, and it is the happiest these kids (and me!) have been in years, looking forward to it. They are 6 and 8 now and want to ride everything. That Disney magic is real.

 

[hollydolls]

My mom sent me to WDW with a friend's family. We stayed with her aunt. It had to be in summer... I got burnt to a crisp!

I'm not sure what year it was, but I'm thinking late 1980s. I have some pretty vivid memories of the Skyway, 20,000 Leagues, and Captain EO. I can't even legitimately remember if I even saw Captain EO or just saw a promo video or poster for it. I didn't return to WDW until the 2000s and thought I had imagined the Skyway because it was gone! (Busch Gardens Williamsburg has and Opryland had a similar attraction and I thought I'd mixed up the memories.) None of the attractions I remembered were there and I didn't remember any of the others, so it was like a second first time.

We brought home souvenir Minnie ears. The headband was made of hard plastic with teeth and they really hurt! The polka dot bow looked like an accordion.

 

[kymom99]

I was 39 when I went to WDW the first time. My son was a month from turning 5. It was an amazing trip. The first morning we stood outside MK and Mickie came on to announce the opening. He started a countdown and my son counted along. Then his first ride was the teacups which he got to ride with tweedle Dee and tweedle dum. It was incredible seeing it through his eyes!

 

[rlk]

I visited for the first time with my husband and sons who were 4 and almost three years old. On our last day, my four-year-old was sad he didn't get to meet Genie. My husband went to the Emporium and purchase some Aladdin figures. He asked a CM if she would hand the package to my son and say that Genie wanted him to have these. The CM insisted we follow her and brought us to a private meeting with Aladdin & Jasmine. This was the beginning of our love of Disney.

 

[Boopuff]

My very first trip I was around 10 don't remember too much other than being a bit freaked out by 20000 leagues ride (there was some water on the floor and I remember thinking "we're sinking!") But I clearly remember my trip in 1990 - my DH and I took our first solo trip (left the kid with mom!) I remember characters roaming freely (I have a great pic of Chewy swallowing me up in a hug!)

 

[Lisa_lvspplmvr]

We went to WDW in 1975 . I remember riding Dumbo and my white floppy 70’s hat flying off. A lady caught it and returned it to me when we got off the ride .

I remember being in the gift shop and someone broke a Minnie figurine . It shattered on the ground. A cast remember just swept it up and smiled .

My moms cousin’s husband was head of the musicians union and we saw him and talked with some of the musicians on Main Street .

 

[Willows909]

Can I just revive this thread for a bit? My first trip was just a day trip when I was 16 with my Mom. But I would love a rookie mistake thread of just funny/not so funny rookie resort stay issues! I was very budget conscious and went with my DH, DD age 8 and DS age 9. We got to the Music Resort and the lovely CM smiled, "how about we put you in Country Boots?" Sure, we said..........ugh......longest walk ever, ever. "Do we even want to go fill our drinks?" longest walk ever! On one very long walk coming back after a MK day, I stopped someone coming out of their room at the Main pool and asked "How did you get this room?" Preferred Pool. Big lesson learned! LOL

 

[GAN]

Can I just revive this thread for a bit? My first trip was just a day trip when I was 16 with my Mom. But I would love a rookie mistake thread of just funny/not so funny rookie resort stay issues! I was very budget conscious and went with my DH, DD age 8 and DS age 9. We got to the Music Resort and the lovely CM smiled, "how about we put you in Country Boots?" Sure, we said..........ugh......longest walk ever, ever. "Do we even want to go fill our drinks?" longest walk ever! On one very long walk coming back after a MK day, I stopped someone coming out of their room at the Main pool and asked "How did you get this room?" Preferred Pool. Big lesson learned! LOL

Sure …I don’t think @low-key would mind.

 

[cayennews]

I was 6. I remember that the flight to Florida was my first and I was allowed to chew gum. I remember getting ears with my name sewn into them. I went with my parents and older sister. We left my 4 month old sister at home with friends. My dad had planned the trip before my mom got pregnant and did not want to take a baby. Ohh the 1970's No one would do that now. Lol.

 

[tx911]

I was maybe 7ish. We stayed at the Contemporary Lodge and I do remember the monorail and how cool it was that it ran right through the middle of the hotel.

For the park, my most vivid memory is of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Especially the part where it gives the appearance that a train is barreling down on you

More vague memories of the Speedway, Carousel, HM, and I remember being too scared to ride Space Mountain.

 

[Willows909]

Sure …I don’t think @low-key would mind.

I just think it would be so funny to hear some "first time "oops" trips! I have learned so, so much through the years!

 

[Willows909]

I was 6. I remember that the flight to Florida was my first and I was allowed to chew gum. I remember getting ears with my name sewn into them. I went with my parents and older sister. We left my 4 month old sister at home with friends. My dad had planned the trip before my mom got pregnant and did not want to take a baby. Ohh the 1970's

 

[Willows909]

I was 6. I remember that the flight to Florida was my first and I was allowed to chew gum. I remember getting ears with my name sewn into them. I went with my parents and older sister. We left my 4 month old sister at home with friends. My dad had planned the trip before my mom got pregnant and did not want to take a baby. Ohh the 1970's No one would do that now. Lol.

Too funny! So true!

 

[Hisgirl]

Summer, 1972. Disney world had been open eight months! We drove down and stayed in a cheap motel. I remember 20,000 leagues under the sea and the magic store on main street. I was eleven years old and went with my best friend's family.

I bought a fake cast at the magic store and a mickey mouse tee shirt.

 

[Simba's Mom]

WDW in 1987. I was a parent, and DH and I took our 3 kids to WDW. We stayed in the Fort Wilderness "Trailer Homes", as the cabins were called at the time and loved it there. I remember the lady in line at Splash Mountain who announced loud enough for me to hear "I thought they had a height requirement on this ride" as she gave my son a dirty look (although he'd made the height requirement, it was just barely). I remember loving eating at "Minnie's Menehune" character meal at the Polynesian. I remember DH didn't want to leave, and I was just "been there, done that" and now I'm the Disney addict, and he doesn't care to ever go again.
But the biggest thing I remember is that when we got home, we discovered we'd left our car keys in the trailer home at Fort Wilderness. DH called and we got the keys mailed to us by "next-day" air. We were so impressed with the customer service.

 

[FastPasser.]

Took my two young kids to WDW in 81. I told myself at that time that I should work here and 27 years later I was.

 

[gardenrooms]

Went to DL when it had been open about 3 years, so I would have been about 10. We stayed at a motel on Harbor (I had never stayed in a motel, so even that was exciting). We had been peering out of the car windows, and finally we saw the Matterhorn rising above the orange groves, and we knew we were there! I remember being SO disappointed in Dumbo - it looked like this exciting ride on the Mickey Mouse Club, where you soared above all this amazing scenery- so not only did I never go on it, I never took DS on it (but have since relented with the grandkids). I remember eating Belgian Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream at a coffee shop on Harbor with lots of windows. Unknown to us, my father checked the DLH rack rate every day and finally our last day he could afford a room, so we moved there for one night. I loved those old 2-story buildings. I remember the cute little ticket booths (I feel like my parents didn't let us buy any extra tickets, though) and I remember having a hamburger, fries and lemonade, which my mother NEVER let me have, one night for dinner, which was the best meal I had ever had! I remember beng on Mr. Toad and my (older) sister madly steering to get us away from the oncoming train, lol, and I remember The Jungle Cruise and the Mark Twain and Tom Sawyer's Island (and my sister trying to scare me in Indian Joe's Cave.

 

[Willows909]

I was hooked on Disney from the start...even though the start was a long walk, lol. I loved staying pool view after that first trip. So close to the busses and food! It was heaven especially with two little ones! So many trips after that one!