Your first visit to WDW..............

[ShayBells]

First time I went was as a baby so don't remember that time. Went a few times after that as a kid than we didn't go again until I was 9. That time I have more memories of. It was 1996. The 25th anniversary. I just remember being in awe of everything. It was soo much magic and entertainment and characters galore back than! It was just everything that made me love it and than my parents got a divorce and we didn't go again until I was 14 I think. We went for a small trip I think it was four days first time on site. and we ran and ran and were dead tired. I remember we planned to go to universal but we were all just so tired. (Still never been there) well anyways that trip broke the bank and we never could afford it again but than I had a kid of my own and we found this deal back in 2009 it was buy four days stay three free or something like that so we jumped on it and I have never loved disney more than through the eyes of my child. And I was hooked for life. We've been 5 times since and it's just never enough.

 

[ShayBells]

I have so many great memories that I probably couldn't tell you time or year cause they blend together but I remeber when my brother went under the rope in mickeys house and an alarm started going off and my mom freaking out. I remember how much I loved honey I shrunk the kids at MGM. I remember my brother sliding to the bottom of the log on splash mountain when my grandpa was suppose to hold him. I remember 20,000 leagues always be closed every time we went.(still mad about that) I remember being carried all around the parks by both parents and now I wonder how they ever did it lol. I remember just walking up to random characters and having a book full of autographs to take home. I remember when animal kingdom was new and it was crazy. I remember so many little things and something's I don't and wish I did. (Like the castle cake .. Did I block that out?) all of these memories and more just make me smile and giveme magic even at home and I feel so bad for anyone who can't ir never will experience the magic.

 

[soar2014]

These stories are all so great! I love hearing how people first got the fever!

 

[blackpearl77]

Those stories are great!

My first visit was when I was four in 1981. I remember being so scared of Cinderella! I refused to go near her. (and she was my favorite character) I remember she had a lot of make up on and she looked scary. But that's what I remember. My mom will tell a different story - she says we got to the park and the first thing we did was run to the castle to make reservations to eat with Cinderella. My mom ran and got in line first thing and waited and waited and finally got a reservation. Then it was time to eat and she says I met Cinderella and freaked out so we left! I totally remember her being scary looking with too much makeup on but my mom loves to say she waited all morning to get a reservation then we didn't even get to eat there because I was too scared of her!

I also remember going on 20,000 leagues under the sea and the porthole was leaking. I remember seeing the water drip and thinking we were going to sink.

I remember not wanting to go on (it was either snow white or mr. toad) ride. All I remember is looking up at the sign hanging down that said the ride's name and thinking the sign looked scary so I wouldn't go on it. Did the old snow white ride have a sign with and apple on it? I just remember the sign.

Gee - all my first memories of disney were all the things I was scared of! You would think I would never want to go back! hahahahaha Now it's my favorite place!!!!

 

[verleniahall]

First Trip was 2014 - Over my 27th Birthday - I had BEGGED my husband for our whole marriage (6 years at that point) to take me, but while on active duty, we could not afford it.

Just the Overall Disney Magic. I cried when we checked in and the cast member said welcome home. One of the ladies behind us came up and gave me a hug and I said that all the disney magic and love is overwhelming and she agreed.

 

[kmoore7]

Great stories! Never went as a child. 5 siblings made it hard to do vacations for my parents. First trip was with my girlfriend( now wife of 25 years) she had been before and wanted to show me the magic. Fell in love the minute we hit Main Street. We went their again in 89 for our honeymoon and have been Disney freaks ever since. Took our first family trip in 2000 with 4 children in tow. Been back four more times since then(now 5 children) and can't get back soon enough. Have turned my 21 yr. DD into a freak also. Other 4 kids love it, but she is a Disney freak, thank me very much.

 

[ellie05]

My first visit to WDW was when I was four in 1991. I remember some stuff from the first time. Apparently I was a really talkative 4 year old, but when I walked into the MK I didn't talk for 30 minutes. My family was getting worried that something was wrong with me! Then I went back in 1995.

What really did it for me was our first visit as adults, DH first time ever. It was a rough time. We had been married for a year DH was on a work up for his third deployment. I was still trying to get adjusted to being married, having DH gone all the time, moving to a new city, etc. DH booked the first trip as a surprise because he knew I always wanted to go to Africa, but because of his job we couldn't travel abroad at that time, so he got the next best thing. That trip was just what we needed. Since then disney is just our to go place, because we just love it.

 

[SnackCredit]

I was 4 years old, January 1992. My parents were about to divorce, but they still took me to Disney World. We stayed at the GF, of all places. Ran into Mary Poppins in the lobby, once.

We did Universe of Energy multiple times because I was obsessed with dinosaurs. I also remember seeing the HDDR for the first time. While we waited outside to get in, they called all the kids up on the deck to sing "It's a Small World," and I also remember a performer slamming a bucket of chicken right in front of me as she started a song.

 

[GrumpyDad1974]

Spring Break 1983... we stayed in a Days Inn Offsite. I was 8, my mom had a business trip in FL and took me and my grandmother. We went all over FL for about 10 days (I had never been anywhere outside New England). 2 days in MK and 1 day in Epcot. All I really remember is the World of Motion in Epcot and Tomorrowland Speedway in MK oh and I couldn't wait to get back. Side note my best friends family went for a week and stayed at The Contemporary... yeah I'm still jealous and haven't stayed there yet. I didn't get back till 2006 23 years later when DD was 7. Since then we try and go every year and I've turned her into a commando/planner.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

We stopped by MK in 1982 when I was 12. can barely remember it because we were there a total of around 3 hours. Didn't really get a chance to have any fun. First time to really experience the park? April, 2006. Took my wife and two sons. It was a goal of mine since 1983- watching National Lampoon's Vacation. I would watch that movie every year, making a promise that I will one day take my family to Wally, er, Disney World.

 

[ammag]

1985, I was 8. My parents brought me and we stayed offsite but when we got there the hotel was disgusting and smelled so I remember my parents being very upset, making calls and driving to another nicer hotel. It was school spring break and I do remember waiting in to LOT of lines. Nothing to read or do in the line, parents bickering a lot. However I remember riding astro orbiter with my mom who was scared, I remember loving pirates and splash mountain. I absolutely loved the haunted mansion, still my favorite and was absolutely stunned at the effects inside. They were selling these invisible dog leashes I couldn't get one but thought it was HILLARIOUS. I did get a glow necklace that glowed forever, not the crack liquid ones never did find another like it. I bought a Minnie Mouse doll but that was it. I loved MK but I was IN love with Epcot. I remember my mom saying she booked two days at MK and one at Epcot and she wished she had switched it because I loved it so much. Figment, oh figment. Whatever it was called back then...I was thrilled. Spaceship earth..they were building the living seas tend I remember being a little sad I would miss it because it sounded wonderful. I remember the fountains.

One other things I remember is being in miserable pain and barely eating anyhitng but milkshakes. I had braces and even though he knew we were going to WDW the ortho out elastics on me the day before we left. Not sure why my mom didn't tell him no, but she felt bad. I had spaghetti and I THINK it was at the crystal palace. No idea if that could be true but it's what I remember. That was a bummer but hey I had a lot of ice cream so I was probably ok. We also went to sea world and Busch gardens, which stunk to me then. I loved the trip overall but it wasn't until we took our own kids in 2012 that I really fell in love with the experience. Watching my kids enjoy the magic and wonder, and the complete break form reality for the adults is all I needed.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

DH and I had always wanted to take our 2 DDs to WDW, but circumstances just weren't in our favour for many years. Finally, in 1994, we made up our minds to make it happen and booked our trip. When we came home and told our girls, they thought we were kidding them and only the travel documents made them believe us! Our "little girls" were 17 and 19 yrs old by then. The more we started reading Birnbaums Guide to WDW, the more we realized we had made a mistake booking a week-long trip! So much to see and do! We were went back to our TA and extended our stay by a week. It was a totally magic trip, and travelling with our essentially adult daughters was a real joy.

Since then, we have returned numerous times. Our next "family trip" was in 2008, and it included a lot of first-time visitors; 2 DSILs, 3 DGKs (ages 3, 3, and 4) and my 89 year old mother. Ten people, 10 days, four generations. Priceless. We have kept going back and look forward to another MVMCP this year with our 2 DGSs.