First trip to the parks

In relation to Disney Parks but not specific to a single resort

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Amy
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Re: First trip to the parks

Post by Amy » Feb Thu 25, 2016 7:31 pm

MmeLeota wrote:My first trip to Disneyland was around 1980/1981 and I was 2 or 3 years old. I remember very little from that trip...except that Mom told me that I was afraid of pretty much everything except the Haunted Mansion (talk about foreboding), :hm_ghost: and Skull Rock creeped the crap out of me.
I believe the next trip would have been around 1983...Fantasyland was "brand new" and I remember more of this trip...I was definitely a scaredy cat! I remember wanting to go on IASW and Tiki Room (except the thunderstorm at the end scared me) over and over. I was ok seeing characters from a distance, but didn't want anything to do with them up close!
I was just a really scared kid. We went several times when I was a kid, and I know there is photographic evidence, but I have no clue where that might be at this time.

My first trip to WDW came in 1992, and it was one of those educational trips through the school. We went to Gatorland, Kennedy Space Center/Space Camp for a day, MGM Studios, and EPCOT. (I didn't get to MK until our honeymoon in 1998) This Florida trip was significant because it was the first time I was so far away from home without the parental units (traveling from the west coast to the east coast). Again, I was kind of a scaredy cat, but found to really love EPCOT! It was also the first time I ever got Disney "insider" information...Tower of Terror had just been announced and the guy who gave us our tour told us all about it. The only regret I have about that trip (aside from being such a nervous Nelly) is that I didn't take more pictures. So much has changed between the 2 parks over the years. I know I got a picture with Dreamfinder and Figment, but I have not been able to find it in years. I have a feeling it might be mixed in with stuff at my parents' house.

Oh, and to answer a question about the monorails, the Mark IV monorails that were originally used at WDW had buttons that the driver had to get out and push to open all the doors and the attendants had to close each door individually. I only know this because when I worked at the original monorail in Vegas, the 2 trains we had were two of the original Mark IVs from WDW. I think they were Coral and Lime...I can't remember now. Anyway, I hope that answers the monorail question.
Great memories ~ I really don't remember anything about my first WDW trip when I was 6. I look at the pictures and think sure, that looks cool, but I don't remember any of it. We don't have many pictures either, that was back when you had film and developing and it was too expensive to click off tons of photos.
That's neat that you had the old Mark IV monorails from WDW in Las Vegas!

theBIGyowski
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Re: First trip to the parks

Post by theBIGyowski » Mar Mon 21, 2016 9:09 am

My first trip was in November 1986, so WDW was officially 15 years old. I was about to turn 5 years old then. I have some pictures somewhere, just can't remember where they are. Once I find them I will upload a few.

I actually remember a few things from that first trip. I remember Figment and the Imagination Pavilion. I remember Spaceship Earth and the way it smelled. In fact, my second trip wasn't until April of 1997 (during WDW's 25th Celebration) and I remember it kind of being a "ho hum" trip until I rode Spaceship Earth. The second I took a deep breath and the smell hit me, I was able to remember vivid details about that first trip back in 1986. It's amazing how powerful the sense of smell is. Anyhow, a few other things I remember from that first trip back in 1986: character breakfast at the Poly, Mickey ice cream bars, the Monorail (and smell of course), the sky buckets, 20,000 Leagues, POTC (I was terrified that every water ride would have a drop in it after riding this), the special 15th birthday parade and amazingly awful 80s fashion. A few non-Disney things I remember from that trip were: Sea World, Kennedy Space Center (very moving as this was just 9-10 months after the Challenger explosion), our time share condo/hotel. One major downside to our trip was that our condo was broken into one day/evening while we were away. It wasn't a Disney resort, but a condo maybe 15 minutes away. I remember the police being there and my parents talking to them. Luckily we didn't have very much there in the room. I know my parents told me that at one point I went up to one of the officers and told him that the burglars did not take my crayons ;) .

As I said before, my next trip wasn't until 1997, so a lot changed in those 10+ years. I'll try to find and upload those pictures from my first trip. We're hoping we can take our kids (DS is almost 4 and DD is 1.5 years old) in 2017...sometime before DD turns 3.
Image

1986: Offsite
1997: Offsite
2001: Coronado Springs
2008: Shades of Green / Saratoga Springs (WDW Half Marathon)
2009: Port Orleans French Quarter (WDW Half Marathon)
2010: Port Orleans Riverside (Honeymoon)
2011: Old Key West / Bay Lake Tower
2014: Kidani Village
2015: Old Key West (5th Wedding Anniversary)
2016: Old Key West (Kids' first WDW vacation in December!)

Amy
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Re: First trip to the parks

Post by Amy » Mar Mon 21, 2016 10:13 am

theBIGyowski wrote:My first trip was in November 1986, so WDW was officially 15 years old. I was about to turn 5 years old then. I have some pictures somewhere, just can't remember where they are. Once I find them I will upload a few.

I actually remember a few things from that first trip. I remember Figment and the Imagination Pavilion. I remember Spaceship Earth and the way it smelled. In fact, my second trip wasn't until April of 1997 (during WDW's 25th Celebration) and I remember it kind of being a "ho hum" trip until I rode Spaceship Earth. The second I took a deep breath and the smell hit me, I was able to remember vivid details about that first trip back in 1986. It's amazing how powerful the sense of smell is. Anyhow, a few other things I remember from that first trip back in 1986: character breakfast at the Poly, Mickey ice cream bars, the Monorail (and smell of course), the sky buckets, 20,000 Leagues, POTC (I was terrified that every water ride would have a drop in it after riding this), the special 15th birthday parade and amazingly awful 80s fashion. A few non-Disney things I remember from that trip were: Sea World, Kennedy Space Center (very moving as this was just 9-10 months after the Challenger explosion), our time share condo/hotel. One major downside to our trip was that our condo was broken into one day/evening while we were away. It wasn't a Disney resort, but a condo maybe 15 minutes away. I remember the police being there and my parents talking to them. Luckily we didn't have very much there in the room. I know my parents told me that at one point I went up to one of the officers and told him that the burglars did not take my crayons ;) .

As I said before, my next trip wasn't until 1997, so a lot changed in those 10+ years. I'll try to find and upload those pictures from my first trip. We're hoping we can take our kids (DS is almost 4 and DD is 1.5 years old) in 2017...sometime before DD turns 3.
Fun memories! Smell definitely brings memories flooding back doesn't it?

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Re: First trip to the parks

Post by momeja » Mar Wed 30, 2016 9:41 am

First trip was to DL when I was 4. I remember the Tiki Room, Pirates, the Storyland Canal boats, and having the bejeezus scared out of me by Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

First trip to WDW when I was 14 in 1977. I remember standing on line for Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain and being given free reign at MK by my parents, who weren't at all interested but were indulgent of my interest. I'd hop on the resort bus in the morning and meet them for dinner at 5. I remember eating at King Stefan's one night. It was a great trip, although I missed having someone to share it with me.

Second trip to WDW was in 1994 - just married a couple of years then, no children yet. We were with H.'s parents, who were not interested but felt that Disney was a good place for a multi-generational family meet-up. We spent one day at DHS & TL, one day at Epcot, and one day at MK. It wasn't a great trip, but I finally had someone to share Disney with, and I think that that trip gave us both just enough magic that we were ready to sprinkle some on our kids once we started having kids. Which leads to the...

Third trip to WDW was in 2001. We took our oldest daughter, who was 5, and our son, who was 14 mos. We had 4 days, and the rest is history. We were hit by the magic stick big time, even though Emilie wouldn't ride any of the dark rides until Peter Pan on the last day (when she rode it 5 times in a row). After 2001, it was 2005 (we had another child in between), 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and... well, you get the picture. We became full on Disney nuts and have been ever since.

How much fun it was to write this post! Thanks, Amy!

Amy
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Re: First trip to the parks

Post by Amy » Mar Wed 30, 2016 11:02 am

momeja wrote:First trip was to DL when I was 4. I remember the Tiki Room, Pirates, the Storyland Canal boats, and having the bejeezus scared out of me by Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

First trip to WDW when I was 14 in 1977. I remember standing on line for Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain and being given free reign at MK by my parents, who weren't at all interested but were indulgent of my interest. I'd hop on the resort bus in the morning and meet them for dinner at 5. I remember eating at King Stefan's one night. It was a great trip, although I missed having someone to share it with me.

Second trip to WDW was in 1994 - just married a couple of years then, no children yet. We were with H.'s parents, who were not interested but felt that Disney was a good place for a multi-generational family meet-up. We spent one day at DHS & TL, one day at Epcot, and one day at MK. It wasn't a great trip, but I finally had someone to share Disney with, and I think that that trip gave us both just enough magic that we were ready to sprinkle some on our kids once we started having kids. Which leads to the...

Third trip to WDW was in 2001. We took our oldest daughter, who was 5, and our son, who was 14 mos. We had 4 days, and the rest is history. We were hit by the magic stick big time, even though Emilie wouldn't ride any of the dark rides until Peter Pan on the last day (when she rode it 5 times in a row). After 2001, it was 2005 (we had another child in between), 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and... well, you get the picture. We became full on Disney nuts and have been ever since.

How much fun it was to write this post! Thanks, Amy!
Wow, that is a neat Disney history ~ thanks for sharing momeja! I can't imagine having free reign of the parks at 14. That would have been fun. But as you said, perhaps not as fun as having someone to share the experience with though.
You and your husband are forever imprinted in my brain as the lucky people who went and had the fancy celebration dinner at Victoria and Alberts ~ I had so much fun reading your trip report that time :D

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Re: First trip to the parks

Post by momeja » Mar Wed 30, 2016 2:18 pm

Amy, you have an amazing memory. That was a great night and tremendous experience. Our 25th wedding anniversary is this summer, and I've said to H. that what I'd really like as a present is to go back there the next time we're at Disney, which should be about a year from now. The Disney magic continues.

Amy
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Re: First trip to the parks

Post by Amy » Mar Wed 30, 2016 8:09 pm

momeja wrote:Amy, you have an amazing memory. That was a great night and tremendous experience. Our 25th wedding anniversary is this summer, and I've said to H. that what I'd really like as a present is to go back there the next time we're at Disney, which should be about a year from now. The Disney magic continues.
It stuck in my head because I never knew anyone that had eaten there before. I was totally captivated by your story and pictures. It was a celebration of your graduation and something else wasn't it?
:nemo: I am actually a real life Dory ~ can't remember anything! :lol: Although Disney things stick longer in my brain for some odd reason ;)

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Re: First trip to the parks

Post by sfein » Apr Wed 06, 2016 7:48 am

First time I went to WDW I was 8. The first time I went to Disneyland I was 9. I've been to WDW many times since and Disneyland only one other time. I took my kids for the first time to WDW when they were 5 and 3. I doubt they remember a lot, but I remember much about their trip so it was worth it.

Amy
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Re: First trip to the parks

Post by Amy » Apr Wed 06, 2016 9:30 am

sfein wrote:First time I went to WDW I was 8. The first time I went to Disneyland I was 9. I've been to WDW many times since and Disneyland only one other time. I took my kids for the first time to WDW when they were 5 and 3. I doubt they remember a lot, but I remember much about their trip so it was worth it.
I imagine your children remember a little. And kids certainly have more pictures and videos to remind them of their visits now than they did when I was little. I think we only have about 10 pictures at the most from our whole trip to Florida when I was 6. And that included visiting The Magic Kingdom, Cape Canaveral, Ringling Brothers, and my grandparents!

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