Best memories from your first trip?

wsmith1978

wsmith1978

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm a really sentimental person, and honestly one of the best experiences of my entire life was my first trip to WDW in 2009 at the age of 30. Never went as a kid, my parents couldn't afford it. I never even had much of a desire to go. But my husband and I decided to take a vacation and wanted to go somewhere that offered a lot of activity rather than a tropical beach with a lot of lounging. I kind of blindly picked Wilderness Lodge as the resort and off we went without much planning, other than some ADR's. I was pessimistic going into it, thinking I'd be standing in line more than anything. There's just no way to have any concept of the immersive experience you're about to have. I walked into the Wilderness Lodge and was hit with the most comforting aroma, it felt like home. The grand lobby and welcoming staff immediately told me I was somewhere special. We checked in, had a magnificent dinner at Artist Point, and hopped on a boat for MK. I walked under the railroad station, entering Town Square and my life changed forever. The timing was perfect, Spectromagic was just rounding the circle and everywhere I looked was magic. I entered a new world where everything was perfect, there wasn't a worry to be had, and it was okay to be a kid again. I'll never forget riding IASW, my first ride. I'll never forget that vintage space feel of Tomorrowland, the sounds and smells of Space Mountain, the awe-inspiring sight of that castle that I'd seen a million times on TV but now here it was, right in front of me, more beautiful that I could ever have imagined. On that trip, I changed. We both changed. We didn't want to leave, but when we did, Disney became a HUGE part of our lives. We'd do anything we could to recapture the feeling of being there. We immediately started planning our next trip and continued going back year after year. The entire year leading up to it would revolve around counting down, being excited, watching Disney movies, etc. It was everything to us. In 2013, on our 10 year anniversary of being a couple, we were surprised by a free upgrade to the Yellowstone Suite at WL. Unforgettable in every way! In 2014, he made arrangements with the hotel staff to propose to me on the roof of the WL during Wishes! Again, unforgettable! In 2015, we were finally able to legally marry and celebrated our honeymoon in WDW for 2 full weeks. After that trip, we experienced severe financial troubles and in late 2018, the problems of every day life got the best of us and we decided to separate. We remain very good friends but I don't know that I'll ever be able to return to WDW again. The memories are just too hard. I'm in tears as I sit here and type this. I guess I needed some form of release from the terrible pain that I feel every day about our break up. Sharing one of my greatest memories of my lifetime with you all helps a little... I'm in tremendous pain but there is some comfort in knowing I had this amazing experience.

I'm sorry for oversharing.
 
Queen of the WDW Scene

Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
My first trip was in the womb.
My next trip was when I was 2.5 so I don't recall much from that.
Beyond that memories and trips sort of run together since I went nearly every year.
Some of my most vivid memories as a child were playing in Image Works at the pin tables and taking pics and adding silly features to it.
I also remember the first time I went on Space Mountain I was so excited until I realized it was single file seating. Then my sister told me to sit in front of her and she would grab me if I flew out. That made me feel better...
And the first time I went on TOT I was wearing my elementary school sweatshirt and I was holding onto my dad with one arm and the cage of the elevator with the other hand. This was when they had lap bars and I was a small child so the lap bar was not much use to me once it went down far enough to fit my dad and sisters.
As a tween my best memories are getting a ride with "celebrities" down Sunset Blvd, riding in the front of the monorail and getting some great pics of Spaceship Earth, and watching Illuminations.
As an adult I don't have a specific memory that stands out but its just more this amazing feeling I get when I go.
 
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correcaminos

correcaminos

Well-Known Member
If I had to pick just one, it would be the moment I walked into the castle with my mom and knowing she called me Cinderellie (Ellie is a nickname of my first name) she whispered into my ear while looking at the mozaic "This is your castle Cinderellie" i was only 5, and 38 years later I still go every trip to look at that mozaic to remember her and the love she gave to me before she died 11 years later.

I also remember walking through Ft. Wilderness picking flowers and stuff my grandfather would weave into coasters and placemats and wall decorations.

I remember my first ride on the Speedway and how I lost my tote I just bought on it (never saw it again, boy has lost and found improved)

River Country was amazing too!

Best part of that trip was going on the monorail to the unfinished EPCOT park to see it before it was finished. Have pics of an unfinished SE and Journey!
 
mousedroid

mousedroid

Member
My first trip to Disney was in... 1973, I think. I would have been 6 years old. As dmw said, what's now the Magic Kingdom was the only park that was open at that time.

This was my second Disney experience, so I may be conflating memories of my family's trip to Disneyland the year after, but the memories that stand out the most for me are...
  • Walking through the park after an afternoon rainstorm (a pretty common occurrence at WDW) and getting in line at the Haunted Mansion. I found the first room with the portraits pretty scary at 6 and asked my dad to pick me up, which he did despite the fact that he was wearing white pants (1973, remember) and my shoes were wet and dirty.
  • Standing in line to ride the monorail and my family getting picked to ride up front with the driver - that was probably my number one memory of the entire experience.
  • Sitting while an artist did a drawing of me in pastels. He also did one of my sister. I still have that drawing.
  • My sister and I each being allowed to pick out a stuffed animal at the end of the night (probably for not whining too much about having to sit still for our portraits). I chose Chip. I think my sister chose Pluto. Sadly, unlike my portrait, I do not still have Chip, 47 years later.
 
John park hopper

John park hopper

Well-Known Member
My first trip was in May 72 I was just discharged from the service and headed to S. Florida to start college using the GI Bill I was 23 and happy to be out of the service. It was just the Magic Kingdom everything was new and the park was uncrowded and spotless. If I remember correctly it cost 50 cents to park for the day. Bought tickets for each attraction. Main Street actually had shops.
 
TrainsOfDisney

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
When I was 10 years old on my first visit what I rememember-

1. WDW RR conductor letting me hold the mic for a photo as if I was working on the train.

2. A jungle cruise skipper letting me and my parents go yet again on the jungle cruise right at closing time. He basically gave us a private tour and pointed out hidden mickeys.

3. Riding in the cab of the monorail and being given a full page co-pilot certificate.
 
OneofThree

OneofThree

Well-Known Member
February 1984 -arrival day. I was 9 years old. The first place we went was EC. It was night time, and I'll never forgot how I felt approaching Spaceship Earth lit up in the night sky, with the sound of the original entrance music playing. Just like it was yesterday.

 
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DfromATX

DfromATX

Well-Known Member
I had been to Disneyland as a kid, but never to Disney World until we took our own kids in 2006 and I was in my 30's. We were totally immersed in it! I even cried during the Dreams Come True parade. My husband would say he felt like a kid again and wished every kid could experience it at least once. Ever since then we go every 2 or 3 years! Now our kids our older - in their 20's and one 17 year old - but they still love it. That's one thing we enjoy is seeing our adult kids go back to being free spirit kids. They laugh and run to the line just like when they were little lol. Even though we didn't go as children, it makes me happy that our kids can say it was part of their lives since they were little and I hope one day I will have grand children to take.
 
ELG13

ELG13

Well-Known Member
I don't have many from my first trip as a child aside from being in the submarine for 20000 leagues (maybe??) And being terrified on Mr.Toads wild ride. I just knew we were about to be run over by a train in that dang car!
My first trip that I remember fully was in 2009 and that was my favorite because that was when you could just book and go. Fastpasses were still the paper tickets and, if I remember correctly, they were unlimited pretty much. We got a last minute adr at ohana and it was amazing. Our most recent dining experience was so bad we couldn't even find a manager to help us with our issues. Don't get me wrong...I love our annual trips now. But back then it was different. Crowds were lower and different. I have pictures of my stepdaughter hoola hooping on main Street at sunset on a Saturday with wide open space around her while we waited for the castle show. It was just different and easier back then.
 
Raineman

Raineman

Well-Known Member
First trip was 1990 when I was 16. I went with my grandma, which was the only trip I ever got to take with her, so that in itself was a highlight. As far as park-specific memories:
Magic Kingdom: Loved Tomorrowland- Flight To Mars, the Peoplemover, CoP. The line for SM was out to the Peoplemover platform, so we skipped that. We got to ride 20K Leagues, and we really enjoyed it, despite my claustrophobia kicking in. I don't have any other clear memories of MK, except for the fact that I did not grab a park map on the way in, and we somehow couldn't find HM, which makes my shake my head looking back on it now.
Epcot: My favorite park during my first visit, hands down. I was a geek who was into technology and the future, and loved museums, so it almost felt like Epcot was made for me. My grandma almost had to drag me out of Communicore, but my favorite attraction was Horizons. Again, I don't remember too much other than that, other than some of UoE, SSE and Maelstrom. We didn't spend much time in WS, pretty much all day in FW.
Disney MGM: The Backlot Tour stands out for this park. I loved the area where they had the movie prop vehicles-the ones I remember most was the ship from Flight Of The Navigator and the 2 Star Wars vehicles (the sand skiff from Jedi and the snow speeder from Empire). Speaking of Star Wars, as someone who had been a SW fan since I was young, Star Tours kind of blew my mind.
 
Doug Means

Doug Means

Well-Known Member
My 1st trip was when i was 9 in 1975. I will have to say that this was not a great experience. I had a very bad swimmers ear infection the 2 days we went to MK(only park open). What i remember is my mom really having to take care of me while my older brother and my dad had a great time. Memories that really stick in my head are Having to buy extra ride tickets because you just didn't get very many tickets for the rides we really wanted to ride. I also vividly remember the Carousel of Progress. I thought it was so cool how we moved to the different scenes. Another thing i remember is driving by Epcot and seeing the construction. Space ship Earth was already either almost finished or finished but looked so cool.
 
Shouldigo12

Shouldigo12

Well-Known Member
Standing in line for SDMT, listening to my mom make up dark and twisted back stories for the ride and every piece of decoration she saw.
 
MoragL

MoragL

Member
My first trip wasn't until I was 45. I think it was just a lot of firsts - the first time driving under the Walt Disney World sign, the first time seeing the Castle and I'll never forget the first time riding Rock n Roller Coaster. We had to purchase the photo as our expressions were priceless. It is my favorite ride and my goal is to try and ride it more than 7 times in one day to surpass our last trip. Going in September to celebrate my 50th - 7 months and counting!
 
Heppenheimer

Heppenheimer

Well-Known Member
wsmith1978 said:
I'm a really sentimental person, and honestly one of the best experiences of my entire life was my first trip to WDW in 2009 at the age of 30. Never went as a kid, my parents couldn't afford it. I never even had much of a desire to go. But my husband and I decided to take a vacation and wanted to go somewhere that offered a lot of activity rather than a tropical beach with a lot of lounging. I kind of blindly picked Wilderness Lodge as the resort and off we went without much planning, other than some ADR's. I was pessimistic going into it, thinking I'd be standing in line more than anything. There's just no way to have any concept of the immersive experience you're about to have. I walked into the Wilderness Lodge and was hit with the most comforting aroma, it felt like home. The grand lobby and welcoming staff immediately told me I was somewhere special. We checked in, had a magnificent dinner at Artist Point, and hopped on a boat for MK. I walked under the railroad station, entering Town Square and my life changed forever. The timing was perfect, Spectromagic was just rounding the circle and everywhere I looked was magic. I entered a new world where everything was perfect, there wasn't a worry to be had, and it was okay to be a kid again. I'll never forget riding IASW, my first ride. I'll never forget that vintage space feel of Tomorrowland, the sounds and smells of Space Mountain, the awe-inspiring sight of that castle that I'd seen a million times on TV but now here it was, right in front of me, more beautiful that I could ever have imagined. On that trip, I changed. We both changed. We didn't want to leave, but when we did, Disney became a HUGE part of our lives. We'd do anything we could to recapture the feeling of being there. We immediately started planning our next trip and continued going back year after year. The entire year leading up to it would revolve around counting down, being excited, watching Disney movies, etc. It was everything to us. In 2013, on our 10 year anniversary of being a couple, we were surprised by a free upgrade to the Yellowstone Suite at WL. Unforgettable in every way! In 2014, he made arrangements with the hotel staff to propose to me on the roof of the WL during Wishes! Again, unforgettable! In 2015, we were finally able to legally marry and celebrated our honeymoon in WDW for 2 full weeks. After that trip, we experienced severe financial troubles and in late 2018, the problems of every day life got the best of us and we decided to separate. We remain very good friends but I don't know that I'll ever be able to return to WDW again. The memories are just too hard. I'm in tears as I sit here and type this. I guess I needed some form of release from the terrible pain that I feel every day about our break up. Sharing one of my greatest memories of my lifetime with you all helps a little... I'm in tremendous pain but there is some comfort in knowing I had this amazing experience.

I'm sorry for oversharing.
Click to expand...
I read this often enough and felt it myself, so that I sometimes wonder if they pump in a particular smell that they know will induce that feeling. Whatever it is, it seems to work, since I haven't stayed anywhere else since my first time at the Wilderness Lodge.

I was 1 on my first visit, so I have no direct memory of it. However, according to my mom, I was fascinated by the Tiki Room and if I was getting fussy, she would take me here to calm me down. To this day, I get a very warm, content feeling not just when I visit the Tiki Room, but anything that gives off a strong vibe of mid-century Tiki culture, be it aloha shirts, Tiki bars, or even Exotica music.
 
Hank Hill

Hank Hill

Well-Known Member
First time for me was when my son was almost 4, we celebrated his birthday there. Two not that special but nice memories stick with me. We were on the Speedway and seeing my son smile reminded me of when I was a kid and went to a Amusement park and they had some old time cars you could drive. I still remember that so well, and to share it with my son was really neat, even if everyone hates the Speedway, I hope they keep some type of car driving ride there.

the other was the kid wanted to just play, so we let him go into the playground area in toontown. He made a friend and they were have a great time. I was kind of mad, like, we paid all this money for him to just play in a not real nice play area! But then I saw how much fun he was having and learned to relaxed. Even at 4, it was his vacation too.
 

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