What do you think was the best year to be in Disney World?

[Smiley/OCD]

I will have to say 1993, our “Disneymoon”, our first trip to WDW…
20k, sky ride, Splash was relatively new (and everything worked!), Mr. Toad, over at MGM, the backlot tour with Catastrophe Canyon, the animation studios were ACTUALLY working on the Lion King, the awesomeness of Epcot…even though we lost a roll of film (and had to reshoot all the pix), it was a GREAT time to visit!! The second best would have to have been 2005, the first trip with our daughters…the look on their faces when they saw the castle for the first time…PRICELESS!!

 

[Goofyernmost]

1983 thru 1986

All the attractions, all the quick service restaurant were open, Epcot had time for the glitches in the Edutainment system to have been ironed out, It was inexpensive to buy a ticket and both MK and EPCOT were on the same ticket and you could wander between the two whenever you heart felt like. Parking was $2.00 and a 4 day MK/Epcot ticket was just under $55.00. Oh, and one big thing. All the tickets never expired even if it was 10 years old, that ticket got you into the parks and no additional cost was added. After all they had your money for 10 years and invested it to the point that it more than made up for that perk.

I didn't go as a kid. I was 35 when I first went with my wife and two young girls in 1983. Since I was paying the bills I was a little more judgemental than my kids were so I saw the flaws as will as the glimmer. I can honestly say.... "That was the time. That was the best time. That was the best time of my life. (theme park wise)

A whole lot of water has run under the bridge since then but I continued to visit at least once a year until the end of 2019. After that all the pixie dust was blown away with the Pandemic and changes in protecol since then. It no longer seems like fun anymore, it just seems like a large money sucking vacuum that required overplanning.

 

[jah4955]

…even though we lost a roll of film (and had to reshoot all the pix)

The anticipation while waiting for the photos to develop was 2nd only to the anticipation of actually going! (it also mitigated the sting of returning to "the real world")

 

[jah4955]

1983 thru 1986

All the attractions, all the quick service restaurant were open, Epcot had time for the glitches in the Edutainment system to be been ironed out, It was inexpensive to buy a ticket and both MK and EPCOT were on the same ticket and you could wander between the two whenever you heart felt like. Parking was $2.00 and a 4 day MK/Epcot ticket was just under $55.00.

I didn't go as a kid. I was 35 when I first went with my wife and two young girls in 1983. Since I was paying the bills I was a little more judgemental than my kids were so I saw the flaws as will as the glimmer. I can honestly say.... "That was the time. That was the best time. That was the best time of my life. (theme park wise)

A whole lot of water has run under the bridge since then but I continued to visit at least once a year until the end of 2019. After that all the pixie dust was blown away with the Pandemic and changes in protecol since then. It no longer seems like fun anymore, it just seems like a large money sucking vacuum that required overplanning.

This! In and of itself I remember $55 still being a "big deal" but certainly nothing extravagant... and unparalleled value from that $55 (roughly $1/hour...when you put it that way, we were practically robbing the place! ) Haven't been back in years but not before noticing many sharp changes between pre- and post-pandemic.

 

[jah4955]

It was inexpensive to buy a ticket and both MK and EPCOT were on the same ticket and you could wander between the two whenever you heart felt like. Parking was $2.00 and a 4 day MK/Epcot ticket was just under $55.00.

Somehow, my family ended-up with one unused day on one MK/EPCOT "forever" pass. Based on occasional news stories/videos online, I'm sure they'll still honor it whenever it is used, but it's being saved for something special. But...at the rate of the price increases we may need to get an insurance policy for it

 

[Smiley/OCD]

The anticipation while waiting for the photos to develop was 2nd only to the anticipation of actually going! (it also mitigated the sting of returning to "the real world")

Fotomat…something our kids will NEVER get to experience

 

[networkpro]

For y'all who picked mid 90's

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

2006

Just Kidding. Any time between 1986 and 1992. But it was nice for that very brief moment in time where YETI worked.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I’ve only been going since 1998. Trying to take my personal circumstances out of it (example: although it was much less expensive than now, we can afford more splurges now.)

My memory of that time is there was more to do - something around every turn. Of course, that was because I hadn’t already seen everything. I hadn’t developed favorites or decided which things to skip.

I think I could make a case, weighing the pros and cons over the years, that it’s been a fairly consistent experience.

However, I’ll go back and say around 2011 was my favorite time. IIRC, they still had that parade on stilts around World Showcase, and of course, Illuminations. I think the parks were open later more routinely, with more nighttime entertainment. My favorite Flying Fish chef still made my favorite potato-wrapped snapper. Throw in the Great Movie Ride and the old Hall of Presidents, and we were all set.

 

[jah4955]

My memory of that time is there was more to do - something around every turn.

This!

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Fotomat…something our kids will NEVER get to experience

 

[Smiley/OCD]

My memory of that time is there was more to do - something around every turn.

All of the movies in the WS @ Epcot were enjoyable to watch and let’s not forget Captain EO too!

 

[Goofyernmost]

Fotomat…something our kids will NEVER get to experience

Hell, I'm 77 years old and I never used a Fotomat for film development. I do remember seeing a few, but never used one.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

By me growing up in Northern NJ, it seemed like there was one in almost every town…every big strip center had one in the parking lot…

 

[jah4955]

Hell, I'm 77 years old and I never used a Fotomat for film development. I do remember seeing a few, but never used one.

I went to Eckerd Drugs. The fotomat booth always reminded me of that scene in Parenthood

 

[Zak and Wheezie]

For y'all who picked mid 90's

Mid 90s were golden for WDW. Almost everything I wish I could've experienced that I can think of (with a few exceptions, such as World of Motion after 1995) was still there.

The last known POV of World of Motion!

 

[Iris]

Around 2010-2012. The Main Street Electrical Parade was at the Magic Kingdom, Iluminations: Reflections Of Earth was at Epcot, and they hadn't begun to systematically ruin the Polynesian.

 

[Brer Panther]

2007 was a pretty nice time to visit. They had the "Year of a Million Dreams" thing going on. Splash Mountain, the Muppets, the Magic of Disney Animation, Toontown Fair, and the Great Movie Ride were still there. Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor opened. We even still had the original Test Track.

 

[DisneyHead123]

I think my favorite visit was probably 1998, but this was more about me than the parks. I was 19, newly independent in college (although on this trip with my family), and relatively carefree. I still had a tinge of childlike wonder combined with adult patience for lines and stamina to walk. Animal Kingdom has just opened, as well as some kind of preview for a new section at Universal that meant all the rides there were walk ons. I remember watching the Epcot show (Illuminations, I guess) and everything feeling so magical, wondering what I wanted to do with my life and feeling like the possibilities were exciting and endless. (Second favorite experience was probably Captain Eo as an 80s kid, visiting with my older cousin who I thought was the absolute coolest person in the world. I remember also being really into The Living Seas on that trip.)

Honestly I probably like the parks overall better at this point, but now there’s the hyper vigilance of being a mom to a young child, the fluctuating hormones that come with mid forties, the trip prep that lasts forever between packing for a family and trying to make sure everything is set at work, the checking of the work email “just in case” in the parks, etc. I still absolutely love the parks, just a different season of my life.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Mid 00's when you had..
Free bus and luggage service from MCO
Fast Pass + existed and it was Free
Park admission was a heck of a lot cheaper
Extra Magic Hours for all Disney Resort guest being A FREE offering.....