What is your best memory?

[careship]

Any of you have a memory that just warms you up and gets you excited about Disney? One of my best and worst is the year we went down for 2 weeks and my son had a bad reaction to the pool water. He was one great big red hive from head to toe. We called our Dr. at home and ended up in DIsney's urgent care center. (By the way...wonderful people there if you ever have to go.) He had to wear a big hat and stay out of the sun. He was miserable but insisted on going into the parks. (He was 4) His thing was to see Pluto and meet him and get autograph. We waited in a line forever in World Showcase outside the American pavilion. Just as he was next...Pluto left. He cried uncontrollably. A CM came over and got down on his knees and explained Pluto was late for a commercial shoot but woud be right back. 20 minutes later my son was still crying and no sign of Pluto. The CM came back over and said he'd see what he could do. My son told him how he was sick etc. The poor CM, I thought he was going to cry. He went back where Pluto left from and returned about 5 minutes later with a "hand-written" note from Pluto apologizing and a huge...I mean gigantic stuffed Pluto from Pluto. We were also given a pass for a character dinner for the whole family to see Pluto that evening. I know these castmembers talk, because we went to dinner, sat down and here came Pluto and a CM to our table sat with my son for awhile and the CM explained everything for Pluto. We got back to our hotel and there was a note from Pluto an the bed and a poster. The note on the bed said hope you got the stuffed version of me, now I can be with you everywhere and I sure hope it helps make you feel better. The lengths these people went to because of one sick upset child just made me cry. I sent a letter to Disney with all the CM names that did such a wonderful thing. We got a letter in return to my son from Pluto. He never forgets and he is almsot 11.

 

[General Grizz]

1. Eating ice cream outside of World of Motion
2. Passing out Apple Juice Squeezits in the Land before going to the Kitchen Kabaret
3. The School of Drama, Coloring Book, and Electronic Philharmonic upstairs at JII
4. Staying at the All Star Resort in 1997
5. Staying at Shades of Green in Spring, 2002
6. The 25th Anniversary Period
7. Country Bear Jamboree in 1992 after it was redone to the original; waiting in line and recalling the characters (a few years before my total fandom)
8. Carousel of Progress after its refurbishment with utter excitement at the refurbishment in 1994
9. The end of Keys to the Kingdom where Tall Paul told his emotional story
10. Rainy day in Fantasyland in 1997
11. Watching family members play checkers in front of the Frontierland Shooting Arcade
12. Fantasmic and night at MGM in October, 2002
13. Flower and Garden Festival or whatnot waiting for World Showcase to open at 11 AM
14. Wet morning in the World of Motion, seeing a HUGE Japanese family in ponchos
15. Mornings at Horizons and my last ride in December, 1998...knowing it would be my last.
16. Mexico...
17. Jewelry shop outside Pirates in 1996
18. LAST time seeing MSEP as the only people down Frontierland street at 11 PM in 1999 (?)
19. My countless morning filming Country Bear Jamboree
20. Hot afternoons in Dreamflight
21. Hot afternoons in the Tiki Room...Let's all sing like the birdies sing

Most of my "good times" come from EPCOT in 1993-1994 - and the Magic Kingdom in 1996-1997...

I am a nostalgic freak.

Not so exciting times...

1. Finding out of Horizons' closure in 1993
2. Finding out that time I rode KK and JII would be my last
3. Watching Food Rocks for the first time
4. First time watching Enchanted Tiki Room UNM
5. Experiencing Journey into Your Imagination
6. Watching EPCOT lose the symbols and spirit
7. Closing of Take Flight and dormancy of Horizons
8. Carousel of Progress closes indefinetly

 

[Sir Hiss527]

That's a neat story. Now I know Disney really cares about there guests. Umm...mine would be "Eating at the 'Colombia Harbor House'.:slurp:

 

[jaimjaim25]

My most memorable memory was in the early 80s when EPCOT first opened. I remember being there, 5 years old seeing Minnie and Mickey walking around in their space type costumes and this robot that used to walk around too.. ahhh.. those were the days

 

[Tim G]

My most memorable memory: Our Wedding in WDW (GF)

 

[NADisney]

My father past away Dec 27 2002 of a sudden heartattack.The past two trips this year in april and may 2003 at the MK and EPCOT brought alot of joy and pain to me. Even though there were times I did not get along with my father and he did not approve of me when he found out that I was gay- he did not turned his back on me and was there whenever i needed him ,he might grumble about it but - he came thru.

One of my most tresured memoires of my dad was back in 1989 at epcot. When mom ,me and my younger brothers got dad on Horizons.My father is ,how to put it - motion sickness when it comes to Space ( you know black with stars and the room feels like it's spinning when it is not) .so everytime we went in and out of a spaceroom he would open and shut his eyes until he fell asleep -he looked like he had passed out on the ride.When we came to the end, mom woke him up as we travel thru the pick your future segment then the wall where it said "If you can Dream It, Then you can Build It" sponsered by GE. My father started cussing up a storm - not because of the ride itself , because he worked for GE.

Love you Dad and God speed , your son Jeff

 

[goonsquads57]

My greatest memory has to be our first trip to WDW and the Magic Kingdom in 1996 (Dec.). Seeing the castle (which was a birthday cake at that tiime) for the first time.....I felt as if I was finally "home".

 

[WDWSwashbuckler]

Ha ha, my last trip to WDW with my family was 5 years ago. I remember so very vivadly waiting in line for Splash Mtn for about 2 hours in the hot sun. My dad isn't one for rides with any speed whatsoever. (he's more of a small world, peter pan type guy) And he'd been complaining the whole time during our wait in the line. He was continuously looking for a way out of line and we had to keep reeling him back in. Finally we got to the front of the line and we were climbing into the vehicles (logs, if you will) and I turned around to see my dad running away the other direction toward the exit. Wow, my dad's a runner and I don't think I'd ever seen him run that fast. Anyways, when we came to the end. He was waiting there for us and told us that he'd been to the bathroom and he'd left everything there so he could prove it to us if we really wanted to go see for ourselves. We kinda denied that offer. :lol:

 

[dox]

What a neat idea for a thread! Geez I have so many, I'm not sure which is my favorite. Just a few brief favorites - my top seven, I guess.
1- Epcot 2000 - was my first visit since 1996. Left NYC at 7:00 a.m., arrived at Grosvenor by 10:00 was at Epcot by 11:00 a.m. I was traveling with my best friend and as we walked into Epcot he turned to me and said "If you could look at yourself right now." I had the biggest grin from ear to ear on my face. So much stuff had happenned to me during the past four years, good and bad, i felt like I was home again. The sudden infusion of memory and my senses so alive was just incredible.

2- California Grill - 2000 - first visit there. Got a window seat, a martini, watching the fireworks from my table. IN a word - awesome.

3 - Fort Wilderness - 1982 - First stay on site at Disney. Went with my folks and two brothers. Was also the Tencenial celebration at Mk - great trip.

4 - October 1, 1996 - 25th Anniversary. Went with my ex. We drove up from Miami at 6:00 a.m., arrived at MK at 9:00 a.m. for the festivities. Saw the First Lady, Florida Governor, Michael Eisner, Roy Disney. All the characters were lined up on Main Street prior to the speeches. Saw the first Remember the Magic Parade. Received a special poster and pin for being there on the exact 25th anniv. date. It was a truly special day.

5- Beach Club 1996 - First stay by myself with out the parental units at a deluxe resort. Having breakfast by myself on the balcony overlooking STormalong Bay.

6. Epcot 1982/1983 - This is weird. I was in 6th grade when Epcot opened. On the exact date it opened i stayed home from school pretending to be sick. I spent the entire day in front of the TV videotaping every news segment about the opening of Epcot. For the next two weeks, every Miami news station had weeklong series about the opening of Epcot. I taped every single segment. Later in the month CBS had a danny kaye hosted special about Epcot, taped that too. I spent the next nine months watching that tape over and over again. Finally got toepcot in July of 1983. It was incredible. Despite what some people say Epcot was amazing back then and most people were extremely happy. I still remember dinner at alfredos, the parade around world showcase, Magic Journeys 3-D, all the signs around WS about future countries, making reservations for dinner on the kiosks with the face to face monitors.

7 - WDW trip early June of 1993 - Went to Disney with my best friend at the time and her future hubby and one of their friends, stayed at Fort Wilderness. Parks were empty. One night rode BTM and Splash a total of 6 times back to back. Then had dinner at future Chef Mickeys at cont. our server was the CM of the year. Best memory on trip, one night after drinking a bit too much at PI we were on the bus back to FW and we each did our own Mary Jo Buttafuco impersonations. We had the bus in stitches.

 

[careship]

Awesome memories!!!!! Thanks for sharing. I love Fort Wilderness. I went every year with my parents. (am 34 now) Met the same people there every year at the same time so we could all hang out. We so owned the place for 3 weeks every year. :lol: Little known secret of my life, my husband and I met each other way back when there in Fort Wilderness in like 1981-1982. We just figured it out. I hung out with the same crowd and he knew one of them because his family came down every year same time too. But because I was like 10 yrs old, I never really noticed or remembered him. Ironic that in 2003 after 11 years of marriage we find out we knew each other way back then.

 

[dox]

That is an incredible story! Wow! You were so lucky, you got to stay 3 WEEKS! My god we would only stay for like 3 to 4 days and we would stay in the trailer homes or cabins as they are referred to now. I always remember the buffet breakfast and adjoining arcade, the petting zoo, the trading post after leaving the parks so we could grab a snack, watching the electrical water pageant on the beach, and checking in while remaining in your car (this is before they built the check in office). Unfortunatley, we never did the Hoop Dee Do Revue. My mom doesn't speak english very well so we always figured she wouldn't get it. If it wasn't because bus service at FW had deteriorated so much from 1992 to 1993 (last time I stayed there) I would prob. stay there again.

 

[careship]

We stayed in our own trailer on a site. I can't remember which loop we stayed on, wish I could because we all stayed there together. The only thing I didn't like was running for the bathrooms in the morning to take a shower. Especially as I got older, didn't want any of the guys to see me before I was clean and my hair was done etc. The things I think about now. Loved always going horseback riding and the petting zoo was my favorite place. The arcade was the ultimate hangout. You could find us all crowded around the TRON game trying to see who was the best. As I got older my friends and I were allowed to just go in the parks whenevr we wanted without parents. We spent one whole day going on and off Space Mountain. Think I was green by the time we got back to the trailer. What fun days those were. Still miss my best friend from Rhode Island that met us there every year. She was like a sister to me. But as we all grew older, we all got busier. Then came boyfriends and high school. Ugh!!!!

 

[free9]

After 7 days over Easter in 2002 ,which was packed with a boatload of memories including staying at AKL..ME GETTING INTO THE MERLIN SHOW...CRYSTAL PALACE LUNCH ...WELL YOU GET THE PICTURE.. ON OUR FINAL DAY WE WERE FIRST IN LINE AT MK.. MY SON WAS ASKED IF HE WOULD LIKE TO OPEN THE PARK..HE GOT TO WAVE THE MAGIC WAND..SAY SOME MAGIC WORDS AND DECLARE THE MAGIC KINGDOM IS NOW OPEN......HE EVEN GOT A CERTIFICATE CLAMING THAT ON THIS DAY....YOU ARE KNOWN AS THE KEEPER OF THE GATE......PRETTY COOL FOR A 6 YEAR OLD


:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[PhotoDave219]

This past March, with my GF. Came face to face with an Asian Tiger and had a wonderful night at Italy in Epcot. One of those days that you wish would never end....

 

[careship]

I love those certificates they get. My son has a certificate from the 25th Anniversary for being a performer on the Boardwalk one day. He has it in a frame on his wall. He says he is proud of working for Disney that day.

 

[free9]

Originally posted by careship
I love those certificates they get. My son has a certificate from the 25th Anniversary for being a performer on the Boardwalk one day. He has it in a frame on his wall. He says he is proud of working for Disney that day.

that`s so cool..........


:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[Nansafan]

So many trips, so many memories... Here's two of the best. Aug. of 2000 visiting WDW with my best friend, her 2 daughters, my brother, 2 cousins and my son. My friend and her daughters were WDW novices with only 1 trip under their belt. We were having dinner at the Castle and the 9 year old daughter ordered chicken nuggets. (BTW, she is 12 now and still only eats chicken nuggets.) After we received our dinners, she asked the server if they had cheese sauce. The server went to the kitchen, talked to a chef and about 10 minutes later came back with cheese sauce and another order of Chicken Nuggets. The chef then came out to meet her and see if the sauce was good.

Christmas 2002 we were the only passengers on the Jungle Cruise at 11:30 PM. The skipper, Lenora, asked if we wanted to steer the ship. She then pointed out hidden mickeys along the way and told us some fun stories about Jungle Cruise skippers.

 

[EmeraldDolphin]

Watching my son march in the parade at MK with his high school, also that same year my mom met us there (she lives in FL) and my sister from OR met us there... all of us to enjoy watching my son march!

When the kids were a lot younger we were there for Easter, and they woke up to find goodies hanging on the door . We looked around and everyone had gotten them... the kids were so excited. It was when they were getting old enough to wonder about the Easter Bunny... so that was pretty cool.

Lots & lots of other great memories!!

 

[LouDisney]

I have so many great memories. I could go on and on, but I will not.

I will have to say that when I see things like kids getting so excited when Mickey or their favorite char. walks out, their little eyes get so huge... almost makes me want to cry. I do not have children yet, but I love watching them.

 

[meeko_33785]

I've had so many great WDW memories it would be hard to choose just one. Here's some that came to mind in no particular order.

1. Going to MGM in the evening back in 1994 and seeing Sunset Boulevard for the first time and falling in love with the area's theming.

2. Staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first time and having a Savanah view, waking up to see ostrages and giraffes outside.

3. Riding Tower of Terror for the first time and having it become my favorite attraction.

4. Riding Buzz for the first time and enjoying it so much that I got right back into the queue to do it again.

5. Going to Fantasyland in 1998 and falling in love with it again after the Castle was repainted, as well as riding Dumbo for the first time and finding the Wishing Well for the first time.

6. Seeing the Beauty and the Beast show for the first time in the new Theater of the Stars on Sunset Boulevard.

7. Watching the Disney Character Hit Parade from Frontierland every year from 1988 to 1991 and seeing Cinderella in her Pumpkin Coach after eating Lunch at the Castle.

8. Too many character experiences to mention including finding characters I had never seen before and recieving extra attention from some of my favorites.

9. Any ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris. It just seems to get better and better every time I ride it.

10. Doing the Fantasmic Dinner Package in on the last night of my Summer trip in 2001, eating dinner at the Brown Derby, getting to the Amplitheater via the backstage areas, and then seeing the show.

11. Comming out of the Book shop on Main Street (where the Athletic Store is now) and seeing Tinker Bell start Fantasy in the Sky for the first time.