What turned you into a Disney geek?

CP_alum08

CP_alum08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I assume most everyone on here considers themselves more than an 'average fan.' So what put you over the edge? Was it a specific trip, a ride, movie, etc.?

For me it was back during my College Program. Before that I had been a Disney fan but nothing like what I am now :sohappy: The turning point was riding the TTA for the first time, or at least the first time I could remember. My roommates and I went to MK one night fairly early in our program, we thought we were getting in line for the Astro Orbiter but it turned out to be the TTA. None of them were impressed because it was 'boring' but I was blown away. Seeing MK at night from above, going into Space Mountain, seeing all the scenes inside, it was awesome! It really made me appreciate what Disney does and made me start researching things more (which made me love it all the more.) Now the TTA is a staple of our trips, new audio and all.

So, what was that magical moment for you?
 
WDWmazprty

WDWmazprty

Well-Known Member
I guess I always have been. My first Disney trip was when I was 3 years old, and I've loved everything about Disney ever since. I never lost the love for Disney, it just kept growing and never stopped.

Now I'm 33 years old, have 2 girls of my own, and I get just as excited and happy as they do when we go to Disney! :sohappy:
 
rodserling27

rodserling27

Well-Known Member
I'm not sure if I can nail it down to a specific moment, but I can say that for as long as I've been alive, my family has taken trips to Disney World. I remember my first trip (verrrry vaugely, as I was not quite 3 years old!), and I remember going on 20,000 Leagues, watching MSEP, and going on it's a small world for the first time. I remember being TERRIFIED of Toad, Snow White, and parts of "Imagination." As a kid, I was aboslutely BLOWN away. I don't remmeber much else from my first trip, and I mix a lot of it with my 1992 trip. . .Fuzzy memory!

TO be honest, I've only become "obsessed" since my 2008 trip. I've always LOVED WDW, but that's when I started lurking on WDWMagic, Micechat, and Progress City USA's websites. I didnt' quite realize that there were more people than just my uncle and me that were completely obsessed with the place. Why? Who knows. It's just something 'different' to be into, and it brings me happiness. What more can you ask for? :)
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
This site was probably the biggest one thing that turned me into a full blown Disneyphile. I had always been a casual fan but after about a year on this site I was a full blown Disney nut. Before I joined this site I had never seen American Adventure or Carousel of Progress, I had never eaten a Dole Whip or School Bread, and had eaten at maybe 4 or 5 of Disney's table service restaurants. I did not even know what a Hidden Mickey was back in 2004.
 
NYwdwfan

NYwdwfan

Well-Known Member
I've been going my whole life - my grandparents used to live an hour away so we would drive down to Florida, go to Disney for a few days, then drive to West Palm. To me it was just "normal" to go every year - I guess I never realized how lucky I was and that some people just didn't go. It's always been a magical experience (OK I'm a cornball) and sites like these let me taste a little of that magic every day instead of just when I go! The obsession is fueled by the availability of information about the parks.
 
cowanfamily

cowanfamily

Well-Known Member
My very first ride was Astro Orbiter back in 86'. That trip didn't hook me in though. I made several trips and enjoyed it, but wasn't an addict at that point. I became hooked in 2002 when I first stayed on property. Being totally sumberged in the magic that is Disney totally sucked me in
 
zurgandfriend

zurgandfriend

Well-Known Member
DW went to WDW on our honeymoon in 1995 it was great fun. DW and I tried to schedule another trip for the next 10 years but something always came up. In 2005 we took our DS for his first visit and it just “hit” me. The atmosphere, the cast members and so many different things to do. We had a great time and bonded as a family, unlike other vacations we didn’t have to search for things to do that we all liked or do the same thing every day (e.g. go to the beach and sit in the sand, big whoop).
We have been several times as a family and I have snuck in a few solo trips (strictly business of course) since 2005 and I am still amazed at all there is to do and see.
 
mickey2008.1

mickey2008.1

Well-Known Member
For me it was three agos wheni took my wife on her first trip to disney. She loved it so much that she keeps making me go back:D Then about a year and a half ago i stumbled on to this website and became a full blown geek:lol:
 
Sonny Eclipse

Sonny Eclipse

New Member
I have always been a geek but sort of felt like I was alone in my Disney "geekdom". Then, about five years ago, I searched for Disney World podcasts on Itunes, found Inside the Magic and the rest is history/

I learned there was a lot more people out there than just me and that there were dozens of internet communities dedicated to people like us. I think that really elevated me to being the Disney geek I am today as I now have people to talk to about it.

I guess if I had to pick the time it really struck me, it was my first visit to Epcot in 1984. Horizons, World of Motion, Spaceship Earth all blew me away.
 
Walt Disney1955

Walt Disney1955

Well-Known Member
I'd say the first time I went. I went in March of 1991. I was almost 11 years old. The first ride I ever went on was Small World. My mother (this was her first time too, Dad had been in 1973) claimed her hairdresser raved about Small World so we had to do it right away. Since then, after the trek down Main Street SMall World has always been the first thing I've done each time I've been there.

I think I was blown away at that time. I was scared of Snow White. I even though Carousel of Progress was cool, just because of the animatronics. This is why I also loved Hall of Presidents (yeah even as a 10 year old) because I swore those people were real up there. Then stuff like Pirates just simply amazed me. I'd never seen this at Darien Lake before, lol. Thunder Mountain was a ride I fell in love with right away too.

So I guess since then. But all I had as a keepsake were the maps. I studied them all the time, I really did. Then the next trip was 1995, 1997 and 2002. I learned to appreciate it each time more than the next. By 2009 and 2010 I stumbled upon this site and maybe that's when I became a "full blown" fan. Like someone said before, it brings me joy whenever I come on here.
 
njDizFan

njDizFan

Well-Known Member
I totally blame this site..lol. It all happened a few years ago when I was planning 2 trips. I was having a quiet trip with my wife, who is a vegetarian so I had to do a lot of research to make sure she had dining options for my ADRs. And at the same time I was planning a trip for my 6 year old daughter on her birthday. I wanted a lot of special things to do for her, and also my in-laws were coming and they are picky eaters. So after months of research on these boards and others, the planning just made me want to know more and more...until I became obsessed.

Yes now I find myself planning for trips I can't even take.:cry: Yes obsessed
 
ScorpionX

ScorpionX

Well-Known Member
It was back when I was in the 2nd Grade (1989). My teacher assigned the class to write a story involving a character (Bob the Bird) that he created for our local newspaper's comic section. When one kid went up, he read his story called "Bob the Bird Goes to Disney World." I was blown away by this story. So, I researched this place in the story, and the rest is history.
 
Chrononymous

Chrononymous

Well-Known Member
When I was very small, even before I could read...my parents had a subscription to a Disneyland magazine...as well as a series of great big colored volumes that contained illustrated stories from classic Disney movies to obscure shorts.

I remember of the books, my favorite was the one with the pics from the Disneyland park.
I would sit each night and sound out the words, and dream of Sleeping Beauty castle, and someday seeingt he dioramas shown in those pages. And then there werre pirates, and those beautiful dancing HM ghosts, and Small World photos (which I admit ...did give me nightmares!)

I guess I was always a Disney fan from as far back as I can recall. Whether it was reading
those books, or finding the hidden pictures in the magazines, or listening to the records (especially Winnie the Pooh!) or waiting for the re-release of classic movies in the theater(before the wonderful world of cable or VHS!)I was inundated at a very early age!
 
BrerFrog

BrerFrog

Active Member
My College Program. I had never gone to Disney before I had the chance to do the program, and I was so excited I started reading up on the parks and watching Disney animations in a regular basis.

And then... I found this site after the end of CP.
 

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