What Walt Disney World Means to You at 50

[ToTBellHop]

I thought it would be nice to have a space where we don’t complain or even comment on the specific 50th offerings and instead share what Walt Disney World means to us all as it turns 50.

I definitely have a lot of emotions today as Walt Disney World celebrates its 50th anniversary. My love of Disney began with yearly family vacations that include some of my favorite memories with my parents who have since left us. It continued with amazing vacations with my best friend who puts up with the obsession and doesn’t question waking up at 5 am to ensure a ride on Rise of the Resistance, Megan. Now it has expanded to include seeing the Magic in my kids’ eyes, sharing that Magic with extended family, and being thankful that we can have this escape from a sometimes-upsetting and confusing real world. On the darkest days of the pandemic, flipping through old pictures of us having the times of our lives helped me to understand that the darkness wouldn’t last forever.

On a milestone day like this, I am filled with exuberance toward a place where many of my happiest days have occurred. Happy 50th birthday and here’s to the next 50 at The Most Magical Place on Earth.

 

[dreday3]

Walt Disney World equals my dad.

My Dad is the greatest man to be walking this earth. He saved and took us to Disney 3 times as a kid - 1979, 1982, 1983.
It was all about family and wonder. He had to take me on If You Had Wings over and over and over. Didn't complain, at least to me. Riding Horizons changed me, even at 10 years old.
First trip we started off-site, once he saw the Contemporary, he moved us over there!

I got older and was "cool". My Dad kept dragging my mom to Disney all through the 90's, staying at Grand Floridian. At the time he says it was the nicest hotel he ever stayed at.

Then I met Micky, who grew up on Disneyland, and in 2000, we went to WDW together. My first time back since 83 and his first time period. It so happened it was when Illuminations debuted. We were hooked once again. The minute I walked on Spaceship Earth, I actually started to cry at 27.
Then my dad saw Illuminations and kept going on about how amazing the globe was.

My dad is still kicking at 83, but my mom can't make it to the parks anymore.

There is nothing that WDW can do that cheapens my memories of my dad and nothing that can cheapen the joy I still feel when I go, the connection to my dad.

I am not ready to say goodbye to WDW. We will be visiting again this month with some of my siblings who also have the bug thanks to Dad. And we will celebrate our 50th b-days there in October 2023.

WDW is one of the best gifts given to me in my life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

 

[StarWarsGirl]

This may sound cliche, but I honestly can't imagine my life without WDW in it. It started with my parents. My dad went as a kid in 1972. His family didn't have a lot of money, so he showed Disney movies in his basement to raise money towards a family vacation, in addition to saving from his newspaper route. He loved it so much that he went again in the 80s once Epcot opened. My mom went once as a kid in the 70s.

They went for their first anniversary in 1986 and started going every year. My first trip was when I was five months old. Pretty sure that trip was not for me. My parents held up a bunch of plushies for me to choose on that trip, and I chose Dumbo, and Dumbo is still one of my favorite characters to this day.

My parents were smart and bought into DVC when Boardwalk Villas opened. They later bought into BCV and BLT.

I had so many firsts at WDW. I lost my first tooth at AK. My first rollercoaster was Goofy's Barnstormer, and my first upside down rollercoaster was Rock 'n' Rollercoaster. I took my first trip as an adult without my parents to WDW when I was 18.

I'm definitely what you'd call a Disney adult thanks to many years of Disney trips. Even when I'm dressed for work, I usually have something understated Disney on me (usually my earrings or rings). My mother is the same way, so like mother like daughter, I guess. My cats are even named after Disney princesses.

I think one of the hardest things for me during the pandemic was when WDW had to shut down. There's something comforting about knowing even when I'm not there that it's still bringing joy to others. I love going with friends, especially first timers, and showing them around. The amazement on their faces is so worth it.

I'm very fortunate because I still have a good relationship with my parents, so I still travel with them to WDW. I hope to for many years, maybe someday I'll find a partner who loves it as much as I do.

Happy Anniversary WDW!

 

[JIMINYCR]

We always go to MK as our first park of our trip, so at the first step I take onto Main St and see the Castle I stop and pray a prayer of thanksgiving that Walt started all this. To me and my family it means having days away from work and responsibilities and every day life. It allows us to relax, enjoy each other and be at peace away from all life’s distractions. Irreplaceable moments and memories that can never be taken away will only grow more and more in the years to come. As Disney changed we changed with it welcoming better attractions and entertainment drawing us back. Thanks Disney for allowing me and my family to have some of those 50 years with you.

 

[belledream]

I have two ‘eras’ of Disney memories. The childhood one where my parents treated us to the time of our lives every year. I could go on and on about what it was that captivated me about Disney, but what really gets me emotional about this time is thinking about our last trip as family… knowing my parents were heading toward divorce. Sometimes, it just felt like things hadn’t changed. But of course, they did, and after that, I didn’t really know if Disney would ever be part of my life again.

But I found my person. And we went on eight straight years of WDW trips, dusk til dawn, 3AM EMHs, exploring every nook and cranny, and eating all. the. food. It was a whole new world and it was magnificent.

We took our son on his first trip in 2019 and though none of the things listed above occurred, it was truly the happiest time. We couldn’t wait to bring his sister on her first trip this year, but that did not happen. It’s been so hard. I don’t like missing out on this time in their lives, especially with the loss of some things I was hoping to share with them. But that is what this is - a third era. One that, when are fortunate enough to return, will be the most magical of all. Because Disney has always been about who I share it with. I feel so lucky to have my own little family now. I can’t wait to see those little faces filled with wonderment.

Happy 50th Birthday to the place that has brought so much love to my life!

 

[mattpeto]

I don’t have the history that most you do here. I never went as a kid…(Family of 6 from NJ, 3 sons, it just really was never in the cards...)

Going for the first-time in 2008 with my wife, I was just amazed at everything Disney World was about…the sights, the sounds, the entertainment, the parades and nighttime Spectaculars, the cleanliness, the safety, the Bubble, the characters, the dining and of course the attractions. I knew WDW was the gold standard for "amusement parks like Great Adventure", but I came away finally understanding the Magic of it all...

We hit the pause button on all traveling until we felt our second daughter was old enough in 2018. Watching my little girls' eyes light up seeing CC for the first time, or even talking to Elsa or Jessie are moments I still look back in photos and tear up over. Experiencing the snow on Main Street at the MVMCP and the parade/fireworks made that trip more memorable.

The trip in Feb 2020 with my 70+ year old parents, who might have spent two half days at WDW 15 years ago, were absolutely floored on how much fun they had. They thought they were coming down to watch their grandchildren get on rides, but little did they know. My Mom later said it was her favorite vacation of all-time. My Dad and I had adventures as well, doing the early morning BW walk getting a Rise BG and then him beating me in TSM have all the feels….Not to leave out the fun with my wife and daughters, just an epic time. (We are working on a big trip back with the extended fam…)

Pre-pandemic Disney was just bonkers good. I know for some of you, the golden age was in 1971, or in the 80s or 90s, but I never knew those days. While I feel like I might have missed classic Epcot or a few extinct attractions (I did experience both TGMR and RoE in 2008, thankfully), what I knew of the modern day WDW was awesome enough for me.

And then in July 2020 when WDW reopened, it felt like a shell of itself and for good reason (safety was priority #1). But I’m a big dreamer and an optimist. I kept believing that we will get closer to pre-pandemic WDW. Out of the passion, I eventually landed on creating the Disney Comeback Index. I didn’t create it to show what WDW lacked, no it was meant for showing a real-time progress bar of my favorite place away from home.

Just a few weeks ago, my immediate family did a trip to watch Happily Ever After before it twinkles away. (Still hoping it Twinkles back). Also did our first AH/Boo Bash party (loved it!). HEA always felt like it was the exclamation on life returning back to normal whenever it returned. Of course, that’s not the case, but we are getting there one day at a time.

While we weren't there on 10/1 this year, we will be back for the anniversary celebration with a larger group and hope to even see more things restored (M&G, Parades, Dining Plan etc.)

Sidenote: In April 2005, my wife and I got engaged. She worked on marriage dates and we ended up marrying on Sunday, 10/1/2006. Little did she know that our own anniversary (15th on 10/1/2021) would be connected to another anniversary (50th) that would both matter so greatly to us.

EDIT: I'll add some images to this post when I get around to it...

 

[mikejs78]

Thanks for putting this together @ToTBellHop - with all the negativity over the past few days it's kind of nice to have something positive out there.

Like another poster above, you can kind of divide my Disney trips into three phases. My parents had honeymooned in Disney in 1975-, they stated an off-site hotel but had a blast. But while they were there my dad saw the hotels on site and his dream was to stay there one day. Fast forward 13 years and he finally was able to take us all when I was 10 in 1988, and we were lucky enough to stay at the Poly.

That first trip was so impactful for me. Classic Epcot center really had an impact on my eventual career choice as it got me excited about technology and what it could be in the future.

We went again as a family in 1990 (and experienced MGM for the first time) and again in 1992. After that, we kept saying we were going to do another trip but it just never came together again. My dad passed away in 2002 without ever going back. During his illness, we all kept talking about going back when he got better, but sadly it was never to be.

Two years later I married my DW and we decided to honeymoon in WDW - we booked a standard room at the Grand Floridian for a week, knowing very little about what Disney had to offer other than the parks. In a bit of Disney magic, we were upgraded to a room overlooking Cinderella Castle where we watched Wishes from our balcony on multiple nights. We also discovered how awesome World Showcase is - and spent many an evening there just walking the countries, sampling food and drink, taking in the entertainment and ambiance and discovered RoE for the first time.

That effectively began phase 2 of my Disney life - we went a bunch of times between 2004 and 2010, just the two of us, exploring Disney as adults and enjoying the food and entertainment as well as the theme parks.

As we started to expand our family we took a break for a number of years, and returned again in 2018 for the first time with our two boys, and again in 2019. Seeing the magic through their eyes brought me full circle and made me realize what it must have felt like for my dad when we went as kids. The fun factor of WDW really does become magical when you see it through your children's eyes, and our two family trips have been the most enjoyable vacations we have been on.

COVID cancelled a 2020 trip (and a 2021 trip that we had scheduled), but now we have a room and flights booked for April of 2022 - and I can't wait to get back to our family happy place and experience WDW again with two slightly older boys.

Happy 50th Disney World. You'll always remind me of my dad and have provided so much joy to me and my family over the years.

 

[SteveAZee]

I first visited in 1973 as a thirteen year old boy having only been to a local amusement park in NY up until then. I was amazed and impressed.

I have been dozens of times over the years. In that time I've gone through many ups and downs personally, moved through different states in the US and called many places home. Careers have come and gone. Friends made and lost. Despite all the grievances over how Disney has changed or gone downhill or whatever, it's been a pretty reliable constant in a life full of change.

I'm in the striped shorts.

 

[Jrb1979]

I appreciate all your stories and does help me understand your love. I don't have those memories with Disney. I went once when I was a child and don't remember much. When I went back about 7 years ago with my nieces it was nice but didn't blow me away. Part of it is that when I did go back to Disney 7 years ago I had been to Cedar Point a few times before that. The memories and being blown away by the boundaries they push with coasters amazed me.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I love WDW since I drove onto World Drive in February of 1983. We had saved and planned for more then just Disney, it was about a 1500 mile road trip one way so we had the trip itself an adventure and WDW was just one stop on it. We didn't know how long it would be energy wise, so we planned to leave Vermont on Friday late afternoon and drive to Albany, NY and stay there overnight. That was a good choice because I had been working all day and we only did that to get that much done since we were going to do nothing the rest of the evening anyway. We were all packed! I was tired and had a headache and all I could think about was how far we had to go. Albany used up 10% of it. I didn't sleep well that night at all. The next morning we headed toward our next stop which was Richmond. Virginia. Getting out of Vermont in February was part of the motivation so the further south we went on a bright and sunny day the better I felt. We stopped in our target location and the next morning (another nice one) we headed out to our next stop just before the Georgia border. Yea, I know way to many stops, but the next day we detoured to Daytona Beach and drove on the beach stopped for a short time and continue onto I-4 next stop was our hotel on 192. The next morning we had breakfast at McDonalds and headed to the World Drive Entrance to WDW. The first thing we noticed was the landscaping, the signage and the radio connection that told us were to be to get to MK or EPCOT. That impressed me no end and when we got to the parking lot and saw how organized and smooth that process was it just set in deeper. The tram ride with the guide repeating over and over what lane we were in and making us repeat it stuck permanently in my mind. Remember that was before cell phones and digital cameras. (btw Goofy 24). We took the Monorail in which for us Vermonters was like traveling in the future but entering MK just floored all of us. My kids at the time were just 6 and 8.

I knew walking in that we were going to come again quite regularly. We tried Epcot, but there was to little to see at that time and the lines were way to long. Instead we hopped back in the car and drove over to the Kennedy Space Center which was equally impressive. After a couple more days we headed back up north via Rte 27 and made a stop at Silver Springs, then up to DC where we took a guided tour of Washington, the monuments, museums and Ford Theater before heading back up to the cold of Vermont.

I had been to Europe, many places in Canada, Japan and Vietnam and up to that point nothing spoke to me like WDW. Over the years we took a number of family trips there, I escorted a number of physically and mentally challenged men there over about 6 years and after my kids were grown and married and my wife and I had parted ways, I made almost yearly trips to the place as a solo. In the middle of those solo years I sponsored a trip for my girls, their husbands and my grandkids on a family trip staying in an offsite villa. I did that for a specific number of reasons. 1st.. I always wanted to do something like that and had saved up over many years to do it. 2nd... The first decade of our travel, I was not able to afford a lot and we always had to budget carefully and therefore had to cut out a lot of expenses so I just wanted to make it up to my girls. My oldest girl had requested a trip to WDW for her honeymoon, so that was our gift to her and her husband. Her anniversary is tomorrow, so that would be 24 years ago.

My regret is that although they liked WDW they never caught the fever that I did. I tried to come up with multiple ways to get myself involved with WDW. One was to take a course to become a Travel Agent and the other was trying to devise a way to organize an open house someplace in Vermont to have adults come to and listen to me tell them about how WDW was indeed not just for kids. Remember this was long before the internet and vlogs. Never heard from them about that, so I eventually gave up. In 2005 I went to the 50th at Disneyland and in 2015 I visited Disneyland Paris. I just turned 73 years old a few months ago and my health is not lending itself to going anymore on a regular basis. My last trip was in September 2019 and that required a scooter for me to get around. But WDW was so much a part of my adult life that I cannot even image having a life that didn't include it. I'm hoping that when this Pandemic finally gives up my health my allow me to go one more time. Amazingly to me my kids have not gone there more then 3 times in the last 20 years and one of those was the family trip. I guess they were not as impressed as I was.

 

[Goofyernmost]

This first one was with me and my girls in 1983 having lunch at Pinocchio Village Haus. If you look closely they sandwiches we purchased there came in the cellophane wrapper just like at gas stations.

This was in 2008 on our family vacation. The two young ladies (dark blue blouse and the light blue blouse), their kids and husbands along with my sister and her son.

 

[vikescaper]

I have a lot of great WDW memories! As a kid in the 80’s I don’t remember my first time there but there are bits and pieces that I do remember. My family would split time between the beach and WDW while on vacation and we stayed at the Polynesian and Contemporary a couple times. I remember the corridor in the garden wing at the Contemporary and of course the monorail. I loved the monorail so much as a kid (still do but wish they would get new ones) and wanted to be a monorail pilot when grew up. I didn’t like the roller coasters so my grandparents would take me on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or the Peoplemover while my parents went on Space or Big Thunder with my sister. I also remember winning one of those light up visors that was given away for the 15th anniversary and almost losing it while riding in a water sprite with one of my parents. I loved EPCOT Center and my family still tells me to this day that they were shocked that I loved the park so much.

In the 90’s, we started to vacation primarily at WDW and stayed at Port Orleans Riverside a couple times. My aunt and cousins also came down a few times so it was fun introducing them to WDW. Later, my family came on some hard times as my dad was diagnosed with a terminal illness but still turned to WDW for fun. I remember doing the Backstage Magic tour with him and we both had such a great time.

In 2009, we all moved to Florida and became passholders. Since then, we have had numerous great memories. Whether it was doing a dessert party or waking up at 3 am so my sister and could drive over to DHS to attempt to get a boarding group for ROTR. I may criticize the direction the parks seem to be headed in, but WDW will always be my and my family’s happy place!