What's your fondest memory of WDW?

[SamandplanningUK]

I was just remembering my absolute favourite memory of visiting WDW and wondered what it is for others?

For me there is so many:

1. Seeing the joy on my sons face after he rode Big Thunder Mountain for the first time (he was terrified of coasters so this was a BIG deal for him as his younger sister had been teasing him about it for ages!)
2. My husbands excitement when the lions roared when we went past on Killi safari's, a very special thing to witness.
3. My daughter and I trying to outrun the storm by jumping on the monorail from MK to Epcot only to get stuck in the monorail station hiding behind a pylon to avoid the driving wind and rain, we made a sprint for it into the closest shop to grab ponchos and the cast members applauded! So funny....
4. A cast member giving us a wonderful magic moment at PO Riverside when we went to pay for our meal and she treated us to it (or Mickey did!) we were absolutely shocked and so grateful.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Our daughter’s first trip…they were 4 & 6…when we came out from under the train tunnel on Main St. and they saw Cinderella Castle for the first time…the look of awe on their faces! I wish we would’ve taken those pictures!!
I tell EVERY parent taking their kids for the first time to have one adult go ahead and plan that photo…it will remain etched with you forever!!!

 

[Vacationeer]

We took our son around age 11 for his first real trip (he went once as a toddler).

Last day of trip we’re doing half a park day. Toward the end we check our flight. Delayed 3 hours. It was like we won the lottery. 3 more hours of WDW! We’re all hugging and there’s a tear in my son’s and husband’s eye. So happy this is not ending yet. We were hooked.

Still my favorite moment of all.

 

[John park hopper]

Told our two young sons we were driving to their aunts house in FL for a visit (driving from SC). We were able to keep them distracted the whole time as we drove to EPOCT parking lot. We were able to park so you could see Spaceship Earth, when they finally saw where we were they screamed "We're at Disney World" ---it was priceless.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

My other great Disney story…wife and DD1 ran out of gas, MK was open until 2 (remember those nights?) DD2 and I went and were able to ride EVERYTHING in the park from 8 to 2. We stopped by Casey’s to watch (I think a version of HEA), and we met a young couple from Texas on the first trip on their first night. They had a young daughter of about 5 who was in awe at the fireworks and show.
We told her to look out for Tinkerbell to fly…sure enough after about 5 minutes, Tink made her flight, and as we looked at the girl, a single tear was running down her cheek…needless to say, tears flowed with her parents AND my DD & I…THAT’S the MAGIC OF DISNEY…an AWESOME night for all of us!

 

[Sunni9998]

Being able to spend many trips there with my DH, DD and my mom and dad before my mom passed away. I will always treasure those moments and memories we had with her.

Second would have to be getting stuck at BLT during hurricane Ian. It was myself, DH, DD, DD friend and dear friends of our from camp staying two doors down the hall. We went to Disney Springs the day before the hurricane was supposed to hit, grabbed puzzles, legos. We stopped at Walmart and grabbed some snacks. We made the best of an unexpected situation and had a great time!

 

[John park hopper]

Another story took our 2 sons to WDW and bought both a Mickey lolly pop back then they were much bigger than now. Son # 2 ate his in no time son #1 saved his I mean saved his brought it home and put it in the freezer (he was 8yrs old now 42) he still has it in the freezer. shrunk some over the years. Years later had a business meeting outside WDW got him a Mickey lolly pop as a joke --guess where that one is --in the freezer.

 

[SyracuseDisneyFan]

In 2014, seeing the Cinderella Castle show, Celebrate The Magic, for the first time.

 

[eliza61nyc]

Oh sweet baby Jesus, you want just one? Lol. My youngest son Josh, has always been a full on animal lover, our first trip he couldn't wait to get to animal kingdom . Lol when we got through the gates the boy just threw his head back and started laughing. He had this look on his face as of to say "Yes, heaven is real"

 

[SamandplanningUK]

Oh sweet baby Jesus, you want just one? Lol. My youngest son Josh, has always been a full on animal lover, our first trip he couldn't wait to get to animal kingdom . Lol when we got through the gates the boy just threw his head back and started laughing. He had this look on his face as of to say "Yes, heaven is real"View attachment 712190

That's such a great reaction!

 

[TheIndoorKid]

First visit in 1994. I was 6 or 7 years old and for some reason animatronics freaked me out. It was our first family trip and I did NOT want to go on PotC. I was standing outside the entrance crying and throwing a fit. A CM came up and asked if everything was ok. My dad told him I didn't want to go on the ride because I was scared. The CM said he could help. He took me by the hand into the gift shop, took one of those pirate rifles off the shelf, and handed it to me. He told me to take it on the ride and if I ever got scared, use it to shoot the pirates. We got up to the counter and he took out his own wallet and paid for it himself.

And ya know, it worked. I got on the ride and I shot at those pirates. I 100% looked like the kid at the end of Old Yeller, but I was on the ride. After the ride, my dad went to thank the CM and give the gun back and the CM was like "No, that's yours to keep" I train for a customer service job and I always use that story as an example of amazing customer service.

 

[Br0ckford]

So many different ones. Riding If You Had Wings over and over with my sister when we were kids. Getting lost and being taken to security while waiting for my parents when I was 8. Got so many treats from cast members.
But my favorite was the first time I took my son when he was 5. We rode the Barnstormer. He was so scared but bravely went on. After we asked how he liked it and he said it was fast and on the Edge. Same trip he was selected for Jedi Training, back before you had to sign up. He was fighting Vader and got in an extra hit at the end. The head jedi even congratulated him for getting an extra hit in on the dark side.

 

[Mireille]

I'm usually a solo traveler these days, I love going to WDW for vacations alone! If you've never done it and aren't uncomfortable doing things alone, I highly recommend it! But last year, I took my mom for a weeklong trip. My mom and I have gone through some rough times but have gotten close again over the past couple years, and I was able to treat her to a WDW vacation last October, staying at AoA. The last time she had been to WDW was 1987 so it was almost like her first trip. Honestly, just being able to treat my mom to a trip was a highlight for me. Even at 70 she kept up with me almost the entire time except for one afternoon after we spent the morning at Disney Springs and she went back to the room while I headed over to MK and then hopped over to Epcot. But the funniest moment was going to "It's Tough to Be a Bug" and seeing her reaction when the seats started "stinging" her!

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

My favorite was a trip with both my grown kids and the grandkids plus meeting 2 friends. We had a total of 11 minus the 2 others. It was amazing watching the grandkids have such a fantastic time filled with awe and happiness. There were so many of these instances that I can't post them. We never took another big family trip since, but I will always cherish that one with family, which is what it's all about

 

[Goofyernmost]

1. Our first trip to WDW. My girls were 7 and 9. It was a perfect vacation. No problems and we came home with a couple hundred dollars.

2. On that same trip after seeing the Carousel of Progress, both my girls and myself had memorized "Now is the best time of your life" theme and sang it a lot of the way back home from Florida to Vermont. Drove my wife crazy.

3. In one of my solo trips I went to the Kennedy Space Center and went to the Imax Movie called "Big Blue Marble". I sat next to a family that had just gotten off the Big Red Boat. Disney's connection at the time, and were just off the boat killing time. They had a little girl, I'd say about 5 years old. I asked her about her time on the boat and she excitedly told me all the fun things she could remember. Then the movie started and within minutes I felt a pressure on my arm and it was a very sleepy young lady that had fallen asleep leaning on me. Her parents were all concerned about me being upset, but it had been a long time since my girls had grown up and brought back so many memories. I told you that to tell you this. About three days later while at WDW, I was somewhere near Splash Mtn. when she saw me and started yelling to get my attention and run to me and gave me the biggest hug.

4. That story made me remember taking the bus back to the parking area after being at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. I was sitting on the bench type seat at the back of the bus when a young boy sitting next to me fell asleep leaning against my arm.

I guess a lot of my favorite memories involved my being so exciting that I put young kids to sleep instantly.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

It's really difficult to pick just one. While I've been visiting since the mid 80s and have had a number of trips with family, friends, and my husband, it's the kid trips that we started back in 2010 that have been the most magical. Yes, taking them to BBB several times, a plethora of character meals and meet and greets, fireworks and parades, and great times on attractions would probably fill a small book. That being said, these two moments are at the top of my list.

1. December 2010 - Our girls' first trip: The older one was 4, the younger one was 2, and after a long cranky flight, DME ride, and 45 minutes to check in...we were finally on the boat from WL to MK. It was about 38 degrees out, so we were staying inside as long as possible. I was still able to capture that moment they both saw the castle for the first time. The younger one's pic turned out a bit better. I still hear that sweet little toddler voice in my mind saying "I see the CASTLE!"

2. Anyone who has been on here a while could probably tell you that a love a surprise. In 2011, we decided we'd surprise our older one with a 5th birthday trip to WDW (she turned 5 about 3 days into our visit). We made it a road trip to save some money. I was nervous because driving from TX to FL with a 2 year old and almost 5 year old takes a lot of preparation and patience. Mind you, neither one could really read at the time, so that helped keep the surprise, but we managed to get all the way from Houston to the Maingate without spoiling a thing. This video was taken right around 7am, so it was that mix of excitement and exhaustion. Watching this still gets me all happy and teary eyed to this day. My videography skills are awful, my timing was a hair off, and the crack in the windshield doesn't help, but I still love that we captured the moment.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

My first solo trip in 2004...I stayed at The Grosvenor Resort (Now Wyndham) at Downtown Disney and while it was my first trip I wasn't smart to bring decent shoes and had a big blister which was not fun...

I do recall it wasn't as busy as it had been. Epcot was still in the infancy of the Millennium celebration of 4 years in and the Wand and BAH were still there...Food prices were perfect for a solo traveler being under $12-$15. MNSSHP wasn't busy and I went as The Great Sayinman and this was also the party that many like myself saw Sora make an appearance at the party for the release of the Game Boy Advance version of the Kingdom Hearts games and never returned again...You may have seen these pics of me many of times since it was so scarce to see him.

But, my other favorite thing was spending sometime in Disneyquest and end my nights at The Adventurers Club. After which I would go to the McDonald's in The Marketplace and grab a meal when it was open past 2am... I would love to have another time like this once again....But, I have the memories at least...

 

[Ricky Spanish]

My daughter’s Make a Wish trip in 2004.

 

[vikescaper]

One memory that always sticks with me was the time my sister and I grabbed dessert at Hollywood and Vine (it was cafeteria service at the time). We took our dessert outside and sat and watched the crowds pass by. This was also when our parents started to let my sister and me run around the parks without them.

 

[Weather_Lady]

THIS. I know I've talked about this memory here before. My mother loved Disney World, and on what turned out to be her last trip there before she died, she and my Dad spontaneously slow-danced to the music of the Magic Kingdom Fireworks show (whatever it would have been in April 2005), while the fireworks burst overhead and my husband and me, and my sister and brother-in-law (all newlyweds), looked on, probably not fully appreciating the master class in loving marriage that was being presented to us.

Every time I've passed by that spot on the walkway to Tomorrowland since, I take a second look, half expecting, and wishing with all my heart, to see her dancing there again.