What's your fondest memory of WDW?

eliza61nyc

Well-Known Member
THIS. 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, 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.

View attachment 712288
OMG, I love this! and she's now watching you in wdw. Keep taking your second look.
 

happymom25

Active Member
My mom planned a trip for our family right after I got married so we went with my parents and my sister and her DH. We were in our early twenties and I never knew Disney could be so much fun as an adult. My mom did all the research and kept saying we got “extra magic” so we would stay in MK till 2 AM and it became a running joke among a bunch of exhausted adults who didn’t know anything about extra magic hours. “They’re closing!” “We’re not going back to the resort yet! We get extra magic!”

I remember standing in HS with her and laughing hysterically at the Citizens while they did a street performance. One or two of the ladies saw us and they were struggling to stay in character as they started laughing too.

We got home from the trip and found out that week that my mom had stage four breast cancer. It’s the last place where we were all happy together and the last time that I was still a child. I grew up after that trip and we said goodbye to our precious mom. I have a photo of her walking across the boardwalk while the sun is setting…she was so full of energy and always leading our pack…so she was up ahead. I called to her and she turned around smiling at me when I snapped the photo. It’s how I remember her.

I love bringing my kids now. The joy on their faces the first time we went is something I won’t forget. During the fireworks my then 8 year old son leaned over, hugged me and said with a huge smile, “Thank you for bringing us here!”

We don’t get to go as often as I wish we could, but it’s something we make happen because of the memories in our hearts and the new ones we make each trip. For a few moments as I float through Pirates and sing “Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me” I’m a 6 year old on my first trip, and a 24 year old sitting next to my mom, and a young mom with a scared little one in my lap, and an older mom with big kids and teens who still think it’s fun to sit next to me on rides. I think we’re doing exactly what Walt envisioned when he created Disneyland and Disney World.
 

SamandplanningUK

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
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.

View attachment 712288

My mom planned a trip for our family right after I got married so we went with my parents and my sister and her DH. We were in our early twenties and I never knew Disney could be so much fun as an adult. My mom did all the research and kept saying we got “extra magic” so we would stay in MK till 2 AM and it became a running joke among a bunch of exhausted adults who didn’t know anything about extra magic hours. “They’re closing!” “We’re not going back to the resort yet! We get extra magic!”

I remember standing in HS with her and laughing hysterically at the Citizens while they did a street performance. One or two of the ladies saw us and they were struggling to stay in character as they started laughing too.

We got home from the trip and found out that week that my mom had stage four breast cancer. It’s the last place where we were all happy together and the last time that I was still a child. I grew up after that trip and we said goodbye to our precious mom. I have a photo of her walking across the boardwalk while the sun is setting…she was so full of energy and always leading our pack…so she was up ahead. I called to her and she turned around smiling at me when I snapped the photo. It’s how I remember her.

I love bringing my kids now. The joy on their faces the first time we went is something I won’t forget. During the fireworks my then 8 year old son leaned over, hugged me and said with a huge smile, “Thank you for bringing us here!”

We don’t get to go as often as I wish we could, but it’s something we make happen because of the memories in our hearts and the new ones we make each trip. For a few moments as I float through Pirates and sing “Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me” I’m a 6 year old on my first trip, and a 24 year old sitting next to my mom, and a young mom with a scared little one in my lap, and an older mom with big kids and teens who still think it’s fun to sit next to me on rides. I think we’re doing exactly what Walt envisioned when he created Disneyland and Disney World.

The memories of those no longer with us are so moving and beautiful, thank you so much for sharing
 

Tk0021

Active Member
This is hard for me. We have been four times with my kids and I want to say it was the first time we went when they were 5 and 3, but we went last Christmas and my now 10 year old, first time 3 year old, really doesn’t remember much of our first three trips and this time was like her first time and it was fun to experience it with her. Since she is 10 she can really express how she feels when seeing and experiencing things. Being next to the castle, eating at BOG, hugging Donald, etc…..
 

wdw2011por

Active Member
My daughter’s Make a Wish trip in 2004.
Same! My daughter got a Make-a-Wish trip in January 2020 and it was fantastic. So many memories from that trip, but her face when she saw the castle was priceless!
Also, on our family's first trip in 2011 we walked into the Magic Kingdom (first day, first park, first time at WDW) and were handed fastpasses (back when they had paper fastpasses) to Big Thunder by a family leaving for the day. We got right on Big Thunder within minutes of entering the park midday. Thought that was a nice gesture so we did the same for others every time we left the park in the middle of the day.
 

WarEagle77

New Member
We've been able to go to DW for 20 of the last 21 years (Covid shut the world down in 2020 about a week before we were supposed to go). Through the years we've been able to have several memories that would be listed as favorites

1. My oldest daughter (almost 20 yrs old now) taking some of her first steps at Animal Kingdom with Mickey holding her hand in Camp Minnie Mickey. This was back when the characters could interact physically a lot more than now. Same trip.....Pooh just sat down on the ground with my daughter in his lap and her just laughing up a storm.
2. Waiting to go into MK and a Disney Cast Member just coming up and starting a conversation with us. After about 20 mins of talking about everything in the world, he invited us to be the Family of the Day at MK and we got to ride in the parade in the lead car, had our own photographer assigned to us, and they gave us 20 FastPasses for the day to use on any ride. Got our own Mickey ears with our names on them. I know this happens most everyday but it was nice to be the ones that got picked
3. The look on both of my Daughter's faces when I got picked to be "That Guy" in the Monsters Inc Laugh Factory
4. Standing in front of the castle each year with my wife and girls watching the fireworks over the castle (WISHES was the best version in our opinion). It means a little more to me each year as my girls get older (19 and 14) and I know the time is coming when we all won't be there together because they will have a family of their own and life/timing gets in the way. This year was already affected due to my oldest playing softball in college and having games when we would normally be there. But we will be there in 18 days!
5. My oldest trying to get to the ducks that hang out in front of the castle in MK. Her head was just small enough to fit between the bars of the fencing/railing and she got "stuck" I got her out pretty easily but there was a gentlemen standing there beside us, who we didn't know, and he went into pure panic mode when he thought she was really stuck. Me and my wife laugh every time we think of it because of his reaction.


Yes Disney has lost some or a lot of the magic that it once had. Stuff is WAY more expensive than it used to be and that cuts into what peoples plans are just like it does ours. One of these days our trips will stop. Either by life or by $$$ or by our choice that DW just isn't for us anymore. But until then, we will make our family trip every year and see if we can't put some more memories on the board.
 

Nottamus

Well-Known Member
Our first trip (Coronado Springs ) we visited AKL and my wife loved it there
“Someday”.

Second trip (Pop Century) - we visited AKL a few times - “someday”

While there- she was out getting something from the lobby and I called to get a Bounce back offer. I told her it was for Coronado again- but I secretly booked AKL Jambo.

When she got back and I told her- she didn’t believe me at first. But she was super happy!
 

SamandplanningUK

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Our first trip (Coronado Springs ) we visited AKL and my wife loved it there
“Someday”.

Second trip (Pop Century) - we visited AKL a few times - “someday”

While there- she was out getting something from the lobby and I called to get a Bounce back offer. I told her it was for Coronado again- but I secretly booked AKL Jambo.

When she got back and I told her- she didn’t believe me at first. But she was super happy!

That's so lovely of you! Have you had your stay there now?
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Our first trip (Coronado Springs ) we visited AKL and my wife loved it there
“Someday”.

Second trip (Pop Century) - we visited AKL a few times - “someday”

While there- she was out getting something from the lobby and I called to get a Bounce back offer. I told her it was for Coronado again- but I secretly booked AKL Jambo.

When she got back and I told her- she didn’t believe me at first. But she was super happy!
…the best constructed Disney hotel ever.
 

Smiley/OCD

Well-Known Member
About 15 years ago, my wife bought me a phenomenal birthday present…the now discontinued “Around the World at Epcot” tour in a Segway!
There was a group of about 10 and started at 8:30 with an indoor class on the operation…starting, stopping, steering & just getting off and on. Once we “mastered” those skills, it was out into the closed WS with a tour guide as we visited each country with some background information at each stop. We rode back on the now open Innoventions, dodging guests to drop off our Segways and receive our special pins…
An AWESOME tour and birthday gift!!
 

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Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
About 15 years ago, my wife bought me a phenomenal birthday present…the now discontinued “Around the World at Epcot” tour in a Segway!
There was a group of about 10 and started at 8:30 with an indoor class on the operation…starting, stopping, steering & just getting off and on. Once we “mastered” those skills, it was out into the closed WS with a tour guide as we visited each country with some background information at each stop. We rode back on the now open Innoventions, dodging guests to drop off our Segways and receive our special pins…
An AWESOME tour and birthday gift!!
…those were pretty fun
 

HauntedPirate

Park nostalgist
Premium Member
Off the top of my head...

  • Riding Space Mountain 18 times in a row in 1991
  • The wonder and awe and inspiration I felt in Future World in the 80's, particularly at Horizons, SSE, and Communicore
  • Being able to arrange to have my dad be the Veteran of the Day at MK for the 5pm flag ceremony on the last day of what was my last trip there with him
 

StantonZ

Active Member
Great thread! There's so many, we moved here (just recently), but a few favorites:
1) Getting to see the "underside" (I believe it was the final scene) in the Carousel of Progress...which was partially responsible for me eventually becoming an engineer
2) Walking into EPCOT for the first time with my parents; I am still in awe of SSE
3) Taking a picture in front of SSE with my own family (over 20 years later)
4) Riding Space Mountain twice in a row (through a secret passage!) at park closing with my kids
5) Same thing for Big Thunder Railroad...but having the CM tell us to "sit tight for another ride"
6) Being chosen as the "family of the day" in Hollywood studios--which included "go to the head of the line" rides on ToT and RnRC--and being awarded a certificate which is now part of a scrapbook album my wife created in memory of our trip. I'm pretty sure we weren't the only "family of the day" that day, but we think it was some sort of marketing test for the "year of a thousand dreams" (or whatever that was) that followed.
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
Off the top of my head...

  • Riding Space Mountain 18 times in a row in 1991
  • The wonder and awe and inspiration I felt in Future World in the 80's, particularly at Horizons, SSE, and Communicore
  • Being able to arrange to have my dad be the Veteran of the Day at MK for the 5pm flag ceremony on the last day of what was my last trip there with him
…so you have severe, irreparable brain damage?

…splains alot 👍🏻
 

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