When was your first visit to Disney World?

[ReadytogotoWDW?]

January 1985. I was in 5th grade. I went with my Mom, Dad, and 2 older sisters. We stayed at Fort Wilderness. I remember the parks being empty and whenever the rides would finish, since there was no line, the CMs would ask if we wanted to stay on and ride again. I also remember being terrified of Space Mountain and my sister sat behind me trying to point out (or make up) constellations to make me feel better (it didn't work). :lol:

 

[wayneway]

13 years old in 1985, first park was EPCOT Center, still have souvenirs from the trip, one was a hologram necklace with green triangles in it from the Centorium and one of those things that have blue dots or bubbles that flow down a spiral platform then you turn it over to repeat...it still works.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm still picking myself up off the floor on this one....


My mom's ex, my step-dad who raised me, is over for a visit from Florida on his way to Houston for some surgery. Anywhoo, I grew up in the Orlando metro area. I think only vaguely remember him mentioning that years before he met my mom he had lived in Ft. Lauderdale. Sooooo, I just asked Dad the million-dollar-question: When was the first time you ever went to Walt Disney World?

His answer: "The first day."

I was like "First day of what?" I mean, surely it wasn't the first day as in THE opening day. I would know that. Right?

"The day they first opened the Magic Kingdom. We watched them for all that time building the thing, we wanted to go see it. It was the very first day that they ever opened it."

Opening Day! Sweet Holy heck! Opening-frickin'-day!!!! He said he and his ex drove in for opening day. I asked him what it was like and he said, "Terrible. Nothing worked. People were really mad. We stood in line for like 3 hours just to get into the park. I remember them offering people passes as they were leaving to come back in the future and we told them to stick-it because there was no need to come back to a place where nothing worked."

Crazy. He said he thinks he may have a picture of them standing in the lines waiting to get in. Whenever he gets back home I'll have to ask him to look for it for me.

Wow. Opening day. I never knew.... :hammer:

 

[eddiemcgarrigle]

1990, July. I was 19 and had no idea MGM was such a new park, total lack of knowledge on all things Disney other than wanting to visit. The bug bit hard and I go back whenever I can.

This was at a time when I-Drive was not nearly as built up as it is now, the Mercado was a thriving shopping area and the place was actually quiet. Too much noise and drunken behaviour from other tourists prompted me to stay at POFQ last year and that was certainly a blessing in disguise. Resorts all the way from that point on.

 

[PhoenixSpirit]

2002... I was nine. Really wish I lived closer, as in actually in the USA, would make it so much easier to visit more often

 

[sbkline]

Summer 1987. I was between 6th grade and 7th grade at the time. Dad has a sister in Jacksonville (Neptune Beach) and we went down to visit her. During the visit, Mom and Dad took my brother and I and our cousin for a couple days to Orlando. We did Epcot the first day and Magic Kingdom the second day.

 

[eddiemcgarrigle]

1991, July. I was 19 and had no idea MGM was such a new park, total lack of all things Disney other than wanting to visit.

This was at a time when I-Drive was not nearly as built up as it is now, the Mercado was a thriving shopping area and the place was actually quiet. Too much noise and drunken behaviour from other tourists prompted me to stay at POFQ last year and that was certainly a blessing in disguise. Resorts all the way from that point on.