Which decade did you first visit WDW?

[Goofyernmost]

March of 1991 for me. First time on a plane as well. Loved it. I swore up and down to my mother that the Presidents in HOP were real men. I was 10 and a half, so, you know.

Loved Thunder Mountain. Splash Mountain would have been being built at that time. We missed all of Mickey's Toontown though for some reason. Loved the Carousel of Progress as well. Don't remember going on Tom Sawyer Island either. The first ride we ever went on was Small World. I also remember loving Pirates the best then as well. Talked to an elderly couple from France (I spoke very good french then) while in the line up for the Skyway and they told me about how Disneyland was opening up there next year.

I had a full grown employee that had his honeymoon in WDW. Until I told him, he thought that they were live actors as well. So age has nothing to do with it. I think it depends on where one is sitting. The further away the more real they seem. One of Disney "gotcha" tricks.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

I had a full grown employee that had his honeymoon in WDW. Until I told him, he thought that they were live actors as well. So age has nothing to do with it. I think it depends on where one is sitting. The further away the more real they seem. One of Disney "gotcha" tricks.

I love Hall of Presidents, and the first time our kids went to WDW it was 2017 and it was right after Thanksgiving. For some boneheaded reason I thought it might be a lighter crowd, but the Christmas season is now quite busy. Anyway, so we never saw Hall of Presidents that year. However in 2018 we went in October. I love that show, so I was prepared for our three kids to maybe be bored during the 22 minute show. They weren't. Maybe it was the big theatre, the big curtains or the animatronics, but they loved it. And like me they thought it was real men up there.

 

[JIMINYCR]

First visit in person was 1995.... but my mind, spirit, soul, being, imagination, desire was there much earlier. The first time Walt showed me his plans/ creation on TV, I knew I'd make it there someday, somehow. Sadly it took more years to get there than I had planned.

 

[Fsunolekrw]

First time was the 70’s but I don’t remember it (born in ‘77). Parents have pictures of me in a stroller. Growing up only 2 hours from Orlando was blessed to go multiple times growing up.

First memories were from the early ‘80’s.
MK original POTC with the parrot out front, Big Thunder, even remember my first Dole Whip. Loved riding the monorail. Went to Rivercountry a few times and Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach after they opened.

Went to EPCOT the year it opened. Remember seeing Horizons under construction and thinking that is a cool looking building. Came back a year later and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Remember when The Living Seas was just an empty plot of land with a sign in front of it saying “coming soon.” As a kid didn’t care for WS. Thought they should have made 2 FWs instead. Now I love the WS.

Went to MGM opening year. Thought it was so cool seeing behind the scenes how movies were made, original backlot tour, the sound effects stage show with Chevy Chase. Remember when Star Tours was added.

Was in college when Animal Kingdom was built. Didn’t make it to the park until 2013. Have been multiple times now.

Now that I have a little one we go with my parents every year at Christmas. Love seeing my son see everything for the first time just like I did 30 and 40 years ago.

 

[jeanericuser001]

1979 I was a mere baby but my parents wanted to do something fun. They liked it so much it became a tradition for decades.

 

[buckeyegator]

senior year of high school, 1973, back in the day of e-ticket rides, most on here probablly have no idea.

 

[DisneyDelirious]

1981. Spaceship Earth was being constructed.

 

[Nottamus]

1998.

 

[Tom Morrow]

1994. I'm glad that year was my first visit because it was sort of the final year of classic Epcot.

 

[Lilofan]

Who remembers the powdered soap in the theme parks bathroom in the 1980s and 90s? It kept your hands clean and took a layer of skin off also.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Who remembers the powdered soap in the theme parks bathroom in the 1980s and 90s? It kept your hands clean and took a layer of skin off also.

For those that didn't know, that was removed during the anthrax scare after 9/11. It would have been easy to substitute anthrax for soap by someone with that sort of personality trait. That's one case where I think that the liquid was more expensive that the gravel that passed for soap before.

 

[blzrd8]

1980

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Spring 1984. I was just over a year old. We went every single year up until 1995. Parents got divorced so trips shifted to every couple years when my Mom could afford it. Since 2010 we have been back 2-3 times every year and even finally went to Disneyland for the first time in April 2014 (been 5 times now)

 

[Raxel7851]

1975. My brother and I drove down in a Pinto Station wagon and camped at FW. I think I still have a few ABCDE tickets stashed somewhere. Of course no E tickets, because they were the coolest rides.

 

[mergatroid]

70's

 

[marni1971]

One park. One mountain.

 

[ChubbyK]

No kidding! Wow.

Now that I would love to hear about. From what I have seen from opening day was the video where Julie Andrews and Bob Hope and such are involved. Glen Campbell as well, although I think that was pre-recorded. Elaborate a bit because that would have been neat to see. What rides/shows did you see that day?

My oldest brother and I drove 12 hours to get there...spent the night in the car...was with in the first 500 into the park

 

[SD449]

One park. One mountain.

View attachment 545106

Two sleeves....

 

[SD449]

Feeling embarrass to be the only 2010s atm

Sadly and unforgivably my parents never too us to wdw (we did do Paris though) so I made sure to take my DD when she 2, 3, 4 and more recently 9

Even then I can see how much has been lost, my personal biggest gripe is the 1st year we went we watched parades in HWS and AK now both long cut.

My daughter and wife keep harassing me to go back to “Disney” but I insist on seeing any other Disney park around the globe. Unfortunately when me daughter says “disney” she really means Orlando and wants to visit Universal as much if not more than WDW. So this makes it difficult to push Cali, Tokyo or even Paris because they dont have the Hagrid coaster

 

[draybook]

September 2008 was our first trip. I grew up going to DL until I moved away in 1991. From 91-08, nothing. One day, I was watching tv and that Visit California commercial came on and I saw the scene with Vanessa Williams, Mickey, and Minnie at DL. I told my wife I wanted to take the family(just the 4 of us at that time) to Disney, either out west or in Florida. She had only been once to WDW in 1983. So, we booked a September trip to celebrate our anniversary. Our two kids were 8 and 7 at that point. With the exception of 2010, we've been every year since then for a total of 26 or 27 times.