Your First Memory As A Child....

[Chrononymous]

I was 13 when I first visited, and the first park we went to was Epcot.

My very first memory is how BIG everything was...how much space there was between the ticket counter...and the entrance...and how much walking there was before we got to an actual attraction.

I don't remember what the first attraction we saw was...but Journey into Imagination was the one I recall most vividly.

I was absolutely floored by the immersion, the genius, the effects, the music, pretty much EVERYTHING about the ride was so unlike anything I had ever seen before. The fountains outside, and the Imagewerks were also pretty darn cool. I wanted so badly to ride it again, but my friends parents (who I traveled there with) thought it was "too babyish" and didn't care to ride anything twice.

It captured my imagination like nothing else.
I desperately miss that experience.

I also have to say that on that first trip a lot of things were a bit overwhelming, and so I sort of lumped them together. For instance, at the time I couldn't really tell you the differences between Horizons, World of Motion or Spaceship earth, because they all ran together in my head.
Except... that maybe WOM was the snarkiest of those rides.

Also, I didn't see much difference between Italy, France and Germany on that first trip.
Except...that Germany had a toy store.

 

[popcenturylover]

My first visit was when I was 8 years old. I went with my mom and Grandma on a bus trip. (all the way from Pennsylvania, can you imagine?) I remember being scared to death of Space Mountain and loving It's a small world! I think that we even bought a record with the song "It's a small world" at WDW and I used to play the song over and over. That would just drive me batty now!!!

 

[ShookieJones]

I think I was 7-8 My first visit. Although I don't remember a lot about it, like staying at the Contemporary (My Dad had to fill me in on that one) Also me and my parents enjoying our stay so much that my Dad called the front desk and we stayed 2 extra days!) - I do have 3 distinct memories.

1.Hair on the "bridge" pirate's leg on POTC (my dad made a big deal about the attention to detail that Disney had)
2.All the topiary in and around the property
3.Waiting in a LOOOONNNGGG a$$ line for 20kL...only to be scared sh*tless when I saw those people being swallowed up into that big metal beast...Needless to say after the long wait in line, my parents weren't giving me much choice on bailing on the ride...I 'overcame' my fear and ended up loving every minute of that wonderful cheesy ride.

 

[Gabe1]

As a child we would spend a month each spring in either Miami or St.Pete. One year my Dad had a bright idea of stopping at the MK on our way to St. Pete. It was around noon and my Dad bought us all a two day packet of tickets, 'cause they didn't expire and we could ride Small World few times then, his favorite ride in Disneyland and still today at 83.

I was in awe as we entered the MK and Dad made a bee line to SW and we rode it a few times. We did a few things and were in the park maybe, maybe few hours and my Dad commanded we had to go because he wanted to make it to St. Pete by night fall. (Like a day less in St. Pete would make a difference when we were going to be there a month.) I had a hard time getting past that that day on our trip and obviously still harbor resentment of my Dads version of visiting the MK. I still have those 4 ticket booklets from that trip, with the majority of the tickets unused.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

Coming up with my first memory is tough because I went a few times as a younger child and I think the earlier visits all are kinda blurred together. I try to distinguish my "memories" from things I only remember from seeing photographs but it's tough. Here are a couple things I remember (as in I can see them through my own eyes in my head) the most:

• Throwing up in the back of my grandparent's rental car after a hot day at MK
• Being terrified in line for SSE because I thought it was a rollercoaster
• Running through the rainbow tunnel in the old upstairs ImageWorks and face planting into a person who I didn't see because I was staring straight up at the lights
• Hugging Mickey on Mainstreet only a few minutes after walking into the MK for the very first time

 

[plaz10]

my first visit - i was in 3rd grade.

Our first park - EPCOT. Our first ride - Honey I Shrunk the Audience and I was TERRIFIED. It scared me so badly I was afraid to ride everything else. The only ride I remember enjoying was Spaceship Earth. I thought I was so badass for riding it that I wanted to ride over and over again. Its my favorite ride to this day.

 

[Avenger117]

When I was a kid my dad didn't get to come to the parks with us usually because he was in business conferences. I remember one time when he did come and kept trying to startle me on the Haunted Mansion, we had a lot of fun. I remember that every time I ride Haunted Mansion.

 

[sgtmgd]

The Monorail..I was 5...coolest thing I ever saw..Id probably been happy to ride it all day...not to mention riding through the Contemporary on it....

 

[sgtmgd]

I think I was 7-8 My first visit. Although I don't remember a lot about it, like staying at the Contemporary (My Dad had to fill me in on that one) Also me and my parents enjoying our stay so much that my Dad called the front desk and we stayed 2 extra days!) - I do have 3 distinct memories.

1.Hair on the "bridge" pirate's let on POTC (my dad made a big deal about the attention to detail that Disney had)
2.All the topiary in and around the property
3.Waiting in a LOOOONNNGGG a$$ line for 20kL...only to be scared sh*tless when I saw those people being swallowed up into that big metal beast...Needless to say after the long wait in line, my parents weren't giving me much choice on bailing on the ride...I 'overcame' my fear and ended up loving every minute of that wonderful cheesy ride.

lol topiary...wins linguistic creativity award for the day

 

[MomofKatie]

My first Disney memories were from DL. I was 5, and my cousin was 3. We went on PotC and screamed through the entire ride. First because of the skeletons and "dead men tell no tales" then because we thought the cannonballs were going to hit our boat.

I also loved IASW, rode the carousel a bunch, and liked the little storybook land canal boats. I didn't want my older brother to ride the Matterhorn because I was afraid he'd get attacked by the Yeti. And the Rainbow Canyon ride with real live burros was really neat.

 

[jayhawkmickey]

I still remember going into the trading post in frontier land and buying a Davy Crockett muzzle loader cap gun rifle and protecting my family from the animals on the jungle cruse. Aaaaaaah, I still have that gun and I still love that ride. PS that was in 82 when I was ten. Also seeing the fireworks from the ferry back to the parking lot is my last memory from that trip. Good times.

 

[YoungNY]

I don't know which is the first, but all are from my first few trips as a kid:

- Eating ice cream in Epcot with my mom, who was fussing about me making a mess or dropping it and then she dropped hers.
- Getting soaked with my cousin at honey I shrunk the kids after my mom told us not to
- Wandering around "MGM", thinking we were in Universal.
- Wearing crazy bad, totally 80's matching outfits so my mom could easily spot us.
- Screaming, crying and keeping my eyes closed the whole time while riding Space Mountain

 

[ariel90]

My first trip was when I was three in '93.
•I remember staying at the CBR and them having the most delicious OJ ever.
• the silver Mickey balloons
•I learned parades could be at night
•my tambourine from the Mexico pavilion
•walking through the castle to the carousel
•crying when we missed the magic kingdom bus

 

[wdwmomof3]

I remember the animal toparies, It's a Small World and 20k L, which freaked me out! I was scared that the octopus was going to somehow get in and get me. I thought it was real. I also remember drinking orange juice and seeing the orange bird character. I remember the Tiki Room too, and I remember birds sitting on my dads shoulder and I'm thinking it was from there before the show started. Could have been some where else. I was six years old when we went for the first time.

 

[coilback]

I believe my first memory was when I was 6 or 7 and we went for the first time. They were finishing up Epcot but it wasn't open yet. I believe the first ride I got on was "Snow White's Scary Adventure" or whatever they called it at that time. I remember being pretty freaked out, but then we went on Mr. Toad and I kept wanting to ride it. We came back the opening year of Epcot and got to ride most of the rides there. Horizons was by far my favorite at the time.

 

[Samoht]

I don't remember the first memory. But I do remember 20k, Mission to Mats, If you had Wings, and drinking OJ out of a plastic orange.

Oh those plastic oranges we used to get at the contemporary. I forgot about those but my parents probably still have a few we brought so many home.

Not sure about my first memory but I do have a pretty vivid one of a store on main st (I think) that sold star wars stormtrooper and darth vader masks and my mom saying they were too expensive.

 

[paul436]

So, please share your childhood Disney memories with the rest of us.

I remember my brother and riding Space Mountain around the time it first opened with my 2 younger cousins and being scared to death!