When was your first trip to WDW?

[OneMoreTry]

What was the year of your first trip to WDW? (That you can actually remember.)

 

[bobbiwoz]

It was a snowy January morning in 1977. We actually stayed near the Phila. airport with our DS2 1/2 so as not to miss the flight. He clung to his "Big Bird" stuffed animal as we exited from the rear of the plane in sunny Orlando. It was one of the planes that has the steps going out the back...it's a picture I treasure. I was preg with DS#2...there were freezes in Florida and many of the gardenias at the Poly had to be changed...but we were in WDW! I loved and still love seeing the Electrical Water Parade. DS loved WDW, and now we bring his DFamily with us!!!!

Bobbi

 

[disney-super-mom]

We leave for our first trip to WDW on Sunday!!!

 

[burnsoc]

My earliest memory is my first WDW trip. It was in 1974 and I was four years old.

 

[DisneyDVCdad]

My wife and I never made to Disney till our late 20's! Our son has been their already and he's not even 3 lol

 

[mlill]

My first trip to WDW was the summer of 1972 with my family. We drove down to Orlando, and I can vividly remember seeing Main Street and the castle for the 1st time. It made a huge impact on me, even though I was very, very, very young at the time.

-Michelle

 

[jodifla]

It was Feb. 1973. We stayed at the Contemporary, the coolest, most futuristic place we'd ever seen. Our room was $45 a night, a fortune back then.

The trip was BEYOND fantastic.

 

[OKWMom]

In 1972 with my parents. We stayed offsite at a Holiday Inn because at that age I wasn't impressed with a swimming pool, but if the hotel had a swing set, I thought it was a five star place. I remember the Mickey Mouse Revue and meeting the big bad wolf, but not much else because like Michelle, I was very, young.

 

[TomD]

It was either late 72 or 73 so I picked 73. My parents brought my brother and I after my Dad got out of the hospital. I was @ 6.

 

[cncDisney4]

This is easy - our honeymoon in 1982!!! We will be returning this June for our 25th anniversary.

 

[slp87]

1975 when I was 6 and we camped out at a Holiday Inn campground!! My grandparents and aunt didn't like WDW at all. Thankfully my parents did and they took my brother and me back for another day. We were hooked with many more visits and 30 years later we couldn't miss the 50th at DL!!

 

[loveswdw]

My first trip was in January 1998 when I was 25. I remember walking into the Magic Kingdom and it was just AMAZING to me. I had always seen it on TV but now I was there! We got there about 3 in the afternoon and the parade was coming down Main Street. WOW! But after the parade was the real memory. Standing right there on Main St and we were surrounded by seagulls. No idea why they were in Orlando but there was a bunch of them. Well low and behold, you guessed it...a seagull pooped in my hair. One of my first WDW experiences was sh*tty! This was on Monday. Move forward a couple of days to Wednesday... leaving Magic Kingdom to go to Planet Hollywood for dinner. I got pooped on AGAIN in the EXACT same spot of Main St.

Needless to say those particular incidents haven't swayed me from my Disney fanaticism. Luckily this hasn't happened again on all my other trips. And funny thing is we haven't seen seagulls in the Magic Kingdom much anymore either.

To this day, my sister stills busts out laughing whenever this story gets told.

 

[WeddingPavilion]

What was the year of your first trip to WDW? (That you can actually remember.)

January 5-12,1997-CBR with (Now) husband. Been back 17X since. Got married there too.

 

[Disneyhappy]

Great Thread!!! I was actually there in 1971 but the park was not officially opened. Do you all rememeber those Weekly Readers we got in grade school? I remember a Weekly Reader in third grade with a picture of the Mickey and characters topiaries on the front cover. We read all about this new park opening in Florida. That summer, we went on our yearly trip to visit friends and stopped in at the MK. I was so excited when I saw the topiaries because I realized that I read about it in a "famous" newspaper! Of course, the park was not open but I recall us taking some type of tour. There was a film with Walt Disney discussing the park and a minature village of the park on display. It opened the next summer and and we were there! Yippee!!! I remember Its a Small World, the Riverboat, Country Bear JAmboree and Splash Mountain. We ate at the Crystal Palace and I believe they served Italian food at that time. Any one remember? I know it was not a buffet or character meal.

 

[Uncleromulus]

September 1975. We stayed at the Ramada Inn "Maingate" that trip. One sight of the Poly and we never stayed offsite again.
And now look--Vacation Club owners!!!
In 1975 there was the MK, the Poly, Ft Wildernesss, the Contemporary, The Disney Inn. That was pretty much it. We spent two entire days at the MK. We went on every ride, into every store and attraction. In some of the photos we have, Mrs U and I are the ONLY people to be seen. In others, only a handful of tourists.
Brother, has THAT ever changed!!!!

 

[Caskbill]

We were there December, 1971 (You didn't list 1971 as one of the poll options.. )

WDW opened Oct 1, 1971, and I was there two months later.

I was 28 and remember it fairly well. Of course a lot of the things there now were not yet there in 1971. Anyone else remember the Swan Boats?

 

[DisneyPhD]

It was 1974 and I only have a few memories because I was 3 years old.

I remember asking my dad if we were there yet, again and again.......

I remember my big brothers swinging me around by their pinky fingers (no rented blue stroller for me I guess.)

I remember running into my older brothers friend in front of the castle, and we had no idea they would be there.

The 2nd time I was 13 and I remember a lot more. Something about going young. It makes you Disney fans for life.

 

[Nadine&Scott]

February 1977, I was 10. Went with my Mother and Grandparents. My Grandfather was 75 at the time and he went on Space Mountain with me. Being just 10 he seemed so old to me, but after that ride I thought he was so cool, it changed my whole perspective. I look back on that trip with great fondness now as all three of them have since passed on.

Scott

 

[abbysmema]

Our first trip was June, 1977. My husband surprised me with the trip. Our daughters were then 3 yo and 1-1/2 yo. However, with absolutely no experience to guide us, we stayed way off property at a Days Inn in Kissimmee. I was so excited when we arrived that I had my husband drive to the Magic Kingdom so that I could see what it looked like. Needless to say when we arrived at the parking lot I realized I would have wait until the next day to get my first look. The next year we returned but stayed at the Royal Plaza Hotel. We were definitely moving up in the World! Marie

 

[crys5]

My first time at DISNEY was in 1997, i was 34 years old, my husband had gone when he was 15 years old........wish i would have discovered it earlier in life, but now that we have, we love it and have gone back in 2000, 2005, 2006, have a trip planned for 2007 and planning another for 2008.....hope to go every year from now on.... the kids love it also of course! wish i could live there.......lol