Our Disney History

[HBK]

I'm starting a new thread based on some posts in the funky chicken topic regarding our history with Disney & WDW in particular.

My first trip to WDW was during the 25th celebration. My best friend had been many times and when I told him I was going with my parents, he told me I would love it. Just being out of high school I laughed and told him "What am I going to do down there...hang out with a mouse?" I had no idea what I was in for.

We left the snow, grime & yuckky winter weather in New England and got into a plane. Once we landed, I was in awe. The airport was all light up and alive, and that feeling just kept growing as I entered into WDW. I couldn't believe how perfect I thought the place was (I apparantly took a shower in pixie dust). The grass was all in place and perfectly trimmed, the weather was perfect (mid 80s and no clouds for a week and a half trip). I remember driving by the Poly and saying wow that looks neat (we stayed at Shades)...and that feeling just kept growing the whole time I was there.

The one thing I kept saying to myself was it was amazing how clean, neat & organized the place was....yet I didn't see one person sweeping the street. I didn't see anyone tending to the landscaping unless I was up early in the morning. That to me was magic.

I've been there just about once a year since...and for the millenium I took my then girlfriend (and now wife) and my now stepson....and it was a totally different experince all together.

In October I was in the world for my honeymoon...and it was a totally magical experince.

The first time I conciously found myself in car 3 was during my first trip to Animal. I remember standing in the center of the park looking at the tree of life with my dad and he asked me what I thought of the place. I said it was nice and all, but there wasn't much to do. He agreed but in the typical confidence of car one he proclaimed "this is just the start...I bet they've got big plans for this place". We said the same of the boardwalk during that same trip. We liked it, and were excited to see what Disney had planned for expansion there.

Suffice to say the excitement of wondering what Disney has planned has been replaced with pessimisim....my thoughts are no longer about what really cool thing will be added but instead I doubt anything will be added, or if it is the addittion will be second rate.

So that's my long strange journey. I still fall in love with the place each time I go down. I still experince the magic...but to borrow a quote from gcurling...I just don't feel as much magic each time.

 

[YoHo]

Like I said, Cut n Paste

I'm a Young'un around here. I don't quite recall my first trip to WDW or DL, but they both occured sometime between my Birth in 1975 and my Sister's in 1980. Stayed offsite that first time and stayed offsite again in 1986. My First onsite stay was in 1989 when we stayed at the Poly. I fell in love with the resort then. My mom went to a medical convention at the Contemp in 1990, so we stayed there and also got to see Dis/MGM.

My next trip was June of 1996 I went with 3 other good friends and Disney freaks. I was introduced to Food and fun and many of the great resturants this trip. We stayed at Old Key West, so I also got a full on taste of the Bus service that trip and learned to appreciate the Poly even more.

I went again in 1999 this time with 4 other friends including my now wife. We stayed at the Poly and loved every minute of it.
Went again in Jan of 2000 for a long weekend with my now wife to check out the millenium celebration. We stayed at the Contemp which we liked, but not as much as I had in 1990.

I round out my Disney Expireance with a week long trip to Anaheim at the Disneyland Hotel December of 2000 and my very recent honeymoon which was a 4-day Cruise on the Wonder.


__________________

 

[dragonflymanor]

First trip to WDW was around 1975. Didn't go again until 1999 on business. Kinda was annoyed at the "perfection", but then at that time I was really into outdoor sports like adventure racing where pain, filth, and exhaustion are considered to be part of the fun. Took my daughter and my fiancee in 2000 for a week. Changed my life. I finally found the thing that I was searching for: a way to combine my music, art, and technology. You see, performed in Classical Piano competitions for 8 years while growing up, even getting selected as one of the 4 best Juniors in North Carolina. I have always been an artist, but abandoned all that for the paycheck of a Computer Science career that never quite gave me the satisfaction I wanted.

My wife and I went to WDW on our honeymoon in Jan 2001 and we all went for vacation in July 2001. Now we are paying the bills for 3 trips in 2 years and a wedding on top of that. However, I also started Dragonfly Manor which is comprised of three areas: Design Studios (pays the bills doing website and graphic design), Entertainment (where I get to have fun), and Productions (we are working on two screenplays at the moment). This all keeps me quite busy and I end up working until 2:30 or 3am most nights (getting 3-4 hours of sleep is a learned skill).

 

[hopemax]

If YoHo's a young'un then so am I (also born in '75).

My first trip to DL was in 1980, 25th anniversary. I don't remember much about it but I do remember getting a shell lei and the firedancer at the Tahitian Terrace, that even at 4 I loved Space Mountain and the Matterhorn, watching fireworks while playing with a little matchbox car that I still own on the second floor railing of the Best Western. My Dad tells me I continued my skill of waiting patiently until the start of something then promptly falling asleep, so I missed the MSEP (I guess I also did this when the King Tut exhibit was in Seattle; awake and quiet in line, then asleep during the exhibit)

The second trip to DL was 1985, 30th anniversary. We flew on PSA and did the whole DL hotel thing. I remember checking into our room in the Bonita Tower and standing on the balcony looking down into the lagoon area and there was a singing act. They were singing "My Boyfriend's Back" dressed in poodle skirts. I really wanted to win a prize but the closest I got was the family in front of us on our last day won a free admission ticket. America Sings and Adventure thru Inner Space were the favorites on this trip. We missed the opening of the Tahitian Terrace and the MSEP by 2 or three days and Space Mountain was closed for rehab.

Third DL tip was 1989 during Spring Break and Blast to the Past was going on. Bear Country was all closed up and AtIS was gone, but this amazing Star Tours ride was there. And darn it Space Mountain was under rehab again! My mom was excited that she got to see Frankie Avalon sing at Videopolis and I won a yo-yo with help from a person in line at the Matterhorn. During Blast to the Past you got a card with 3 or 4 trivia questions, if you got them right you won a prize.

Then the dark ages, my Dad's job wasn't too stable so we didn't go back to Disney until I went for a college Spring break trip in 1995, DL's 40th anniversary. Space Mountain was open and I finally got to ride the darn thing for the first time since I was 4. Indy had only been open for 2 or 3 weeks and we rode it three times. And my friend kept telling us about this show called Fantasmic! and wow!

That got my Dad into the Disney mood again and before I knew it we had a 7 day trip to WDW planned for September. I begged and begged to go to WDW and it was always "No, it's too far away DL is much closer." I remember being blown away my Dixie Landings and was extremely pissed off that we took a bus to the front of the MK. All my life I was told, "You can only get to the Magic Kingdom by monorail or boat, no cars." (My parents went to WDW on their honeymoon in 1974 when WDW was closer to where they lived then DL) Our first attraction was Alien Encounter which was just bizarre. We didn't get to the park until the evening and we stayed until 1:30 or so in the morning. MGM was my favorite park, I really enjoyed all the behind-the-movie scenes stuff like the Monster Sound Show and the tours.

Those 1995 trips started this sort of one-upmanship Disney games between my Dad and I and since them I've been to DL 4 times and WDW 4 times. But it's slowed down now since I've decided to consider my family's ROI as more important than Disney's ROI. The only trips I have planned are CA for the NFFC convention and since my Mom's a CM I get to do the DL Resort for free, so might as well go to the parks.

 

[All Aboard]

Doing the cut and paste thing:


I've been to WDW roughly 65 times. 31 of those trips have been during 1999-current and have included my daughter (who turned 4 in January). Her first trip was right after her 1st birthday in January, 1999.

My first trip was in the summer of 1977 at age 12. We then took a summer trip each year through high school. I went to college at FSU from 1983-1987 (about 4 hours away from WDW), so I made the trip down quite a bit (about 4-5 times a year).

For the first 2 years after undergrad, I continued to go a couple of times a year. Then from 1990 - 1994 (grad school and "serious career development" ha! ) I only made three trips.

From mid-1994 until January of 1999, I did not go to WDW at all.

Now, we go up about a dozen times a year. It's a 7 hour round trip drive. We mostly do long 3 or 4 day weekends, but do an 8 night trip once a year in January and a 5 night trip in September.

I guess I've seen WDW at all stages of development (except the first 5 years.) My perspective has changed considerably with the birth of our daughter.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

Born in 1954, one year before Disneyland opened! For the first 10 years or so of life Disney had very little influence on my life. I never cared for Mickey Mouse cartoons, preferring Warner Brothers (especially Bugs Bunny) or Hanna-Barbera (hey, I'm TV generation. What can I say!) In 1964 (or so) I was dragged to see Mary Poppins. A 10 year old boy, growing up in Chicago, does not admit to liking Mary Poppins!! Even though I did like it, you would have never been able to drag it out of me.

I was too young to catch the Mickey Mouse club, except in reruns. And even when I did see it, I was still too young. At the time I never thought Annette was any great shakes (OK, so I'm a loser too!) and identified more with Karen and Cubby (more my age). And Walt's Sunday show suffered from the same fate that My Favorite Martian, Lassie, Bonanza and Land of the Giants. In my mind they were nothing but reminders that it was Sunday night and that meant school the next day! And school and I did not get along at all!!

In 1968, the summer between grammar school and high school for me, our family visited southern California. Part of that vacation included a visit to Disneyland. My father was no stranger to amusement parks. We faithfully went to Riverview (a Chicago amusement park) every year, and sometimes twice a year. He had been to Coney Island several times and remembered being to Knott's Berry Farm, which he especially wanted us to visit. The plan was we would get up early, hit Disneyland until about 2 in the afternoon and then head over to Knott's Berry Farm. Two parks: One day!!

Well, I have yet to visit Knot Berry Farm!! We finally dragged our tired bodies out of Disneyland at midnight. And how's this for novices: We never even saw Pirates!!! We didn't know it existed!! So, I am one of the few people in the world that has been to both Magic kingdoms and yet cannot draw comparisons between the two Pirate rides!!

After that experience Disney fever hit our family. The next contact was the Visitor's center in Florida. With the cool miniature of what was going on down there (complete with Asian, Persian and Venetian)! Next a stay in Fort Wilderness in July of 1972. And since that time, with very few exceptions, I've been down there every year, and sometimes twice a year. When other college kids were spring breaking in alcohol, naked ridden parts of the country, I was talking my friends into WDW spring breaks!! And I even gathered a few converts in the process. And my honeymoon was spent there (in the Poly, which I could afford at the time).

In 1984 I cheered as Ei$ner breathed new life into the company. I applauded his take on the resorts and his price hikes (even though it priced me out of my beloved Poly). In 1992 or '93 I bought into the Vacation Club, as it was known then. It was around this time that the little hairs on the back of my neck started to raise up in alarm. The list of 'disturbing' things was mounting and not yet tangible to me. Such as, I hated the direction that Downtown Disney was taking. I hated/loved, loved/hated the Floridian. I liked the Caribbean Beach only because it was affordable. I even hated/loved the way they made it easier for you to drive around the place. When it first opened there were no signs. There was no road infrastructure. You took WDW transportation or you didn't go! But then suddenly, there were roads, signs and even maps. But to me a little magic disappeared when I first drove by EPCOT and could clearly see the backside of the buildings. It's those things I lament.

Every time I go I see the steady decline, but there's still enough pixie dust to draw me back. But I find that I have to polish my rose-colored-glasses extra hard the last few years. It's as if the things they are doing today are nothing more than a verification that those little hairs I felt back in the late '80's and early '90's were right.

Anyway, (being as schizophrenic as ever )we're planning to go back and spend nearly a month in Old Key West this coming July! Hope to meet up with some of you then!




HEY!!! What do you know!! An entire post with no quotes at all!!

 

[Bob O]

I was born in 1960 and made my first trip to wdw in 1982 as a belated honeymoon trip. Now being a police officer i get to see the seedy side of life. And what struck me was the escape from reality it really was. Everything was clean, the people were very friendly and the rides/shows were excellant and made for a unbeatable combination. For me it was a total escape from the real world into a fanasty world and i loved it and still love it more than my wife and kids because of the escape it still is for me. We usually return every other year and i still always look forward to going. We have been lucky enough to have stayed at the Poly(still my favorite), Beach Club and Boardwalk Villas. But for the last couple of years while it is still a great time i feel the parks have grown stagnat and that disney is content to rest on theie laurels and put more emphasis on the resorts than the theme parks themselves and have let competitors beat them to the punch with new/improved attractions. I just feel that with the current management at disney is content to use the parks as a cash cow for other endeavors and isnt willing to put the time and money into the parks, and the parks are suffering as a result, be it maintence or lack of special new rides/shows. I still love going back and always look forward to my next trip but im not as hopeful for the future of the parks as i once was and feel they dont care about the guest experince as they once did. The CM as still great but dont get the support from management that they need to make our visits as special as they once were!!!

 

[d-r]

Writing this for a while may invite my muse to come light upon my shoulder for the real writing that I should be doing right now.

My disney story is inexorably linked with my wife's, though both our stories began long before we met.

My first trip to WDW was in 1972 when I was four years old. We stayed off-property, at a hotel that I only remember for the pool and this amazingly huge incredible rocket play ground slide, climber, jungle gym. That thing must have been about 30 feet tall. It was amazing. My greatest memory of WDW was taking my cap and swirling it in the fountain in adventureland to try and scoop up change. I think I remember it because I was punished for it, by having to sit and stay on the ledge on side of the fountain. In hind sight, it probably wasn't the greatest parenting move my mother ever made, but I attribute it now to her and being tired and wanting to rest on the ledge herself. Minnie Mouse herself gave me a hug and kiss on the trip, and I have the picture to prove it.

Melissa is younger than I am, but her first trip was when she was an infant. Her family made at least annual pilgrameges to wdw, and always stayed on property. She tells a story of checking into the Dutch Hotel (now the Grovesnor) and her mom being so disapointed that she immediately got on the phone and got them moved into the polly. They always stayed in the polly, cont. or ft. wilderness. Her mom was a cast member for a while, she was in constuming and dressed Peter Pan for the big firework flight, so I've always been amazed that she has been in the apartment in the Castle. Melissa is as old school wdw as the come; when they first built the swan/dolphin and the yacht/beach club she hated them, thinking that they weren't really wdw resorts since they were in the epcot area. She's gotten over that, though, and we've stayed in the dolphin and the boadwalk. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

When I was 13 we moved to Florida, and so I began to make many of those local type trips with gangs of kids, sometimes on a school bus, sometimes in someone's car. I think that this is why resorts like the Cont. actually have some appeal to me, because we never stayed the night. Those were the hotels for rich folks, for yankees, for people who I couldn't really understand or know about at the time. Sometimes we were those really obnoxious teens that you hate - I can remember bunches of us getting up and square dancing in the middle of country bear jamboree, or bringing over chairs and cokes and stopping the line at the "door" of space mountain until we were finished and then running in to chatch up with the cue. I apologize if anyone came in to contact with me or my peers during this period.

I went off to Alabama for college and then graduate school, and so ended my trips to wdw for a while. Looking back, I wish I had been in the college program, but at the time, I looked at the flier and I thought it was only for entertainment cast members, and I didn't think I would be able to try out and I couldn't imagine myself singing and dancing on the castle steps, which was the vision I had in my mind. I wish I had understood that better, but I'm also sort of glad I didn't. As my mother-in-law says, "it is better to be a guest than a cast member" and it might have took some of the magic away from me. What I did do during this time, though, was enjoy the re-birth of Disney Animation. I also began to collect those video tapes, because I knew that they were only in release for a short while, and so I rationlized that I could buy them "In case I ever had children." But of course I enjoyed them. I guess I grew up watching a lot of Uncle Walt on TV, and for that matter, I got to go see a lot of Disney movies in the theatres, because I love the old movies, not just animated but movies like "Computer who wore tennis shoes" or "Herbie" or "Apple Dumpling Gang" or "Cat from Outer Space" etc. etc. I still remember seeing some of those in the theaters. I managed to get all the animated videos, with the exception of Beaty and the Beast, which I somehow missed. And now I still don't have kids but I have to replace the danged things on dvd.

Anyway, I met Melissa while I was in graduate school. She had made a couple of trips during college, and somehow we decided to take a getaway trip just the two of us. We stayed at CSR, which had just opened. We went to the boardwalk, which was pretty new, too. Heck, MGM was new to me.

We kept going. I proposed to her there, while the castle was giving it's good night kiss. A year later we were married in the gazeebo at the yacht club, and we honeymooned in the wilderness lodge in a honey moon room, which was amazing to us. Zeke, if you ever read this, thank you so much for the past wedding trip into epcot in breathless, I can't believe you wore a tux but you are an incredible cast member. Wow, did we have a lot of pixie dust thrown our way.

We've been trying to stay at every resort together, and we are making good progress. We've stayed in csr, ft. wilderness, cont., gf., polly, wl, port orleans, bwv, dolphin. We haven't stayed at dxl together, but Melissa has, and we've had so many family members stay there while we were there that I feel like I have stayed a month there. We've also had family staying at AKL while we were there, so I have a pretty good feel for that one too. We are going to wlv in May, and maybe CBR for the weekend. So we are getting there. Oh yeah, we went to Disneyland last year, and it looks like we are going to Europe for 7 weeks next summer, so I imagine we will check out Disneyland Paris.

After writing all that, I feel like I am in car #1. Wow have we had some wonderful times at wdw. But sometimes things worry me a bit, and so I am in car #2. Sometimes I worry that things are slipping a bit, but maybe I am too critical. I still think there is a lot of magic.

A quick addition that I forgot to tell you. Melissa and I live in Michigan now, and we both grew up in much warmer climates, and so a trip to Disney is as much "going home" and escaping winter to us as anything. We too have had the experience of shoveling snow in the morning and resting in walt disney world at night (we even slid off the road in the ice on the way to the airport for a trip to the gf). So that is part of what makes it so great for us to go and get away - we need the break from the weather, and wdw is a comfortable, familiar and relaxing place for us. Plus, we also have a lot of memories of friends (we took a couple of couples form MI on our last trip, for instance) and family there. It's a special place to us.

Oh yeah, we seriously plan to have part time jobs at wdw when we retire. Melissa wants to be one of the older ladies at the haunted mansion, and I want to be the old guy that drives a boat.

 

[space42]

Ok, My turn

I was born in 1971 (hey same year as WDW, neat huh?) I have lived in South Florida my entire life. My parents took the family to WDW for the first time in 1972 (I do not remember this trip ) My first memory of WDW is our first camping trip to Ft. Wilderness around 1975 or so. I can remember cannoning to Discovery Island before it was an animal sanctuary. I believe there was some sort of camp fire / sing along on the island (not unlike the current campfire program). A great trip indeed.

Went back to WDW with the family at least once a year every year since then. Countless school day trips also.

Then in 1989 my friends and I started what would become our annual December camping trip to Ft. Wilderness. Since then two of them have moved away (Oklahoma and Georgia) but still come down every December for the trip. I usually make 4 or 5 other trips per year.

I would say for the most part of this time I have been firmly planted in Car #1. My movement of cars probably started sometime in the late 90's. The complete and total destruction of Future World in EPCOT was what now seemed to be the catalyst of my current feelings. Then watching Animal Kingdom being built renewed my interest. First trip to Animal Kingdom left me wondering why it was built without some of the tings I remember seeing on the Disney Channel preview show (Beastly Kingdom, Major Boat ride expedition, etc) Then watching the ongoing Dino-Rama saga.. sigh.

So, here I am in Car #3

I did go on my annual trip in December and will probably go again next December. However, I have no other trips planned for the near future.

Jerry

 

[raidermatt]

I'll try to keep this relatively organized and to the point... ('where have we heard that before', mumbles the Peanut Gallery...)

I was born in 1968 and have lived my whole life in the SF Bay Area (East Bay and Tri-Valley, to be specific).

From my signature, you can see that my only Disney park trips prior to 2000 were to DL. The early trips were with parents/siblings/Aunt, the later trips with friends, and now my wife, son and friends.

DL was always my destination of choice for vacations, however, my parents didn't give me much of a vote. My dad is from Louisiana, and that's where we went on most vacations. The only Disney movies I saw at the theatre prior to the late '80s was one of the Witch Mountain movies, and a re-release of Alice in Wonderland. But I always wanted to watch The Wonderful World of Disney on TV, and my grandfather had some reel-to-reel films of Mickey Mouse cartoons that I thought were great.

Even though I didn't get the quantity of Disney exposure that I would have liked, I somehow knew there was a difference in what Disney produced, and what Warner Bros, or anybody else, produced. I didn't know there was a word for it, but now I know its the "Magic". Its the ability to tug at the heart strings, to make you feel like you and your family are all that matters. There's also an optimism that seems to be in most things that come from Disney, a feeling that the World really is a great place, and we really can all get along. But I digress....

I've now crossed over into the Disney nut category. We have an extensive Disney video collection, get the Disney magazine, consider the planning videos entertainment (as opposed to information), have multiple guidebooks, my son is in two separate Disney book clubs, etc, etc, etc,....

For various economic and family reasons, we had no Disney trips from '92 through '99. But we took or first trip to WDW in 9/2000, and absolutely loved it. For us, it truly was an escape from the real world. (Not that we can complain about how the real world has treated us, only that its nice to get away...).

We watched the DVC propaganda channel while we were there, but we avoided going to a sales presentation. Our thinking was that if it was really a good deal, we'll still think so when we review all of the info at home over the next couple of months. Well, we reviewed the sales material, crunched the numbers, and closed on 200 points at BWV in December of 2000. We are extrememly happy with this decision, and with the fact that we were able to make it on our own terms, and not while being bombarded with Magic.

We used some of our first year's points for a trip to DLResort in August of last year, and again had a wonderful time. The new resort allows for the same type of escape as WDW, though on a smaller scale, and for a shorter timeframe.

We have booked our first BWV stay for May 25-June 8 and are looking forward to it (understatement). For the most part, I'm reserving judgement on the new additions, until I see them for myself. My only concern about Aladdin's carpets is the way it fits. I have some significant (for me) reservations about Dino-rama, but again, I won't let these things make me squirm in my car #1 seat until I see and experience for myself (and see my 3 year-olds reaction as well). I'm definitely looking forward to checking out the other additions (parades, BAH, JIYI, etc).

Our tentative plans for future visits is to go to DL and WDW in alternating years, with a few extra DL trips here and there.

 

[HorizonsFan]

This thread was revived by gcurling in another thread but it's such a good idea, I thought I'd bring it to life again
I was born in 1962 and made my first and (thus far) only trip to Disneyland in 1973. I remember having a great time, but not many details (it was part of a month-long motorhome trip and the details get blurry...)
My next trip was to WDW in 1994 on my honeymoon. We stayed at the (then) Howard Johnson's in the (then) Disney Village near the (then) Disney Village Marketplace. I was completely enthralled by Epcot. I had never experienced anything like that in my life. It was a completely unique entertainment experience. I was hooked. I knew we'd be back.
We have been back to WDW every year since, except for one. On the fourth trip, we decided to buy DVC. It wasn't a difficult decision. We've made a total of 10 trips in 9 years.
I consider myself to be a relative newcomer to WDW. I don't know what WDW was like before moderates, but I know that I was hooked just the same as someone who's eaten Mickey-shaped butter .

 

[roymccoy]

My first trip to DL was in 1965. (I was two weeks old) My parents were (and are) Disney nuts. My dad was there on opening day in 1955. His dad took him because he thought Disneyland was just about the neatest thing he had ever heard of.

We went about 5 times a year up until about 1980. Then, we were one of the first to get annual passes and we went about once or twice a month.
Back then, you got to park in a special parking lot section that was really close (Bambi, I believe) when you had an AP. They were also pretty expensive for the time. My parents still have our originals.

Now, my family and I have continued that tradition and we also have always kept whatever was the best pass at the time. To me, it is a great investment for a year of fun!

Now anyone who knows my posts will know that I can be a little critical of the current management and their "raping" of the franchise. I do not hold this position lightly. I want to LOVE Disney. I want Disney to thrive and be a success. Much of my and my families leisure time is built around Disney so, I wish nothing but the best for them.
I am also a DIS shareholder, so my retirement has
a vested interest in their success, too!
But I must be honest and say that the magic has been slipping for about the last 10 years. It is undenible and anyone who says differently is just plain "blinded by the pixie dust." I'm not saying that you can't go to DL or WDW and have a magical time, but you are not having as magical of a time as you once could have had or as magical as we all could be having if things would have been done right. The decisions made by management in the last ten years have been poor decisions totally based on the cheapest alternatives at the time. Toontown, AK, LightMagic, DCA, etc are all examples of what I'm talking about. All of these projects were cheap and incomplete. They were an attempt by the current management (Paul Pressler and others) to build more magic without a magical budget or magical people. I know that it is not an easy task to live up to Walt Disney and his vision but these people are going into these projects with a lot of people yelling "wait a minute...this looks like it's not going to be all that great" and they are continuing ahead anyway. (and cutting budgets even more along the way.) Look at Dinoland at WDW and the new Flik's Fun Fair at DCA. Carnival rides are going to fix a park that is being criticised for having to many carnival rides? Being cheap got DCA into trouble and being cheaper ain't going to fix it.

There have been a few bright spots during this time, too. Indiana Jones, Soarin' over California to name a couple and that actually proves my point even more. These people know what it takes to make a new "magical ride" or a new "magical park" but they choose not to keep up the consistency. They choose to go the cheap route and it just keeps biting them on the butt everytime. Now, they are going to have to pump a whole lot of money into DCA to try to save it. Why didn't they spend the money in the first place and make it right? Same with AK and MGM Studios at WDW. It's pennywise and pound foolish if you ask me. I love Disney and I want to see it thrive. I think that it may be time to churn the current management over. If they continue on this path, the franchise could be hurt beyond repair.

My .25 cents.

Roy

 

[Disneyfan63]

I have been to Disneyland once and to Disney World twice. My first time was April 2-5, 1982 to WDW with my high school senior class trip. We stayed at a Holiday Inn in Kissimmee. It was a good time, but because I was still on medical restriction from August, 1980 retinal detachment surgery, I didn't go on many of the rides. I don't remember much about this trip except that Epcot was under construction; I took a lot of pictures and walked around eating ice cream at Wet & Wild but didn't go on any of the slides; got lost at dinner at Cypress Gardens; I went on the Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom, scared that I was going to get jerked around and detach my retinas again, and talked to two little girls from West Palm Beach who remarked about my accent; and that it was 91°F in Orlando that Monday afternoon (April 5, 1982) we left, and 34°F when we landed in Philly. I got a serious cold from that.

Disneyland was much better, 16 years later. My mother and I had flown out to San Francisco to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins on February 27, 1998. Riding to my uncle's house from the airport, I was shocked to learn from my uncle that we were headed to Anaheim for a few days as an early birthday present for me (my birthday is August 10). I thanked him and my aunt profusely. Two days later, on March 1, we--my mom, myself, my aunt, uncle, and two teenage cousins-- drove to Anaheim down I-5, eating at Denny's twice along the way. I got Denny'd out this trip. We stayed across the road from Disneyland at the Desert Inn & Suites and swam in the hotel pool (something I needed to relieve a painful ingrown toenail) and spent two days at Disneyland. What fun! I got on Space Mountain twice, the first time alone. After the ride, I met my cousin Stephanie at the bottom of the exit ramp. She said, ”Where were you?” I told here I'd just gotten off Space Mountain, and she whined, ”I wanted to go on it!” I told her, ”let's go!” and we rode it together. That made up for not being able to ride the coaster in 1982 at the World. I think I got on every ride there: including the Autobahn(?)--the one where you drive the cars at seven mph--at least six times, thanks to my cousin Brandon's ”need for slow speed”. The Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ride was fabulous, especially when our vehicle dipped under the boulder that was headed straight for us. We drove back to Fairfield on March 3, 1998 and my mother and I flew home March 7, 1998.

I had gotten the itch to return to Disney World in 2000 after hearing about my brother's trip in March that year, where they stayed at Dixie Landings (now Port Orleans--Riverside). I booked my trip on July 26, 2000, paid for it on September 8, 2000, and went alone (my mother had passed away on January 9, 2000) October 13-20, 2000, staying at All Star Sports. I had an absolute blast, the kind that doesn't need dynamite, although I saw fireworks. Needless to say, I'd love to return. I can post details of this trip if fellow DISers would care to read it.

Disney Rocks!

Jim

 

[wdw4us2]

My first trip to WDW occurred in 1972 when we moved to Florida - I was 12 years old. I had been a Disney fan since the mid 60's - I faithfully watched Wonderful World of Disney, especially when they had specials about new things in DL and the planning of WDW.

After my first trip, I continued to go several times a year, but only day trips. My parents would not pay to stay overnight, so we drove 2 hours to be there at opening, and stayed till the park (MK) closed. I finally got to stay on property when I was home on leave from the Army (Germany) in 1980. My friend had reserved a FW camping site for us - imagine four girls in a TENT in the middle of JULY. It was a lot of fun, though.

In the following years, I was still making frequent day trips to MK and Epcot and started making overnight trips but not on property. After I was married (1987) and we had DD in 1991, we started staying onsite in 1992 and never looked back. I was firmly in car #1 during all this time.

Right about that time though, I started noticing changes I did not care for. Favorite attractions were closing - never to reopen. Main Street (which I always loved) was closing attractions and replacing them with stores. Quality merchandise that we bought sparingly was now being replaced by cheaply made T-shirts that were more expensive. Crowds started increasing as you couldn't watch TV without seeing a commercial for WDW.

DS was born in 1994 and we continued making several trips a year because I wanted my kids to share in the wonderful times I had always had at WDW. We were finally able to buy into DVC in 1997. We use all of our points every year at WDW and we also stay in other onsite resorts when there are AP deals.

I believe I moved into car #3 when several changes occurred. 1) The start of E-nights. I could not believe that I would have to pay for something which had been included in the admission price since my first trip to WDW in 1972 - late nights in the Magic Kingdom. 2) The huge expansion of on-site resorts. While I realize that Disney wanted to keep more $$ onsite, I think the expansion was too rapid. 3) Little magic touches were also disappearing - Mouse shaped butter, AmEx Ice-Cream Social at the Contemporary, packages delivered to your resort room.

It just seems as though more "nicities" are disappearing with nothing to replace them. Don't get me wrong - I still go to WDW as much as possible, go to Disney movies, purchase Disney merchandise for our family. It's just hard to look back at how it once was and wonder how it will be in the future.

Lisa

P.S. I lost count of my total number of WDW trips sometime after 300.

 

[Bob O]

My first visit was in 1982 a belated honeymoon. I found the place to be immaculate, the rides outstanding, the employee's great and everything was magical. The sense of being in another world was great and a big escape from what i deal with at work on a daily basis. It was a magical experience like i had never had before. And it was even better the first time we stayed at the Poly, escpecially at night with the torches and watching the fireworks/water parade from the beach, too seeing the small animals outside our door early in the morning when it was still foggy. The EE experiences were great with great interaction with the characters.
But since the first couple of times i have seen the magic slowly eroding and while it is still a great escape from reality and magical it has slowly been eroded and with current management i fear for the future as money is held way over the guest experience. And that is why im a car 3 person.
We are going to DL this year and i have read alot of negative comments about that park so i hope its better than what alot of people have said about it in regards to it being rundown etc.

 

[DisneyKidds]

Dave, you beat me to the revival. Ever since Greg linked to this I have been meaning to jump in and start it up again.

So here goes........

I was born in a small town called...... Oh, wait, wrong story.

My first Disney expereince, of which I have no recollection, was when the MK opened. 1971 and I was 3. From that point forward my family would make the annual trip to stay with my snowbird grandparent in St. Pete. Ah, 24 hours in a car from NY. Well, many a trip would involve a visit to Disney. Mind you, these were not the full monty of Disney visits. Day trips were all we got in. However, I do have memories of Main St. and the candy store. Space Mountain, the Speedway, pictures in front of the castle, the shooting arcade. All these made for wonderful memories, and a few stories. As my mother always used to say, dad loved to light up something more than a cigarette before riding Space Mountain. What can I say, interesting parents whom I love and miss very much.

Well, from the mid 80's on there was no Disney. Family trips disappeared, college, you know how it goes. Fast froward to 1991. Out of college, getting married, and WDW is our honeymoon choice. We both remember to this day our arrival at CBR. Checked in we headed to Old Port Royale, Little Mermaid (just came out) music playing, a beautiful, pristine resort, the excitement of our honeymmon - it was pure Magic, and we had just arrived. That first day involved no parks. Checking out the resort, poking around, and going to the Grand Floridian. The resort, the monorail, the Electrical Water Pageant, fireworks from the deck at Narcoossees - again it was Magic, and we hadn't even scratched the surface. What was even better was the next day we were transferring to the Grand Floridian for our Grand Plan honeymoon package. Talk about your full monty. I could ramble for hours, but I won't. Suffice to say the Magic grew exponentially during the trip. What a wonderful WDW start.

So where did it go from there you ask? Well, we would make an annual trip. New animated features would come out and we would always get the soundrack and anticipate the new parade. Never the Grand again, but always a different resort. Wonderful exposure to the world. I remember Mickey head butter, chocolates with the bill, midnight hours, etc., etc. A favorite was the Food N Fun plan in its early days. Lobster Thermadore at the Brown Derby for lunch, Dinner at the Cape May Clambake, Breathless Illuminations cruise - all in the same day, all covered under the plan. We saw that all come, change and go, as did the butter, and the chocolates, and a few other things. Pretty soon the great animated features and sound tracks stoped coming. Sure, a disappointment in a number of things, but it didn't change the Magic a bit. We moved on to Shades of Green overflow rates at resorts like BWI and BC back in my DoD days. A new job, more frequent visits, one year as many as three times. A few business trips, carousing until all hours at PI and being too hung over for meetings in the morning. The Gulf War comes and goes. Cutbacks at DoD. Other difficulties arise. But WDW is a place that makes all those things disappear, if only for a short time. We saw and experienced quite a bit I must say.

The Magic had remained, unwavering, through changes both good and bad. Along comes 1998 and the arrival of our first. She is 3 now and has been 6 times. Yes, things are changing a little more. Eisner is in full swing and the place still runs like clockwork, IMO. Each year goes by, subtle changes take place, hours start to get cut back, things get a little more expensive, but we whether it all. Now, a lot of people see the Magic fading at this point, but not us. Perhaps it was our DD, perhaps not. However, watching her experience the Magic has kept is so fresh for us. Enter 2001 and the arrival of our second. A stay at VWL and we are hooked. A couple of resales later and we are happy DVCers and it is two trips a year for us now.

We have seen so much happen at WDW in what is relatively a short time (1991 - 2002). Yes, some disappointments in cutbacks, but a lot of wonderful additions as well. Through it all, we always find something new at WDW - always. That also keeps it Magical.

So all the debate about Magic and cars and cutbacks and management. We have seen enough to know that some things have slipped, sure some things could be better - but it is still Magic. Someone who visits for the first time today experiences the same awe as the first visitor did the day the MK opened.

An that is our story. I sometimes think I take this Disney stuff too seriously, but then I catch myself and no, I don't. You see, it is not about the parks, or the resorts, or the company, or the man. It is much more than that. It is quality time with family and friends. You can make millions, but if you don't have friends and family and fun you miss the real success. There are many places you can have quality time (and we have seen many), but none like WDW - it is just something more, even to this day. WDW is our place to have that quality time, and it has yet to disappoint in that regard.

 

[Captain Crook]

I've never actually been to WDW, but I hope to get there soon...

 

[KNWVIKING]

My first trip to WDW was Oct '77, cinderella liberty from Navy boot camp, (Cinderella liberty only means we had to be back on base by mid-nite). Biggest memory was that people kept asking me where things were- restrooms,rides,etc. When I didn't know they would ask "why not,don't you work here ?". They were shocked to find out I was in the Navy. Later I saw why the mistaken identity: The Navy had scraped the traditional "Crackerjack" uniform for a Summer dress whites uniform. At the time CM's wore a very similar uniform.Only real difference was they had a black belt-mine white and a different type of hat.

First real trip was '95 with DW and 2 sons,15 & 12. We stayed at CBR. The original poster was correct,the airport set the stage for the whole trip,what a contrast when compared to Philadelphia IA. One silly memory I'll never forget is just after driving thru the main gate there was/is an island of pure white sand with a handfull of palm trees in the highway median. I don't know why,but to me that says DISNEY. We went the week of Thanksgiving & till the Tuesday afterwards.We had a great time but were amazed out how the parks cleared out the Saturday nite & the Sunday morning after Thanksgiving. It felt like we had the place to ourselves after that. When we returned home as I walked across my front yard I commented to my DW that this was the first time in 10 days that I had walked on grass. Think about it: do you recall walking on grass at WDW ?

We returned a couple years later,stayed at PO and before we left we bought into DVC,(OKW), later added on at VWL & recently BCV and now go to WDW 3 to 4 weeks a year.

 

[airlarry!]

Call me Dox, Para Dox.

On the boards, I consider myself Sir Baron's navigator in car three. In real life? I'm 'the Disney nerd,' the guy that everyone calls for info on where to stay, when to go.

I'm the guy that had x-rays done lately and the radiologist saw a wrapper from a Mickey-head butter stuck to my left rib cage. I'm having it removed--and framed.

I'm the guy that's been to the Street parade in New Orleans for the opening of the Hunchback, or to the week-early showing of Hercules (even got a special ticket and Phil pin to prove it).

I'm the guy that drives his wife crazy with incessant talk about LSU football/baseball and our next trip to Disney.

I'm the guy who spent the entire Summer '89 jealous of my family (when four out of our seven kids worked in and around WDW) while I was taking last minute classes before law school.

I've been a Disney fan since my first trip to WDW sometime around June 1972, five years old if I remember correctly.

I'm the guy who was in a country band and tried desperately to convince the manager to book us at Pleasure Island. Closest we came was the Cracklin Festival in Port Barre, La.

I'm the guy who is thinking of tatooing a picture of Ei$ner's butt to the bottom of my feet so I can kick his **** the first time I see a Power Ranger pop up in Animal Kingdom as part of Disney Synergy.

Yes, AV, I am the guy who is a pimp for AK, and will keep praying that it gets finished so the crowds can overwhelm it.

I'm the guy who is guilty of bringing an All-star mug back on a second trip and even filled it up a few times.

I've had the guts to tell managers how nice a CM was to my kids while I checked in, or sent emails to WDW when a face character remembers my son's face at a character dinner after seeing him in a different park that morning.

I've had family as CMs, and I think the ones in front of the show have the toughest job to do---pleasing both newcomers and hard-core fans like us each and every day while the fat cat Brains from Glendale plot to make their jobs harder.

I love Pirates and Splash and Space and Cranium and Peter Pan and would love to meet the guys and gals who dreamed up these wonderful testaments to the creative spirit in all of us. I love Disneyworld. I want it to be the way I know it can be when my kids take their kids to Disney, too.

 

[daannzzz]

Born so long ago in 1956 my first trip was to Disneyland in 1965. Oh how awesome it was. Our family returned in 1970 and 1971 and I have been a total of 37 times to Disneyland.
Living in The SF bay area and being TERRIFIED of flying I always said I would go to WDW when I got three weeks vacation, enough money and I could drive there.
I sort of kept an eye on the place but didn't pay alot of attention to it since I knew I would never get there. I was very aware of the MK the Contemporary (which was so exciting and futuristic when it opened) and the Polynesian ( my goal of goals) and Epcot and vaguely of The Studios and that there was another nice hotel.
It wasn't until 1996 that I had 4 weeks a vacation and enough money that a friend talked me into going ( he wasn't going, just kept after me to go do it) so I figured since I had flown a couple times (hated it) to where Ma and Pa retired I could do WDW. Planning that first trip was one of the most wonderful times. As I discovered through guides and online services what WDW encompassed I became more and more excited. I generally payed aroung $35 a night for a motel next to Disneyland and had splurged the last couple times spending a huge....$69 a night which I though was high!!! I was going to do it on the cheap and stay at the Sun motel in Kissimmee but that just wouldn't cut it so I played the "well for only $30 more anight I can stay at the All Stars". I continued playing that game and ended up at the Carribean Beach.
Since 1996 I have been a total of 7 times and stayed at the All Star all the way to the Grand Floridian but didn't get to my great goal of the Polynesian until last August.
I have skipped a trip to WDW this year in order to do something different for a change and to give Disney a bit less money. I don't want them to think that I will support everything they do particularly if it is doen ont he cheap. They will not train me to except less quality!!!!