Happy 50th WDW!

[mjmgsssp]

Today is a magical day!

Let's share one of our BEST memories of our trips to WDW over the past 50 years.

Mine would have to be the first time I walked through the train station and saw Main Street USA. It brought tears (happy ones) to my eyes then, and still does today.

 

[igrsod]

I have sooooo many. Our trips are always fun and magical.
BUT I will go with the first time I brought my kids to WDW, and my son saw R2D2 coming down the street at HS. His face was priceless.... it was magical. He was seeing the 'real' R2D2 and he couldn't believe it.

 

[Violet Parr]

Yes! I just came to post the same! WDW has been an unexpected, wonnderful part of raising our family, and we have more happy memories than I can count.


Happy Birthday!!!

 

[wfjny]

A while ago I was trying to count up. Since my first visit in ’79, I have been to the Orlando area well in excess of 400 days, including 28 in the past year. The vast majority of those days were spent with Disney. So many experiences from so many parts of my life. Hard to say just one.

Been there with my parents and sisters, to various friends back in my 20s, to my wife and children. We move to the next stage next year, as my first grandchild is expected in early 2022.

Since losing my father a couple of years ago, I guess some of my favorite memories are being with him. The one many people my age could relate to, as we drove down 535, my father pointed at a chain link fence along the road by the turn onto Hotel Blvd. His statement, “you watch, all of this will be developed one day if Disney keeps growing.” The growing he was talking about was some sort of community of tomorrow he had heard about (long before the internet existed).

That vacant land became Crossroads Plaza a few years later. And now, as of just a few weeks ago, I believe all the stores are now closed.

I am sure there will construction works that helped build the site early in their careers, and will now help demolish the site.

 

[Imamom2]

Our first visit with our girls in 2000 - they were 4 and 6. It was the 100th birthday year and it was magical. Resort guests had extra magic hours at night. We rode Splash at midnight We sat on Main St eating ice cream while watching the fireworks and my husband looked at me and said “Best day ever…” Our kids were always great travelers and we had so much fun. We have been many times since but we still talk about how great that trip was

 

[ralphie]

50 years ago, honeymooning at Magic Kingdom - having returned numerous trips with five children, one having interned, and now with granddaughter, and returning next month for our 50th!! Many magical yearly visits and ventured to DL a few times. Life has been good, we are blessed!

 

[bsmcneil]

I have a lot of memories but I never fail to tire of telling this story. About 20 years ago, I really liked this singer-songwriter Howie Day. And during his live shows, he would do this riff at the end of one of his songs, called "Beams of Light." In it, he would sing "In the future, packages [and then later, "people"] will be sent to distant lands through beams of light."

I had no idea where it originated (I'm guessing more than a few of this can see where this leads). But I finished a ride on Space Mountain and put my headphones to my DISCMAN back on, as I got on the moving walkway to leave. And I played one of the tracks on my mixed CD, listening to the frantic riff that matched the energy I felt following a roller coaster ride. And then I heard a voice saying, "In the future, packages will be sent to distant lands through beams of light" AS I HEARD THE GUY SING IT! And I couldn't believe what happened.

A week later, a person I met at a national summer camp the summer before emailed me to say, "I saw someone who looked just like you in line at Space Mountain last Tuesday" ... and it was me. Those two memories are always fun for me ... (unlike, say, when I made my grandmother get lost from my family/group in pre-cell phone days because I was scared of Haunted Mansion. I think it's the only time in my entire life I made my grandmother mad at me, ).

 

[OhhBother]

I was born in 1972, and my parents quickly brought me on the first of what has proven to be countless trips. Disney World is an incredibly important part of my life, and I am so grateful to have been at Magic Kingdom at 6 am this morning to join the crowd at the turnstiles in singing “Happy Birthday” to this special place. Looking forward to the next 50!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Oh my goodness.... So many.

This is an odd one to me and one I have never told; but probably the most important to me. When my ex-wife took my son and moved out and we got divorced many years ago, I took a solo trip to WDW. I remember sitting in EPCOT outside of Communicore West. There was nothing specific that I can point to that happened. I just... FELT... a wash of something come over me - call it magic - touched me and I just KNEW that it was somehow all going to be alright. It was very sudden, and very intense.

Since then, Disney has meant more to me that I can probably ever explain.

 

[crazy4wdw]

Today is a magical day!

Let's share one of our BEST memories of our trips to WDW over the past 50 years.

Mine would have to be the first time I walked through the train station and saw Main Street USA. It brought tears (happy ones) to my eyes then, and still does today.

Same here! First walked down Main Street USA in January 1972.

I haven't changed much! Just a little wider around the waist and hair on the silver side.

 

[SCDisneyfanatic]

Virtually impossible to limit it to one "Best" memory...so will say a continuous flow of memories from our Honeymoon in 1981 (although I visited in 1976) to bringing the kids many times, to the first (and only time) my mother visited before she passed, to our 30th Anniversary celebration with all the family...many great "Best" memories from every trip. And hoping for a new "Best" memory in 3 weeks when we bring our granddaughters there for their first visit!!

 

[softball chick]

Of course I cannot pick just one, so I have to tell two different stories for today:

1. My first trip to WDW was back in 2008 when I was 14 years old. My family had saved up for the big "once in a lifetime" trip (how wrong we were) and we finally arrived. After checking into our resort, we headed over to MK and walked in just as the 3pm parade was reaching the end of Main Street. We ran up to the train station and had a perfect view to watch the parade and get my first glimpse of the castle. To this day, my family likes to think that Mickey was having the parade just for us, to celebrate the fact that our family had FINALLY made it to WDW.

1b. The Part 2 to the story...8 years later when I was back at WDW for my College Program, the same thing happened. On my first day walking into MK as an official Cast Member, Festival of Fantasy was coming down Main Street. Mickey was having another parade just for me, this time to celebrate and welcome me back to the parks as part of the Disney CM family.

2. One of the highlights of my College Program was meeting the Fairy Godmother - it was honestly one of the best character experiences I have ever had. So because of that, she became a character I wanted to meet whenever possible. So many magical things have happened with her - I got the call for my first teaching job offer while in her line, she has given me pep talks before the school year, she remembers me every time I come back to see her, and seeing her in the cavalcade after the parks reopened literally made me burst into tears because it was then that I truly felt like the Disney magic had returned. I never have a bad day when I get that hug from my Fairy Godmother - she is everything to me.

 

[RamieGee]

My oldest, 5 years old on her first trip, having a long & lovely interaction with the Fairy Godmother behind the castle after her BBB makeover. Later Fairy Godmother came by on a parade float, gave my daughter a big wave, pointed at her, and mimed “I remember you!!”

My son playing the Beast in the Enchanted Tales with Belle show on our second trip when he was 4. You’d have to see the video to get the full effect, but once he realized he’d have to hold a princess’s hand AND slow dance with her, his face & body language was priceless (he was mortified rather than thrilled - LOL). The audience was cracking up. My son is 10 now and we watch the video several times a year.

My husband playing Indian Brave at the Hoop de Doo review, a role he was reprising from when he was about 8 years old. I was cracking up because I know how much he HATES audience participation, and my kids were blown away Daddy was on stage.

Being blown away watching Illuminations the first time (chills) and afterwards my little one saying “that was my first fireworks ever!” and us realizing no show she would see after would live up to that.

Being in the parks with my mother-in-law and father-in-law. My mother-in-law passed away a year ago, and lots of memories of her are tied into the parks.

My husband and I, like little children (LOL), marveling that Crush was actively interacting with the kids in Turtle Talk with Crush.

My first time on Tower of Terror - so impressed with the theming, story, physical sensations. I never experienced anything like that.

 

[ZeeWP]

Being part of 3 hurricanes during the College Program 2004, haha

 

[BamaBornNemoNut]

Sooooo many Wonderful memories through the years. Most special involve interacting with Characters and Cast Members. They truly are what keeps us coming back and loving Walt’s visionary for creating Magic.

 

[RoyandWalt]

Going a couple of months after 9/11, almost every ride was walk on. Flag retreat was even more emotional than usual.

 

[Willow1213]

3rd grade field trip to EPCOT - my dad was our chaperone and we got to visit the AT&T Lounge in Spaceship Earth! It was an awesome experience as a child. We also had a Girl Scout campout at Fort Wilderness that I don't remember much about except horseflies... And another group trip (I think also Girl Scouts) where I cried because I didn't have enough spending money for a Marie plush, but of course received a little bit of Disney magic

 

[glocon]

Definitely one of my favorite memories was from 2018 when my DS was 21. Earlier in the year I asked him where he wanted to go on vacation and he picked Disney! (Yay- so glad I raised a disney kiddo). Anyway, our first park that trip was HS. The night before we had gone to DS and did the SW Void experience so we’re in SW mode. We were walking in and the March of the First Order music stated blaring and the characters were marching down the street…. My DS21 literally ran to see what was happening and jumped over flower pots and around people so excited to see what was going on just smiling ear to ear and looking like the little boy who first went to Disney when he was 5. Just melted my heart to see his excitement and joy.

 

[KristaZ]

Really there's way too many to pick, but I think the feeling of walking back into Magic Kingdom after the re-opening last year, with all the cast members waving down Main Street and the energy of everyone just being so happy to be back. I was genuinely bawling my eyes out with pure joy by the time I made it to the castle.

 

[Tink3815]

First time seeing the Osborne Lights at Hollywood Studios. Plane almost did not take off because of snow at home airport. That night walking through the lights in shorts and a tee listening to the Christmas music and watching the lights. It was magical.