WDW-when were you hooked?

[Mousemates]

A post to a thread about visiting WDW with a "skeptic" got me to thinking about what it must have been like to visit WDW with me (a borderline disney "hater") before I became a hardcore fan of All Things Mouse.

My transformation occurred about five years ago when we were planning our big summer trip and my wife and I had very different ideas about where we should go...Florida or California. I thought I knew what my kids would choose so i put it to a family vote.

Well, my kids, much to my chagrin, voted with my wife to drive to Fla and spend a week at WDW as opposed to flying to California (they at that point had never flown) and going to the beach, Yosemite, etc. That's when i realized how much my family loved the place that I only loved to hate. I had to kind of reconsider things and made a conscious decision to try to be more open to doing what the rest of my crew enjoyed, as opposed to trying to convince them to go where I wanted each trip.

The week we spent there did the rest...staying solely on property, at the AKL, with a last minute (at check-in) upgrade to a savannah view room did the rest. The room was great, access to the parks was so much easier, the EMH really worked well for us, and best of all I only had to drive our car one time that week.

And it was during that return trip to the resort...when I truly came around...for when we got back to the resort and security guard told me "welcome home sir" I was truly hooked...and we've been back at least once a year since.

Just wondering if anyone else had a special moment like that when you became committed to making a visit to the parks of WDW a regular stop on your vacations calendar?

[Tinkerfreak]

For us it was the first day of our very first trip. The minute we entered the AKL lobby we knew we were going to love it. The moment we knew we had to come back the next year was in the MK. We had just entered the park and as we walked under the train station we spotted Chip and Dale who are my DD's favorite characters. They were just coming out so we approached them and they both hugged my daughter and posed for a picture. My little girl said to me "Look Mommy I'm in a Chip and Dale Sandwich". She was so excited to see them it made me cry. We only planned 4 nights for our first trip and we knew before the trip was over that we were definately returning the next year for a longer trip.

[CaptainSad]

Mine was the very first day I stepped foot in the Magic Kingdom in February of 1983. Since then I have driven or flown from Massachusetts 25 times over the years. I am going again this year on December 4th-12th. Just can't get enough....

[coneygoil]

I really don't have a story of being hooked. My folks have been taking me since I was a year old, so I've been hooked since I was a toddler!

[Emme&TeddysMommy]

I was hooked from the very first moment I saw the Magic Kingdom. I was 9 and I remember like it was yesterday and now 23 years later I am still hooked. I even smile as I write this post remembering that very first moment I experienced "Disney Magic":cloud9:

[d_m_n_n]

Like Coneygoil, my parents started taking our family when I was four months old (02/72). So I blame some of my addiction on them!! :mickey: But it wasn't until 2000 that I truly started to see the magic when we took DS (then 3) and saw it through his eyes. :cloud9:

I'm still working on DH, but I think he is finally starting to come around a little. In 2007 he told me we weren't returning until we had grandchildren...but after our trip in December I actually heard a "Next time..." come from his mouth!!!

[mrmcgiv]

The first day of our first trip in 2007 when my kids were 2 and 5 did not get me hooked, in fact I think I uttered the words "I will never come back here again". Don't get too upset, that changes during the trip. Our first day was a Sat, we went to MK at 2:00 and tried to see the parade, it was early May, but unseasonably hot and humid that day. A little too much all at once! We stayed for the Spectro-magic parade that night, and I remember liking it a bit better by then, but not hooked.

However, by the end of the trip, we were somehow hooked. All of us! We had hoppers that trip, and I needed to take each park in a small does to figure out the layout and then return for a longer stay at the park. Once I went back the second time, it was not so overwhelming, I figured my way around (somewhat) and it turned out to be a great trip.

Funny how what started as I will never return again ended with I can't wait to get back here!

My husband and I had never been there as kids so it was a first for all of us and I do not think i can ever recreate the magic of that first trip, but it had me hooked.

One of the best moments was at Chef Mickeys when my 2YO said to Donald "I want to tell you one thing Donald, I love you" and Akershus dinner was great too.

CBR had a great fun theme as well and we loved it!

[wmdaddy]

I'd say it was my 2nd trip. I was 13. I remember being depressed for a long time after getting back. I'd look at the Disney Pictorial book over and over, keep thinking "I was at the MK last week at this time", etc. Anyways, next time I was able to go was when I was 20. It was literally a last minute thing. Since then, 14 years ago, with the exception of 4 years when I didn't have the money, I've gone at least twice a year.

[c&d]

When DH and I went down in Dec. 98. We did the 3 day/4 night Disney cruise in December and DH and we had just such a great time that we went back for a week 6 months later with my MIL and SIL. We loved seeing all the decorations and were sooo impressed with the CM's and how friendly and helpful they were. The parks and resorts were spotless, you never saw any trash on the ground. The food was good and the choices of different foods in the restaurants were excellent.

[Dragongirlx]

It was my second trip that really hooked me. It was the first time we had stayed in a Disney resort and just the whole feel of being there and being immersed swung it for me

[DonaldsBFF]

I was hooked when we went in 2005 for our homeymoon. I had been before but not as an adult. This truly was the best vacation I had ever done. From the moment we checked our luggage for our departing flight to Orlando there were no more worries. We love that you get off the plane, hop aboard the ME without having to get your luggage and are dropped off at the entrance of your "home". There were no worries for transportation to and from the parks as that was provided, we didn't have to figure out where to eat every day as we had the dining plan and that was all taken care of before the trip. It is the most relaxing vacation I have ever been on and is always tops on my list.

We have done the cruise thing and beach thing and they are very nice but I would always choose WDW anytime.

[Imagineer1981]

I have been going ever since I was a child and for as long as I can remember Disney has been part of my life. My DW and I tookd our DS2 last summer and it was amazing passing along that tradition to him

[cantgetenoughdisney]

I have to say the first time I went was when I got hooked. That's when I was 35 years old and I took my kids who were 3 and 5 at the time. I have to say though, that the first time I REALLY fell in love was when we went one September and there were no lines. We have been back every September since. I love it when you can actually enjoy the parks without bumping into people. We have gone 13 times now, and will definitely be back in September, although, this year I am adding a 50th birthday trip, given to me by my sisters, in April! 49 days to Disney World!!!! :mickey:

[TikiLounger]

I was hooked on the first day of our first trip with our children. My son was in second grade and my daughter was in kindergarten. We flew down a day later than the family members we were travelling with, so my brother in law picked us up at the airport drove us to the Shades of Green. The moment we started to see signs of "The World" on the highway and I looked over to see the looks of awe and anticipation on my kid's faces? That's when it all started for my family.

[PlutoPlanet]

One day we were plucked off of Main Street USA to be the Grand Marshalls of the 3 o'clock parade. That hooked us!

[crltkcagle]

My baby nursery was decorated with a huge mural of mickey mouse and friends. When I was a kid my parents brought us to Disney World. We also did the mousercise when I was younger. Disney has always and will always be a part of me!

[MMFreak]

For me it was 1972 I was 9 years old and fell in love with all things Mouse and to this day I still want to go back again and again and again. I cannot ever see having my fill. I am so thankful that I passed this down to my kids. They can't wait to go back every year too.

[Ms. Mode]

I was hooked after our first family vacation in 2004, however our next trip in 2006 was not as good. We went again in 2008, even though it was a heat wave summer..we loved it...and my family was finally as hook as I am. :mickey:

[#1donaldfan]

...way back in '04, with our first family trip, 3 kids, with the youngest being 5. I think we were hooked when we got to our resort....that place just welcomed us in like no other "hotel", beach, resort could ever do....from that moment on we were hooked.....been going back ever since.....why go to the beach, fight with traffic, parking, crowded sand, nasty tempers....etc.....

[bruin1344]

i cant remember if i was hooked when i first went in 1990 at 5 yrs old but i remember being fascinated with world showcase and illuminations in 1992 so Im guessing thats when I was hooked. Illuminations on that trip got me over my irrational fear of fireworks.

[DVC2004]

I went first when I was very little- 3 or 4- and I don't remember alot. Back then it was the 70's and there was only MK. We didn't stay onsite- Kisimmee somewhere. But my mom took us one more time when I was 14 and I was hooked then! We had so much fun and everything was so amazing. Pirates stuck out to me as did the Haunted Mansion. It wasn't until I was 24 and married until I got to go back again and stay onsite at the Poly- but since then we have gone at least once (and as much as 4 times!) per year, joined DVC, took our kids, took my mom, took my sister and neices and nephews. My husband asks me when I will get tired- never! I love being able to share this with my kids and hope to someday share it with my gandkids too. It's just a great place where we all have fun.

[DisneyHoneymooners]

July 12, 2004 the first day of our honeymoon as soon as we walked though the doors and into the lobby of AKL.:cloud9:

[jenny1976]

I got hooked at the tender age of eighteen months...As the story goes, my parents took us for a weekend trip in May of 1977 and I HAD to have my 2nd birthday party that September all MICKEY.
Another two instances that solidified my addiction were our vow renewal honeymoon in 2006, we were treated like ROYALTY, and our last trip when we got picked as Grand Marshalls for the MK 3pm Parade...Going back in May for DH's BD and combining it with DCL 3 night to Bahamas...DISNEY IS THE BEST>>>>:cloud9:

[ransam]

My parents took us every year when we were kids. It was always a surprise, we never knew when we were going.
I always loved spending time w/ my family and just remember those vacations were a lot of fun, to hang out w/ them, go on rides, eat frozen bannanas, etc....
I use to write every book report i had to write on a book by Walt or about disney.
but i really became hooked was in 9th grade, on the last day of our vacation. we were riding the monoral out of MK, and i looked back and could see the castle. I remember thinking school started the following week, i was arguing w/ a girl in the neighborhood and i had to face her, football practice was starting the next day in the Kansas heat. I just thought that i was going home to all this problems, and yet leaving this wonderful, happy, magical place. where everything is right, if only for that week.
I've always remember that feeling.
when i went to college, i didn't go back to disney for a long time. Finally i took an adopted child to Disney about 8 years later, and well, i've been going every year since.
I'm a 46 year old, male, disney geek.

[ILoveLegos]

As a kid of 7 in 1978 I thought Magic Kingdom was the greatest - despite the heat & humidity of an August visit.

I wanted to go back in 1980 for EPCOT's opening, but had to settle for reading about it in my scholastic "newspaper" in 5th grade. There in fine print there was an invitation to kids to become engineers, so that the could tour the backstage technology involved in EPCOT - it solidified my career goals immediately.

In 1995, I moved into my vacation home in central FL. Tucked in my overnight bag, was a newly worn-out copy of BIrnbaum's Walt Disney World. The chaos of moving in a 48 hour time frame was rewarded by a day trip to WDW, I had finally made it back! I only did Magic Kingdom that trip and the next handful of trips there after.

My first time in EPCOT, I spent the whole day in MK first and just watched the fireworks while eating a funnel cake.

Taking in WDW slowly at first helped me to appreciate the details of WDW. Eventually I stayed on property (3 times to date now) and I'm always eager to go back. I can spend a day there or a week, it's always a treat to visit.

[joonyer]

Growing up in the south, I never had a chance to go to DisneyLand, but I was always amazed seeing it on TV, and dreamed of being able to visit there someday. So when WDW and MK was announced to be built in Florida I was hooked before it was even built. Our first family visit was in October 1971 (I was 15) and MK had only been open a few weeks. It was everything I had dreamed of as a kid and then some. I have loved sharing the magic with my own kids.

[GBBT]

My parents went to the pre-opening when I was a toddler and have been a Disney nut ever since.We went a couple of times in the 70's and I went back in 1994 and have tried to go back every year since.:cloud9:

[SBETigg]

I was hooked before I even made my first trip, watching World of Disney as a kid. It was probably Disneyland in the clips, but wow did I want to go. And when we first went, in 1981, I was twelve and it was even more magical than I'd imagined (just the MK and Buena Vista Marketplace back then). Years later... My husband was a skeptic, but I convinced him to honeymoon at WDW and he fell for it, too. (thank goodness or I don't know what I would have done!).

[homeschool mom]

I was hooked on my first day trip to MK in 1986 when I was in FL on vacation with a co-worker. I wanted to go there on my honeymoon in 1989, but DH said he had been there once and didn't need to go back. Well, that was several family trips and one anniversary trip ago. I guess seeing it through our childrens' eyes for the first time in 1997 (on a day trip to MK) made DH love it as much as I do! We went for a week as a family for the first time in 2000 and we have tried to go back every other year since then. We are a true WDW family!

[IrishMickey]

Growing up in San Diego, Disneyland was my home away from home. So my first trip to WDW I liked but did not love it, however on the second trip during Christmas and going to the MVMCP, we were hooked, we love it and dream about being there daily. In fact our last two trips have been for 10 days each. Just can't get enough. :mickey:

[Tink#64]

I think that I didn't know I was hooked before our first trip! DH & I didn't go to WDW until our youngest DS was 4! I planned that trip for years, just waiting until he was the right age, past naps & potty trained, (older DS was 6) and it was amazing! But I didn't know until that trip that there were people that went to WDW every year! DH & I were blown away by this! After coming home from that trip, with no definite plans to return we realized how amazing it all was & how much we all loved it! Now we're so torn, we can only afford one big week long family vaca each year & there other things we like to do, like the beach, but after skipping a year at WDW we're all chomping at the bit to get back to Our Laughing Place! I'm hoping this is something that continues for my DS's when they have their own children & that DH & I are still enjoying the magic with them! :mickey:

[WDWgoofy]

I was 25 when I first visited the Magic Kingdom and Epcot (both on the same day) in 1984. It was fun but nothing special.

Later again a one day visit to the Magic Kingdom with quite young kids in 1996. Was mostly tiring, hot and crowded.

Couple of years later we made a 4 day (well-planned) multiday visit and I have been addicted ever since.

I love to go to Hawaii and I love to go to the mountains. I have traveled the world on business and pleasure, but WDW remains special to me.

I am planning a solo trip in May.:mickey:

[DisneyOtaku]

I think for my sister and I, we were born hooked. My parents went once or twice when my mom was pregnant with me (we lived 2 hrs. away at that point) and my first real trip was when I was 6 mths. old. We used to go alot for two-day trips (back when it was just MK and Epcot). Or even one day trips and we would get home around one am because we would stay to see the fireworks. And my dad loves it just as much as we do--mom does too, but for different reasons (hello Poly beach with a drink in her hand!)

Now that we live in Louisiana, and my sis and I are both in college, trips are harder to make. But we still love taking them :-)

[AdventurerKim]

My first visit at age 6 hooked me and my family. We've been going ever since, and I got my husband hooked the first day we went together. The 30th anniversary of my first trip is next year!

[Ksmith75]

I was hooked from my first trip in April/May 2007, at the age of 31. I had never been there, DH was there before. We did a combo WDW and Universal - we only stayed at WDW for 5 nights....there were tears in my eyes when we checked out. Since then we have gone every year at that time for 9 nights...I would stay 20 if I could. Doing our 4th trip together this April/May. Just being there is so wonderful - it is hard to explain...I love it. Next year is our 5 year wedding anniversary - we entertained doing something other than wdw - but couldnt bear it. We will be back in 2011 too!

[debandbub]

Loved reading about everyone's "beginnings"! I went at age 6 in 1976, and I don't remember too much, just thinking how cool it was. Went again at 24 with my friends and had a lot of fun. Went at 25 with my friends again, had even more fun, but spent the whole week thinking about my "crush" back home. Went at 27 with my crush, now my best friend and partner and THAT was the trip that really did it for me. Being in the most magical place on earth with a new love added to the magic. 15 years and 8 trips later with her and it just keeps getting better. :cloud9:

[Plex]

I went when I was about 4 or 5 years old with my parents and grandparents. Naturally, I don't really remember all that much from that trip. I was never a "Disney kid" growing up - wasn't into the movies, didn't even really consider WDW was a place to go on vacation all that much, etc. I just didn't have a connection to it.

So I end up going to WDW for spring break in my senior year of college with my girlfriend (now fiancee, aka 'lettripp' on the boards here). I was excited to go on vacation and go do something fun, but I wasn't any more excited about it than I would have been for any other vacation destination. I had little to nothing to do with the planning of the trip, and more or less just went along with what the other folks involved were planning because I had really no clue of what any of the plans meant.

The excitement didn't really hit me until we boarded the DME from MCO to Pop Century. There was something about the video on that bus that just really hit a happy button in me somewhere. I still wasn't entirely hooked, but I was getting there.

It really took being there a few days when we were at MK. I can't pinpoint the moment, but the feeling was unmistakable and I will never forget it.

I was suddenly disconnected from reality. Every worry and care in the world disappeared! I was unplugged and dropped into this new world where nothing bad can happen. It was seriously just like being a little kid again - no stress, no worries, no responsibilities, no greater concern than just having fun!

There's just something about that place - so perfectly engineered to scoop you out of the real world - even for just a few hours - and make you never want to leave - and want to go back as soon as possible as soon as you do finally leave.

[brad192]

Aw heck, I was hooked even before my family got to WDW. I grew up on Disney - Sunday nights, 7PM, Wonderful World of Color/Disney with Walt doing the intros to each week's episode.

Once the opening of WDW was announced, my parents decided that we needed to go ASAP. We planned our trip for the Christmas season of 1971. Yup, the very first WDW Christmas! We drove down from MI with our little pop-up camper in tow (we were really into campng then), and stayed at Jellystone Campground in Apopka - think Yogi & Boo Boo. Anyway...

We did a few of the other touristy things during our trip, but the "Main Event" was Cristmas Day at WDW! We got up really early, knowing this might be a huge crowd day there ( there was only MK at that time). We drove onto Disney property, and I remember my excitement building as we saw the signs for WDW, and as we approached the parking lot. Once we parked, hopped the tram to the TTC, boarded our beloved dog at the kennel (saying "she'll probably have as good a time as us!"), grabbed our ticket books - A thru E (OK, I'm showing my age), and were at the train station, I could hardly contain myself.

We walked under the station, turned the corner, and there was Cinderella Castle in all its glory. I think that was the moment I was "hooked". Of course, the rest of that special day helped to solidify my obsession/addiction. We closed the park that day - 1AM. I remember saying to my mom on the way back to our campground that "This was the BEST day of my life!", and I really meant it.

I was 13 at the time, and have been a die hard fanatic since.

[johnO]

I have to agree with Plex. The 'Immersion factor' is key.

I think I was hooked when we first arrived at the All Star Sports, which had not even had its official opening yet. I seem to remember it was a 'soft' opening. But as I stood in the lobby, a teenager, waiting in line to check in, I knew there was something special about this place and hadn't even stepped into the park yet.

MK, Epcot and MGM were unbelievable. The nightime spectaculars were amazing. I was hooked.

By the time we arrived for my second trip a year later at Old Key West, which was simply called the Vacation Club at that time, I was a 'Disney Nut'.

[AndrewJackson]

My parents starting taking my four siblings and me back in 1972, when I was 2 years old. That year, we spent one day at the Magic Kingdom. We went back in 1974 and camped at Fort Wilderness. I have been back nearly every year since - probably only missing 5 years in the last 30+. My parents were hooked the first vacation.

[B.R. Guest]

I was 12 years old and we stayed at the Contemporary Hotel. I remember looking up and seeing the monorail go thru the lobby. That was the coolest thing I ever saw in my life and I've been hooked ever since. I remember watching the Wonderful World of Disney and they showed pictures of WDW being built. Like the song says: a dream is a wish your heart makes. And my dream comes true every time I go. LIKE JUNE 2009! 93 DAYS UNTIL TAKEOFF.

[mook3y]

For me, its as long as I can remember....

See my signature. I think just hearing all of the sounds and fun influenced me! :mickey:

[wilcat]

For me I guess it was October 1976 on my honeymoon. It was only the MK then but what a great time I had, hubby not so much. We landed there 10 yrs later and Epcot was open. DH started to agree that it is a 'nice' place to visit. His family took trips to the beach every year which he did not like either but he still would not agree to go to WDW every year as I would have liked. So here we are 30+ years later and my DH has told me to start taking solo trips as he prefers to stay home on his vacations (huh?). Well too bad for him as I will be going down in Jan 2011 and hope to do a Xmas trip in Dec 2011 solo. I look forward to many more memories of WDW.

[Lakin]

Well, I went to Disney World when I was in 4th grade, and I was talking and talking about Disney all the time, and one of the kids in my class called me a Disney Freak - the name just kinda stuck!

[goofygirl67]

I didn't get totally hooked until I moved to Florida. I grew up in Mass. and had only been twice, once with my family in 1978 and then my first without parents trip in 1986. I moved south in 1996 but it wasn't until 2001 that I got hooked. Now I use my 3 weeks vacation at WDW, nobody even asks me where I'm going anymore.

[PharmD]

I had gone to WDW 2 times before my wife and I went in 1992. We only went to Epcot on that trip but it got us interested again. We went back in 1997 and I'm not sure yet what it was but I think it was walking into Magic Kingdom and looking down Main Street that cemented it. That and of course the magic :magic: of WDW. Since then we have been 16 times with our 21st trip coming up in Oct. :number1:. I guess you could say I am a certified WDW fanatic.

[kemps@wdw]

My first visit to the world was when I was 14. Although, my time there was limited (we were doing a kinda Florida tour), I knew then that I would come back. But the 1st time I knew that I was a WDW repeater was on our honeymoon. We stayed on property (@ the Golf Resort). All that was there was the GR, the Poly, the CR, and the Magic Kingdom! (now I'm givin away my age). But it was the most...magical, wonderful, albeit too short, 4 days I'd ever spent anywhere. Or so I thought! Now 31 yrs and 15 trips later, we still love it as much as we did then! And so does our DD, and my in-laws. We love the classics, and with all the refurbs and new attractions, dining, and resorts, it's always exciting coming back! So, for us, it truly is the most "magical place on Earth". So, we'll be seein you again,WDW, in October!:wave:

[DNS]

We really did not know what to expect on our first trip. I got Birnbaum's from the library and tried to find out what I could from people who had gone there (no internet then), but we just were not prepared for what we found. We had only planned 4 days there and one day was for Universal Studios. There were only 3 theme parks at Disney at the time. We were so overwhelmed when we got there. We started early morning and stayed until closing. When it was time to go back, we kept saying that we did not get to do everything and we wished we could stay another day or two. But that was not an easy option since we flew. So we decided to come back the next year. By the time our second vacation of 6 days was coming to a close, we were already planning trip number 3. That's when we knew we were hooked.:mickey:

[GrmGrninGost]

I was hooked before I ever went. From the moment as a child when I heard Disney was building in Florida I was super excited. I finally got to go over New Years in 1976 when I was almost 13. It was so exciting! I dreamed of going back for many years, but things didn't work out until my DW and I went on our honeymoon in 1991. We have been back many times since with the DKs and have no intention of stopping any time soon! :mickey:

[finaldynasty]

I was hooked from the first sight of Main Street during my first visit and was born again when I took my kid for the first time in 2005! We watch the planning dvds like we are breaking down game tapes! :mickey:

[emmatink]

Everyone gets hooked as a kid but my hook line and sinker was seeing my 4 year old DD at the opening ceremony to the MK take her hands and grab my face and look at me in my eyes and scream "look it's mickey!!" That made me and my husband tear up and that special moment hooked us on Disney for life, or at least until the kids request not to go. That will be sad day though :confused:

[Daisy712]

I was hooked on anything Disney since I saw the Bicentennial Parade in Disneyland. I was 9 years old. It also helped that we watched the Wonderful World of Disney every Sunday night. I grew up on Disney and luckily my husband did, too. We went for our honeymoon and have taken our own kids almost every year. We just can't get enough.:mickey:

[kimommy63]

I was hooked on the first day of our first trip with our children. My son was in second grade and my daughter was in kindergarten. We flew down a day later than the family members we were travelling with, so my brother in law picked us up at the airport drove us to the Shades of Green. The moment we started to see signs of "The World" on the highway and I looked over to see the looks of awe and anticipation on my kid's faces? That's when it all started for my family.

:mickey::cloud9:
I feel you. I totally related to that commercial they used to run about the kids thinking their parents were superheros for bringing them to WDW! I felt 10 feet tall the first time I brought my son when he was 4 (and really every time since) And planning the trip together is nearly as much fun as being there...well, maybe not as much but it is great!

[finaldynasty]

I was hooked from the moment I was able to see Mickey himself in the flesh! I just could not beleive as a child that the real live Mickey was in front of me!

[Stu29573]

I think before I was born.....:mickey:

[javamama]

I'd have to say the third time we stayed at the CR probably did it as a kid for me, we went back to back years then. Then again I went with my friend family two summers later so it was perfect, those trips made me love WDW back then.

[jonahbear2006]

Well, I went when I was 12 with my grandpa and didn't really appreciate it. I am not sure why, but it just didn't feel magical to me at all. We decided to give into the hype, what we thought was over the top, in our first trip to fortwilderness. My cousin came with us for extra hands and her personal issues ruined our trip. We decided to return the following february to re-live it by ourselves, in hopes to fix what had been so rudely interupted during the previous trip and we were hooked. We stayed for 9 nights at Fort Wilderness on the dining plan and we fell in love with the food, FW, the resort, and the ability to just lose yourself in this wonderfully magical place. Now when my husband tells me that he thinks we should take a year off and catch up on finances, a small piece inside of me shudders and he knows it.....with a bit of a sigh and an endearing smile, he knows that he too cannot let go of the 1 week of perfection that disney offers our lives.

[MarknTara]

I have to say the first time I went was when I got hooked. That's when I was 35 years old and I took my kids who were 3 and 5 at the time. I have to say though, that the first time I REALLY fell in love was when we went one September and there were no lines. We have been back every September since. I love it when you can actually enjoy the parks without bumping into people. We have gone 13 times now, and will definitely be back in September, although, this year I am adding a 50th birthday trip, given to me by my sisters, in April! 49 days to Disney World!!!! :mickey:

Haha! I totally agree. I got hooked when I went for a long weekend with my mom last September (took two days off school!). It really makes a difference when there's less people there. The minute we walked into the Magic Kingdom on the first day (and headed to the Pirates of the Caribbean, as tradition dictates), we knew that we were home! And have fun on your trip!!!

[Dopey's Girl]

I was hooked May of 1984. It was our first real family vacation (other than camping or other close to home things), we got to take an airplane and everything!

The thing I remember most vividly is taking the ferry from the parking lot to Mk. We were just about the only people on the boat, so we sat up front...as MK came into view, I just remember thinking that it was about the best sight I had ever known! We have pictures of that moment, and it still brings tears to my eyes! Every trip, I have to take the ferry at least once in honor of that moment.

[WDWNut02]

I had been several times as a teen and I didn't think too much of it. Not that I didn't like it, just that I didn't LOVE it. My father was diagnosed with cancer three years ago, so the decision was made that my father, myself, and my brother and sister would go on a vacation together. My father picked Disney. I went with an open mind and we had the best time I have ever had on vacation. Disney offered us a place to escape the reality of life, if only for a short time. We felt like kids again. My father passed away a short time later but he instilled his love for Disney in me. Disney remains my escape, my happy place.

[queenmom9497]

First trip ... four years ago ... I was already hooked and never had been there. Hooked the rest of my family when we saw "the Castle" for the first time. Been back every year since.

I agree with #1donaldfan ... "why go to the beach, fight with traffic, parking, crowded sand, nasty tempers....etc....."

Nearly unmatched customer service, transportation to anywhere that I want to go, we really do feel at "home" when we are there.

[Kathy Jetson]

I went the first time in 1989 and liked it but didn't LOVE it. I took ds for the first time when he was 4 and was hooked I think I got hooked while I was planning that vacation! This will be out 4th year in a row and I hope there is no end in sight!:mickey:

[ryca1dreams]

When I was a kid (a younger kid) back in the 70s, my mom's cousin and her friend had been going to WDW since it opened. Well, around 80' they took my family. We stayed at the Poly and had a great time. I remember waiting in line outside Space Mountain and being scared, but then loving it. I remember watching the Electrical Water Pageant from the Poly's beach.

I think it was her enthusiasm along with the total impact the park made on me. It was like walking out of the real world for a period of time into a place where nothing can go wrong. But, that first trip had me hooked.

[darthmacho]

I was hooked when I saw a picture of the Wilderness Lodge courtyard in the AAA brochure over 12 years ago. I haven't shut up about WDW since! :mickey:

[mom2Z&A]

I was hooked when DH took me for my first trip in December '95. :cloud9: It was right after our 1st Anniversary but before Christmas and the Osborne lights were up! I danced around with Tigger in WS at Epcot! I'll be heading back in 9 days for my 5th trip to the world with DH, DS12, DD7. :number1:

[CU Tiger]

I grew up in FL and only went to DW a few times. Liked it, but it was no big deal.:shrug: I went 6 yrs ago for the first time with my kids since I was a senior in '85. I saw DW through their eyes and was excited by their excitment:woohoo:. I became a kid again and have been hooked ever since. We have been back every year since and going back again next month.:mickey:

[vws_and_disney]

Mine would have to be seeing tears well up in DW eyes during the opening show at MK. At that moment i knew that there was really something magical about Disney. Hooked ever since

[finaldynasty]

As an adult, watching the excitement of my DKs upon entering each park!:mickey:

[WDW*Dreamer]

In 2001 my DW and I took the kids to WDW for the first time. It was the first visit for the whole family. I had been there once back in highschool but couldn't remember much.

As rookies we didn't know where to begin. We walked into the Magic Kingdom, and the first sight of Cinderella's castle sent a small chill through me. We walked up to the castle and saw that there was a show about to start.....Cinderella's Surprise Celebration I believe. I stood there and watched as Mickey and the characters all came out on stage followed by the princesses one at a time, and I WAS HOOKED!

WDW*Dreamer