Step 1: Admit you have a problem

mattsdragon

<font color=red>DDC #595 <img src=http://photopost
Joined
Sep 23, 2005
Alright, clearly we are all not only intelligent, witty, macho, attractive and can handle our alcohol, we all also have one other burden to bare.

We are all Disney-holics.

When did your addiction start?

When was your FIRST trip?

When did your problem start.

Ok, I'll start. . .

Hello, I'm Matt

I have been a Disney-holic basically all my life. My parents enabled me at the tender age of 3 months.

My first trip was October, 1971. I remember none of it, but there are Super 8 videos of it. I remember my 2nd trip, October, 1974.

When did you start your habit?
 
First trip was '98 with the in-laws and SWMBO. A trip that is worth an adult beverage or a Dole Whip if we ever meet up. Until then the username should suffice. It took kids, more trips, the aging of the Mrs., and joining this august group of gentlemen before I came to appreciate Disney.
 
71 or 72.

71 or 72.

71 or 72.

My family used to live in Orlando before the Mouse House was built. My first trip was mostly likely during Thanksgiving or Christmas in 71 or maybe the summer or winters holidays in 72. I don't remember nor does my mom.

We went at least once or twice a year since 71/72 until I was 16 or so and trips then trailed off as high school and college got in the way. I made a few trips in that time frame including going to EPCOT the year it opened. The wifey and I made a couple of trips before we had kids and once the kids were old enough we bought into DVC and we were off to WDW. :cool1:

We have taken a break from he parks, :sad2:, due to the kid's school schedules and made a trip to VBR this year which was very nice. We might not make it back to the parks until 2015, :sad:, and in the meantime, our Disney Fix will be VBR and maybe a Disney Cruise.

Later,
Dan
 
First trip in the late 70's. You know.....those impressionable years as a child. Disney was our first time going anywhere other than NH or Maine. We had little extra $$ for vacations until then. Stayed offsite at the Sheraton Lakeside (not sure if it is still there). Side trips from the hotel also included a day at Daytona Beach, Busch Gardens Tampa and KSS. What else could a guy ask for.

At this point it is a sickness.:rotfl2::rotfl2:
 
First trip in '89....was most impressed with EPCOT than the other parks. Probably helped that I had backstage passes with both AT&T at SE and GE at Horizons.

Didn't go back till 2005 as an adult.

But since DD's have been born we've been every year since 2008!.
 


Hi… my name’s Rob, and I’m a Disney-holic.


First hit… spring of 72. Quite the adventure that was.
Was hooked immediately but didn’t have the resources to return.

Next "trip": ten years later… Epcot.
More hooked then before, still no resources.

Another ten years later and I return with my lovely bride.
She became hooked just as quickly but we still didn’t have the resources.

Ten more years of withdrawal pains and we return with my then five-year-old boy.

pixiedust:

Once you take your own kids… you’re done for.
To heck with the lack of resources!
We’ve pretty much returned in one fashion or another every year since.

:cool1:




But then came college tuition... :sad2:
 
Looks like I'm the newbie around here.

I never got a chance to visit a Disney theme park as a kid. So my first visit to Walt Disney World was in October of 2010. We took a family vacation and stayed at the Polynesian (and one night at the Swan). My addiction was pretty much instantaneous. It took my wife a little longer to come around, but she's totally hooked now too - and are both of our kids.

Since then, there's been:
Family WDW trip in September 2011 (All-Star Music)
Solo WDW trip in December 2011 (Pop Century)
Family Disney Fantasy Cruise in March 2012 (Coronado Springs before the cruise)
Family WDW trip in January 2013 (DISDads Convention) (Port Orleans-Riverside)
Family WDW Trip in September 2013 (Port Orleans-Riverside & Animal Kingdom Lodge)

Up next: DISDads Convention 2 in January 2014 (solo this time)
 
Hi I'm David

First trip '78 with the grandparents. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Parents couldn't afford to take us back, so my next trip was our honeymoon in 1993, stayed off property.

First time on property was 1998 - Coronado Springs

2000 with inlaws - CBR
2002 with inlaws - POR
2004 - with my Dad - CBR
2007 - first time my daughters ever went (they were 2) - CBR
2010 - Daughters 5th birthday trip - CBR
2011 - HUGE family vacation with inlaws (9 of us) Kidani Village AKL
2012 - family vacation - POP Century

Can't wait to go back as a family of 8!!
 
I'm going with Dave. I'm still drinking Disney.

I went in 87 with my parents to Epcot for a half day at Epcot on the way home from Ft. Lauderdale on vacation during Spring Break. Walked the countries and did a few rides. Not much magic.

In 2000, DW and I Disneymooned and the magic started.

In 2005, returned with dds for the first time and the magic took. Been going back yearly or twice a year ever since.

As DVC owner at BWV, I only have 30 more years of Disney vacations left.
 
I'm going with Dave. I'm still drinking Disney. I went in 87 with my parents to Epcot for a half day at Epcot on the way home from Ft. Lauderdale on vacation during Spring Break. Walked the countries and did a few rides. Not much magic. In 2000, DW and I Disneymooned and the magic started. In 2005, returned with dds for the first time and the magic took. Been going back yearly or twice a year ever since. As DVC owner at BWV, I only have 30 more years of Disney vacations left.

30 more years, you're my hero!
 
I'm going with Dave. I'm still drinking Disney.

I went in 87 with my parents to Epcot for a half day at Epcot on the way home from Ft. Lauderdale on vacation during Spring Break. Walked the countries and did a few rides. Not much magic.

In 2000, DW and I Disneymooned and the magic started.

In 2005, returned with dds for the first time and the magic took. Been going back yearly or twice a year ever since.

As DVC owner at BWV, I only have 30 more years of Disney vacations left.

I'll just be happy if I live that long.:lmao::lmao: 30 years of Disney is AWESOME!
 
I'm going with Dave. I'm still drinking Disney.

I went in 87 with my parents to Epcot for a half day at Epcot on the way home from Ft. Lauderdale on vacation during Spring Break. Walked the countries and did a few rides. Not much magic.

In 2000, DW and I Disneymooned and the magic started.

In 2005, returned with dds for the first time and the magic took. Been going back yearly or twice a year ever since.

As DVC owner at BWV, I only have 30 more years of Disney vacations left.

We still have 41. . .and I plan on dying on our final trip. . .or after, definitely after.
 
First trip was spring of 83. 6 years old. Stayed offsite at some luxury hotel with a glass elevator, and a view of Spaceship earth from our high rise balcony (Epcot did not open until October that year). Grandparents took us with my mom. Even had a character breakfast in the lobby of the hotel (chef mickey's did not exist then). Went again when I was 10 in 5th grade '88. Stayed in a Days Inn, and my mom and stepdad had us spend brutal opening to closing days in the park (swore when I was old I would stay onsite). Again in 95' on my high school senior trip. BEST TRIP EVER!!!!! (until I really grew up and had kids). My best friends in the whole world, no parents, and my girlfriend at the time. Who could ask for a better trip! Again, stayed offsite at some motel (now of course they all stay at a value resort....we got hosed back then!)

Now that I'm adult, my first trip was Coronado Springs in 09 with my pregnant wife, DD (3 at the time) and inlaws. Gave us a whole new love of Disney through our child's eyes. Since then, 2 trips in 2011, Disneyland in 2012, another trip to the world Nov 2012, and 2 trips in 2013.....with a 3 day weekend trip planned for December.....and a 10 day trip next year :cool1:

Buying into DVC at the end of 2011/early 2012 on the resale market...and I'm guaranteed 46 more years of it! And have really found the tricks/times for cheap airfare, minimizing park costs to get as much in as we can!
 
First trip was in the early 80's as a young child. I think we went like 3 or 4 years in a row for 1 day trips while visiting Grandparents in FL. I think the first of those was a trip to MK cause I can vaguely remember Small World. All the other trips during those years were to Epcot. Father was a Science teacher at the time and Brother and I took after him.

Next trip wasn't until 2011 for a Thanksgiving/retirement celebration for my father. Now having a wife that likes to travel (a LOT), I'm back to getting more regular Disney fixes. Next trip (in my shiny new ticker) and a solo trip planned for the following year.

Now I just have to convince her to move closer or buy DVC to lock her in!
 
My first trip was in 2006 with my wife. She tried to convince me to go for 5 years and we were there for a conference and went to all 4 parks in two days. I've been 7 times since. We are headed back in less than 2 months.
 
First 2 visits were actually to Disneyland, Uncle worked at Disney so in '68 and '70 we flew from Michigan to California to visit. Loved the Mattahorn:) To young to be an addict.

In 1973 I went with my sisters family and I thought that CR and seeing a monorail going through it was the neatest thing ever. Hard to be an addict after just one trip.

Moved to Orlando in '84 and over the next 18 years went about a dozen times. Making sure to get in as many rides as possible, jogging to the next one etc. Addict? still no.

Got tired of the heat and traffic, and moved to the Florida panhandle and the great beaches. 2005 took our 5 month old DD to WDW with a group of friends, had a bit of a difficult time getting use to the new slower baby pace. At the end of the trip, hmmm that wasn't half bad. Addict? Nah

We did another trip in December for the Christmas decorations, just the 3 of us. "Wow this slower pace is pretty nice". "I never realized there was a store down that street". "Work? What work" Addict? YES

Have not missed a year since and have 2 princesses that love Disney.
 
OK ... doing the math on my Disney trips has opened my eyes to my "problem."

First visit to Disneyland ... 1972 when I was 6, and honestly, the only think I remember is Pirates. And that may be because my parents bought me the ride book.

First visit to WDW ... 1975 when I was 11.
We stayed off site in Kissimee somewhere. I recall how much bigger that park seemed than DL, but not too much else. We only had a couple of days at MK after doing all the normal for the time Central Florida and Space coast stuff.

WDW ... MK in 1978
We actually went down for a quick visit when our local college football team made the Tangerine Bowl in 78. MK was an afterthought on that visit and I think we only spent the morning there for the bowl game parades. That was the first time I remember riding Space Mountain ... like four times in an hour. My parents were less impressed than I.

WDW in 1982 ... MK and Epcot between Christmas and NYE
It was a big deal because Epcot had opened that fall, but it was PACKED that Christmas and I honestly wasn't all that impressed. My Dad had built a hotel in Winter Park and we stayed there and visited some family in addition to WDW

WDW in 1995 with my parents, wife and 2 children
First time we stayed on property (Contemporary) and the first trip for my own kids. By now the whole resort was grown out with Studios opened up and much of the value and mid-priced resorts either built of being built. My kids were 4 and 2 and staying on the Monorail made it great for tag team touring while they took their afternoon naps. THIS is when the bug really hit and I credit it to both having my own kids at the parks and staying on property. We've never stayed off site since.

WDW in 1998 with the same crew
Stayed at the Poly and made it for the soft opening period of Animal Kingdom ... which was really cool. This trip, I think is when my daughter caught the Disney bug.

WDW in winter 2002 with the same crew
My Mom talked everybody into doing a land/sea trip on the Disney Cruise lines with a long weekend at the Poly. Never really got the cruise thing and I remember our trip down was majorly impacted by a big winter storm screwing up multiple airports. The kids loved it though.

WDW in Dec 2003 with the wife and kids
Quick trip once again for an NC State bowl game. Stayed at All Star Music and spent a couple of days in the Parks since we were in the area.

WDW in summer 2008 with the wife and kids
My Daughter's choice for her last High School vacation. We stayed at Poly again, by now I was hooked and that as well. Everybody fell in love with the Tower of Terror and Exp. Everest

Planning to come back with the wife and kids this May, first stay at AKL ... and who knows from there. My daughter has an interview with Casting and is contemplating a job in the World.
 
When did your addiction start? 1999 - My sister-in-law decided her wedding was going to take place at WDW. My wife (girlfriend at the time) fell in love with the concept. As a result we began taking visits to Disney and fell in love with the place.

When was your FIRST trip? 1985....I went plenty of times as a youth with my parents, but never truly appreciated it.

When did your problem start? Shortly after the wedding visit...as I said we started taking regular visits including the millennium celebration (most crowded I have ever seen it) and proposing to her in front of the Castle in 2000. We were married there in 2002 and have taken at least a yearly trip ever since. We do tend to go on a weekend trips every other month to go along with 1 or 2 week long vacations. We are PAP and have looked into DVC and are considering doing it this year as Christmas presents for my wife and I.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!






Top