The good old days at Walt Disney World

[Orlandrum]

It is amazing how many more pictures/video are taken of first children. It'd be cool for WDW to do a phone free day.

 

[Mirielle]

I hate them characters while your eating, there all sticky from kids hugging them, and they touch you, yuk. You know the people also fart in them costumes

A real jewel of a post.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

Went first year Disney opened in November. Stayed at Contemporary, my mom thinks about $28 for mid-level room. Staying there in 11 days for mom/son trip!

Went yearly in November during 70s and ate Thanksgiving dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern.

Also remember If You Had Wings

 

[snapppyd]

My first trip was our honeymoon in 1981. We stayed in a treehouse villa - a whole house to ourselves! They were building the monorail to Epcot, which was opening a year later.

There were no crowds, we rode everything in Magic Kingdom (the only park at the time!) more than once. The characters roamed freely, you could just walk up to them and take a picture. River Country was the only water park.

NO CELL PHONES. I remember the first time I saw someone using a cell phone in the Magic Kingdom, it was blasphemy. The outside world was invading the magic.

I hate to sound like an old fogey, but I'm about done with Disney. We have stayed about 40 times since our honeymoon, always loved the place. BUT, the past few years with the extreme over-building of timeshares, overcrowding, needing to plan every move months ahead, ridiculous prices, and to top it off, metal detectors? The staff are nothing like they used to be, they just don't seem to care anymore. The magic is gone for us. We are about to cancel two trips we had planned this year.

 

[L&Lfan]

My first trip to Walt Disney World was in August 1972. (We had previously been to Disneyland in 1968.)

Unfortunately, for me much of the magic is gone. I am SO not a Star Wars/Marvel person. I'm sure I will enjoy the attractions , but they'll be more like experiencing Universal/Six Flags attractions for me. They'll be fun...but they won't have that "Disney something" to me like the Walt era based films and attractions. Also I am definitely not an over planner which is basically a requirement now.

 

[dreiwhit]

When I was a young boy, we lived in California. Since my grandmother lived outside of San Bernardino, we would spend time with her and have a Disneyland visit. I'm not sure how many times I went when I was young, but it was a bunch!

In 1978 we moved to Alabama, courtesy of Uncle Sam. In February 1979, my family and I made our first trip to WDW. I remember a lot of that trip. Not having to have plans, not having to wait in line for long periods of time, and being able to eat where and when we wanted. I didn't make any further trips to WDW because the month after we got back, my parents bought a pool and our vacations became staycations at the pool.

My wife and her family went during the 1980s, and she remembers the characters just walking up and down the street. You could walk up to them and get their autographs and your picture made with them. She also remembers not having to plan and not having to wait in line for long periods of time and eating when and where they wanted.

Fast forward to now. Next month i'm going to make reservations to eat 180 days away! I've never made a reservation for anything that far out! We're already planning on how we pay for the trip, what we do the days we will be there, what we will eat, etc, etc. We never put this much effort into planning a vacation, and my parents and my in-laws certainly didn't put much effort into planning their WDW trips.

 

[Disneylvr]

Mine are pre free dining and pre having to plan everything. We would eat lunch and dinner where we wanted, you just walked up and ate. No need for reservations. We would just get on which ever theme park bus came first, no need to get fast passes and know where you would be 60 days in the future.

THIS!!!!!! I am still a big Disney fan and I also LOVE Star Wars so I have no plans to stop coming to WDW but I miss the good old days of the 80's and 90's and early 2000's before every minute had to pre-planned.

 

[RedAngie]

My honeymoon was spent at Mk in 1979. We stayed at the the Contemporary tower. Cost per night $74.

We stayed at the Contemporary during my first visit in 1975 during Easter week. I don't remember the cost of the room, but I do remember my father complaining how expensive it was. The room faced the lake, not MK. MK view was probably $5 more.

Plus he had to shell out to get an extra booklet of E tickets.

 

[rickybobby]

I hate them characters while your eating, there all sticky from kids hugging them, and they touch you, yuk. You know the people also fart in them costumes

I would bet there is some sweating also going on in those suits in Summer.

 

[Cadiewampus]

First trip was the second year they were open so that was what 1973 I guess. Only park was MK and it was crowded. Had and 1 1/2 hour wait to ride the sky tram(or whatever they called them) but it was a blast. I will say I am glad the days of the ticket book have gone away.