I've been told that all of this started before I started kindergarten - so probably around 4ish, I would imagine. I have little to no memories during this time, which is unfortunate, but I'm sure they were lovely. I've been told we went all over Disney World because it was affordable to just go and buy a ticket and the spend the day when you felt like it. My folks always loved Epcot, so I'm sure we were there, as well.
As for where we stayed - there were a variety of places. I do remember that we stayed at Yogi Bear Jellystone Park RV Resort one year somewhere outside of Kissimmee. While the original resort is no longer there, a quick internet search led me to realize the franchise is still in existence - which makes me happy, actually. There was another RV Park at Route 4 and Route 27, right where they intersected. It was across the street from the old Baseball City Stadium (which has an interesting history, and I totally remember it being there). If you turned south on Frontage Road, you'd hit the Fort Summit KOA first. We stayed here maybe once before turning to a cheaper (and better for us option) which was right next door.
This place, however, has no name in my memory. I can draw you a layout of it. I can mark where the main hall was, draw the interior of the store, the community center room, mark where the large hill started and ended down by the mulch-covered play ground. I can even pinpoint where our trailer was parked in certain spots over the years. I can remember singing with a duo of folksy singers/guitarists who provided entertainment at some point (and I still remember the words to "You're Bound to Look Like a Monkey When You Grow Old). I remember hopping on the school bus and driving back to my "second home" the winter I was in 2nd grade. I can draw for you where the Bob Evan was on the corner, where I tried to eat dinner with my folks but we had to leave because I was bleeding too much thanks to the Gettys on the coast.
All of these stories. I could go into details on some of them later on (and probably will). But the point is - this one place holds so many memories and yet has no name. It's amazing what our brains hold onto and what we lose over the years.
Most of my memories were made on these road trips. But there's a different type of trip that has its own set of memories. I can pinpoint this one to 1989, and that's only because I remember what McDonald's Happy Meal toy I was playing with in the hotel bathtub. Mac Tonight. Maybe one of the weirdest marketing campaigns ever, but there it is.
I've been told what prompted this family trip was sort of unexpected and unusual. My parents had decided they were going to take a trip by themselves to get away for a bit, and my aunt was going to watch over me while they were away. They bought plane tickets (I still don't know why they chose this route, but they did), and they were all set to go. But the night before they were scheduled to leave, they were hit with a pang of guilt (which cracks me up; I have no idea why). They realized they would feel awful if they went to Florida without me, and so they decided to carry my little butt along.
They bought a plane ticket for me (the night before/day of a flight - can you believe it?! Our modern brains cannot comprehend the 1980s. ;) lol) So my first plane flight! How exciting is that? It was also my Mom and Dad's first flight, too. And my Dad's last - I think he discovered he hates to fly, but he's reluctant to admit it. I didn't get to fly again until I was in college, but I don't think I ever really forgot the feeling of it. Since then, I was fascinated with the Air Force Museum and airplanes, and the only super power I ever wanted was to be able to fly.
I remember arriving at the hotel when we got to Florida. We stayed in the what-used-to-be Travelodge hotel in Lake Buena Vista. I know the original building is still there, and it appears to be a Best Western now. Walking into that lobby at the rip ol' age of 7ish, I thought I was walking into the ritziest place I'd ever laid eyes on. There was a chandelier hanging in the center of the lobby (or whatever my definition of a chandelier was at the time). They had these golden luggage carts that bell hops were pushing around. Golden luggage carts, people! We have arrived in Ritzville...7 year old Ritzville, but nonetheless.
I remember we could see Epcot from our room, which I thought was awesome. And I had a whole big bed to myself. I laid there one night, and my parents turned all the lights off in the room so we could watch the fireworks. It was amazingly awesome and downright - should I say it? - magical. Seriously. I laid there hugging a stuffed animal, watching fireworks at Disney outside my hotel window.
That's what my 7-year-old brain took away from that trip. No big, humongous, crazy adventures or waiting in lines or not getting to do what I wanted to do. What mattered was my family and the fireworks and all these little things that just made my day brighter.
I think those trips defined how I "do" Disney World. The attitude that my parents brought to the table regarding family and what that means shapes how I view this wondrous place all these years later. It's why I can still watch "Wishes", feel like a five year old, remember holding my Dad's hand, and I cry. A grown adult. Each and every time. There is something awesome in that kind of memory, in that kind of place. It has a true power to captivate us and change us for the better if we let it.
With this view in mind, I want to be able to share my tips and my opinions regarding planning and getting there and what to do and where to go. But I told all of this back story so you've got an idea of what you're going to read here. I don't go big, and I don't go (usually) expensive. I try to keep it simple, and I maximize my fun as much as possible.
There are people who are superb planners, having everything laid out down to the very last detail. I am not like that when it comes to Disney. I have a plan, but I keep it loose - because that's where the real magic starts to happen, in my opinion. If I plan it all out, I leave no room for the fun, the interesting, the amazing.
So when I do share my experiences or my opinions, I'm going to reach out to those people who really just want to "play", to be a child at heart again for a little while, because that's the type of Disney person I am. I met a lady on the Magical Express once who was going to Disney for the first time with her three children and her husband. Upon finding out I'd been multiple times, she asked me, "What's are the things we definitely need to do?"
"Go play," I answered her with a smile. "Go find the first thing you want to play on. And if you can't play on it right then at the moment, go play on something else. Just go play."
She looked at me like I was crazy, and I had to laugh a little at myself. It wasn't your typical response. No "you have to ride the haunted mansion" or "if you don't try a Dole Whip, you'll just die". Just a simple request: play.
So let's just play, kids. Because we don't get many opportunities in this life to just kick back, relax, and let the magic happen.
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