Jud says:

Not sure how much reply will fit here, but many years ago…

“Okay, dude… give me the skinny on this “thing” you have with Disney. I get a kick out of reading your activities to and from the mouse’s place – but I’m always wondering what it is that got you hooked. Spill it.”

Hmmm… Interesting question. I don’t have an immediate answer- not something I considered that much- just enjoy it.

I first went to Disney on a day of leave while at US Naval Recruit Training Center in Orlando, Jan, 73. It had just opened a few months earlier. Frontierland wasn’t even open yet.

Of course, like most of my age, I had grown up spending Sunday evenings with Walt! I always loved the animation and always had a love of, and desire to draw, though in my environment, there was not much encouragement.

Thus, when presented with the leave option of going to downtown Orlando to get drunk and chase questionable women, or go to the place of the Magic, well, I chose the magic!

I spent the day with two fellow recruits and we had a grand time! At that time, admission was about 12 dollars, I think- maybe 7? It got you through the gate, onto the monorail and into the Magic Kingdom, the only major theme park in Orlando at the time. And a pack of tickets, labeled “A” through “E”.

The A’s were for the light, ordinary rides, like the Teacups and Dumbo and such. The E’s were for the really special stuff! Like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Jungle Cruise and Country Bear Jamboree. There were not enough tickets to do everything without buying extras, so one had to pick and choose. Lines were not a problem, as it took a while before the crowds started coming. But I remember that the three of us were down to our last “E” ticket and had chosen to do Jungle Cruise. As we waited to board, the Cast Member (CM) started conversing with us in a friendly way and soon discovered that we had not seen Country Bears. He said we had to, so he let us onto Jungle Cruise without taking a ticket in exchange for our promise to go see the Bears! Thought that was real nice! But it was quite typical of the behavior of CM’s to guests back then. You were really made to feel welcome.

I returned in 75 and 76 while hitchhiking around for a couple of years, but neither of these were particularly memorable, as I spent most of one trying to meet randomly with a friend who was there, and failing.

After that, I was involved in work and stuff, eventually ending up with my own home repair business, which I worked daily without a break for many years. Never even thought about vacation or travel. I had spent most of 5 years traveling the country, so had had enough to keep me going for a while. Or rather, staying!

It wasn’t until much later that I went again.

I was working one day, and I simply couldn’t go on! Just stopped! I was putting in a screw at the time, and I just couldn’t even finish turning it! So I took a look at “me” and realized I had been working for 15 or 20 years without a break! So I decided to take a vacation, and then decided, having to have a destination, to go to Disney! This gave me enough inspiration to finish putting in the screw and wrap up that job. Went home, got on-line and made a reservation, and flew out a couple of days later.

Orlando had changed a bit! For one, when I flew into Orlando International Airport in 71, it was literally a large Quonset hut! Really! Now it was this huge spread out complex with rail shuttles from the landing terminals to the main building! Seemed as big as all of Boston!

And theme parks! Three at Disney; then Universal, Sea World, Splendid China, Busch Gardens… NASA! And the dinner shows! Did a Disney water Park too- I think- or it might have been a later trip!

Kissimmee, the actual location of the tourist hub, had become quite the entertainment capital!

I spent ten days there, motel prices were cheap, and did a theme park and a dinner show most every night! Had a blast! I happened to be there at the slowest time of year, so there were no crowds, walked on most everything, and was also in good shape and energetic so was able to cover most everything at a park in one day- even Epcot! Of course, at that time, I was also at the gate at opening! Haven’t seen that time of day for a long while now! LOL

The funny thing is, I didn’t do Magic Kingdom! With so much to do, I figured I had already done that, so would spend my time doing the other parks.

However, the day before I was to go home, my airline went out of business! I had only an e-ticket, so couldn’t even show anything to another airline to get a favorable rate! No plans had been made to re-book the people: it just vanished! So ended up paying 400 bucks to fly out and the nearest flight was three days later!

So, back to the motel, and having two days to kill, I decided to do one of those timeshare tours as at the time, they gave you 50 dollars and a ticket to Disney! Really! And the guy who signed me up at the motel said he would buy the ticket from me if I didn’t want to use it. So I figured a good breakfast (the start of the presentation) and 50 bucks to listen to some guy talk for a while.

Did it, and got out alive! They are real good! Phew! But I got away and had my ticket and 50! Given that I had nothing to do the next day, I decided what the heck, I would go ahead and go to the Magic Kingdom (MK) the next day.

Well, it was magic! It was everything all the other parks wanted to be! I had a grand time! Everyone was so nice and friendly, and clean- the park was so clean! At that time, you would see literally that every tenth person or so was a CM with a dustpan, constantly sweeping up any little tidbit that hit the ground, and looking happy to be doing it! There was a real pride to being a CM and making sure the guests enjoyed themselves! By the time I left, I was convinced they sprayed something in the air to make everyone happy!

I returned in 96, 97, 98, and Disney was always the center of my travels now. Over those trips, I had many experiences that were extraordinary, courtesy of CM’s and occasionally other guests. I also became part of others experiences, helping entertain kids in line (“Hey! There’s no crying at Disney!”) or guiding lost souls to TomorrowLand, or the best spot to watch the parade… or explaining to a little boy that my Goofy hat meant I was Goofy, *not* Mickey, as he kept insisting. (He won!)

After the 98 trip, I decided, more like realized, that I could stay in Florida! Live there and do Disney anytime I wanted! And it had grown so much that one needed to do it daily to catch up!

So I didn’t go the next year, as my house sale was pending and why vacation, when I was going to stay? But the house “pended” again and again for about 5 years, so finally in 2001, I returned as a vacation. I still loved it, but the magic had diminished, both in me, and in the details of the park, especially the moral of the CM’s. MK was still in a league of its own, but it wasn’t what it had been. And now there was Islands of Adventure, which seemed to have been built by people who really studied MK and got it right! It is a fabulous place! Not Disney, but then, neither more is Disney!

Once I got to Florida and found a place to buy, I took my purchase and sale agreement to the ticket counter at Epcot and asked if they would accept that as proof of residency and okay me for an annual pass. They considered it for a moment and decided it was okay! So I got it, and spent the two weeks to closing in the parks! Have spent more than 50 days in the parks since, though now I often just do a couple of rides and spend the rest of the time simply enjoying the environment.

So, “…give me the skinny on this “thing” you have with Disney… – but I’m always wondering what it is that got you hooked.” I think I would have to say it was the spirit of Walt, as manifested in his presence on Sunday nights; the animation his studio’s produced, under his guiding hand; and the environment of the theme parks and worlds he created. It is the place where dreams, at least, *seem* like they might come true!

Beth Green says:

LOVE IT! I couldn’t agree more! :)

Disney on Wheels says:

I love your answer, I couldn’t have said it better myself. :)

manda says:

I LOVE the angle you took with this Dizzneemomma! Brilliant! :D

HeeWho says:

This inspired my latest post!
http://notthatgoodofaperson.blogspot.com/2011/08/up-where-air-is-clear.html

Josh Freilich says:

I agree with everything posted in this article, even Jud’s story.
It’s nothing but unadulterated magic. It’s been like that ever since my first visit to Walt Disney World in 1988, when I was 15 months old. I couldn’t stop smiling when I was there. 24 Disney trips later (including a couple at Disneyland and one at Disneyland Paris, making a grand total of 35!!!) …and I still can’t. Again, it’s just… MAGIC.