Happy Birthday, Walt Disney World!

The 20th Birthday Celebration, 1991.  No way this was 20 years ago...

On October 1, 1971, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World opened its doors for the first time, and quite frankly, the rest of the world has never been the same.  Today, as people from all over flock to WDW for the 40th birthday celebration, I want to look back at 10 days (out of hundreds!) spent at that most magical place that stand out in my life.  Here we go:


*  In March of 1978, my friend Steve Semmler and I traveled to Jacksonville, FL during our spring break to visit our dear friend Sabrina Perry and her family.  One day during our visit we all drove down to WDW and spent the day.  It was my first time ever at the Magic Kingdom.  I don't remember all that much, except a Jungle Cruise "tour guide" hitting on Sabrina, and that Pirates of the Caribbean was one of the coolest things I had ever seen.  I still feel that way.

Me, Goofy and Marilyn at the 
15th birthday of WDW

*  In September of 1986 Marilyn and I took a cruise for our honeymoon aboard Premier Cruise Line, also known as The Big Red Boat.  This was the forerunner to the modern day Disney cruises, and at the conclusion of the trip we got to spend 3 days at WDW.  We both fell completely in love with the place.  Our first time walking down Main Street U.S.A. at night, holding hands and being completely amazed, is one of those moments I will never forget.
*  I took the youth from Springfield Friends Meeting to WDW in the summer of 1987.  It was a trip that built momentum that changed that group forever.  But the night no one who went will ever forget was the last night, when we parked at EPCOT, took the monorail to the MK later in the day, stayed there until closing, and then had no way back to our vehicles because the monorail had quit running.  We finally got back to EPCOT after taking a series of buses, only to find that our vehicles were the LAST ones left in the parking lot.  It was an incredible sight to see, and a memory that will last a lifetime.
*  In September of 1991 we took another cruise, this time with my Mom & Dad.  Our time at WDW included staying on-sight at Disney's Yacht Club Resort.  The moment that is etched upon my brain was discovering The Beaches & Cream Soda Shop, still one of my favorite places to eat on the entire property.  Plus, this was the trip that began my parent's love affair with WDW.

MK 20th Birthday Parade

*  The spring of 1992 brought many firsts for our family.  We spent our first week at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.  We bought our first annual passes (Marilyn and Will still have passes in 2011).  My parents began looking seriously at places to retire in the Orlando area.  WDW had a serious hold on us all!
*  In the summer of 1993 I brought another group from SFM to the parks.  In a week that still ranks as my favorite youth trip ever, there was one night that stood far above the rest.  Our dinner at The Fireworks Factory and adventure to The Comedy Warehouse (both then at Pleasure Island) was the stuff legends are made of! And that night, we were the legends! 
*  We moved to Kissimmee in 1994, and were so thrilled to drive the 15 minutes to WDW anytime we wanted!  One of my favorite moments was heading over to visit Marilyn, who worked the summer of '94 as a hostess at The 50's Prime Time Cafe at The Disney/MGM Studios.  Seeing her in costume and with her official cast member name tag gave me chill bumps.  For the next 6 years we were often in the parks, both as a family and with my youth group.  There were too many great moments to include them all here.  But we NEVER tired of WDW!
*  December of 1994 brought about two very special and personal moments.  First, we went to dinner with my parents at Ariel's Restaurant at Disney's Beach Club Resort and gave them the news that Marilyn was pregnant with their first and only grandchild.  A couple of weeks later we returned to The Fireworks Factory with some SFM youth group alumni and gave them the same news.  I really hate that both of those place are now gone.

Night of Joy, 2004- at the All-Star Resort

*  In September of 2004 I took a large group from Wesley Memorial UMC in Tampa over for a weekend at Night of Joy.  We stayed at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort and just had a ball.  It is mt favorite NOJ memory, and one of my favorite memories from days at WMUMC.
*  And finally, in December of 2005 we attended (as we did every year in those days) a performance of the Christmas Candlelight Processional at EPCOT, one of my very favorite events of the Christmas season.  To hear the story of Jesus read by a celebrity narrator, backed by a 400 voice choir and orchestra will send goose bumps of the spine of anyone.  This particular occasion was my Dad's last time at one of his very favorite places.


That's 10, so I'll stop.  There are so many more magical moments, many of which I have written about previously on this blog. A few of my favorite posts include (click to visit) A July 4th Disney Dash, Hoop-de-Doo, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and But Now...  If you want even more, click on the WDW label at the bottom of this post.  In any case, Happy Birthday, Walt Disney World!  I look forward to many more memories and seein' ya real soon!  Come back tomorrow for a special Sunday Edition of my Saturday Shout Outs!


Thanks Walt,