Photo Friday: Walt Disney World, Then and Now

When I was a kid, my family didn’t travel that much. Our first (and only) family vacation to Orlando and Walt Disney World was a BIG DEAL in 1981. We planned the spring-break trip for nearly a year; the anticipation nearly killed my brother and me, who were age 8 and 11 at the time.

We met up with my Ohio-based grandparents, aunt and cousins for a couple of days at the Magic Kingdom and the River Country. (Does anyone else remember that waterpark?! We thought it was the greatest thing on earth — we’d never been to a waterpark… ever!) For our 1981 vacation, my family stayed in the Contemporary Resort (the monorail through the hotel blew us away) and I recall a character breakfast and Mickey Mouse shaped waffles. EPCOT Center was still a year away from opening.

My brother and I in Tomorrowland in 1981. Oh, to have those stick-thin, 11-year-old legs again! And that's a tiny whale print on the shirt -- remember that preppy style?!

Every summer, my family and I would drive from New Hampshire to Ohio to visit my grandparents (and assorted other relatives), but it was rare for us to actually vacation somewhere with extended family, so I have very, very fond memories of hanging out with my Grandma and Grandpa in Florida. Forgive the indulgent vintage family photo; it won’t mean much to anyone else but me!

I wonder how many people have posed for photos in front of Cinderella's Castle like my Grandma and Grandpa did in 1981. Billions?

My then-3-year-old at Disney in 2003.

Flash forward to 2003, when I first took my own kids to Walt Disney World — and its multiple theme parks. Funny, how we “made do” with just one theme park and one waterpark in the early 1980s. My lucky three-year-old daughter was not only able to meet some princesses in the Magic Kingdom, but also hang out with Rolie Polie Olie and other Playhouse Disney friends in MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios).

What was so fun about that 2003 trip was that we met up with friends I’d met on the internet (just a twinkle in Al Gore’s eye in 1981!). Four of us who were all due in May 2000 became friendly on the Babycenter.com forums, and we all descended on our friend Melissa’s house in Florida — with assorted husbands and our May babies’ siblings in tow.

In fact, I’ve continued to stay in constant touch with my friend Melissa — and when my kids and I were in Florida for the Disney Dream inaugural cruise last month, Melissa and I again took our kids to the Magic Kingdom (this time, fewer princess meet-and-greets, and more roller coasters).

Here’s my attempt at trying to recreate the photo of our girls from 2003 (age 3) and 2010 (age 10) — taken in the sleigh in front of Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square. Not sure what’s up with the tongues — why the girls chose to stick them out to begin with. But I had them do it again more than seven years later (and their tween selves didn’t seem too embarrassed by it — score one for mom!)

Disney fans in 2003 and in 2011.

For kicks, compare this photo below of my kids — ages 10 and 8 — to the one at the top of me and my brother from 30 years ago. You see the resemblance, right?!? This photo below was taken last month on a very, very wet day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

Pouring rain didn't put (too much of) a damper on our day at Disney!

I honestly hope that someday I’ll take my own grandkids to Disney World. I have fabulous memories of family vacations in the parks; I know my own children do, too. For as much as the entire Walt Disney World Resort has grown and expanded through the decades, its ability to provide visiting families with magical experiences has remained constant. Say what you might about the crowds, the expense and the lack of a culturally authentic experience in its multiple theme parks and resorts… I’m a fan of Disney, and the vacations it has provided for me and my family over the last 30 years means it will always hold a warm place in my heart.