Memories of my many "First Nights" at Disney World

Memories of "First Nights"

I'd like to tell you a little bit now, as a break from the info, about the best way to spend your first night at Disney World.
I remember, the most exciting thing about our first nights was getting our tickets, and finally getting one of the new guide maps, to see what's new and happening at the park. I loved looking at the guide maps, even though I knew that it was the same map as the previous year.
Next we went up the steps to the monorail. That is an experience in and of itself, especially when I was young. When you ride the monorails in the morning, its so crowded that you can't enjoy it, but at night, as a kid, it was wild at times when you had the monorail to yourself. We didn't take the express to the Magic Kingdom, but rather to the resort hotels, and we'd go to the shops, and sometimes get something to eat, or an ice cream at the hotels. One year, we found a great little place in the Grand Floridian, with an Ice Cream Polar, and an arcade. The other year, we went into the Contemporary and looked at all of the stuff in there.

You might be saying, well what fun is that. It was always an experience to see the people, and talk to them for the first time...People who work in the park are different than other people. They're nicer, or at least as a kid, they always seemed nicer. But, there was something else about those first nights. We were in Disney World, but we weren't IN Disney World. It was like all of the elements of Disney was there, just in enough of an amount to look forward to the coming week. That was what was exciting.
I can't say if it is still the same way. The last time I was there was three years ago, and the resorts still maintained all of the charm of the earlier years. I still had all of the same experiences, all of the same feelings as I had when I was a kid. So, if you have a free night, explore the resorts (the monorail resorts that is) since they truly are wonderous places.

Commentary issued on Feb. 28, 1998.