That's how things were in Brazil... economy was not so good. You had to work hard and save for a very long time before you could afford a trip! At least, that's how it was in our family. And we knew how to save. We didn't buy expensive clothes or shoes and only bought what we really needed so we could save and do more fun things. I remember working so hard at 16/17 years old and making the equivalent of U$150 - U$200 a month!
1998:
By this time I was 22 and had just finished University. My parents, my sister and I thought that visiting our relatives in California would be fun again and this time we added Orlando to our itinerary. I know the last thing most people in college age want to do is a trip with their parents but we grew up very close and came from 2 cultures that are all about family (Persian and Brazilian) so traveling with our parents was more than normal!!
After our great visit with our relatives in California we headed to Orlando.
This was our first trip to Walt Disney World! When we arrived in Orlando, my cousin and her mom from Canada were waiting for us at the airport. I love how my cousin who's closer to my mom's age than mine was so into the trip! They both flew from Toronto to spend the week with us at Disney and Universal!
Again, as budget was tight we stayed at Econolodge!! I think at the time it was around $35/night! We also had a 6 seater car that my cousin had rented.
It's funny that back then I had no idea that you could actually stay on site. Internet was rare and slow and I don't even know if they had a site at that time??
We had an amazing time! My sister and I planned everything. We would get to the park, get tickets and immediately look for the rides with a warning sign. We knew those had to be our first and would be the fun ones! But I remember having time for everything else too like Fantasy land, etc. By 22 I actually wanted to do the little kid stuff and feel like I was 10 again!
In 1998 tickets were around $50 per day. What a change... now they are around $90 for a one day ticket!
My aunt's health was not great so we rented her a wheelchair. She couldn't go on all the rides but it was funny how sometimes we would line up for regular line and the cast members would come running to us saying we should use the special line. Most times though we just didn't feel right taking advantage and parked the wheelchair and walked to the line. When she was up for it and line was short she would just wait. When her health wasn't great then she would use the wheelchair.
Our first time on Splash mountain was hilarious. My parents sat behind us and were clapping and singing the whole time. My sister and I were a bit embarrassed but none of us really knew how the ride ended up so the surprise at the end was great! My mom definitely wins the Oscar for screaming! We couldn't stop laughing in the end!
My parents really became kids at the parks and they were in their 40s and 50s so it shows you there is no age limit at Disney. I really now appreciate Walt Disney for creating such a special place that people of all ages get to enjoy.
This trip was amazing. We had great laughs with our parents and cousin and aunt (who passed away 3 years ago). Disney brought us together and I have great memories from that trip. We visited all 3 parks plus Universal. Animal Kingdom was not open at that time.
Whenever we travel these days and people say: "oh, you love amusement parks so you should go here or there near us - I have to tell them that Disney is so different, they don't get it until they visit. It's not just an amusement park. Everything is carefully thought of, it's not a jungle of iron with a bunch of roller-coasters. Disney Parks tell you a story in every ride, every building. They revolutionize technology, create amazing things, places, gardens, etc and they have the best customer service I've ever experienced! The only thing I would change if I could are the crowds!!! ;-)
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