Disney in the 1990s

[rebbyparker]

I just want to say that I miss the cable cars!

 

[Laz]

It was the golden age for me because I got to experience WDW (and all of Disney) through my young daughter's eyes. Born in 1990, She grew up loving everything Disney and still does today. My fondest memories is going through the parks with my little girl on my shoulders.

 

[DawnM]

I didn't go to WDW in the 90s. I lived in SoCal and went to Disneyland, but I had a lot of fun in the 90s. I got married in '95. Pre-married life, I would go to DL with friends, I was a teacher and chaperoned Grad nights, and would even pop down for the evening if I could.

Post married life, '95.....DH and I would go down just for dinner and go to to the parks for a while for dates. We had APs every year. It was great.

First child born in '98. His first trip to Disneyland was at about 4 months.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I went three times in the 90s. Remembering at Epcot attempting to make our dining reservations in 1992 by talking to an actual person through a monitor. I still remember her plaid waistcoat. There was no such thing as 180 days out-it was first come first served. As I recall, we didn't get a table, too late.

I don't remember characters walking around, but I do remember them being in assigned spots and there were more of them it seemed-I still recall meeting Minnie Mouse outside of Morocco in WS in '94. She was wearing a gorgeous yellow belly dancer's costume. That's another thing-remember when Epcot was Epcot '94?

What I chiefly remember about my visit in '98 was that it was crowded and hot (it was August, first time not in the off-season), and standing in many long lines. There was no such thing as Fastpass yet. People who were not there before FP have no idea what a great thing it is, even if Disney is tweaking it now with FP+.

 

[JRawkSteady]

Yeah, the problem with WDW and the Disney company in general, is the new technology. There is something phenomenal about being able to do something yourself. Relying on computer animation and technology sounds like a great idea, but then ends up really lazy. In the parks, look at all the attractions that rely on technology, but comes off really lazy...(Legend of Jack Sparrow comes to mind here), FP+ relies on you contastantly being on your cell phones (which takes away from the magic).. etc etc. Same with Disney Animation (with the exception of Pixar).... The majority of their CGI animated films are lacking one very important thing... .. plot. They rely too much on the effects and don't put any effort into getting a great story out there. The heart and soul in the hand drawn animation has been lost...

anyway, I'll put my flame retardant suit on now...but this is how I feel about Disney in the 21st Century. I will say though, that I still LOVE the company and will be a Disney fan for life! But it's okay to speak your mind, when it's something you love.

 

[Freezing Cold B]

I went at least one a year, although usually 2-3x a year during the 90's. It was the decade I was 4 in 1990, and 13 in 1999. I think a lot of it is childhood memories that make it so great. However, there are things I genuinely miss.

1. Less crowded parks. The Holiday Season in the 90's was similar (at least in my perspective) to the moderate season now.
2. Ability to "wing it". There were always seats at restaurants and shows. We could walk up to anywhere and get a seat. Now, with everyone so ADR obsessed, those of us who in the 80's and 90's winged it... got left behind.
3. Pre-VC CR. Honestly, I was horrified at what they did to the CR. The tower looks ridiculous (I mean who says, "lets build a oval tower next to an iconic tower"), and the wing that it replaced was my favorite place to stay. It has caused us to refuse to ever join the DVC. Not that Disney cares, but I will be bitter forever!

 

[Seeker615]

There was 7 of us and we went in September of 1998. It was my husband, myself, our three kids ages 4, 8 and 12 as well and my step-sister and nephew (both were teens)

We stayed off-site and drove into the parks each day.

We were always there at rope drop and the parks were awesome. No long lines, no issues with eating and I have countless pictures of everyone with the characters. We always encountered a character somewhere in the parks.

There was no pre-planning involved other than a couple of "headliners" we knew the kids would not want to miss. We did those first thing and then wandered the parks and did what we wanted too. It was the best vacation to date!

We also did a day at Universal (before IOA) and had a blast as well.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Back when there was still a Navy base in Orlando, I was there for a week in 1991, by myself, with nothing to do while the Navy was processing my paperwork for getting out and transitioning to civilian life. A whole week with nothing to do--in early December, no less.

Perfect time for someone who had never been to WDW to go, right? No--like an idiot, I told DW that I wasn't going to go until I could go with our kids. That didn't happen until 2004. In the meantime, their grandparents took them on 2 WDW trips, while I was working.

Anyway, my guess as to the biggest change between the 90s and now are crowds. My guess is annual attendance is at least double what it was back then.

 

[Planogirl]

I loved the old Future World. It was so amazing when it first opened.

We didn't have fastpasses yet so we used the Unofficial Touring Guide to plan our days and that worked quite well. We kept running into people who also had their guides which was so funny.

I remember making meal reservations at the kiosks in Epcot. We went for Akershus which was quite a bit different back then.

 

[wiigirl]

I just want to say that I miss the cable cars!

Me too!

 

[Sandy Fisher]

I was 39 the first time we went to Disney World -- 1982. So I never had a childhood experience to base my memories on.
I miss the low crowds, the better food, more attractions that were family friendly (and now that I'm older, they'd have been older friendly!).
Our boys weren't into the characters much, but you got to see them. You got to do lots of things without spending weeks and months planning. I well remember the area where you could make reservations for meals that evening. Can't even imagine that now.
Lots of the rides and attractions are missed. At least by me and my adult family.

 

[fla4fun]

I remember when MK was the only park and we used ticket books. I remember what I consider the golden age of Epcot in the late 80's to early 90's. I remember the first time we got AP's and they had our photo on them. I remember when resort guests first got to make "priority seating" for dining one week out and everyone else was same day only. I remember a lot of things and I feel some things are worse today and some things are worse. But the only thing you can count on is that things will change.

 

[tjevans]

I had gone to WDW many times as a child, but for the first time as an "adult" on my own in early December 1992, and again in July, 1994.

What I remember about both was that the crowds were so much less than they are now. I went on the same dates in December last year, and the difference was night and day. In 1992, I took a photo of Epcot with no people in the frame. We literally walked on every ride, took our time and enjoyed each pavilion in WS, and still finished the park that day. Last year, I was miserable with the crowd.

Another big difference was you could easily get same day bookings at table-service restaurants back in the 90's. If you were a day guest, I think that was the only way you could do it.

What caused this? Well, to me, I think WDW is a victim of its own success. Back then, you never, and I mean NEVER, saw a commercial for a disney park on national TV. The addition of a fifth gate has helped make WDW a lot more stressful, at least to me. I want to see it all, even though I know I can't. It seems back in the 90's, with only 4 parks, that it was possible to "do it all" in a week and still have time to go somewhere off property in a week's vacation (including two days of driving--one each way).

 

[DOOM1001]

What caused this? Well, to me, I think WDW is a victim of its own success. Back then, you never, and I mean NEVER, saw a commercial for a disney park on national TV. The addition of a fifth gate has helped make WDW a lot more stressful, at least to me. I want to see it all, even though I know I can't. It seems back in the 90's, with only 4 parks, that it was possible to "do it all" in a week and still have time to go somewhere off property in a week's vacation (including two days of driving--one each way).

Has Disney World opened a new park without me knowing about it?

 

[basas]

the biggest change in my mind is "back in the day" between walking up hill both ways to school in the snow- lol- there wasn't a need to plan everything months in advance.
You could walk up to a restaurant and get a meal, even one with characters like Liberty Tree Tavern (use to be character) or Chef Mickey's. The standby lines were never all that long (on the flip side there was no fast pass at all so every ride was a line). And the parks seemed to be open later/earlier without having to figure out which day of the week it was for EMH or anything- I might be on crack but i think Magic Kingdom was open to 12 or even 1 am some nights all summer long.

River Country still existed and Discovery Island but i think Blizzard Beach didn't exist and Animal Kingdom wasn't there yet.

I did love pleasure island- it was Disney for Grownups. You could go to a nightclub without worry of anyone being an ***. I remember being there one night with my wife and someone started something outside the comedy club- before anyone knew what would happen there were like 6-8 security guards (some in plainclothes) surrounding the problem and taking them away. I was such a nice thing you could go with your wife and both of you could have a drink or two and just not worry about things.

This ^^^. No planning your meals 6 months in advance, no booking your rides 2 months in advance. You could actually have a relaxing vacation. It was more about "the experience" instead of running from A to C, back to A then to B, you get the picture...

Oh...and the ticket prices were a whole lot more reasonable too!

 

[crazy4wdw]

This ^^^.
Oh...and the ticket prices were a whole lot more reasonable too!

I agree with this statement 100%! Also, you didn't have to pay extra for park hopping and non-expiration. These features were included in all of the multi-day passes.

 

[hookedonears]

Here are a few of the reasons IMO, that the late 90's (97-99) were better:

1) E-Ticket nights is the biggest and best thing that's gone now. If you stayed on property, (which there were a whole lot fewer then) on certain nights you could pay an extra $5 per person for a wrist band, and stay an extra couple of hours in the Magic Kingdom. The park was empty. We walked on Splash Mt. 3 times in a row.

2) The food quality was better, because there was no such thing as free dining.

3) Early EMH were so much better, because there were not nearly as many people staying on property and participating.

4) The bathroom facilities seemed to be much cleaner then they are now.

5) ADR's were never a problem.

 

[clsteve]

I had an annual pass to Disneyland through most of the 90s (note: I was in my 20s during that decade). The biggest difference I remember is the food being really good and not much more expensive than eating out at a chain restaurant place. You just don't find that at ANY amusement parks now, let alone Disney. They have jacked the restaurant prices way up. My husband (now deceased) and I used to go there quite often just to have dinner and do a few rides. It was about the same cost as going to a movie and way more fun.

This.

I remember going to Chefs de France for the first time after just returning from a short deployment to Europe and going, wow, this is surprisingly authentic. Not so much anymore.

Also, Epcot seemed fresher and had a great vibe with all of the buildings occupied plus great technology exhibits.

 

[Raenstoirm]

I post this photo every so often as it is my favorite disney photo ever.

It was at a time when the characters were free to roam. Pluto kept my grandmother company while the rest of the family rode the rides at MGM. He stayed with her and insisted on pushing her wheelchair for a very long time that afternoon. That is not something we will ever see again.

But as others said it was mid September and there was NO ONE in the parks. It was a ghost town. We never stood in lines for anything. Who needed fast pass when you could ride star tours over and over without getting off? (it was my mom's favorite ride so we in fact did this often). Dh and I still go the same time of year as my mom and I did in the 90s and the amount of people has increased 100 fold.

Oh and who could forget the quality souvenirs? Not cheap plastic things that break within a few months. I still have a pencil case I got from WDW in the 80s! (one of those ones with all the buttons and each little draw pops out reveal an eraser or pencil sharpener or what have you.) All the draws still pop open 30 years later.

 

[tjevans]

Has Disney World opened a new park without me knowing about it?

That's what I get for counting without consuming caffeine first!