Disney in the 1990s

[LoveMMC]

We only went once in the 1990s but have been more frequently in the 2000s
I have heard the 90s talked about like a golden age at wdw
So what did they have that was so good? Why did they get rid of it and what should they bring back?

- characters walking through parks
- pleasure island
- mmc taped at MGM studios
- celebs visiting MGM studios
- no dining plan
- Mickey napkins

Big changes due to Internet- sharing info and a demand for similar experiences.

Love the random characters probably removed due to mobs, upset people missing their characters.

Just wondering what disney was like in the 90s
My 90s wdw souvenir book has a MGM restaurant with beauty and the beast?! Never figured out what that was.

 

[amg35]

My theory is that any adult's "best" Disney is the one they remember from being a kid. A combination of the rides, the memories, the feelings, our parents being young again...all those things will make it Disney's golden years.

For me it was the early to mid-eighties, EPCOT had just opened and World of Motion was the best ride I'd ever been on! I have vivid memories of my parents and brother/sisters, all of us so young. And River Country....oh it was so awesome....

 

[DOOM1001]

The 1990's were named the Disney decade by Michael Eisner because there was serious expansion in the decade.Animal Kingdom was built,almost half (10)of the current resorts went up in the 90's,along with Blizzard Beach,Wide World of Sports,three Disney vacation club properties,two golf courses and both mini golf courses,the Disney Institute,the city of Celebration,the Disney Cruise line,major rides like Tower of Terror,Rock n Roller coaster,Test Track,Star Tours,Splash Mountain.DHS and Pleasure Island opened in May of 89 so they were also right there in the talk of new additions in the 90's.DTD in the 90's also expanded the West side adding Cirque du Soleil in 98.So there's a reason someone would call the 90's a golden age at WDW,the expansions since then have slowed down quite considerably.

 

[nharding20]

I went with my family 4 times in the 90's. I remember the Epcot hotels being built, amazed at the Michael Graves architecture of the swan and dolphin. It was unlike anything ever seen before. We were all excited to see the boardwalk go up; at the time with no Internet, we all wondered what the new hotel's theme would be. MGM studios was the 'trendy' park. Animal kingdom was brand spanking new...

In short, I found the whole experience so unique. And everything was happening while we waited for the next great animated movie to be released. With each hit, (Aladdin, Lion King) the parks and resorts incorporated theming so well.

Ahhh.... Great memories!

 

[nharding20]

Oh, and I can't forget to mention the Adventurer's Club at Pleasure Island! That place was great! A mix of safari adventurer, cognac-drinking, & British empirialism atmosphere. Interactions with wacky characters... It was great fun!

 

[tinkerbella16]

So many of my trips were in the 90's as a kid, starting in 1992. There are rides that I miss dearly, but also love the rides that are there now. World of Motion was one of my favorites- but I love Test Track more. Horizons was also a favorite.

I can remember being at Pleasure Island and celebrating "New Year's" when they did that every single night! Wow! It was just awesome.

I can remember when Splash Mountain first opened, and I would NOT go on it until 1994! Tower of Terror was one of those rides that I feared until I finally got the courage to ride and it became a favorite ever since.

Planning was always a breeze and NEVER stressful like it is now. You could walk up to just about ANY restaurant, what ever you were in the mood for and you could get a table. Now, that is a thing of the past.

Characters were always out... everywhere! There were no lines or fastpasses or special rooms for them. You walked into the Magic Kingdom and there they were!

 

[mikek]

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.

 

[mikek]

oh, and i can't forget to mention the adventurer's club at pleasure island! That place was great! A mix of safari adventurer, cognac-drinking, & british empirialism atmosphere. Interactions with wacky characters... It was great fun!

+1

 

[ShayBells]

I was a kid back in the 90's so I have a lot of good memories from then. I loved MGM back then. I remember loving Honey I shrunk the kids and this was at a time when 3D movies weren't in theaters so the effects that came off the screen were amazing. I remember the electricity be shot at your feet. What a surprise!

And I remember all the characters that walked around and for my memory it was so easy to get to them back then. I mean I went home with a filled autograph book. And it wasn't just pooh and Mickey. It was brier rabbit and tweedle dum and rabbit etc.

I don't remember animal kingdom being open when we went back then.

I just have great memories of the magic of disney and it might be because I was a kid and I love the magic now and always will but remembering Disney from a kids point of view is amazing.

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[minnie mum]

Am I just seeing all of our 90's trips through the rose-tinted lenses of distant hindsight? Maybe. But some of our best trips were during those years, when our children were little.

I agree with all of the PPs. All of the new development during those years were a big part of it. And compared to now? While I still had the Touring Plans pages in my hot sweaty fist back then, I definitely don't think that the crowds were nearly as bad as they are today. We still had to make a few ADRs for things like the signature restaurants (were they even called that back then?) and HDDR, but most of the time we just ate at whatever restaurant struck our fancy that day. WDW vacations were certainly a lot simpler- before the internet and smart phones and needing to be connected 24/7.

As for the Adventurer's Club- closing it was one of the worst things Disney has ever done. Kungaloosh.

 

[kiford]

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).

I remember walking up to a restaurant and (occasionally but not always) getting in but having to wait a long time and usually ending up being crammed into a corner. And we weren't going at the highest season.

I do remember Pleasure Island very fondly and miss the Adventurer's Club. I remember Alien Encounter (OK that was in 2000 but close to the 1990's) and miss it.

I remember standby lines being very long and was very happy to see Fastpass come into being.

There were no touring apps that gave you the wait time before you hiked miles across the park only to discover that you had an hour to wait.

The "good ol' days" weren't always that good. Sometimes it's the rosy fuzzy nostalgia that looks good, not the reality. Everything changes over time, sometimes for the better and sometimes not, but the way "it" (whatever "it" is) used to be done isn't always as good as we remember. And everyone has had different experiences based on what we did, wanted to do, expected to be able to do, and the time of year.

I don't think the 1990's were a better time at Disney - just different.

 

[ShayBells]

I remember walking up to a restaurant and (occasionally but not always) getting in but having to wait a long time and usually ending up being crammed into a corner. And we weren't going at the highest season. I do remember Pleasure Island very fondly and miss the Adventurer's Club. I remember Alien Encounter (OK that was in 2000 but close to the 1990's) and miss it. I remember standby lines being very long and was very happy to see Fastpass come into being. There were no touring apps that gave you the wait time before you hiked miles across the park only to discover that you had an hour to wait. The "good ol' days" weren't always that good. Sometimes it's the rosy fuzzy nostalgia that looks good, not the reality. Everything changes over time, sometimes for the better and sometimes not, but the way "it" (whatever "it" is) used to be done isn't always as good as we remember. And everyone has had different experiences based on what we did, wanted to do, expected to be able to do, and the time of year. I don't think the 1990's were a better time at Disney - just different.

Alien Encounter scared the crap outta me I had nightmares for weeks lol. And I was a teenager

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[AmyB2006]

The 90s at Disney… hmm… Well I would have been a teenager in the early 90s. I think it's just fun as a kid. Like pp said, your best memories are from when you're younger maybe? That's what you remember kind of thing.

I don't remember too many characters just walking around. I think they were already starting to have assigned times. They were never scheduled back then, I don't think though. You just saw a character, they went to a spot, and people lined up. That was that. And characters were out more than what it seems they are now, at least that's what I remember.

Dining… gosh, don't get me started. Dining was ten times better. I know that even being a kid and young adult in the 90s. You could walk into Epcot and go to Guest Relations that morning, and get a reservation for any restaurant that night. There was never this 180 day ADR stuff.

Parks were open LATE!! Normal hours were midnight, 1 am, 2 am, etc. There were no separate times for FW and WS at Epcot. It was all open the same. Body of Life Pavillion! LOL You could ride Space Mountain over and over again. Lines were never as long as they are now. There was NO FASTPASS! And it was great. LOL But like I said, lines were never that long.

It was just fun as a kid/teenager.

 

[andyman8]

Everything was better in the 90s.

Okay, seriously, I see what you're saying and can relate. Except for us, it's the very, very late 90s and mostly early 2000s ('00,'01,'02,'03) as that's when our children were younger. While I would certainly agree that Disney is great for all ages (after all, my oldest will be 18 next year and we still go), there's a certain extra layer added for those with children young and innocent enough to believe in it all, and as a parent, you enjoy seeing your little ones like that.

 

[mikek]

I remember walking up to a restaurant and (occasionally but not always) getting in but having to wait a long time and usually ending up being crammed into a corner. And we weren't going at the highest season. ...

my wife and i had our honeymoon there in the mid 90's. Second half of august (so not quite the highest season but not slow). We didn't even know about dining reservations (if you could make them then?) Granted there were only two of us, but I'm pretty sure we got to do every single character dining experience- we have pictures/mugs/souveniers so i know i'm not making it up (although that does happen now in my memory- LOL) . Sometimes we did have to wait some. Chef Mickets I do recall saying it's not worth the long wait and going back another time.

Contrast that to now- "oh gee we happen to be here, wouldn't it be nice to eat at X. Lets ask how long the wait. Excuse me, how long is tonights wait for a table?" -> "there are no walkups go away"

it's the major thing that annoys me about today compared to "the good old days".

I'm also a night sort of guy so loved being able to stay till 12-1 am in MK- but i get that it's better for them to change that.

The dining thing just plain makes me annoyed.

 

[smcabee]

My only Disney Memory as a child was when I was 7 in 1978 and my brother was graduating from Navy boot camp in San Diego. We went to Disneyland for the day. I was too scared to ride Space Mtn. but I fondly remember having fun meeting the characters and watching some shows and doing a few other rides. Fast forward to 1995, I finally was making enough money to actually go on vacation and me and my future DW at the time decided to check out WDW. We went and were able to decide when and where we would eat each day on the actual day and could actually choose from almost all of the restaurants and each place had a distinct variety, the lines for the rides were not very long(or maybe they were but I dont remember them being long), parks had much longer hours routinely and we had a great time with all the night life at Pleasure Island. Since that time we have been too many times to count, we bought into DVC and we are the age now where we just go with the flow and if something isnt available, its ok. We have some favorites that we make ressies for but for the most part its just wake up, see what bus is there and go. We always end up at either Epcot or a resort for a late Dinner and then we relax on our balcony or in a hot tub and do it all again the next day. So yeah, we feel it was much better in the 90's and early 2000's but WDW will always make changes and adjustments and either you learn to adapt or you do not.

 

[nansmama]

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.

 

[suzanna1066@comcast.]

There were no separate times for FW and WS at Epcot. It was all open the same.

When I went in 1985, FW (except e-tickets) shut down at 7:00 and WS did not open until 11:00. Pretty sure that has always been standard procedure.

I do miss same day ADRs but I also remember very long waits at some restaurants if you did not schedule first thing.

 

[Karbase8]

I was 21 when I went in 1996. I would say the food and character interaction at Crystal Palace, the characters just walked around in no particular fashion danced with us spend loads of time with us. The food quality was out of this world I felt compared to now. Pleasure Island was also great and loved 8Trax the club and New Year's Eve celebration. You didn't have to plan 6 months in advance, there was no Fast Pass it was just a good feel to it.

 

[Anonomom]

I went to WDW twice in the 90s, once as a teenager and once as a college student. The memory of my dad being in the Monster Sound Show at MGM is one of my favorites of him, ever. In fact, most of my fondest memories of those trips are centered around MGM, probably because it was the new park at the time. I loved the attractions about how movies and TV were made, and I seem to recall one where guests acted out famous scenes (like Lucy and Ethel wrapping chocolates).

I also remember so clearly flipping through the Birnbaum guide on our road trip down, looking at the descriptions of all of the resorts and wanting to see/stay at the Yacht Club and Dixie Landings.

Being at Disney now is still pretty great, but as a parent of small children, it's a totally different experience. I don't think I can reasonably compare the two.