Disney World Condos in the early 1980's

[JGR]

I am hoping that someone will know what I am talking about...In the early 1980's (only the MK and River Country were open) my family visited DW several times for 2-3 weeks at a time while my Dad worked and had meetings in Orlando. My Dad's company owned several condo's around what I think is Lake Buena Vista. They were HUGE 2000+ square feet, four stories, several bedrooms, huge pools, and you could get to what I THINK is now Downtown Disney by walking or driving a modified golf cart. We had a blast there...those are the best memories of my childhood. We also stayed in what looked like a treehouse with a really cool tub that was so deep that you could stand up in it and the water was at your neck. Does anyone know what happened to these places? I LOVE DW but, have only been able to go back 2 times as an adult (returning again in Oct to OKW)and have never solved this mystery. THANKS for any info...

 

[EpcotBill]

It sounds like you're talking about The Disney Village Resort, later The Disney Institute. Most of it has been torn down and replaced with Saratoga Springs Resort. The Tree Houses still exist, for now.
I don't know that anybody other than Disney ever owned it though.

 

[Tinkerbelle739]

I remember those. My family stayed at POR in 2003 and on a boat trip to DTD we saw what was left of those. Its kinda eerie seeing them just sitting there empty.

 

[laceemouse]

There have been many threads about the treehouses. There is much speculation, no one really knows if they will ever be re-habbed and used again. We stayed there in the mid 70s, they were great!

 

[GeekChic]

JGR are we related? LOL cause we had the same experiences in childhood at the villas!

I have a matchbook that says "buena Vista Villas" on it (i think villa 79 was the one we stayed in more than any other) we used to rent a golf cart too and drive it to the shopping village, remember the old gourmet shop? my grandma would get meat there and cook dinners...we swam most days with there only being one park...such wonderful memories i have there!

loved those roman tubs at the treehouses too and i remember how much i LOVED the spiral staircases! my parents were at one time offered a chance to buy one of those treehouses in the 70's...for something like 100,000 dollars and they considered going in on it with my grandparents since we used to go down to disney for 2 weeks at a time at least twice a year back then...but i don't remember exactly how that deal was supposed to work I was too young. my parents said they still regret not doing it! I remember hearing a rumor way back then that Bob Hope actually owned one of them (have no idea if that was true or not!)

oh, the memories. I loved the twinkling lights in the village. and riding the golf cart, it was the first thing i ever drove LOL.

i know a lot of the old villas at buena vista did indeed become the Disney institute villas and i think that the treehouses just sit vacant, a CM had said something about the land they're on being protected now so they can't demolish them? I would love to talk to a CM out in that area of the property who really knew the truth about them and why they're still there but unused (so sad!)

thanks for sharing the memories! so few people it seems remember the villas the way we do.

geek

 

[JGR]

LOL!!! Geek you made me so happy! I called my sister and my mom and we laughed so hard. We ALL three remember the Bob Hope rumor and we always wondered if we were in his treehouse! We loved the spiral stairs and the peacocks outside in the woods!
My sister reminded me that the rules were that you had to have your drivers license to drive the carts...I was only 12 and fixed my hair and dressed up - I actually convinced my 10 yr old sister to help me take it w/o my parents permission ofcourse. I drove it to that village and we got a blackforest cake from the gourmet shop for my dad bday as a surprise. I felt so grown up! Then I wrecked the golf cart (only a small dent but,...it was awful!) We all laughed so hard and it made us even more excited for our family trip in just a few days...Thanks for sharing too!!!

 

[SueEllen]

My first on-site stay was at the Disney Village in a Bungalow. I used to love it!

We stayed in the treehouses back in 2000 and my daughter loved the spiral staircase and the "vines" above the bed downstairs.

It's my understanding that the treehouses are on protected wetlands that cannot be rebuilt on, but they are grandfathered in so they can rehab them if they choose to use them. It's a part of Disney history that I hope is not lost. I can remember as a child my dream was to travel to WDW with my family and stay in one of those. I used to read the Birnbaum guide just about weekly dreaming of going to Disney. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I had my first Disney trip (and it was off-site.)

So many memories over the years. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Sue Ellen

 

[GeekChic]

Originally posted by JGR
LOL!!! Geek you made me so happy! I called my sister and my mom and we laughed so hard. We ALL three remember the Bob Hope rumor and we always wondered if we were in his treehouse! We loved the spiral stairs and the peacocks outside in the woods!
My sister reminded me that the rules were that you had to have your drivers license to drive the carts...I was only 12 and fixed my hair and dressed up - I actually convinced my 10 yr old sister to help me take it w/o my parents permission ofcourse. I drove it to that village and we got a blackforest cake from the gourmet shop for my dad bday as a surprise. I felt so grown up! Then I wrecked the golf cart (only a small dent but,...it was awful!) We all laughed so hard and it made us even more excited for our family trip in just a few days...Thanks for sharing too!!!

ROFL! we MUST be related. One time my then 15 year old sister took the cart out with me and my dad on it (she was driving) and she almost merged us onto I4 by mistake! *tears from laughter* OMG, such memories.

I got the Alice in Wonderland dress i was wearing in the picture in my sig in a shop in the Village on one of those trips.

For some reason, we always, always, seemed to get villas with leaks though. One time I remember my sister was in the shower and it started raining into the toaster LOL we never unpacked till mom and grandma tried out all the plumbing and were satisfied and my dad would say can i finally bring the bags in now? LOL

mom used to tell housekeeping not to bother coming in to make the beds just leave clean towels and we can take care of ourselves LOL so we rarely saw the maids.

that is HILARIOUS that you remember the bob hope rumor too! Sue i am so glad to hear that they can be refurbed, i too so hope that they do not lose that disney history!!! it's too precious!

they had great pools out there and i remember riding in the cart with grandpa up to the 'hospitality center' now i know he was just paying the bill lol but it was so, so much fun.

i remember walking the little lighted paths at night and being careful not to step on the tree lizards! i had totally forgotten about the peacocks till you mentioned them!

I loved the old shops in the Village the, the Readin & Ritin shop (Great spelling tho lol) the Pooh's character shop, the candy store (i once was so sad i couldn't get candy there, had a loose tooth, well 10 minutes later it fell out and i was standing out front with a huge bag of swedish fish LOL) i used to always buy one of the big tall Tootsie Roll banks that they sold in the Sundries shop and we'd work on those the whole trip.

oh man, i could just cry from happiness and sadness remembering all this! It was a simpler time at WDW...but so wonderful and the best memories of my childhood.

I should scan in the front of that matchbox and post the picture. Want to see it?

geek

 

[JGR]

LOLOLOLOL Please scan it in...I was just thinking that I am jealous of your pack of matches. My DH always saves matches now...and I try and use them and he gets mad at me and tells me that I will be happy to look at them someday! Now I know he is right! You too are right about simpler times at DW. My mom and dad will be celebrating their 70th bday at DW in Oct. and my daughter will turn 1 during our trip too! My family is NOT GOING TO BELIEVE how much it has all changed - I can't wait to show it all to them.