Do they still...Do you remember when...

[stevepete]

Before EE days, they used to let people into the MK early then have them wait behind ropes until the welcome announcement. Do they still do this? (It's been a long time since we made it to the parks early )

Do you remember when there was a tram at YC/BC that would bring you over to Epcot? Do they still have this? I really need to start paying closer attention to things

What little thing do you remeber that are now gone?

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have only been to EE once, in '00 and they kept us just inside the ticket counters.

I have never heard of the tram you spoke of.

 

[Michelemouse]

The tram stopped running when the boardwalk opened. The used to use the boardwalk itself as the route to get to EPCOT. Now it is just too crowded with pedestrians to do that safely.

 

[webmomom]

I remember the Swan Boats . I use to love to ride in them. Aalso the Penny Aracade on Main street. I know they have moved alot of stuff to different locations, but it was so much fun all in one place.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I remember when WS opened at the same time as FW, at least it did in the late 80's. We used to love to have breakfast at the French Pastry shop.
Lots of resturaunt things-remember when the Empress Lilly had a character breakfast with Donald Duck, FW had Melvin the Moose (don't forget the Kazoos), Top of the World Sunday Brunch, Before Disney Inn became Shades of Green, there was a resturaunt there that was supposedly Walt's favorite, Minnie's Menehuene Character Breakfast.
And lastly, remember riding the buses identified by different color flags? (Take the brown flag bus to the green flag bus, then get on the...)
I love to reminisce!

 

[BethC1952]

I remember the buses with the colored flags very well. My color-blind DH got lost one night by getting on the wrong bus!

Of course, that was back in the days of two hotels, FW, one park and the shopping village at Lake Buena Vista!

Beth

 

[Michelemouse]

Simba's Mom wrote:

"Before Disney Inn became Shades of Green, there was a resturaunt there that was supposedly Walt's favorite"

I don't think it could have been Walt's favorite, since he died years before WDW opened. Maybe it was Roy Sr.'s favorite?

I remember The Mickey Mouse Revue in Fantasyland (where Mickey's Philharmagic is going...which makes it very appropriate!) and If You Had Wings in Tomorrowland (later Dreamflight, now Buzz Lightyear is there). And the Polynesian offered evening boat cruises on the Seven Seas Lagoon which were great!.

 

[Safari Steve]

Now there is a show every morning (except Sun and Thurs) with dancers and a citizen of Main St. and a train with Mickey and a bunch of Characters who bring the opening family from Toontown to the park entrance. The show usually starts about 15 minutes before the park opens and lasts around 10 minutes. Before the show, guests are held in the entry plaza in front of the Mickey flower bed. After the show, the ropes in that area are dropped and guests are allowed to enter the park. Characters from the train do greetings in Town Sq, and the ropes at each land stay up for about 2 more minutes until the old "rope drop" announcement occurs, when the whole park is officially open. On Sundays and Thursdays (Extra Magic Hour for Resort Guests), there is no train show. Two families are picked from the resort guests who arrive for EMH (one on each side of the entry plaza) and they throw pixie dust to open the park. Non-resort guests are held in the same roped off plaza area until the "rope drop" announcement, when the ropes at the entry plaza and the ropes at the Adventureland and Liberty Sq. bridges are dropped simultaneously.

Many of the movie machines (my mind is gone after grad-nite last night...), the football game, and the mechanical orchestra are in the Main St. train station. The orchestra costs 25 cents and plays for a good long while, I try to play it every time I'm up there.

 

[tar heel]

Minnie's Menehuene is or was the character breakfast a Ohana at the Polynesian Resort.

Dan, it's hard to believe you've only been to one ee. I had you pegged as a morning person!

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

"If you had Wings" was a favorite when I was little as it did not take a ticket ! And we LOVED the Magic shop on Main street!
I really don't remember crowds in the early years and we went every year at least once.

 

[helenabear]

While I was not aware of the tram (never stayed over there) I do remember everything else that people mentioned.

I also remember when the Characters were a lot more visible and you didn't need to be at a specific place at a specific time to see them.

Not quite as old, I also remember when ALL parks were open 1 hour early for all Disney resort guests. That was so wonderful and I got on so many rides in that hour. Since they changed from that, I have never done an EE again as they seemed to be too crowded by comparison to the old style.

 

[Poohbear123]

were my Mom and I's favorite Ride! Also, the train that went around River Coutry/Ft. Wilderness area? Also, at AK when they first opened up 5 years ago, they had a Boat Ride around the tree of Life area--they did away with it the next year and I asked a CM where the boats were and she had NO idea WHAT I was talking about!

 

[princesstommi]

*Character breakfasts on the Empress Lily.

 

[grinningghost]

I can remember having to rip those lettered tickets out of the book. Oh, how sad it was when all you had left were a few A's.

 

[stevepete]

Where were the swan boats and when were they there?

 

[philaround]

Originally posted by stevepete
Where were the swan boats and when were they there?

The Swan Boats were in a moat that went all around the castle. I don't know exactly when they were discontinued. They were an original attraction when the MK opened in 1972. My quess is they lasted about 10 years. Anyone know for sure?

 

[helenabear]

Originally posted by philaround
The Swan Boats were in a moat that went all around the castle. I don't know exactly when they were discontinued. They were an original attraction when the MK opened in 1972. My quess is they lasted about 10 years. Anyone know for sure?

The Swan Boats were around from Summer of 1973 through August of 1983 (opened seasonally apparently)

http://home.cfl.rr.com/omniluxe/psb.htm

 

[slp87]

I will always remember the Swan Boats because I was 10 years old and we were getting off the ride one afternoon when one of the infamous summer storms rolled through. We were running for cover in one of the stores on Main Street. The rope poles were already set up along the parade route so as we ran around one I slid my finger through the "eye" of one so I wouldn't lose my balance. Unfortunately my finger didn't slide back out so easily and I spent the afternoon at the emergency room with a chipped bone in my finger. That was our one and only time to ride, but we've never forgotten it.

 

[sanilacjack]

The old music to the COP in MK.

"Now is the time, now is the best time, now is the best time of our lives"

I thought I was going to cry the first time I heard the new music.

Oh those were the days..

-Kim

 

[Poohbear123]

Thanks for the Picture, sure brings back Memories!