Does anyone remember

[mickeysbestfriend]

what it was like in the beginning at WDW? I have spent 450+ nights in Disney hotels starting with our first on property stay in 1976 but I have been visiting the World since 1972 and remember what it was like way back then.

I remember the Diamond Horseshoe when it was a show.

I remember the swan boats

I remember when the trees were just babies

I remember I remember it taking a ten day stay to see and do everything on property.

I remember never seeing a cast member who wasn't smiling

I remember every dining experience being magical and the atmosphere being something that you didn't find anywhere else on earth

I remember the Poly costing $85 a night

What do you remember?

Bill

 

[wdwmom2]

I LOVED the Diamond Horseshoe Review!!!! I miss it when I go there.

 

[rie'smom]

I remember those too and 20000 Leagues Under the Sea.

I remember that it used to take over a year to get an on site resort reservation.

 

[sarasotamom]

I remember Discovery Island and River Country. The only 2 hotels were Poly and Contemporary. You bought tickets---A, B, C, D , and E. I actually have A and B tickets left from when hubby and I were dating in my scrapbook.

The Contemporary had movies playing for the kiddos....

Ooops forgot...Disney Inn...

 

[paintnolish]

Eating a character bfast on The Empress Lily
Going on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Staying in the treehouse villas
Getting to go behind the scenes at The Diamond Horseshoe Review as part of a class
Holding a macaw on Discovery Island
Eating in The Odyssey

 

[DisneyMim]

I remember all these things. One of my favorite memories is when the characters used to be able to walk around and nobody attacked them. You used to be able to walk up to them and get a picture and autograph. Everyone was very kind, no pushing and shoving, people respected each other and the characters. Sigh, I miss that.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Let's see. We don't go that far back, about to the early 80's (for my wife) ...

I remember sparkling clean bathrooms, and walkways. There was never a drip of ice cream or gum, or popcorn or anything at all on the walkways. The bathrooms were always clean and almost always had a CM there to keep it that way.

I remember being able to as any CM in any park a question about that park and get a correct answer. There would be some actual talk and discussion...

I remember the double decker buses of the World Showcase.

I remember the Junkanoo bus at EPCOT, and the wonderful dancer that was with it. They made the best mixed drinks. It was the first time I tasted a Bahama Mama, and the first time I heard the Macarena!

I remember that the day after Thanksgiving the parks were completely transformed into a Christmas wonderland. If there was a frost (as there was a couple of times) that hurt the plants, the very next day the plants were all replaced.

I remember $49 per night at the Value Resorts and paying a bit over a hundred a night to stay at the BC! LOL.

I remember the Magic Kingdom club and the discount for park tickets that was part of the perk for that club. We still have the luggage tag from one of the promos.

I remember the APs that went with purchasing into DVC.

I remember when the Mickey Bars were big enough to share!

I remember when the samples at the Food and Wine Festival were large enough to make a meal out of. If you expected to taste more than a couple, you really needed to share. I remember when most samples were about $2.00. I remember seeing headline chefs without having to pay extra, and having a taste of the food they created.

I remember when the bus drivers where wonderfully funny and chatty people who made the short jaunt to a given park fun and interesting.

I remember Horizons, and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and seeing the Evil Queen of Snow White at Germany. I remember when the buffet at Germany was $12 for dinner!!! It was the best value on property...

 

[jackemail]

I remember from 1973 when the only hotels were Poly and Contemporary. When they began building Wilderness Lodge, we were upset that they were adding another hotel because the crowds would increase. Little did we anticipate the number of hotels that would be added as the years passed!

 

[ahutton]

Getting to go behind the scenes at The Diamond Horseshoe Review as part of a class

I did that class too! I still have my book, it's on my oldest daugher's bookshelf. She's ALMOST the age now that I was then.

I remember If You Had Wings, and that song still gets stuck in my head.

And - I will always remember the rock band Tabasco playing in Tomorrowland. That gets me singing a whole bunch of early 80s songs.

And the Top of the World breakfast buffet. Going up there in the morning and watching the MK wake up was so awesome.

 

[MIGrandma]

I remember the ticketing system too, with A-B-C-D-E-F.

I remember riding 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and being so disappointed years later to see it was gone.

And I remember having my picture taken with Winnie-the-Pooh as a teenager.

 

[mum4jenn]

I remember "Michael and His Magical Music Machine"...(or something like that!!!LOL)

If you had wings...no tickets I think

Skyway

Ticket booths to purchase more E tickets (and d,c,b,a,)

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I remember when it was only MK.

I remember the soft opening of Space Mountain and being one of the first to ride it along with my mom and dad.

I remember A-E tickets. There were no F tickets.

I remember belonging to the "Magic Kingdom Club" and getting a book full of ONLY E tickets for the same price as the regular books.

I remember riding the monorail from TTC to MK, and seeing topiary animals below. One that sticks out in my mind was a group of 4 elephants walking in a line with each holding the tail of the one in front of it.

I remember it being SLOW on Christmas day.

I remember "If You Had Wings", "200,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride", and "Skyway to Tomorrowland".

I remember when the Contemporary Resort actually WAS contemporary.

 

[rie'smom]

I remember my favorite ride-Horizons.

I remember DH and I have a wonderful dinner on the Empress Lily the first time we went to WDW together.

I remember waiting to get on the monorail to go to Disney World (Magic Kingdom) and seeing Disney executives taking the monorail to E.P.C.O.T. . They were going to preview it before it opened to the public.

 

[BelleWDW]

I remember that Magic kingdom was closed on Christmas day. It actually was open only for the parade-which was televised.

You would plan two days for MK-the only park.

One for the right side-one day for the left side. you had time to do each attraction. You would buy extra tickets to do the "special" rides more than once.

There was a train in the campground that you would pay to ride. We did that on our 1977 trip, when we camped in our "groovy" van (Remember those?)

 

[Mrs.Milo]

I remember Michael @ the Tomorrowland Terrace, I think it was Michael Iceberg????

I remember the 3 resorts, Poly, Contemporary & Golf resort being $55, $65 and $75 depending on the view.

I remember John Charles at the Baton Rouge Lounge at the Empress Lily, then later over at Port Orleans. Still the best act ever on Disney property.

I remember using a "Mickey head pin" to attach my all day ticket to my shirt.

I remember Epcot before International Gateway, and how you just walked from the UK over to France.

I remember the sherbert salad at Liberty Tree Tavern, fruit with a scoop of sherbert. And wonderful sherbert punch. And wonderful walnut bread (even asked for the recipe)

I remember $20 feeding 2 adults 1 child, food drinks & desert.

 

[Buckalew11]

I remember the Mickey Mouse Revue.
I remember watching it and all those characters coming up from below the stage. I was 8 and started to cry. It was at that very moment that I cried tears of happiness and thankfulness for Walt Disney and his dream. I couldn't believe he'd done all "this" just for us.

I remember 20,000 Leagues under the sea and If You Had Wings.

What I do not vividly remember is the Castle. LOL Go figure.

 

[ChristmasElf]

I remember when it was just the Magic Kingdom.
I remember the tacky little gift shops all in a line where Downtown Disney is now.
I remember staying in the Treehouses and there was a pale yellow "tub" in the bathroom that you had to stand up in to use.
I remember when the Disney busses had colored arrows on them that told you which resort it was returning to.
I remember taking the boat across the lake to the champagne brunch on Sunday mornings.
I remember when Walt Disney World only took VISA no Master Charge (as Master Card was once called) No Discover, No AMEX.

Then a year or two later when American Express was the "Official Card of WDW" and if you used AMEX, you recieved a fanny pack at check in and an invite to a special ice cream social with the characters.
I remember the Disney Villas and riding golf carts all around where Saratoga Springs sits now.
I remember having your entrance tickets pushed into a machine that would punch a hole in the edge and date stamp the ticket showing it had been used that day to get into the Magic Kingdom.

 

[Teacher03]

I remember when the cabins at Fort Wilderness were silver campers and there was no pool. We swam in the lake. It is one of my best memories of Disney.

 

[rie'smom]

I remember the pedal boats at Downtown Disney. (Yes, I keep remembering things after I post, blame it on my age )

 

[AmandaSparks730]

I remember the ORIGINAL Journey Into Imagination (with Dreamfinder!).

I remember Discovery Island.

I remember when AK first opened.

I remember Mr. Toad's Wild Ride being my favorite ride in the park.

I remember how big it was when Test Track first opened (and how many tech problems it had!)

Not WDW, but I remember when Universal Orlando had limited rides, and IoA wasn't open.

(I feel old...oh no!)