Does anyone remember

[LuvOrlando]

You guys are so lucky to have been going for so long. My very first tip was my honeymoon in 1993

What I miss most about the way things were is the exuberance in the cast members. That special something was a huge part of the draw for me in the beginning, that feel is just gone now, the CM's are too obviously just plain people with problems like me.

I remember the Adventurers Club

I remember the old Pleasure Island, and walking over the wood planked bridge to get to it. Clickity Clack

I remember them building the Planet Hollywood globe and when all the stars, including Sly Stallone and Melanie Griffith walked out of Portobellos to open it.

I remember LOVING the BBQ at The Fireworks Factory.

I remember wishing to have enough money to stay in the Tree Houses we saw as we drifted by on the Sassagoula

I remember when my tickets didn't require a biometric scan

 

[paintnolish]

Ooh...I remember swimming in the beach at the Poly. Or, how about going shopping at Buena Vista (I still sometimes call it that!)?

 

[SydneyFalco]

I remember the tickets...

... I remember when Main Street was thematically appropriate inside and out...

... I remember thre being only the Poly and the Contempra and the campgrounds...

... A little later I remember the awful meal we had at the Canadian restaurant back during the opening days of EPCOT, but I can't remember if it was called Le Cellier back then...

... I fondly remember the gigantic gaming arcade next to the Contemporary lobby...

... and I remember when the word Disney wasn't sociopathically stamped on every little thing and they let the magic speak for itself a little more ...

... and I remember being too scared to get on the skyway.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

I remember~

When the characters used to walk around & water ski at the Poly & CR.

John Charles being at the lounge in the Poly.

The Empress Room, where you would actually get dressed up for the evening.

The waves in Seven Lakes lagoon.

Broadway at the Top for the show & Sunday brunch.

20,000 Leagues!!!

The old monorails when you used to sit knee to knee on bench seats.

 

[tonga]

First trip was in 1976.....for this Canadian kid, it was fun to see all the American patriotism for the bi-centennial.

I remember that delicious breakfast buffet at the Top of the World at the Contemporary.

I remember the prime rib dinner and wonderful chocolate crepes at King Stefan's Banquet Hall in the Castle.

I remember the green and blue tiles on the floor in the GCH at the Poly. Also remember the old slide in the pool, and swimming in Seven Seas Lagoon before the quiet pool was built.

I remember Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, the Skyway, and If You Had Wings. I remember being excited for the opening of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

I remember walking to the Golf Resort for dinner in the Trophy Room, and seeing an alligator on the walk back.

I remember shopping at "Lake Buena Vista" and losing our car in the massive parking lot.

I remember the resort TV channel, and the broadcast starting with "Let's go fly a kite". They had a catchy song for River Country, and I remember wanting to go to Coconino Cove.

I remember falling in love with WDW on that very first trip!

 

[Micca]

Great thread Bill

I remember when DTD was the Disney Village Marketplace

I remember when we ate prime rib in the Steerman's Quarters of the Empress Lily

I remember the Papete Bay Veranda(now Ohana) at the Poly

I remember the Skyway from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland

I remember being so excited the night before a WDW trip that I couldn't sleep
(oh wait...that was just last March)

 

[Ilivetogo]

WOW! MrsMilo!! I have never heard anyone else talk of the Golf Resort. We stayed there when I was a kid. (Whatever happened to that?)

I remember the A-E tickets. The "E", which was the one to the best rides (HM, POC, IASW, SM, etc.) were $.80. Snow White, Mr. Toad ... those were a "C" ticket.

I remember (and loved!) If You Had Wings (put on by Eastern Airlines). No, there was no ticket - it was "free" and the song gets stuck in my head, too!

I remember 20,000 Leagues.

I remember the skyway. That was a great way to "save" your feet late in the day! (when it was running)

I remember when the characters used to just "show up" out of the middle of nowhere and "mingle" with people, get pictures, etc. There were no special areas and CM's that guarded them and made lines and all that.

I, too, remember all the topiaries you could see from the monorail. Loved 'em.

This is from the 1776-1976 bicentennial celebration (obviously in 76)

This is Fantasyland showing the skyway.

This is when the characters simply "showed up". Just walkin' around.

 

[tmarquez]

I remember the "thump, thump, thump" sound as the monorail CM's walked down the line closing each door manually.

I remember the shooting gallery and the kid size movie theater in the Contemporary gameroom.

I remember some other song on the Carosel of Progress.

I remember sitting in my boyfriends lap on Space Mountain when the seating was different.

I remember getting a sundae at Aunt Polly's.

I remember when the characters walked freely and were not mobbed or accosted.

I remember when kids that could walk...walked.

 

[BlackPearl695]

What a GREAT thread! I would love to see more pictures. ILiveToGo, yours are fantastic!

 

[Jennasis]

Somebody said they remembered when the trees were just babies...but I was under the impression that Disney always planted full-size trees from their own orchard? COuld be wrong...

I Remember:

Dreamfinder and Figment on the original Journey Into Imagination Ride

Kitchen Kabaret and then Food Rocks!

World of Motion

Horizons and the wonderful smell of oranges!

The Living Seas and the ride to Sea Base Alpha...."and then the floods came"

The Skyway in MK and being terrified of falling out of it.

Magic Journeys psychedelic trip through a kids mind.

When Epcot first opened and was the big new thing.

Double Decker buses through World Showcase.

When Chef Mickey's was part of the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Area

Top Of the World at the Contemporary.

The Empress Lilly character breakfast and the Empress Room where you had to get all fancified.

Walter Cronkite's voice narrating Spaceship Earth.

River Country! Man they had the best slides.

 

[AmandaSparks730]

Skyway! I remember the Skyway!

 

[Eman's memere]

I remember going to WDW on "gold key" the whole family 2 adults and 3 kids staying at the Contemporary Resort for 5 days a 4 nights for about $1500. If anyone else did this at that time this was all inclusive. You could eat at any restaurant, go in all the parks, use all the extras like the boats - my 3 kids rode the motorboats at the Contemporary for 4 hours one day. Every meal included an appetizer, an entree and a dessert. The only thing not included was any alcoholic beverage. We did this a number of times with our children and one time with friends and their children. That time we stayed at the Disney Inn. One night all nine of us were at the restaurant for lobster. Oh, I almost forgot, the tips were also included. The night we had lobster I thought our waiter was going to lose it. I think he made about $70 tip for about 1 1/2 hour only on us. This was fantastic when they had this deal. We never worried about any kind of tickets because they were all included. I think the last time we went this way was the summer of '87. Those were the good old days.

 

[mickeysbestfriend]

everyone who has posted on this thread. You have all reminded me of dozens of other experiences that current visitors will never enjoy.

I loved staying at the Disney Inn or Poly! Get up, have breakfast, play a round of golf, have lunch, take out the speed boats, spend the afternoon at the magic Kingdom and then have dinner at Papete Bay Verandah with the 3# lobsters or at King Stephan's Banquet hall and then to the lounge at the Poly for entertainment and a Seven Seas Cocktail and if we still had energy to burn we'd head to the Giraffe in the Hotel Plaza to dance and socialize

We also enjoyed the Gold Key! Being able to eat anywhere and eat anything for breakfast, lunch and dinner, take any boat out we wanted, go water skiing, horseback riding, fishing, tennis, golf etc...

And yes! River Counrty and Discovery Island...wow....memories!

Thanks again!

Bill

 

[Costumesaremylife]

no one mentioned Mission to Mars I remember World of Motion and the old speil on the People Mover when it was done by Tom Morrow

The tickets were stamped by hand with a little date stamp

the invisible ink hand stamps that would glow when in black lit rides

The original Tiki room Imagination and The carousel of progress when the dad made omeletts with ham and they watched new years around the world

 

[JanDave]

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.

We enjoy John Charles. We've seen him on several cruises on the Disney Magic. Great entertainer.

Jan

 

[2xcited2slp]

I vividly remember the chocolate mint crepes at King Stefan's Banquet Hall, too!!!

Also, the little plastic oranges with the green straws filled with orange juice in Adventureland. (sunshine tree terrace, maybe??)


---one more thing---
the loop that ran on the resort TV's--- waaaay before Stacey---

It was a woman in the original CM uniform walking down Main Street singing---

"Walt Disney World, Disney World, it's a brighter day,
American apple pie goes a long, long way,
With little children's laughter,
Balloons and a big parade..........." (I can't remember the rest--but something like that)

 

[ahutton]

We enjoy John Charles. We've seen him on several cruises on the Disney Magic. Great entertainer.

Jan

You may have just said the magic words that will make Milo and Mrs Milo want to take a cruise!!

 

[JanDave]

You may have just said the magic words that will make Milo and Mrs Milo want to take a cruise!!

We'll be back on the Disney Magic in 5 weeks and my DH was just asking me if I thought John Charles would be on the ship again. Hope so!

Jan

 

[Ilivetogo]

I vividly remember the chocolate mint crepes at King Stefan's Banquet Hall, too!!!

Also, the little plastic oranges with the green straws filled with orange juice in Adventureland. (sunshine tree terrace, maybe??)


---one more thing---
the loop that ran on the resort TV's--- waaaay before Stacey---

It was a woman in the original CM uniform walking down Main Street singing---

"Walt Disney World, Disney World, it's a brighter day,
American apple pie goes a long, long way,
With little children's laughter,
Balloons and a big parade..........." (I can't remember the rest--but something like that)

Oh man!! Forgot about that!! I used to have one of those! ha!

 

[ckay87]

There is one thing that I can remember from my childhood visits that really struck me about being different when I began to visit again as an adult. I took my boys onto the Swiss Family Treehouse and it was just a line of people going through it. And I remembered vividly the days when my sister and I would run on and off, on and off, over and over again, while my parents sat on a bench and watched us. We loved that freaking thing.

So the question is, are children able to ever run freely around the Treehouse anymore? Do children even CARE about the Treehouse anymore?