Looking for vintage Disney in parks

[riogirl84]

Hi I am a huge retro Disney fan... always looking for remnants of original Disney leftovers while in WDW. I would love any input on a sort of touring plan that points out where I can find original buildings, parts of old attractions, that kind of stuff. Are there any books, websites where these types of things are explained? Thank in advance

 

[Robo]

A major amount of what you can see in Magic Kingdom can be considered "original."
Just look on line for the list of attractions that were part of the opening of "Walt Disney World" (which was only "Magic Kingdom" as far as the "theme park" aspect was concerned.)

The Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Village Resort, Ft. Wilderness Campground were there, too.

 

[fla4fun]

One of my favorite bits is in Spaceship Earth. There used to be a space station scene at the top, and the ride vehicle would turn and go down backwards into the set. There was a part of the space station with an animatronic figure directing two other figures repairing a satellite. The part of the space station where the animatronic sat is painted black now, and is on the back wall of the room with the blue infinity lights. If you look up as you pass through that room you can clearly see it just before you exit the room. Most people don’t see it because they are focused on their screens.

 

[cgattis]

One of my favorite bits is in Spaceship Earth. There used to be a space station scene at the top, and the ride vehicle would turn and go down backwards into the set. There was a part of the space station with an animatronic figure directing two other figures repairing a satellite. The part of the space station where the animatronic sat is painted black now, and is on the back wall of the room with the blue infinity lights. If you look up as you pass through that room you can clearly see it just before you exit the room. Most people don’t see it because they are focused on their screens.

That’s a really cool tidbit; thanks for sharing! Fun question, OP—following along!

 

[Wild4Walt]

I don't know of a tour or a guide ( but this is a totally cool idea for a tour - Keys to the Kingdom touches on this but I'm sure there were more aspects that could be included )

• The iron work at the loading area for the WDRR has the original Disney symbols as well as some plaques that if not original are pretty close. The RR is currently down so I'm not sure how much you'll get to see but it's worth a trip up the stairs for a look.
• There is a book about the Disney windows and they are worth a stroll down Main Street to view. I saw the book at the Emporium last visit but you can also get it on Amazon.

 

[riogirl84]

I don't know of a tour or a guide ( but this is a totally cool idea for a tour - Keys to the Kingdom touches on this but I'm sure there were more aspects that could be included )

• The iron work at the loading area for the WDRR has the original Disney symbols as well as some plaques that if not original are pretty close. The RR is currently down so I'm not sure how much you'll get to see but it's worth a trip up the stairs for a look.
• There is a book about the Disney windows and they are worth a stroll down Main Street to view. I saw the book at the Emporium last visit but you can also get it on Amazon.

This is exactly what I’m looking for... remnants of the past I remember reading something a while back that explained where to see these types of reminders. Like original ceilings or hidden staircases etc

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

The 1st thing that came to mind reading the OP post was the STEAM TRAIN TOUR> Learning of WALT's love of trains and getting to be a small part of that was very rewarding from a Disney loving person's view!