This is GREAT!!
Our first trip to FtW was in October 1974 for our honeymoon. We stayed on the 400 loop. Because of our employment with GTE, we qualified for a corporate discount on a vacation package. Our package included a 7 night stay at FtW. 5 days admission for 2 to the MK with the "Magic Keys" ticket books (those were for the really good rides), 2 dinners of your choosing at either the CR Top of the World Restaurant, the HDDR, the Poly Luau (we chose Luau & HDDR), 1 brunch at Top of the World, and 2 breakfast buffets at any of the resorts. It also included your choice of 2 or 3 other activities like horse back riding, an hour rental of the little boat, water skiing, and other things I don't remember. I think we spent those on the arcade at the CR (we were real young & stupid then). The cost? $300 for the entire package - which at the time we thought was a "King's Ransom".
We did Marshmallow Marsh (I think it was like $2 or $3 per person.) It left after dark. You boarded an out-rigger canoe at what is now the bike barn with 10 people and a leader yelling "STROKE-STROKE" so you would paddle like the dickens through the canal system & to the gathering site. We had 3 canoes in our group. Then...once you arrived, there was a campfire set up with stuff to make s'mores (first time I ever had one), and a guy playing a guitar for a sing-a-long. There was a little cabin that served as a concession stand for drinks and other snacks. THEN....came the real entertainment. They had a skit all planned where the guests were the actors (kind of like what you see in Epcot now). My DH was chosen to be "Father Nature". It was the best evening, and that vacation was the start of a long, long love affair with FtW!!
There was no concrete of any kind at FtW then, except for the main roads and the roads on the loops. All walking paths were mulched, as was the area in front of Meadows & Settlement. The campsites were literally carved out of the woods and extremely secluded and were totally coquina shell and no paved pads. The movie and campfire area required that you bring your own chairs or blankets to sit on - there were no bleachers or benches. No busses ran inside the Fort then. You either rode the train or a tram. Every morning a "chuck wagon" ran thru the loops selling breakfast items, and you were awakened by the sounds of roosters crowing at the crack of dawn. (Not good if you were nursing a hang-over.) I honestly don't remember if there was a pool or not, but you could swim in Bay Lake then, and they had a dive platform about 20 yards out. Crockett's Tavern was a full-service restaurant and at night they had live entertainment. Pixie Dust flew freely from ALL the cast members back then.
The only places to go were the MK, the Poly & the CR. You could only get to these places by boat, and you could hop a monorail at any of the resorts or the MK. That provided a lot of our daytime entertainment.
I'm so glad I have been able to experience the Fort from its' beginning to the present day. It has changed tremendously over the years, but in a lot of respects, it's better now than it was then.
Thanks so much for sharing these brochures! It's brought back a lot of memories!
ETA: THIS IS POST 4400 for me!!!!
Another ETA: The HDDR in 1974 was not at today's Pioneer Hall - as I don't think it was there then. It was held at a pavillion in an area behind Crockett's - but not the same place where today's BYBBQ is. It was picnic tables/family style eats with a stage and a small building behind the stage. They rolled 3 or 4 level carts around with pewter buckets of food - which was "plunked" on the tables. Pitchers of tea, lemonade, and water were on the tables. Soft drinks and beer were extra.
