Old Disney Park photos

[SteamBoatWillysKin]

I love to see not only the old pictures but the brochures and room keys really bring back the old times!

 

[SLDL]

These are really great! I only wish my parents had been as camera-happy as I am. There are so few pictures of me at DW as a child. I think we have about 20 pictures of mostly darkness that was supposed to be It's a Small World, but there are rarely any pictures of us. Hmmmm.....

My kids will NEVER have to wonder what they looked like at DW, that's for sure!!

 

[SteamBoatWillysKin]

We use to be so conservative with our photos when we were buying film! I can't imagine in 5 years from now how long this thread will be! Now we have to scan our photos of the past to add to this thread. I know now my camera is a 10.1MB pixel camera that I can take 1400 hundred photos or 55 minutes of video. It really is a new generation. It's really appreciated to all of the people that take the time to scan old photos and upload them for this nostalgia thread!

 

[Andrew Bichard]

Back in the days before MGM & Animal Kingdom were built, we had to go further afield during our visits to Orlando. This is the 'Island in the Sky' at Cypress Gardens

The photo was taken, I think, in 1977.

The next photo is far more recent, 1999.

This is the Grand Floridian from the Wedding Pavillion, before they built the new swimming pool.

Andrew

 

[WickedWench]

I wonder how much a night cost at the Poly back then

My parents told me that when we went to the Poly for the first time in '76, it was about $50/night. We went the first time because it was cheaper than going to the Jersey Shore. I have similar photos, but I had no idea they were from the Poly... man, the decor has changed.

 

[klmall]

I have one of those old daybeds shown on the far right in my living room right now! When we would go on our family trips in the early 90's my brother, sister and I would fight over who got to sleep on it! I also have the old green palm leaf mirrors that were on the wall above it!!

phlufster - Lucky you to have a piece of WDW history in your life every day! I was really tempted too by the WL room auction pieces.

SteamBoatWillysKin - So true about film vs. digital! I look back at how few pictures I have of my first trips. It was a luxury to take any 'artsy' type photo back then.

Here another photo of something I don't think they have around anymore - Test Track Dummy! Is it still there?

 

[Enchanted Tiki Bird]

I went to WDW almost every year from 1982 to 1993 so I know my parents have lots of old pics at home. Next time I'm there I'll haul them out and scan them to add them to the thread. I made it through the whole thread and I have a few comments.

the restaurant used to be called Tomorrowland Terrace and the stage still exists. Apparently, it is still used for guest music acts sometimes.

This is true. My sister has played with her marching band in a MK parade for a week during the past two winters. While they were there, their jazz band would play at Cosmic Ray's and use the moving stage.

Parts of it are actually still there. If you go out to Fort Wilderness and go to Mickey's Backyard BBQ, it is right next door. You can still see water slides and such. In fact the bathroom closest to the BBQ site is in the old locker rooms.

I think I would find it kind of creepy to see the remaining bits of River Country.

This was taken during the "Electric Light Parade" in 1981 - I can still hum the theme song! Imagine my surprise when after developing the film, there was a person inside! She looks thrilled to be "Doc"!

I know others have commented on this already but this dwarf is hilarious! I'm guessing you couldn't see the faces in the hats at the time?

Wow, I remember those strollers, I rode in a few of them.

Hey, does anyone remember the strollers at Sea World? I used to love them when I was little. They were shaped like Shamu and dolphins and things. Do they still do that?

oh my god! i was just killin' myself laughing at this!!!!! really way too funny. the same ugly outfit on 2 different people......way way too funny

When you pointed this out, I just about fell out of my chair.

The sky ride is gone and the pics show the old Dumbo ride.

You say the photos show the "old" Dumbo ride. How is it different now?

I love looking at all of these old photos!! They are just great. Here is an old article from Time Magazine: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,910109-1,00.html

In this article, they mention that you can get a roast beef dinner at Cinderella's Castle for less than five bucks.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r5/Saramcw/01-14-2007012841pm.jpg

The photo is um from 1999? Countdown to Extinction, which is now Dinosaur, That's me in the Grey Roots sweater, that's my best friend beside me in the crash position. This ride scared her.. She shook for a hour after...

I knew you were from Canada as soon as I saw the Roots sweater.

Back in the days before MGM & Animal Kingdom were built, we had to go further afield during our visits to Orlando. This is the 'Island in the Sky' at Cypress Gardens

I remember Cypress Gardens. Is it still around?

 

[bnf2]

OK, these aren't as "old" as the ones I've posted from '73, '76 & '79, but I was showing my kids the pictures of the '97 trip DH and I took before they were born (they couldn't believe we went with out kids ) and thought- "Hey, these are old park photos!" And yeah, 1997... so the cake castle

Keep in mind these were taken with a cheap, point and shoot. They are in an album now so I just took digital images of them. Enjoy!

 

[klmall]

bnf2 - I really like your close up! Here's another 'candy castle' picture.

 

[Enchanted Tiki Bird]

I'm not sure why people detested the cake castle so much. I think the detail is amazing, at least in the pics. I didn't see it for real.

 

[klmall]

This special hours flyer is on heavy duty paper! Remember there was only 1 park in 1979. Note the character too!

Up until a few years ago you could get a light lunch and see a show at the Diamond Horseshoe Jubilee:

 

[bnf2]

I'm not sure why people detested the cake castle so much. I think the detail is amazing, at least in the pics. I didn't see it for real.

It's not so much that I didn't like the cake castle- it was amazing, but I'd not been to the MK since I was 13 and I really had my heart set on seeing the "real" castle. And for those that had that 'once in a lifetime' vacation in 1997 it may have been a real downer! Thankfully I've been twice since then and am looking forward to seeing the new color scheme this December.

 

[klmall]

I've been trying to improve some of my first family trip photos from 1990. The dark section at the bottom left is the railing.
When we returned exactly 2 years later many of the same actors were in the show and one recognized our red-headed son.

Original on top; work in progress on bottom using PSE 4 and PanosFX

 

[klmall]

Another candy castle picture from the Skyway showing that not all sides were decorated to the same extent.

 

[bnf2]

Another candy castle picture from the Skyway showing that not all sides were decorated to the same extent.

Wow, thanks Kathy! I'd not remembered that the backside of the castle was not as elaborate as the front... and didn't have any pictures. I was not a scrapbooker back then either and when I put our '97 pics in an album-years after the fact- I was amazed I only had 60! Now a trip comes with a thousand pictures!

Kathy- and from your signature, "When I'm not DISing I'm outdoors or scrapbooking." Me too!

 

[klmall]

I was scanning the last of our 1994 and 1997 memorabilia and found DS's monorail co-pilot license. I hadn't noticed until now that it had the 25th year celebration logo.

 

[klmall]

Wow, thanks Kathy! I'd not remembered that the backside of the castle was not as elaborate as the front... and didn't have any pictures. I was not a scrapbooker back then either and when I put our '97 pics in an album-years after the fact- I was amazed I only had 60! Now a trip comes with a thousand pictures!

Kathy- and from your signature, "When I'm not DISing I'm outdoors or scrapbooking." Me too!

bnf2 - You're welcome! Feel free to use my pictures as you want. I wasn't really a scrapbooker back in '97 but I kept my pictures in an old album (all 100 or so including a jaunt to Universal and a shuttle launch that trip) and I recently scanned them all in and stored them properly. I'm working on improving them before I eventually put them in a decent scrapbook.

I'm starting to slow down a bit in the outdoors thing but I still love to day hike and camp some. Hope to travel and KOA cabin camp with DH when we retire in a few months (DH is definitely NOT a camper!).

See my next post for a couple more '97 pics!

 

[klmall]

Remember these? Make your Guest of Honor badges. You told the CM the year of your first visit and you could get this badge to wear (stick on; not pin type). I think it required a coupon to redeem.

Here's another of the castle; I think from the Skyway again.

 

[DisneyFan06]

bnf2 - I really like your close up! Here's another 'candy castle' picture.

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!

 

[DisneyFan06]

Remember these? Make your Guest of Honor badges. You told the CM the year of your first visit and you could get this badge to wear (stick on; not pin type). I think it required a coupon to redeem.

Here's another of the castle; I think from the Skyway again.

I remember the badge. I was seven at the time