SSR's was destined to be a monorail resort

[hakepb]

I found an old Disney World brochure and finally got around to uploading it.

Back in the day, before EPCOT, before OKW or even the Grand Floridian, there were Vacation Villas and Treehouse Villas.

And those Villas were on a planned monorail track:

For more fun here is the Magic Kingdom:

The rest of the program should be here:

http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t472/notime42/Old Disney World

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did

 

[jekjones1558]

We stayed in the Vacation Villas, rented a golf cart to get around. I liked the the more intimate feel of WDW Village. The food and service on the Empress Lily were much better than they are now on Fulton's. Thanks for posting so I could take a stroll down memory lane.

 

[Chuck S]

Yes, and the monorail legal right of way is still part of SSR. But I doubt it will be built within any of our lifetimes.

 

[Sammie]

 

[hakepb]

We stayed in the Vacation Villas, rented a golf cart to get around. I liked the the more intimate feel of WDW Village. The food and service on the Empress Lily were much better than they are now on Fulton's. Thanks for posting so I could take a stroll down memory lane.

You're welcome. DW keeps reminding me that shopping was much more pleasant when the area was known as Lake Buena Vista.

Yes, and the monorail legal right of way is still part of SSR. But I doubt it will be built within any of our lifetimes.

Yes, I have always known (or known for a long time) that my SSR contract had a monorail easement. When I saw the picture of the model I was suprised to see that the easement made it from some drawing board to something Disney once publicly modeled and advertised.

 

[crisi]

I have a book from 1971 someone gave me "The Story of Walt Disney World: Commemorative Edition" Its map lacks anything but the MK area, but has markers for the "Future Asian Resort" (Where the Grand Floridian is) the "Future Venetian resort" (across the channel from the CR) and the "Future Persian Resort (!) (Behind the Tomorrowland Speedway and on a monorail spur)

 

[MickeyFan612]

Those maps are very cool. I always save my maps when I go to Disney! Who knows in 40 years I may be studying them in disbelief

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Thanks for posting those. That was fun to see. I own at SSR too, but did not know my contract has a monorail easement.

MickeyFan612, your baby is beautiful.

 

[zavandor]

It probably won't ever happen, but who knows?
Connecting SSR to the monorail network would mean connecting DTD too: more people spending money in DTD makes the Mouse happy. It would mean higher MF, but also much better transportation options.

 

[Chuck S]

The would almost surely then be forced to charge for parking at DtD, like they do at the theme parks. Otherwise, with a monorail spur, many would consider it a free parking lot for the parks.

 

[zavandor]

The would almost surely then be forced to charge for parking at DtD, like they do at the theme parks. Otherwise, with a monorail spur, many would consider it a free parking lot for the parks.

Not a bad idea either. I was there in low season and I had problem parking at DTD on Friday, I cannot imagine how it is during holidays. I prefere paying a reasonable price for parking but be sure it's stressless.
However then they should limit the entrance to SSR parking only to people staying there and enforce the rule.
Yeah, it won't happen.

 

[amym2]

Ah, yes, I remember staying in the "original" Treehouse Villas as a kid, one of many reasons we will stay in the THV for the first time this October. I'm thinking we were there in 1982 just before EP opened. Wonder if I hung onto anything from that trip. Great maps... thanks for sharing!

 

[Tinkh]

My very first visit in 1999 I stayed in The Villas at The Disney Institute. Are those what we are talking about?

 

[Chuck S]

My very first visit in 1999 I stayed in The Villas at The Disney Institute. Are those what we are talking about?

Sort of.

The Villas at the Disney Institute were originally the WDW Village Resort Villas. The Treehouse Villas were next door, but also part of the Village Resort.

The Villas at the Disney Institute were demolished and Saratoga Springs Resort was built in their location. Some of the original support buildings for the Institute were refurbished and made part of SSR, but none of the Villa rooms were saved. The original Treehouse Villas fell into disrepair and they were demolished. The current Treehouse Villas are built in their location.

But the original monorail easement on the SSR property remains intact.

 

[Tinkh]

Awesome thx!!

 

[Sammie]

The would almost surely then be forced to charge for parking at DtD, like they do at the theme parks. Otherwise, with a monorail spur, many would consider it a free parking lot for the parks.

I think this will come even before the monorail and I think it should.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I always love looking at old maps and concept designs. Thanks!

 

[jrm1504]

I doubt it will ever happen. I understand the going rate for light rail is now up to about $35 million per mile. Comparatively, a new freeway lane is an average of $2.3 million per lane mile. It just doesn't make financial sense and Disney can't make it pencil compared to buses.

Seattle, which also has a monorail (I road it this past weekend in fact) from the 1962 world fair. There, they recently started construction on a light rail system, sound transit. The original plan was to extended the reaches of the old monorail. I remember them determining that it was far too expensive and opted to use traditional light rail. It is going in at the bargain basement price of $179 million per mile.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If the old villas had a monorail, SSR would have never been built there. They tore them down to build SSR because they weren't all that popular.

 

[dizdad223]

Interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing.