Florida Fun
Here are a few random images from Walt Disney World...
I think that Disneyland's Main Street Station is pretty grand, and it has to be considerably smaller than the Florida version. It is beautiful, no doubt about it; and I guess it does look like some big-city architecture that I've seen in the USA from the late 19th century. The trains at WDW are beauties as well... no 5/8 scale here! Instead they are authentic, full-size narrow gauge locomotives.
The Fort Wilderness Railroad opened in 1973 (the year this photo was taken), providing transportation around the various campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Doesn't it look great? Unfortunately it didn't last very long. According to Wikipedia, "Because of issues with track maintenance, pedestrian safety, and noise concerns, the railroad only operated occasionally after 1977, and closed permanently in the early 1980s." Such a shame!
This might be one of the most recent photos I've ever posted on my blog! From November 1989 we get a great shot of "The Land" pavilion from EPCOT Center. Sponsored by Kraft! Mmmmm, cheese slices. It was the home of the extinct attraction, "The Kitchen Cabaret Revue" (why always "r-e-v-u-e"?), "Symbiosis", and "Listen to the Land". I remember seeing lots of photos of the "Listen to the Land" ride in early EPCOT publicity and thinking it sounded pretty neat!
7 comments:
I'm fascinated by the Ft. Wilderness RR. When I went there in the late '80s, early '90s, I saw stretches of the tracks here and there and wondered what they were doing there. I thought they predated the park perhaps, there was no clue then that there ever was a real Ft. Wilderness RR.
Whatever the FW RR situation, WDW uses too many busses. It's too ordinary and cheap of them, frankly. It made me feel at times like I might as well be vacationing elsewhere.
The Land was pretty neat! I enjoyed it a lot. It's still a timely theme they could develop on...
Thanks for the swell pics, they're neat as usual!
It's revue, 'cause that's how you spell a "multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches." It has its roots in same type of theater that gave birth to vaudeville, but was considered higher class.
I don't know high-class the Kitchen Kabaret was. :)
The full size trains are one of the best parts of WDW, especially along the backside.
Fort Wilderness fascinated me too... I always thought you'd be able to spot the "Fort" people at the theme park itself.
WOW, The Land pavilion looks amazing. I know I was there a couple years ago (good attraction actually) but it didn't look like this, I think its covered in trees now?
NICE post, thanks!
Caution!
¡Adviso!
This is a rant.
The following has no entertainment or nostalgic value.
This is only a rant
I haven't been to D-World yet, but Chiana's complaints about the buses are widely held. For a company that showcased the future of transportation, it seems Disney won't spend a penny more than they need to for inter-park transportation. The buses also seem to run late and are over crowded.
Honestly, how stupid do you need to be to run a monorail right thru your new flagship hotel at Disneyland, and then NOT put a monorail station in? Can I have that job, I bet I am stupid enough. And I bet it pays over $100k
When I do make it down to Florida this year, I think I'm just going to stay at the Contemporary. Unless they've already taken the monorail out as "financially under-performing" and replaced the station with the worlds longest churro cart.
Thanks for the WDW photos! Growing up in Florida (but only going to WDW once as a kid), I have such a soft spot for those parks and even though they haven't been around as long, even they have changed a great deal. Thanks!
Brer Dan
i guess im immune, because the wait for a bus or the monorail (which is plenty croweded as well, esp the outbound ones from EPCOT Center) does not bother me at all. ...so darn happy to be there, i guess
i had never heard of a train at Ft Wilderness, and my first visit wasnt till 1979 and i have never stayed there so im not surprised. we went one year to ride the horses and looked around (about 10 years ago) and that was it for us at that resort
love the pics, esp The Land. such a cool pavillion in Future World and where we now have Soarin'. i was so happy when my favorite ride at DCA came to Florida :D
I worked and visited Disneyland from 1959 to 1992. Then we moved to the east cost and visited WDW. The first time experiences with the bus system convinced me that I would never stay anywhere that forced us to use them again. I'm afraid I fully agree with Katella Gate.
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