Walt Dizzy World, June 1982
Today's detour takes us to Walt Disney World!
Photos of Florida's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" attraction make me wish that I had been able to experience it for myself. As much as I love Disneyland's subs, these Jules Verne Nautiluses (Nautili?) were incredibly cool. Even that rockwork is wonderful, and the tropical foliage just adds to the ambiance.
"Big Thunder" is another attraction that looks bigger and better than the one in Disneyland. It was only about two years old here. Dig the geysers! If you look closely you can see the tiny silhouette of a big-horned sheep.
The sun is has set, and the last bit of afterglow warms the buildings of Main Street. The lights are on, shirts are unbuttoned, pants are off (made you look!), and the castle looks dramatic against the pink sky.
I don't believe that this little girl is a real fire fighter. Is there some kind of apartment or office above the WDW fire station?
Wheee!
There's more Walt Disney World to come....
"Big Thunder" is another attraction that looks bigger and better than the one in Disneyland. It was only about two years old here. Dig the geysers! If you look closely you can see the tiny silhouette of a big-horned sheep.
The sun is has set, and the last bit of afterglow warms the buildings of Main Street. The lights are on, shirts are unbuttoned, pants are off (made you look!), and the castle looks dramatic against the pink sky.
I don't believe that this little girl is a real fire fighter. Is there some kind of apartment or office above the WDW fire station?
Wheee!
There's more Walt Disney World to come....
9 comments:
I see a Tencennial banner on a lampost in that Main St. pic! I wish I had gotten to experience the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride as well. By the time I made it to WDW for the first time, it was already closed, but at least it was still there. Too bad they demolished it for just a Pooh playground. I guess now it is the future site of their Little Mermaid attraction.
That *sploosh* you heard was the Sub pic splashing onto my desktop. :)
there we are, us Walt Disney Worlders ppl walking ON Main street instead of next to it :D
that photo of Nautilus is gorgeous! at the moment, the sub lagoon is surrounded by purple walls heralding the construction of the new Ariel attraction. we were lucky enough to be there the summer before it closed so Rachel did get to ride it, even tho she was only 4. i remember how cool it was seeing it from the Skyway, but sadly i was not the picture-taking fanatic that i am today
i think the room where we see the fire truck is now a small gift shop. we went in there on our trip last month. i seem to recall there is still a firehouse-type decor there. maybe someone who gets to the Park more often will have more info
thanks for great pictures
NICE... The first two look like promotional shots! "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" was so darn cool - why in the world did they take it out!
There is/was a fire station at WDW????
Awesome photos....20,000 Leagues created some great ambience in the back of Fantasyland. As a kid(aged 11),I remember being scared to death to get on a submarine that first time. Once seated on the ride I loved it. It would probably seem a bit cheesy for todays audience but the nostagia factor would be great.
The fire house (next to City Hall) is now a shop. The walls are covered with hundreds of fire department patches from cities and towns around the country. It's a pretty cool shop to visit. Lots of "fire" related stuff.
Looking forward to more WDW pics. Thanks for posting them.
I was at WDW last month and the Fire Station is now a souvie shop. The Fire House sign is outside and some interior details remain, but the truck is now parked out-of-sight backstage. The souvenirs sold there are the lowest possible caliber (canned soda, etc). As their Cinema is also a shop now, it is sad that WDW's Main Street no longer has the charm of a real turn of the century town. It truly is just a big shopping mall.
Now, the shops at Universal's new "Harry Potter" area are a whole different story. It's ten times better than "Disney standards."
For those of you who missed a chance to ride 20,000 Leagues at WDW, check out any of the following full ride-throughs at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SwWD3LQEYM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP8_3olnlnc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEQdky1vUQI&feature=related
I can't vouch for the quality of any of the videos; the Internet speed here is truly atrocious (although I'm thankful to have it just the same) so I haven't watched them myself.
I do know I have watched at least one of them with my boys a year or so ago so they had an opportunity to see it. Brought back some great memories. Sit in a red-upholstered naugahide chair and aim an air conditioner vent at your face for the full nostalgic effect.
These are great Major, thank you very much.
JG
Whoa, why did they convert the Fire Station and the Cinema to stores? No wonder a friend of mine is so disgusted with WDW's Main Street.
Photos of Florida's Nautilus subs are something I never get tired of. So cool! Thank you for the YouTube links, Chuck... I'm glad somebody preserved the ride in video, even if the quality isn't exactly HD.
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