Walt Disney World, March 1976
Let's head on down to Orlando, Florida, to visit Walt Disney World, circa March 1976. The park had been open for less than five years at that point! As I've said before, I sure wish I could have seen it in its early state, but... I still haven't visited. D'oh. Today's images are from a small batch of only five slides.
First up is this view from near Cinderella Castle, which I assume is more or less behind the photographer (?), with part of the moat in front of us, and a pretty bridge crossing over the water. Notice the flowers on the lawn to the right, making a Bicentennial graphic.
OK, I'm going to need your help with this one, because I have NO idea what this restaurant is; it looks like it's in Fantasyland, though it also has some odd architectural details that might be Adventureland-ish too.
This next one appears to have been taken from a Monorail, which was either leaving or arriving at the A-frame Contemporary Hotel. Our photographer grabbed a quick shot looking out at the Seven Seas Lagoon (I believe). Look at how flat Florida is! But it always has those pretty clouds. I would imagine that a similar photo taken today would show a lot more hotels and other development surrounding the lagoon.
This next one is pretty great, a beautiful view of Space Mountain, which had debuted on January 15th, 1975. The Skyway is overhead, adding color and kinetic movement.
And finally, we have this shot of the Sunshine Tower located outside the Tropical Serenade, (aka The Tiki Room). Just look at those light crowds! I'll bet March was a great time to be outdoors in Florida, though I've heard that daily rain showers were (and still are) frequent.
I hope you have enjoyed these photos from Walt Disney World!
29 comments:
Major-
In the 1st image, the Crystal Palace Restaurant should just be out of frame on the left. And on the right: Adventureland. The 2nd image reveals the Pinocchio Village Haus Restaurant, in Fantasyland. And the 3rd image shows the monorail beamway, just south of the Contemporary Hotel, with the Seven Seas Lagoon in the distance.
That's a lovely shot of both Space Mountain and a part of the Peoplemover.
Thanks, Major.
1) My, what a beautiful shot! The grass looks like green velvet. I don't think I would make a very good Floridian. The heat and high humidity would (probably) kill me. And the flatness of it all is somehow disturbing to me. It makes me edgy and depressed.
In the mystery restaurant photo, I don't think the guy on the right with the beard and dark glasses wants us taking a picture with him in it. Maybe he's an undercover agent. Really nice architecture on display in this building.
3) Pretty sure you are right about this being the Seven Seas Lagoon, Major. The Monorail beam, that we see in the background with a Monorail gliding along the track, makes a big loop around the Lagoon. As you surmised, the Contemporary Hotel would be near us, and the Magic Kingdom would be to our right. The Polynesian would be to the left. Of course, I could very well be turned around, as is often the case.
4) Wow! The puffy clouds really elevate this photo to the next level! (As Nanook noted) In addition to the Skyway, the covered PeopleMover track is featured prominently, with a PM train on the left.
5) The Tower sure makes a good 'weenie' to entice people to come see what it's all about. Apparently, that's the only purpose the Tower had, as an eye-catcher?
Really nice WDW photos, Major. Thanks.
Nanook, unless I'm turned around, I believe that Adventureland is just to the left, after crossing that bridge in the first pic.
In the Monorail pic, we can also see the waterway that connects the Seven Seas Lagoon with Bay Lake. If that beam wasn't in the way, we would also be able to see the road that goes under that connecting waterway. Also, those very dark brown buildings on the far left of the pic are a part of the Polynesian Resort.
I would imagine that a similar photo taken today would show a lot more hotels and other development surrounding the lagoon.
Not to mention large congregations of alligators and massive cultures of brain-eating amoebas.
Major, I also wish I had been able to see WDW in it's early years! I finally made it there, and multiple times, but at this point I don't think I would ever go back.
Thanks for these early WDW pics, Major!
Apparently, that's the only purpose the Tower had, as an eye-catcher?
JB, Lillian Disney used to have an apartment at the very top of the tower. Sometimes she could be spotted leaning out of the window, hurling Florida oranges down at passersby.
^ Ah yes, of course. I shoulda known!
Sometimes she could be spotted leaning out of the window, hurling Florida oranges down at passersby.
JB, and sometimes just hurling!
These are lovely pictures, and just similar enough to my first trip in the early 80s to ping the old nostalgia button. I can imagine the walkaround Orange Bird lurking just out of frame in the last picture (dodging Lilian's citrus projectiles, of course) and hear the cannons from the roof of the Pirates building.
The restaurant in the second photo is the Pinocchio Village Haus, located pretty much directly behind the castle and a bit to the left. It’s a cafeteria style eatery and has a large set of windows overlooking the load area for it’s a small world, which is just to the left out of frame. 35 years ago they had a pretty good macaroni salad.
Melissa has hinted at it, but you can see the clock tower of Caribbean Plaza and a smidgen of Castillo El Morro behind the Sunshine Tower, beckoning us to “Sail with the wildest crew that ever sacked the Spanish Main!”
JB, my family made our second trip to Florida in 1987, right after I graduated from high school. My dad was stationed in arid SW Oklahoma at the time, and the land around the base and town was pretty flat and open with some low mountains in the distance to the north and east. I remember us driving somewhere in south Florida, and my dad joking that he was getting claustrophobic because he couldn’t see the horizon. After five years in SW OK, I went to visit a friend in Seattle and was overwhelmed (and a little unsettled) over how green everything was. Funny how changing environments can affect us like that.
Thanks, Major!
Ah, the Magic Kingdom when it was still magical. Yes, the Seven Seas Lagoon has been somewhat transformed over the years but the adjacent Bay Lake was still fairly unchanged until they began construction of the new Lakeshore Lodge on its southern shore by Fort Wilderness. WDW guests can hire pontoon boats by the hour to explore the two large bodies of water and, as it had always been something my sister was keen to do, one afternoon during our trip last year we took out a boat for a couple of hours. The lakes are larger than you think and still quite wild and undeveloped. The constant water traffic can be a bit unnerving as you pilot your way around, especially in the narrow channel that separates the two lakes and under which the roadway goes, but we survived. Alas, we didn’t see any gators.
Many colonial Caribbean ports were once known for their unique click towers ( like the Campenille’s of Italy ) however most have long fell in ruin or destroyed by tropical storms . So when imagineers researched a look to replicate for the Magic Kingdom’s clock tower they noticed historical they were kinda ugly or too plain for the feel WED wanted …. So imagineers replicated the Holmby Hall clock tower at Westwood Village in Los Angeles for Walt Disney World’s CARIBBEAN PLAZA !! ( but who will ever know!!?)
Click tower = CLOCK TOWER
From these photos, WDW seems to be what Disneyland should have been. That’s a beautiful bridge, for instance, and the Village Haus is a masterpiece.
I’m enjoying the comments of the Gorillas who have visited, and contrasting these photos with the sad descriptions from other posts of how parts of this Park look now.
Thanks Major, for the photos, and Gorilla chums for the memories.
JG
JG, I didn’t realize you could chum for gorillas. No wonder I never seem to catch any when I go fishing.
And of course, if you turn to the right of the Tropical Serenade tower, you'd see the Sunshine Tree Terrace, home of the original Citrus Swirl. Tart frozen orange juice concentrate swirled with sweet, creamy vanilla soft serve. A perfect study in contrasts. I think the last time I had one was in 2012, before the STT switched places with Aloha Isle and they replaced the Citrus Swirl with a generic orange-and-vanilla soft serve.
You'd also see lots of outdoor seating and possibly a steel drum band. Arrr, linear time be a harsh mistress. But not here at GDB!
@ TM!-
"... unless I'm turned around..."
Yes, I believe you are. LOOK HERE.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/6yh2JhLaaWsJDmPs7
Nanook, nobody is surprised by a Crystal Palace, but what about a Crystal Chuck Wagon? Now THAT would have been magical. Another lost opportunity. Thanks for the “Village Haus” info and the Seven Seas Lagoon (I at least got that one partially right!).
JB, I was tempted to “up” the colors in that first picture, it’s so easy to do (or overdo) in Photoshop, but I resisted the temptation. I agree, I’ve never been to Florida but the humidity truly sounds awful. A few weeks ago it was 85% here in SoCal and it was miserable. Sorry Beardy, if you don’t want your picture tooken (I talk good English), then don’t go out in public. “Of course I could very well be turned around”, that’s usually my issue, I don’t know if we are heading TO or FROM the Contemporary Resort. Florida might have extreme humidity, but they often have the most incredible clouds, really beautiful. I don’t know if the Sunshine Tower served any other purpose other than looking cool… was there some sort of equipment in it that had to do with the Tropical Serenade show? No idea.
TokyoMagic!, I guess all those trees do look tropical (a la Adventureland), although I would expect tropical foliage in Florida I suppose. Thanks for pointing out that waterway! Very interesting. And we can see a bit of that roadway that goes underneath. They should sell plush brain-eating amoebas in the shops, I know I would want one. When did you first go to WDW? Was that when you had your “Flock of Seagulls” hairdo?
TokyoMagic!, I remember reading those facts about Lillian, and how nobody could do a thing about it because she kept yelling, “DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM???”.
JB, it’s OK, we can’t know it all.
TokyoMagic!, all that orange juice is very acidic and hard on the stomach. Poor Lillian (I feel guilty making fun of Lillian!).
Melissa, I gave a vinyl Orange Bird to my niece as a stocking stuffer last year, she had no idea who (or what) he was, but he’s so cute that she loved him.
Chuck, I hope the Village Haus had CMs dressed like Pinocchio, with the hat and lederhosen, etc. Or better yet, gals dressed like the Blue Fairy, hubba hubba. I’ve never had macaroni salad, as far as I’m concerned macaroni must be in cheese sauce, and if elected President I would put that into law. Melissa did mention the tower for “Pirates”, I assume there wasn’t actually the sound of cannon fire though. Ha, I never thought about how all that flatness might get to a person who isn’t used to it. In a way it’s kind of cool, but I do like a little variety in my landscapes.
Pegleg Pete, it really feels like the powers-that-be have a mania for building more and more hotels, to the point of blight. I get it, they make big money, but I do love the old views when you just see miles of lake and trees and clouds. It would be neat to explore the lakes in a pontoon boat, but I know that I would also be thinking, “I should be in one of the park on rides!”. I guess they now send out crews at night with spotlights to try to find any gators in the lakes, though of course it’s impossible to get them all.
Mike Cozart, I would think that a clock back in the 17th or 18th century would be quite a point of pride. Interesting about the use of Holmby Hall in Westwood (of all places), somewhere I have a photo of it on this blog.
Mike Cozart, that clicking tower is driving me crazy!
JG, we all know that Walt regretted not being able to have more of a buffer around Disneyland, but of course his first park was a new concept and a big risk! It’s a miracle that it happened at all. Have you ever been to WDW?
Chuck, they could have combined the “Jaws” show with the “King Kong” show, imagine a giant gorilla popping out of the water next to the tram!
In fact, you can even see the PoC clock tower thru the (whitish) tree on the far right-!
Really nice photos of WDW today - as well as some very insightful comments, (I never knew that about Lilian)! The first one makes me think of classic Florida "garden" parks - so beautifully landscaped. It's an oasis in the center of the park. I have eaten at Pinocchio's place (he's a cool dude). In the third photo, I think the area where the road goes under the waterway is just to the left side. It seemed like an amazing feature when WDW opened!!
The Space Mountain photo is absolutely fantastic! It's very dramatic with the clouds and blue sky, and the perfect balance of bright colors to accent the scene. I didn't realize the Skyway gondolas were so prominent in the foreground (they had been removed before my first visit to WDW). They are like little spaceships coming in for a landing. This design for Space Mountain is still the best - especially compared with the recent "dairy whip" versions.
I love the stepped tower of of Tropical Seranade, though the more sedated welcome patio at Disneyland's Tiki Room makes for a more personal experience. Thanks Major!
These are awesome photos, and I just may need to return several times today. When the park was in construction and I watched the preview TV show, I was coming out of my skin, and wanted to go soooo bad, and eventually I did venture out, on my own dime, and in '81-'82 it still did have some "opening vibes" however, I remember very very little of the Magic Kingdom....like "If you had wings...had wings...had wings....." and the monorail which felt more "real" than the Disneyland one....and the Contemporary which I stayed at...where the Monorail racing through was so dramatic...AND...it had, and has a sound unlike nothing else...just like the Disneyland Monorail sound. I had a balcony overlooking the park, on that side...and went to see the show at the "Top of the World"...a steak dinner at the Golf Resort...where I remember drinking an expensive bottle of wine (Florida legal drinking age was 19 then), A dinner at the Empress Lilly...now TRE'd. And the Hoop de Doo....which I think the only thing I liked was them slamming a metal bucket of chicken on your table when they sang..."THERE"S YOUR CLUCK"....or something like that....i felt it was all rather mediocre in retrospect. I liked the Top of the World, and still enjoy the feeling of being on top of the Magic Kingdom as the views are so impressive...and so much better than the Disneyland Hotel's views. You do feel like you are on top of the Park. I also went to the Luau at the Polynesian....but don't have too many memories, other than going back in the morning for stuffed French Toast....which was kind of exotic at the time...and it was sugary and delicious if I remember. The photos of the open spaces are wonderful, and it still has that vibe...kind of....and Major you do need to go at some point, as it is "Walt's Vision" of completely being in another world...and the progression of the entrance and the drive to the Magic Kingdom, where all the roads are very well kept...and it's not close....so it's kind of a very long "build" you would have in Vintage Disneyland coming down the 5 and first seeing the Matterhorn....and in WDW you get to the boat dock (or Monorail station)...and can see the Castle and Space Mountain in the distance...riding a boat to get closer and closer (my choice)...passing the hotels....it's really such a nice experience...and "sets you up" for getting into the park, which again honestly even with security is lickety split (as you go through it on the "mainland", where it is so much better than Disneyland)....and yes...the heat and humidity. Very oppressive. Go at the tail end of Winter into Spring....I've seen all seasons there...and it seems no matter what, I get heat and rain. Even with the vast amount of TRE: everywhere..., it's still quite an impressive property in it's scale. I wouldn't stay on property however....just my .02. You'll have a better experience at a "real" luxury hotel elsewhere....or even a simple Marriott et al.....the convenience as actually about the same....taking the Monorail from the hotel to the Park is kind of hellacious. I ended up just walking, which is very doable...both ways and in the rain...since it's so humid, you are wet already....and I digress. It's a multi day thing....not cheap...and for backstage lovers, they do have a backstage tour as well, which is 3 hours long and you stop for lunch which is included...I enjoyed it immensely (and you get exit clearance on a couple of rides). There's nothing like the original of course. Thank for great photos today!
Melissa (I apologize, somehow I missed your comment when I was on here earlier), yum, I could do with a Citrus Swirl right about now, we are in the middle of a hot summer here in SoCal, and I expect things won’t cool down for another two months at least. I love the combination of orange and vanilla!
Nanook, it’s easy to get turned around!
Omnispace, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the landscaping in the Magic Kingdom was influenced by those garden parks you mentioned. I’m sure that Bill Evans did his research. Did the Village Haus serve vaguely German food? Or was it just burgers and hotdogs in a fairy tale setting? I agree, that Space Mountain photo is very nice, and the clouds are like amazing works of art. I love that the Tiki Room and Tropical Serenade were unique to their settings, both appropriate for where they were.
Bu, I vaguely remember when WDW was being built, I was pretty young (not yet 10 when it opened), but was aware that “another Disneyland” was being built. And I figured that they could take what they’d learned in Anaheim and make everything 10 times better! Well, in some cases they did that, and in others, they didn’t, whether because of time, money, space, or all three. I’m often surprised when I learn how many attractions were not ready when the Magic Kingdom opened - I guess sort of like Disneyland, which had its own share of “not ready” attractions. They really said “There’s your cluck” at that restaurant? Funny, but weird. Feels like the influence of Gilbert Gottfried and the Katzenberg era of animation. “Let’s be edgy!”. I like regular old French toast, it seems like gilding the lily to stuff it full of - anything. Isn’t French toast already rich and sweet enough?? But hey, I guess vacations are when you want to overdo. Live your life! I just don’t see myself going to WDW at this point. I watch videos and I’m sure it’s nice, but I always wish I’d seen it the way it was in photos like the ones we see in today’s post. Maybe I’m missing out. I’d almost rather go to Japan or even Paris to see those parks. Shanghai and Hong Kong, well I don’t know. I spoke to a former Imagineer about his experience in Hong Kong and it did not sound super great. I always loved the idea that guests could zoom around on Monorails at Disney World, only to learn that buses are one of the primary forms of transportation. Ugh. Talk about unmagical!
MAJOR; that’s exactly what WED thought too!! So a 1929 Spanish Colonial Revial clock tower in LA fit the expectation - as any of the surviving real Caribbean towers didn’t fit the look imagineering was going for . And little visual evidence survived of lost earlier more elaborate ones.
Melissa was referring to the effect still in use today within CARIBBEAN PLAZA .. the Spanish fortress in the distance is firing its cannons - already the village is under seige before guests enter the “Castile” to board pirates of the Caribbean . Caribbean plaza is suppose to be 1760-1790.
WDW’s Tropical Serenade was designed from the start as a theatre show and not a restaurant like Disneyland’s .. its larger and its preshow is designed to flow into
The theater . Beneath the tiki pagoda is a volcanic rock fountain and a waterfall - guests stand or sit in a semi circle around the waterfall - the assorted tikis from the tiki garden at Disneyland are used as static decorations … a tiki god speaks in ryme and a flourish of harps and chimes has the waterfall
Open like a curtain revealing two toucan parrots (one is English - voiced by actor Sebastian Cabot and the other is country western voiced by actor Dallas McKennon ) the two tell the legend of how two explores stumbled upon this enchanted sunshine pavilion a long time ago . Both birds apparently were there with the explorers who discovered the sunshine pavilion as one bird retells the adventure the other one adds comments and makes sound effects to go along with the story. This acts as the preshow before entering Tropical Serenade .
Yeah, without the space for Disneyland's long, leisurely time travel prologue, the Magic Kingdom's Pirates is kind of wham, bam, thank you ma'am, it's colonial days in the Caribbe-an. The cannon fire effect sets the mood of: Get in the boats, losers, we have to evacuate the fort.
Nanook, I thought we were viewing the bridge from this angle:
Crystal Palace Bridge
We can even see the circular planter made up of odd-shaped rocks (volcanic?) that still exists in front of the entrance to Adventureland. It's visible through the metal railing, just to the right of the bridge.
When did you first go to WDW?
Major, I had been wanting to go for years, but kept putting it off thinking that "it will always be there." Well, after they started ripping things out of the Magic Kingdom AND EPCOT, I decided to go before any further destruction took place. My first visit was in 2002. I've been there 5 times, but so much more has been removed and destroyed since my last visit. Just for comparison, I went to Japan 8 times and visited TDL and TDS multiple times/days during each of those trips. I still think they are more worth the effort and money, over going to Florida.
@TM!-
”I thought we were viewing the bridge from this angle”.
“Stop… you’re both right-! Certs is a candy mint…” Let’s not go down that awful rabbit hole-!!
The angle in both images is pretty similar. All I know is, there’s no denying the PoC clock tower in the background, so Adventureland is ‘right over there’.
As for when I first visited WDW, it was around Thanksgiving, 1977. Stayed at the Contemporary Hotel. Have returned many times (15-?) in the ensuing years; the last trip began the Saturday following Thanksgiving, 2012. Some very intense ‘backstage’ visits thanks to a friend who worked for Jack Lindquist from 1981 thru 1985. Incredible memories, to say the least.
Nanook, my last trip to WDW began the Friday after Thanksgiving 2012! We probably walked right past each other and didn't even say hi.
And I don't really see myself ever going back at this point. Like TM!, the prospect of Tokyo has more appeal for me if I were ever going to go back to a big Disney resort.
@ Melissa-
I know-! I'm aware of our overlapping itinerary and it's always killed me that [knowingly, at least] our paths never crossed.
My friend and I also snuck-away on Tuesday, I think, and spent the night at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at USF to gain early admission to Universal.
I think TM! is correct on the ID of that bridge with the Adventureland side planter. Sadly, nothing looks the same now since it was all paved over to allow more fireworks viewing area.
In the monorail photo, you can see a square-ish peninsula on the far side of the lagoon just past the little islands. That was a planned Asian resort with a giant pagoda-style hotel. It was never built, but the Grand Floridian was built there in Eisner's hotel building splurge.
Also, I never noticed that balcony on the side of Pinocchio's Village Haus. I always entered through the entrance closer to iasw to snag one of the tables overlooking the load area. The menu was OK at best at the time I went (flatbread pizzas were the mainstays on the menu). And they've thrown so many random colors on those Teutonic roofs I didn't even recognize it.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/83FiQUJyziUjkBHW7
(Marlon Brando voice: Look what they did to my boy!)
Mike Cozart, obviously using Holmby Hall worked great, how many people would even think that it was used for a Caribbean-themed town? I guess I did know that the Florida POTC lacks all that wonderful “preamble” stuff, with the caves and skeletons. Which I love so much! I still don’t get why they didn’t include that, since they have SO MUCH LAND in Florida. Was it strictly a money issue? Wow, Sebastian Cabot, there’s a name that I haven’t thought about in a long time. Great voice though. Dallas McKennon, I assume he was not doing his “old prospector” voice like he did in the Mine Train.
Melissa, I’ve also read from certain people (like Marc Davis) that the “going up the waterfall” part at the end of Anaheim’s POTC is bad. I love it, except that the ride often backs up there, which sort of spoils the fun. But it has never really bothered me.
TokyoMagic!, you sound like my friend Mr. X, who loved going to WDW (and went shortly after it opened), so many of the changes truly hurt him, and I think the removal of Frontierland’s river was maybe the last straw, I doubt he’ll ever go back, though his grandkids want him to take them. Maybe he’ll change his mind. I always tell him, “You will never regret doing stuff with your grandkids and making them happy”.
Nanook, speaking of Certs, I have managed to buy all of the world’s retsin reserves, and now I will be more powerful than ever!! Those golden drops are addictive. “Very intense backstage visits”, I don’t even know what that could mean!
Melissa, ha ha, isn’t it crazy to think that some future Junior Gorillas might have walked past each other years ago? You never know!
Nanook, I like how you had to sneak away, as if you were breaking the law!
Dean Finder, gosh, I guess I never realized that the Grand Floridian (Mr. X’s favorite hotel at WDW) was built on the site that was intended for the Asian resort!
Dean Finder, hoo-boy. I realize that “more color” has been a real trend at the parks, but it is almost never an improvement. Flatbread pizzas, hey, when you’re hungry, that sounds pretty good. I admit that I am generally not super picky about food at Disneyland (the only Disney park I’ve been to), and with one or two exceptions, my food has at least been “good”, if not exceptional.
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