![]() Inside that document was a map to the park, as well as other various news items from around the park. Instead there was a newspaper called the Walt Disney World News. That is the path I am reenacting as my grandparents, my mom, and my aunts attended the Magic Kingdom in the summer of 1972.Īccording to Disney Archives, in 1971, there was not a traditional guide map that guests received at the front of the park like they do today. The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World opened October 1, 1971, and even in its early days, there was a magic in the air that brought families back year after year. With a couple hundred bucks in hand, you are taking your family to what hopefully will be an incredible experience your family will never forget, all while being uncertain of exactly what you may find. We will treasure them all for years to come.Imagine it is 1972 and your family is headed to the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World for the first time. What a hoot! It’s not every day you find a picture of Walt Disney in your family photo albums. Right after that we found a snapshot of one of my Aunt’s friends with Walt himself in front of the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry. Small World wasn’t even a coming attraction at that point! It’s funny to think of the park without these classic attractions. They referenced coming attractions including Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, as well as the never to be realized Edison Square. Both were beautifully preserved and so interesting to look at. Just last month my family and I were going through my aunt’s home after she passed and found a huge souvenir map and book from Disneyland from 1963 & 1964. I’d love to have one or more of Walt Disney World over the years. ![]() This is awesome! I so wish Disney would make reproductions of vintage maps such as these, as well as other vintage items, available to purchase in the parks. When that hotel plan got nixed I’m uncertain. Original thinking that would be a hotel on Main Street at some point–hence the size of those buildings. Finally, you’ll note the larger building that is now Tony’s and Town Square Theater on the right of the town square on Main Street, U.S.A. The queue is no longer needed, but the space now serves as an outdoor market/fruit stand. When imagineers realized how much rain impacts the queueing experience in Florida, they added a covered queue. However, also not planned at that time was a covered queue for the Hall of Presidents. That building never got built, and instead, we now have a liberty bell, plaza with flags standing in its place. Almost like the Old North Church in Boston, but my research shows that the bottom floor was intended to be a outdoor market/fruit stand. You’ll also note a white, steeple-like building left of the Liberty Tree. Instead was the planned, Western River Expedition, which stands in the location Splash and Big Thunder now stand. ![]() Vintage Walt Disney World: Happy Anniversary, Walt Disney World Marathon!Ī couple of other details: This map has no Pirates of the Caribbean–not yet approved at the time.Vintage Walt Disney World: A 1984 Ski Trip with the Country Bears.Vintage Walt Disney World: Disney’s Vero Beach Resort Opens to Guests.Steven Miller, did you read that? Not a bad idea.Ĭheck out more posts from the “Vintage Walt Disney World” series: Here’s a look at our property as it’s been developed today.Īs Disney legend goes, because so many of the original Walt Disney World Resort maps were printed for guest rooms, a cast member used the excess ones as wrapping paper for Christmas presents one year. Eventually, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa would open on the site of the Asian Resort, and the sites for the Venetian and Persian Resorts would remain undeveloped. While announced to the public in 1969, the Asian, Persian, and Venetian Resort hotels never materialized. The piece showcases the spirit and vast, all-new offerings of the “Vacation Kingdom of the World,” including Magic Kingdom Park, golf courses, beaches, watercraft, monorail transportation, Bay Lake and its eventual Discovery Island, Fort Wilderness and Tri-Circle-D Ranch, STOLport, the Polynesian and Contemporary Resort hotels, and three “future” resorts: the Asian, Venetian, and Persian. In the early years of Walt Disney World Resort, this artwork decorated the guest rooms of the Contemporary Resort Hotel and the Polynesian Village Resort Hotel. Turns out, my friends at the Walt Disney Archives knew plenty. Such was the case with the following map. Sometimes I come across things in our archives that I think look interesting, but I don’t know a lot about them.
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