[MrDisneyfan1]

Remember when we were all young and were lucky enough to go to Disney. Remember those days of only one park and 3 resorts, we did not have to worry about any of the packing, we kinda just appeared as Disney one day and had fun. Actually having to park at the TTC and Monorail over to the park! We visited Florida to visit my Grand Parents, who lived about an hour away, and we would do a day trip. I remember being so excited the first time we stayed over. And now I am thankful that I can too bring my family to Disney, and not just stay one day, but 4 days on Sea and many days at the Parks.
Anyone have any memories "doing" Disney before it blossomed into the 43 squares mile of entertainment.
Den

[CaraMia]

I vaguely remember when you needed tickets to go on the rides. I remember standing in line with my parents at the ticket booth near the ice cream counter service in Fantasyland <across from Dumbo>.

[Park Hopper]

Originally Posted by CaraMia

I vaguely remember when you needed tickets to go on the rides. I remember standing in line with my parents at the ticket booth near the ice cream counter service in Fantasyland <across from Dumbo>.

Here's a photo of what the early ticket media looked like. Those were the days!

[MerlinMatt]

I remember having a ton of A and B tickets at the end of a trip.

Invariably, you'd be walking down Main St and someone would be offering you their leftover tickets because they were leaving. "Do you have any E tickets?" "Nope sorry."

LOL

[WDWaddict]

The first time I went was 1992 when I was 18 and we only did MK. I remember seeing the EPCOT ball so I knew that one was there but not sure if MGM was built yet. We only did a two day trip and did MK then Universal the other day and it was really fun.

I much prefer the present situation where you can make it a longer vacation and hop from park to park or resort to resort for entertainment. I can't even fathom going back to DLand anytime soon b/c WDW just has so much more to offer our family(not to mention we are only 4 hours away from WDW! Yay!..lol)

[hiner]

I remember staying in Ft. Wilderness with my parents and brothers in 1977. There was the Marshmellow Marsh, River Country and Discovery Island. My mom waited for the longest time to get ressies for the Hoopee Doo Revue and breakfast/lunch in the castle. Does the castle still serve the coconut crepes??? We could never find them anywhere again. Anyway, now you can just call and make your PS's.

I also remember dinner on the Empress Lilly. My mom got a table by the window and we watched the wheel churning the water. There was also a sing a long in the lounge with a live band.

Do they still have a golf resort?? We went for the champagne brunch breakfast once. That was soo delicious.

Even through we were only there for a week, my mother made sure we saw almost everything we could, at that time. She would set aside a day or two at the end of the trip to do the things we wanted to do/see again. Now you have to make a list of must sees that you missed for your next trip. I guess that is why so many people return year after year. For not only the magic but to see all that was missed on previous trips, and all new exciting things they've added.

[Disneywife]

I went just shortly after Epcot had opened, and there wasn't much there. I don't remember where we stayed but I don't think it was onsite, or I would have remembered that.

I remember Epcot pretty well (and remember being bored to tears at 15, but it was much more sparse then), and I remember Magic Kingdom as being backwards from Disneyland - literally - having an opposite layout. I don't remember much else.

[Park Hopper]

Originally Posted by hiner

I also remember dinner on the Empress Lilly. My mom got a table by the window and we watched the wheel churning the water. There was also a sing a long in the lounge with a live band.

Some of my fondest memories of Disney World revolve around the Empress Lilly riverboat at what was then called the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village. The Empress Lilly has since become Fulton's Crab House and the Shopping Village has spawned Pleasure Island and DTD West Side.

But in the late '70s I spent many fabulous evenings eating and drinking aboard the Empress Lilly, which featured three wonderful restaurants and a fabulous sing-along lounge. The restaurants were the Steerman's Quarters (beef), the Fisherman's Deck (seafood) and the Empress Room (fine dining on a par with the present-day Victoria & Albert's). In addition, there was the Empress Lounge and a private banquet facility on the ship's third floor, the Texas deck.

Some of my fondest bachelor memories were in the Baton Rouge Lounge listening to Denny Zavett and the Riverboat Rascals, and later on, to John Charles when he became the headliner. It was aboard the Empress Lilly that I courted my wife on some of our first dates. The sing-alongs in the Baton Rouge Lounge put Jelly Rolls at the Boardwalk to shame.

I still dislike the fact that Disney allowed the Empress Lilly to be gutted when Levy Restaurants' Fulton's Crab House took over the location. The paddlewheel was removed and so were the boat's twin smokestacks. Even though she isn't a real boat, to this day she looks naked without them.

The christening of the Empress Lilly in 1977 was attended by Lillian Bounds Disney, Walt's widow, after whom the ship is named. Fulton's stripped the ship of its original nameplates and there currently is no reference anywhere aboard of the link to Lillian. It just wasn't any way to treat a lady.

[MrDisneyfan1]

Remember "If you had Wings", sponsored by Eastern Airlines (my favorite part was the New Orleans Music, with the shadows casted on the walls playing the instruments), then If you could Fly by Delta, and then Finally Buzz. Buzz is the best, even though the others were fun. At that time they did not require tickets, they were "freebies" because they were the "official flyer" of WDW

[MerlinMatt]

Am I mistaken, or are all three rides basically the same ride with different theming?

I remember the "tunnel" from both "If You Had Wings" and "If You Could Fly"

Also, every time someone says "If You Had Wings" I keep hearing those words singing in the background: "If you had wings, if you had wings....."

[MrDisneyfan1]

Basically the same, but "if you could Fly" was updated. It has better force perspective scenes over France and Japan. and it also " had a nicer ending, instead of the speed room (which is still there for Buzz) it had a beautiful movie flying you over mountains with clouds, and one whole side of the room was mirrors, so it reflected the image.

The original attraction had, similar to the Mexican Pavillion ride, projected images of people sitting along side pool bars and exotic images. And just like Mexico, screens with people selling you trinkets.

[amyohara]

Wow! This thread is great! I am planning my first trip back in ~20 yrs and now I'm even more excited to take my family so my 4yo can have memories like this years from now.

I remember eating the orangesicle things by the tikibirds after using leftover tickets on Swiss Family Robinson. And the smell of the tollhouse cookie place on main street, and eating hot cookies during the parade. Getting glasses etched on main street with my name on one side and mickey ears on the other. Getting stuck on space mountain - they had to turn the lights on so we could climb out. I remember if you had wings smelled like coppertone. Weren't there skytram things too?

I kind of remember the game room at the contemporary too. Did it have a little movie theater in there?

Amy

[hiner]

Originally Posted by amyohara

I kind of remember the game room at the contemporary too. Did it have a little movie theater in there?

Amy

Wait, is the game room gone in the Contemporary? I remember taking the boat from Ft. Wilderness to the Cont. with my brothers. We had a blast there!

[joseph3947]

I still have many tickets from the 70's and a map of the MK from 1975. They are in very good condition and put securely away. Hope to show them to grandchildren someday. Joe

[MrDisneyfan1]

Originally Posted by hiner

Wait, is the game room gone in the Contemporary? I remember taking the boat from Ft. Wilderness to the Cont. with my brothers. We had a blast there!

I remember the game room being very Orange and BIG. I also remember a very large screen TV (projector type), with pillows all around it.

I have not seen any game room latley.