Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 I usually abhor blogs (their creators too) as folks with too much time on their hands and not a whole lot worthy for others to read, but I came across the blog below recently and it really showcases the WDW that I knew and loved in the 70s and 80s ... the one before dining plans, FP, timeshares and characters all over. Just a whole lot classier and upscale place. Anyway, the glimpse into history is great for younger fans too, who don't always get when some of us talk about how different WDW was. From the shops of Liberty Square to the Gulf Coast Room to nightly World Cruises to the development of what is now DD,I haven't found a better online source of the history of WDW in its pre-Walmarted days. I don't personally know the blogger, but would love to see her posting here because very few people online seem to recall the 'simpler' (better) times of The Vacation Kingdom of the World. <a href="http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/</a>
Originally Posted By Longhorn12 >Anyway, the glimpse into history is great for younger fans too, who don't always get when some of us talk about how different WDW was< I was a Disney(land) kid during the 90s, but never got to WDW until 5 years ago and even then I've only been twice. So I find myself looking up a lot of the things people keep talking about. Thanks for the Link I'm sure I'll sit down and read it shortly.
Originally Posted By Tony C <<I usually abhor blogs (their creators too) as folks with too much time on their hands and not a whole lot worthy for others to read>> Says the guy with over 10,000 message board posts. ;P
Originally Posted By tonyanton Surprised you didn't know of this site...been looking at it for years....great site!
Originally Posted By GOB The blog owner, FoxxFurr, appears on the DiscussionKingdom board from time to time. I can't speak highly enough of her blog. It's unparalleled in the fan universe. For someone like myself that has only visited WDW in the post-1994 era, reading it is an enlightening, if not sobering experience of what was and probably will never be again.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I ended up reading from that Blog all afternoon! Very informative and well done.
Originally Posted By tonyanton I think she tries to be balanced as well. I remember a piece on the antique shop that used to be in Liberty Square and she basically agrees that it would not be realistic to have in anymore. Widen your world is another great site for old WDW history.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Surprised you didn't know of this site...been looking at it for years....great site! >> Nope. I try and limit my Disney online fun time (if you can call it that). Surprised no one had mentioned it to me (although it appears the blogger isn't really doing it for some online celebrity or Disney swag, so there's no sense of self-promotion. I admire that, which is why I mentioned the site here.) <<The blog owner, FoxxFurr, appears on the DiscussionKingdom board from time to time.>> Never heard of it! ;-) <<I can't speak highly enough of her blog. It's unparalleled in the fan universe.>> Agreed ... at least on the WDW end. <<For someone like myself that has only visited WDW in the post-1994 era, reading it is an enlightening, if not sobering experience of what was and probably will never be again.>> It won't be ever again ... and can't be. Could still be amazing and groundbreaking and awe-inspiring, but not with the current business mindset, which has been in place since the mid-90s. I think WDW began jumping the shark in 1996 ... it was slow at first, but post Y2K it really has just picked up steam, like a snowball down the mountain.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I think she tries to be balanced as well. I remember a piece on the antique shop that used to be in Liberty Square and she basically agrees that it would not be realistic to have in anymore.>> I don't know that I agree with that. I think the fact is its just cheaper and easier to not have that type of shop. Instead, of a three-in-one complex with items that 'fit' the story, you have a giant Mickey X-mas shop ... with the same crap you can buy in numerous locales over property, and one that doesn't fit the story. It's just a jarring image, yet one that folks have become conditioned to expect. It's all about the 'brand' and not telling a story and carrying it through. Funny how UNI can do so with WWoHP merchandise ... yet Pooh ornaments and Tink tree toppers and Minnie plush in an Easter outfit somehow speak to Colonial America? I expect better ... likely why I can be a bitter Spirit.
Originally Posted By GOB <<It won't be ever again ... and can't be. Could still be amazing and groundbreaking and awe-inspiring, but not with the current business mindset, which has been in place since the mid-90s. I think WDW began jumping the shark in 1996 ... it was slow at first, but post Y2K it really has just picked up steam, like a snowball down the mountain.>> 1996? That's interesting. In your opinion, why would the '96 date be considered the shark jumping point versus the '94 date (after 20,000 Leagues and the Veranda were shuttered).
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer ^^^ It was after 96 that they rebranded the resort, and kept using the same promotional items, as a start.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Well, my favorite WDW resort debuted in 5/94 ... but really I pick '96 as shark-jumping because it was the start of the never-ending marketing shams with little substance ... 25th Anniversary in which MK got nothing but a mediocre (at best) parade with a catchy song and a rebranded Toontown (funny how that keeps happening) ... a pink castle that really looked terrible ... an alleged E-Ticket at Epcot that was delayed over a year (and the first large scale WDW attraction that was a huge disappointment to me) ... and the opening of BW (a wonderful resort), which is when I felt Disney was pretty much approaching critical mass when it came to resorts (and how many thousands of rooms have come since?) Largely, it was when I felt a seismic shift in what WDW was and was going to be. It just felt too big and some standards started falling. I think the opening of DAK and then its Lodge made me kind of look the other way as quality dropped, but yeah, I think 1996 was the beginning of the true end of WDW as an entertainment destination offering the best product. There certainly have been good things since '96 ... but overall the resort has largely trended downward with pockets of positives. That doesn't cut it with this Spirit. It really shouldn't with anyone who visited WDW pre-96.
Originally Posted By EPCOT Explorer What would your positives be, Spirit? I honestly can only list the Millennium Celebration as mine, post 96.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom <an alleged E-Ticket at Epcot that was delayed over a year (and the first large scale WDW attraction that was a huge disappointment to me)> In all fairness, many Imagineers didn't think that ride should have been built. It was a great concept but the reality is it has sent more people to the hospital than any other Orlando ride/attraction. And the numbers of people enjoying that attraction quickly dropped after it opened. <<What would your positives be,>> Looming over Canada! Has drawn crowds since it opened years ago! Has to be the best ride/attraction in Epcot. My only comment is Disney needs to put an attraction in DHS using this technology.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper <<What would your positives be, Spirit? I honestly can only list the Millennium Celebration as mine, post 96. >> Positives: DAK DAKL M:S HM refurb HoP refurb TSMM E:E(even though it's overrated, it's still a positive) Nemo the Musical Millennium Celebration Reflections of Earth Buzz Lightyear Kim Possible World Showcase Fantasmic Middle of the road/mediocre: Soarin' The Seas with Nemo Test Track Space Mountain refurb Small World refurb Rockin' Roller Coaster MILF(not a bad attraction, just bad placement) POTC Refurb SSE refurb Bad: LMA SGE The destruction of Tomorrowland '94 JIYI/JIIwF DDP Over development of hotels/DVC MYW Tickets -MK having the same day parade for over a decade -Allowing MK's night parade to deteriorate, and then replacing it with an even older parade. -DHS's recent history of parades -Allowing Fantasmic to begin to fall apart and then cutting the amount it's played -Main Street basically becoming a strip mall -Homogenization of menus and merchandise(this is kinda getting better) -Allowing classic attractions to deteriorate -Shuttering of restaurants and attractions without replcing
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Oh, how could I forget, the systematic destruction of PI should be in the bad column.
Originally Posted By HokieSkipper Oh, how could I forget, the systematic destruction of PI should be in the bad column.
