What Disney World Was Like The Year You Were Born
When you wish up on a star, the theme park of your dreams can come true. Disneyland in Anaheim, California, had already been a thing since 1955, according to ABC 7. Then Disney World's gates opened in Orlando, Florida, on October 1, 1971. It was a phenomenon. Fox 35 Orlando remembers it started something that could only be described as otherworldly by the first guests who walked down Main Street and gazed at Cinderella's Castle in awe. As if by magic, it would transform again and again through the decades. You probably have embarrassing photos of your young self hanging with Goofy and Pluto or squealing at Snow White because you thought she was a bona fide princess. Maybe you're a Disney adult (no shame in that) who collects custom mouse ears and doesn't leave home without your season pass. But what was Disney like the year you were born?
Of all the rides at Disney World, a time machine isn't one of them. Maybe they will build one in Futureworld or Tomorrowland someday. For now, we can imagine going back to the park when you didn't have memories of anything yet, and it probably looked very different from anything that you do remember.
1971
Vacations would never be the same after Walt Disney World opened in Orlando on the first day of October in 1971. As the New York Times details, when the gates to the Magic Kingdom (the only park that existed in Disney back then) opened, admission was $3.50 — about $21 today, but check the official Disney World ticket guide and you will see that's still nothing compared to the $109 in 2022. Your ticket was the key to more than the kingdom. Though it wasn't all-inclusive, it unlocked unlimited boat and monorail rides throughout the park, and you could pick out which attractions you paid for. Because staying in Cinderella's Castle overnight was not an option, the hotels around at the time were the Contemporary and the Polynesian (via the Disney Parks blog).
Up until then, Disneyland was something that East Coasters, and anyone else nowhere near California, could only dream about visiting. This is why Disney World was something they had never seen before. Some attractions from 1971 that are still around today, according to FOX 35, include Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, the Haunted Mansion, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the Mad Tea Party with its wildly spinning teacups, and It's A Small World, which you either think is utterly charming or extremely creepy. As guest Cindy Inserra, who was there on that surreal day, told FOX 35, "Everyone around us was in awe of the magic of Mickey. The feeling was like floating and butterflies."
1972-74
More attractions appeared as Disney World expanded just a few years later. According to Walt Disney World News Today, the park's first free ride, If You Had Wings, sponsored by Eastern Airlines, flew in. This was a genius marketing move that took riders through Eastern's most exotic destinations. As if you weren't already on vacation, you could even book a trip with them after your feet were on the ground again.
What might have been the most anticipated new ride only became a reality because guests demanded it. That was Pirates of the Caribbean, which took you around on a boat through a treasure hoard guarded by animatronic pirates, who were throwing back bottles of rum while belting out "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!"
Even if you weren't a pirate, WDW magazine recalls how you could vacation like one with a getaway to Treasure Island (now Discovery Island). The only way there for landlubbers was by boat. When you finally came ashore, you could lose yourself in a hideout inspired by pirate legends, with tropical islands and hidden booty, which sprawled across 11.5 acres bursting with tropical flora and fauna such as flashy macaws and Galapagos giant tortoises. You could wander away to Pelican Bay or stroll along Flamingo Lagoon.
1975
Tomorrowland time-warped guests into the future with new rides. Walt Disney World News Today looks back to what a huge deal it was, with the Carousel of Progress and Space Mountain opening to a 2,000-member band, 50,000 balloons, live doves, and an international pageant in 1975. The Carousel of Progress replayed animatronic scenes from life during the 20th century and imagined what it would be like in a space-age tomorrow. No wonder the theme song was "Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow." Actual NASA astronauts dedicated Space Mountain when it launched. This blastoff didn't require a space suit.
From the moment you stepped aboard the rocket, you were headed to the final frontier, except you wouldn't start floating out of your seat. Fox 25 Orlando describes the experience as a simulation of your "rocket" hurtling through the void — you would be surrounded by a total absence of light. Not only was this ride the closest thing to zooming through outer space in the days before virtual reality was that realistic, but impenetrable darkness meant you were heading into the unknown. Disney World materials (via Inside the Magic) said guests would "fly past shooting stars and celestial satellites" and "roar past streaking orbs of light, wayward comets and migrant meteors."a The experience was literally out of this world.
1976-78
Disney threw a patriotic party with America On Parade and other celebrations for the nation's bicentennial. With an entire 30 minutes of dancing, singing, an outsize Uncle Sam, and characters on floats — including one that looked like a majestic bald eagle — this red, white, and blue spectacular was what WDW Magazine calls one of the longest Disney parades ever, but more were coming. Mickey Mouse got his own birthday parade when he turned 50 in 1978. The Official Disney Parks Blog has memories of giant cupcakes and birthday cards coming down the parade route, with the star himself decked out in a party hat and riding (what else?) one of his presents.
The Main Street Electrical Parade lit up Disney after dark. What you would see, according to Walt Disney World News Today, was the Blue Fairy from "Sleeping Beauty," and a train with Mickey and his friends on board leading the way. It was a fantasia of over half a million lights, notes the Disney Parks blog, in the shapes of everything from visions out of fairy tales to a trippy finale float with rotating neon mirrors, as per WDW News Today. Scenes from "Cinderella," "Pinocchio," "Peter Pan," and "Alice in Wonderland" that were illustrated in lights are still around. To hype up the recent release of "Pete's Dragon," a glowing green version of not-so-terrifying dragon Elliott was one of the main attractions.
1979-1981
Main St. Gazette calls 1979's Halloween Hysteria the first huge Halloween event to haunt Disney. There had been a few "Halloween Weekend" promotions before, and the Haunted Mansion was frightening guests from day one, but this spook-fest on October 27 of that year was something Disney hadn't done before, according to WDW Magazine. The problem with Halloween Weekend was that it sold out so fast in previous years that Disney had to upstage itself somehow (as it does all the time). For one evening only and $10, the park stayed open until the witching hour of 1:30 a.m., and several bands performed that night. Maybe you've heard of the Police.
The Tencennial Celebration feted Disney's first decade in 1981. An ad for the event (via The Official Disney Parks Blog) promised this would be "the happiest happy birthday ever," nevermind that it was relatively soon after Mickey's epic birthday bash. Performers held up a gigantic number 10 right in front of Cinderella's castle to commemorate the opening of the Magic Kingdom, and that was just the beginning. Anyone who walked through the gates of the park while this almost neverending party was going on could be randomly picked to be Grand Marshal of the parade — in an electric car — because of course there was a parade.
1982
As WDW Magazine details, EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow) became the second park to open at Disney World and a portal to the 21st century. Its five "Future World" pavilions were Journey Into Imagination, Spaceship Earth, The Land, World of Motion, and Universe of Energy. The opening ceremony is described by WDW Magazine as a "space opera fairy tale" years before anything related to "Star Wars" would land at Disney. You would have seen teasers for EPCOT in the Magic Kingdom in the years leading up to its opening. According to Fox 35 Orlando, its iconic globe, home of Spaceship Earth, was an immense geodesic sphere and looked like something straight out of science fiction.
Spaceship Earth took you on a ride through human history and innovation, with auto-animatronics acting out memories of bygone eras, from Cro-Magnons to the dawn of industrialization. EPCOT also let you travel the world without ever leaving the park. Represented among its World Showcase pavilions were Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico and the United Kingdom, along with The American Experience. More countries would join them soon.
1983-85
Even Disney magic can't pull off everything. Skyleidoscope put on an unbelievable show that was also unbelievably dangerous, with flotsam and jetsam like jet skis, speedboats, and planes that spewed colored smoke. It had everything you could ever imagine, and some things you couldn't. Heroes fought floating dragons, according to All Ears, and there were even daytime fireworks.
So what was this show supposed to be about? The caption on a press photo (via DizAvenue) said that two dragons and their offspring "stir up World Showcase Lagoon in an effort to disrupt the 'good guys,' whose mission is to paint the sky with rainbow colors." Unfortunately, in 1987, AP News reported that one of those planes crashed.
Horizons was the other new thing at EPCOT that was much less deadly or confusing. This choose-your-own-adventure ride imagined what everyday life would be like in the 21st century, taking you through a "FuturePort" that would show you where you could possibly end up going, as per the Disney Parks blog. It also let you decide on one of three endings.
By the way, it was Donald Duck's 50th birthday in 1984. Attention was taken away from Mickey for once with a Donald parade taking over the Magic Kingdom, as per WDW News Today.
1986
Because you can never have too many parties, Disney World's 15th anniversary brought on the celebration to end all celebrations. Walt Disney World News Today's memories of the park's birthday bash include a gigantic float that kept releasing balloons and some of Mickey's friends rocking out in their own band (it was the '80s after all), with the Big Bad Wolf shredding on his guitar and groupies on roller skates. You could win a new Chevy Cavalier or an S-10 pickup every day for the entire year. The winner would get to drive down the parade route in their new car, right behind costumed dancers.
Even if you didn't get the car, there were other prizes randomly given out, such as Disney themed cruises, free tickets to the park, videocassettes, pins, and visors. Just as exciting was the new Michael Jackson feature, "Captain EO," at EPCOT's Imagination Pavilion. It was Disney's first 3D movie, written by George Lucas, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and starring the King of Pop as a spaceship captain trying to escape cosmic forces of evil.
1987-90
Mickey's Birthdayland celebrated the character's 60th birthday in 1988 with an actual blowout — as in, blowing out the candles on a massive cake that Minnie surprises him with in the show "Minnie's Surprise Birthday Party," according to D23. You could also find Mickey's house, with his car in the driveway, and the whimsical facades of buildings inspired by "Duck Tales." Too bad there was no actual gold in Scrooge McDuck's infamous mansion.
A 1987 article from The Chicago Tribune announced the opening of more new attractions the next year, like Disney/MGM Studios, Typhoon Lagoon water park, and Pleasure Island. Disney/MGM Studios was meant to be the ultimate behind-the-scenes movie experience. There was no way to miss it because Mickey's ears — each of which the Tribune said weighed 5,000 pounds — stood out on top of a water tower outside this recreation of vintage Hollywood.
Nightlife and Disney don't sound like they go together, but Pleasure Island changed all that. As the Orlando Sentinel reported, this was Disney's answer to adults needing a break after trekking around the park with the kids all day. Nightclubs, restaurants, and a movie theater opened after the sun went down. For teens who wanted to stay up, there was Videopolis, a nightclub exclusively for the under-21 set.
1991-93
Disney World threw a Surprise Celebration for its 20th anniversary beginning in 1991, and it was over the top, because that's just what Disney does. If you'd gone to the park recently and thought you had deja vu watching that parade, Disney Diary assures you that you didn't, because most of the lavish floats and costumes were reused from previous parades. That explains the Mardi Gras and carnival themes that might have seemed out of place. After standing in the hot Florida sun to watch the parade, you could get soaked at Splash Mountain, as The Official Disney Parks Blog notes it officially opened summer of 1992 and treated guests to a drop at the end with a speed of 40 miles per hour, one of the fastest speeds of a Disney attraction at that time.
There was a nighttime spectacle even flashier than the Surprise Celebration Parade. If you thought the Main Street Electrical Parade was unearthly, SpectroMagic was an upgrade, with scenes from Disney movies brought to life and powered by fiber optics. It was also lit up by the curiosities known as SpectroMen. For anyone who didn't get to see them with their own eyes, Walt Disney World News Today explains SpectroMen as performers who (obviously) glowed in the dark and pulled off all kinds of tricks to dazzle audiences.
1994-95
Haunted Mansion not scary enough? The Tower of Terror thrilled guests by putting them in their own episode of "The Twilight Zone." It was the fictional abandoned Hollywood Tower Hotel, stuck in 1939, where you would take a maintenance service elevator up — if you dared. Rod Serling himself would materialize on a TV screen before sending you off into the dark. The ride in 1994 was drastically different from what it is now. As reported by Inside the Magic, despite the hype, hearts would only get to pound with one drop (more were added later on), but you would have wanted to pass on this if you weren't into horror movies or intense thrill rides.The elevator would climb until it supposedly malfunctioned and sent you shrieking down 13 stories.
Blizzard Beach gave overheated guests a cooler adrenaline rush when it opened in 1995. This new mashup of a water park and a ski resort (but definitely still a water park) opened with water slides that went all the way to the summit of Mt. Gushmore. The Official Disney Parks Blog notes you would have to take a chairlift to get to the top just like you would on the slopes. The 12-story Summit Plummet water slide was so steep, guests realized they'd have to take the plunge to actually see the bottom.
1996-98
It was Disney World's 25th anniversary in 1996, so of course, time for another party. A park guide from that year (via Walt Disney World News Today) invited guests to "witness the transformation of Cinderella Castle into an enormous anniversary cake." It was frosted pink and covered in tooth-achingly sweet gumdrops, lollipops, and peppermint sticks, with the spires turned into candles. But Inside The Magic recalls that not everyone was too enchanted by that.
Maybe they took the birthday cake theme too far, but Disney always goes over and above. Animal Kingdom was no exception when it opened two years later, as per WDW Magazine. The majestic Tree of Life would loom over you as you walked into the park. Once inside, you were surrounded by living, extinct, and mythical creatures at every turn, and could go on a Kilimanjaro Safari to see animals that could have leapt from the savannas of "The Lion King."
If you didn't want to stay on Earth, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin went to infinity and beyond. The mission, according to D23, was to fight off the enemy, Emperor Zurg, before he snatched away all your power cells and your ship went bust. You'd find out your rank at the end.
1999-2000
Disney partied like it was 1999, because it was. A Walt Disney Entertainment press release from that year put the spotlight on EPCOT as the focus for the Millennium Celebration because of the future ahead in the new millennium. The arm of sorcerer Mickey waved his magic wand over the glittering "2000" on Spaceship Earth, and Future World let you glimpse your own future. Millennium Village took you through exhibits from around the world, including a Brazilian rainforest. IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth put on the show of a millennium with lasers and extra fireworks. You could almost achieve immortality with Leave a Legacy. There is no amount of Disney magic that can actually make you live forever, but you could get your photo etched on a tile that would always stay at EPCOT.
While you were taking all this in, if you saw people swapping enamel pins and wondered what that was about, this was also the year Disney pin trading became a thing, according to WDW Magic.
EPCOT itself had evolved. Had the future envisioned in the '70s and '80s finally arrived on New Year's Eve? Was it a new frontier? It depends on who you ask, what changes they envisioned for Disney World back then, and the transformations that actually happened.