For our main topic, we take you back to the late 80s and early 90s and get into the history of the Disney Vacation Club. We all know what the vacation club is nowadays, but how did it start, and why? In this era of Walt Disney World, things were much different, and the concept of a timeshare at Disney World seemed impossible. Disney decided to change this and tackled the concept of taking ownership in their properties. The Disney Vacation Club Resort was the original, changing names to Old Key West as it is called now. To kick this one off, we get into some personal stories about timeshares, how people get picked to purchase, some of the trickery that has occurred over the years, and more.

In this episode, we go back to the mid-1980s when Michael Eisner decided to bring The Chautauqua Institution’s blend of enrichment, entertainment, and fun back to Florida with a “uniquely Disney” touch. Originally conceived to be part of Celebration, The Disney Institute opened in February of 1996, offering “Discovery Vacations” where guests could choose from a variety of classes on the topics of Culinary Arts, Design Arts, Entertainment Arts, Environment, Lifestyles, Story Arts, and Sport and Fitness.

Welcome to another episode of the RetroWDW Podcast. We have quite a few things in the works, but we felt it was best to put those aside and focus on a Disney Legend who recently passed, Rolly Crump. If you remember back to 2019, the crew from The Lake Buena Vista Historical Society made the journey to California to meet with Rolly. What was initially planned as a quick Q&A, turned into a multi-hour interview with a film crew to properly document this influential imagineer.

We are heading back into the golden dome which is known as Wonders of Life. Over the months, we have taken you through many different episodes all about Wonders of Life including: Body Wars/Making of Me, the pavilion and sponsorship, the original concept, and finally the heated debate on the Magic Kingdom toll plaza sign. As we continue into this amazing pavilion, this episode we decided to take a deep dive into the classic show, Cranium Command. We could not have done this episode or concluded with Wonders of Life without involving some guest stars. This is a huge deal and we are super excited to welcome @bunny_wars and @DreamFinderGuy.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year again, and the RetroWDW crew is here with another festive holiday episode. Brian takes up back to the Walt Disney World in the early 1990s when the seasonal festivities shifted their focus from the Magic Kingdom to EPCOT Center. He tells us about Epcot’s much beloved “Lights of Winter” musical light show and its European origins, as well as other early holiday offerings at the park. Then we make a stop at each of the monorail resorts and finally the Disney Marketplace and Pleasure Island. From chestnuts roasting on an open fire to electrical boat shows, the 1990s made WDW visitors’ seasons bright. 

Welcome to Episode 79: Wonders of Life Part III, which focuses on Body Wars & Making of Me. We continue on this epic journey through the golden dome and we have even more for you throughout this episode. Our entire crew is here to take us through these attractions, but also joining us is Dr. Bill who was one of our top donors to the historical society. He will be sitting in on this episode and also giving us some real-world experience when it comes to the human body and Wonders of Life.

We start you off by going through the mailbag, which is filled with tons of good questions and memories. If you would like to join in on that fun, send us a message: [email protected]

For our main topic, we get into Body Wars, which is one of those lost attractions that has a love-it-or-hate-it type of memory for most past guests. The theming is on point we dig into how accurate this really was, thanks to Dr. Bill. Now keep in mind, the questions keep coming as we take full advantage of having a medical professional on the show this month. We discuss the star power throughout this attraction and if you have not seen this firsthand, you really need to do a ride-through on YouTube.

The second half of this episode, How digs into The Making of Me. We learn all about the production, who some of the creative minds behind it were, and so much more. This is a super interesting concept and idea for EPCOT and Walt Disney World that was unique and also informative. The entire thing really fits in well with this pavilion and attraction. Thank you so much for joining us this month and we hope to see you again soon for Episode 80!

This is a great episode How has in store for you all this month, filled with busted myths, detailed descriptions, and so much more. The Wonders of Life Pavilion was originally developed back in the 70s and if you didn’t catch the earlier episode, take some time to listen back by clicking here. We are going to step foot into the infamous golden dome, which if you poll people nowadays, odds are most have never seen these attractions or taken a ride on the Wondercycles. This 100,000-square-foot pavilion that is 65 feet tall was set back in a way that almost didn’t invite you in like the other EPCOT pavilions. The dome concept though was super clever and useful for what they had in mind, which seems to be low maintenance and not overly expensive to build when compared to something like World of Motion.

How gets into the METLife sponsorship and some of the other options that were discussed at WDI for this. One of the major things we have had in the works for quite a long time – the entrance signs over the years. Initially, there was a very slick looking archway that you walked under to enter. After some years, the arch was gone in favor of a more standard sign that was basically on a stick. What happened to the arch though? We dig into this and for your viewing pleasure, we have written up a thesis on the topic.

Throughout this episode, How breaks down each little section that you could partake in over the years. This includes everything from Coach’s Corner to the Sensory Funhouse and more. The pavilion really had a late 80s/early 90s mall feel with the street lights, natural lighting, and live plants inside. Brian even gives us a very detailed look at the various food options that were in the pavilion over the years, which has a unique history in itself. The entire Wonders of Life complex housed many favorite attractions for EPCOT Center guests over the years, but like many things in this style, the mini attractions did not have the engagement that would get you back into the pavilion again on another visit. For that matter, the pavilion itself was not something that would make you want to revisit EPCOT. These duties were still done by all of the heavy hitters in the park. Either way though, we hope you enjoy this look back inside Wonders of Life and make sure you throw on your teal and pink, in honor of this gone but not forgotten attraction.

Our main topic this month is all about Wonders of Life. With this being Part I, we are just going to scratch the surface about all this pavilion and attraction had to offer. This pavilion is actually still around, the golden dome that is next to Mission: Space, Guardians of the Galaxy, and it also served as a festival center from time to time over the years. How is leading us here in our journey through Wonder of Life, starting us off in 1976.

How actually reads to us some of the original sponsorship concepts presented for the EPCOT Project, which are quite fascinating. Rolly Crump was named the show lead on this project and along with Dr. Lewis, following the mindset “If it’s a ton of fun, and an ounce of information, we’ve reached the teachable moment”. The group settled on the eight health habits, which seem to have been lost to history. How gives us his best estimate based on what he found in his research. Using these habits, attractions and shows were developed.

As How goes through the early concept pieces for Wonders of Life, we connect the various concepts to the actual attractions that came about. Ideas never really went away and some actually made it to the final show as the years went by. The Tooth Follies is a comical idea that didn’t seem to make the final cut, but what a name and also imagine sitting inside the actual mouth. We also discuss the early versions of Body Wars and how they were developed. How gives us so much good info as we can easily compare the development of all these attractions to what really came to be. Part II and probably Part III will be covering all of the attractions you know and love, so please remember to subscribe and get ready for these upcoming episodes.

This month, we take you through the glorious two-hour special that is The Walt Disney World Fourth of July Spectacular from 1988. This is a commentary on the entire special, which is on YouTube currently on many different channels. Here is the link we used: Click Here. As we go through this discussion, we look at each section, analyzing how things have changed and also how the special seems just a bit off.

On this episode, we are joined by Disney entertainer Ray DeForest. Ray spent many years in Walt Disney World entertainment and has a large number of stories and tales we are so excited to hear.  Throughout this episode, we discuss how Ray got his start with the Walt Disney Company in Washington, DC, and then how he made his way to central Florida. As you will learn, Ray was a pioneer in WDW entertainment, working in everything from characters, dancing, performing in the two theme parks, and more. We also hear some great side stories about flying in ‘The Mouse’, where the entertainment offices are, and also how he was able to beat the heat performing in front of the castle.