Retro Disney World Podcast

By Lake Buena Vista Historical SocietySociety & Culture Places & Travel

Retro Disney World Podcast episodes

July 06, 202168 - Magic Journeys
Welcome to Episode 68 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Magic Journeys - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. We hope you stick with us through 2021 as we bring you some great content that will take you back to WDW each month. Enjoy!
Listener Mail
Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at [email protected]. Also, top-tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode.
Our first letter is from Andy all about the Mannequins - he goes through this photo, explaining what each piece of hardware does. This is super helpful and also neat to look back; the system also included the classic 3.5" Floppy Disk!
Going back to September, Jason sent us a tweet about his trip to WDW. So many good shots of the topics we have discussed over the years. Thanks, Jason!
John touched base with us about the Mardi Gras parade items and props sitting in Port Orleans: French Quarter. Brian gives us the full story on this one and the connection is amazing. We also heard from Jacques, giving even more insight into this whole thing. Mr. Mardi Gras comes up and we love this back story. Thanks, everyone!
We heard from Colleen on Instagram and she shared with us a super neat cup from Pleasure Island. These aren't very common to see anymore but we absolutely loved that you shared this with us!
Dane wrote us about 'The Guide to Tomorrowland' - This was from way back in Episode 26: Tiny Bubbles. We included this item in our giveaway for the year - click here to read it!
We got a letter from Carla regarding the Retro Food episode we recently did. She had quite a few corrections and insight into some restaurants in WDW.
Phil wrote in about a friend who does high-profile celebrity security. Apparently, Tom Cruise used the services during a visit to WDW. This trip had many great stories and experiences, which Phil shared with us. Thank you so much Phil; this was great!
Giveaway
We have a copy of 'Walt Disney World: The First Decade' to send to one lucky winner. Send us an email with the subject line Decade to [email protected] - we will pick a random winner from the entries to get this hardcover book from the 80s. Good Luck!
Main Topic
This month, we take you back to EPCOT Center and as far back as opening day. Magic Journeys: This is one of those short-lived attractions that most have not seen, but if you did, you get it. This was extremely high tech, advanced and the effort level that went into this is absolutely insane. Todd takes the lead, giving us a bit of history and why this whole thing came about. We hear from Murray Lerner, including original audio and interviews looking back at the creation of this film. Overall though, this film was intended to see the world through the eyes of a child. Of course, we get the technical reasons as to why 3D works and what is actually happening with your eyes.

The 'how' of this film is something you really won't believe. Two whole years in the making with computer graphics, 75mm film, multiple frames on top of one another - the making of this film is a treasure trove of facts and figures. We also include clips from our interview with Mark Eades. He played a major role in creating this film, helping with the setup, and also was integral in making sure it worked. We also discuss the film made with the Dreamfinder, Ron Schneider. He goes into how they had to create a preview film all about Magic Journeys, just to have something in the theater for opening day.

RetroMagic Fifty
We have set our date for the next big Lake Buena Vista Historical Society event: RetroMagic 50. We will all be back at Walt Disney World in 2022 for this weekend-long event which takes place April 23-24.
Please click the following link to sign up for ticket sale information and notifications. We hope to see you all real soon!
2021: Year Two of The Film
To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post. Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well.
2 hr 5 min
June 08, 202167 - Pleasure Island Part II
Welcome to Episode 67 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Pleasure Island Part II - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. We hope you stick with us through 2021 as we bring you some great content that will take you back to WDW each month. Enjoy!
Listener Mail
Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at [email protected]. Also, top-tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode.
Our first letter is from way back in July of 2020! Jimmy Tucker wrote us about 'Walt Disney World: The First Decade'. We discuss the various hardcover books that have come out as souvenir books and they are loaded with pictures. Everyone chimes in with the various ones in their collections, as these were very popular during the anniversaries they were celebrating.
Lanie from Boston wrote us and she successfully made Lime Chiffon Pie. It looked absolutely amazing and we are not only jealous of your pie, but also that view you have there. Take a look at this masterpiece - thanks for sharing!
John wrote us about butter! He remembers the butter at the Brown Derby, shaped like a derby hat. We have a memory of this, but no photos. If you have any photos of this, please share them with us as we would love to see them and add these images to the site.
Paul is up next and he wants to discuss The Boardwalk and their famous clown slide. He is curious if there is a Bozo The Clown reference tied in here....
We had numerous people write in about Pinocchio Village Haus and all of the seating options. Well, we are corrected, and still being corrected! Also, Brian was correct originally.
Linda called and left us a voicemail, asking if we were all ok. That was super nice and we appreciate you reaching out, along with all of the other kind messages.
Our last message is from Matthew, he works for the Space Foundation Discovery Center in Colorado Springs. He is super curious about this craft that is in their possession. This was inside EPCOT in the fall of 1998. Take a look, and let us know if you have any info or remember seeing this inside EPCOT.
Main Topic
For this episode, we continue where we left off on the first episode of this series, Pleasure Island Part I. If you missed Part I, please take a minute to download that episode and get caught up. How is once again leading us and we are so excited to get into the 90s where Pleasure Island went through some changes. Within a few months of opening, we learn that it wasn't drawing the crowds that were expected. There is no official statement, but How speculates the access was an issue, meaning a ticketing problem. Todd also throws in that the changing access and idea of it being different, day and night, could have been a concern. Finally, confusing ticketing could have added to problems as well. How gives us some inflation prices on tickets and we learn that it was super expensive back when it opened. Either way, changes were needed and we get to discuss these next.

How gives us the history of age limits and how this changed over the years. Some clubs never allowed guests under 21 years old, but this did change a bit from time to time. One fun bit of history that is almost never forgotten, the Fort Wilderness Railroad train cars were repurposed as ticket booths right off the island, obviously colored in the amazing 90s color scheme. One of the big draws, the roller skating at XZFR, mysteriously stopped randomly at one point. How gets into some of the rumors and also busts a pretty large myth on this one. We continue to get into the changes and clubs being renamed, as this seemed like a regular occurrence every few years. The side attractions were a big deal too: Orbitrons, Velcro Walls, Ice Luges, Test Tube Shots, and so much more. All of these things added another layer of fun and excitement to a night out.

Overall, Pleasure Island somewhat had a heyday and if you are curious about what happened during this time period, this episode is what you want to listen to. Disney really worked hard to make this work with the constant changes and updates, but as we'll learn in the near future, things didn't last forever. Over the years, there were even more changes and modifications to the island, which we will get into in a future episode.
2021: Year Two of The Film
To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post. Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well.
Next Month
Join us next time for Episode 68, where we take you back to EPCOT Center once again.
We have another movie night coming soon too... Subscribe on YouTube so you are ready.
1 hr 35 min
May 11, 202166 - Retro Restaurants & Food - Part II
Welcome to Episode 66 of the RetroWDW Podcast: “Retro Food Part II” – We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our
from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. We hope you stick with us through 2021 as we bring you some great content that will take you back to WDW each month. Enjoy!
Listener Mail
Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at
Also, top-tier donors can even join us on a show!
.
Troy is our first letter of the episode. He is looking for early photos of the Fort Wilderness reception outpost and possibly of the old trailer that was out there. Do you have any of those? Let us know!
Our good friend Ed is on Episode 46 and is getting caught up. We always love our binge listeners and hearing from you! Ed has been digging into some photos from old trips from the early 70s, so best of luck with your listening and your photo search!
Joe is up next – we included him back on
! Joe brought up the Peoplemover in Texas and shared with us a video by . Thanks for this!
We got a big thank you from Jimmy – he and his family enjoyed the
we posted on Easter Sunday. He also let us know his favorite character is Roger Rabbit. Thanks for watching Jimmy!
James wrote in, as a Florida local, and wondered what is going on with the Best Western on Hotel Plaza Boulevard. Brian helps us out with this, as we once
Next up is Dane, he is looking for some ephemera and also looking to trade. If you have something Dane is looking for, let us know!
Finally, Wesley wrote in about our last movie night – he has been a longtime fan and also our previous Prize Pot winner. Thanks!!
Prize Winner
Todd had a random prize giveaway, which was the Norman Rockwell/Mickey print – thanks to everyone who reached out! Our winner is Tracy – congratulations!
Main Topic
Before you get started into our main topic, take a look at
and
. These are all food and dining related so they connect really well to this episode. We begin by answering listener questions and memories, which is so much fun! If you sent us something in relation to this episode, there is a good chance it ended up on the show here. Let’s get started:

For this episode, we work our way through tons of listener questions and memories. These came from all over and discuss so many interesting topics. We get into everything including: 100 Years of Magic bars, Columbia Harbor House, The Diamond Horseshoe changes and so much more. We appreciate everyone reaching out and sharing their memories and experiences, as we really enjoyed digging into this.
After this we get into some various dining options from over the years. One being, the various character breakfasts at Disney-MGM Studios. How discusses the Aladdin breakfast that took place in the Catwalk Bar area / soundstage. We also get into the 1981 Walt Disney World Menu Book. This document is absolutely amazing and we have used it a ton throughout the episode. One area we zero in on, is the Lake Buena Vista Village & Club; this area is not well documented as far as dining options and menus. Brian leads us restaurant by restaurant, diving deep into each menu. As we get into these various restaurants, lounges, and other eating options, we hope these are bringing back memories or giving you a small window into dining at Walt Disney World in 1981.
2021: Year Two of The Film
To make sure you are the first to know when items are released,
. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post. Finally, be sure to if that is your thing, as we will post there as well.
2 hr 33 min
March 11, 202165 - Pleasure Island Part 1
Welcome to Episode 65 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Pleasure Island - Part 1" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. We hope you stick with us through 2021 as we bring you some great content that will bring you back to WDW each month. Enjoy!
Listener Mail
Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at [email protected]. Also, top-tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode.
Dan, The Person of the Century, wrote in about the Swan & Dolphin. He shared an amazing photo with us that you have to see!
Jennifer is up next. She picked our collective brains all about the 'walkways around the world'. This has been newly updated, but we get into the history of this whole thing.
Jake wrote us with a random family picture, trying to locate where they were standing at WDW. We love doing this and seeing if we can figure out where you are. Send them our way!
Our friend Randy wrote in about being a performer at WDW. He actually worked the old breakfast show at Fort Wilderness. Randy informs us all about Melvin The Moose. Check out Episode 3 from way back in the archives.
The next email on the list is from Ed who informed us about a Christmas present he received from the Swan/Dolphin group. Take a look!
Erik wrote us regarding the specific scent of the Yacht Club. Like most WDW Resorts, there is a unique smell. Erik says he pinpointed this to Axe Body Spray! Judge for yourself.
Angela wrote us on Instagram about a Figment inflatable. This opened a huge can of worms which we discuss. Here is a link we found related to the discussion.
Todd wants to share a bit from Kevin regarding the FAA, the Dolphin/Swan and some info regarding the height of these buildings.
Finally, Brian wants to bring up our friend BJ Major and all of the recent notes sent our way. Thank you for bringing us back and keeping our back catalog running!
Giveaway Results
Foxx Nolte sent us a copy of her book, Boundless Realm: Deep Exploration Inside Disney's Haunted Mansion
Our contest winner Isabelle Carlton! How will be sending this your way - congratulations!
Main Topic
This month, we are taking you back to the mid-late 80s. Pleasure Island has quite the history and How will get us started in 1967... Surprised? Then you must be new here. How is planning to take his time and get you into the why of how this all came to be. We have to add, that this episode took an extra week of planning, so apologies for the delay.

Throughout this episode, we dive into the early years of Pleasure Island. If you have ever gone, even towards the end, this episode will really give you a good picture as to how this place looked when first opened. The differences, hours, pricing, and so much more will probably surprise you. Some of the offerings that were there opening day very quickly changed, while others ended up sticking around for the duration.

The aspect of theme restaurants is discussed, as are the different clubs and how they changed. We even get into a bit of a discussion trying to place ourselves at the various buildings that exist currently, relating to what was once there on the island in 1989. This was a unique time for Walt Disney World as many new offerings were coming online, Pleasure Island being one of them. So stick with us on this one as we take you back to the early years. Don't forget to read all the plaques too....
2 hr 17 min
January 29, 202164 - Crescent Lake
Welcome to Episode 64 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Crescent Lake" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. We hope you stick with us through 2021 as we bring you some great content that will bring you back to WDW each month. Enjoy!
Listener Mail
Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at [email protected]. Also, top tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode.
Dane wrote in about a 1976-1977 channel guide at the Contemporary, which we discussed during our Project 90 episode.
Kevin is next up and he found an amazing brochure from the 15 Years of Magic promotion!
Kurt sent us a great little piece from the Polynesian that has all of the character autographs. Thanks for sharing this Kurt, amazing piece of history from 1985!
Our next letter is from Nate and he discusses the Houston airport Wedway Peoplemover. Such a fun take on this historical piece that is connected to Disney.
Huge thanks to everybody that called in during our New Year's Eve call-in event. That was so much fun to hear from you all!
Finally - Jared. This is an amazingly detailed and long cast member take from working at Alien Encounter. This is amazing and you have to take in all of the unique details Jared sent our way.
Giveaway Time
Foxx Nolte sent us a copy of her book, Boundless Realm: Deep Exploration Inside Disney's Haunted Mansion
If you would like to win a copy of this book, send us your name - [email protected] - use the subject line "Spooky"....
Best of luck and thanks for the amazing book Foxx! All entries due 2/8/2021.
Main Topic
We take you to Crescent Lake this month and we couldn't be more excited. This area is an entire vacation in itself, housing multiple resorts, restaurants, boating and so much more. If you are a regular to this area or your home resort is over here, this episode will be right up your alley. Most of us have stayed in at least one of these resorts with varying opinions. Throughout this episode, we will get into the history, mindset and much more throughout the era these places were constructed.
Everybody has a part in this episode with Brian starting us off regarding hotel occupancy and why this area was even needed.

Throughout the episode, we touch on design and architecture. This was key in the development of the Swan & Dolphin, which created many urban legends, myths and pre-internet 'fan chatter'. We have searched all over for a variety of sources to debunk or prove these rumors, so you won't want to skip these parts as we discuss. Yesterland provided us with some of these details this month, along with lots of digging into newspaper articles from back in this era. The Dolphin has a super unique design, with an almost unusable peak. Learn the secrets of this area and at the same time, take a look at the presidential suite up top!

In the past, we have touched on Yacht & Beach Club through various letters and discussions. Going to the Wayback Machine, we found this great site that isn't too vintage, but the pictures scream 1991 by their coloring and also just the old decor of the Yacht/Beach. This site is definitely worth a look, as it is the original from the architect, Robert A.M. Stern. We also discuss how Michael Eisner and how he had his hand in much of this, mostly the Yacht & Beach. Almost two years ago, David Carver reached out to confirm the freshwater fish in Stormalong Bay - he happened to be staying there when they were having issues. Read the full text right here - thank you David!
Any trip to Crescent Lake isn't complete without a visit to the Boardwalk Inn. Our original Boardwalk vacationers give us their take on this resort and we all had one gripe regarding the layout. During this time, we talk about some of the various venues at the Boardwalk, like The Attic and what that is all about. We also get into an amazing discussion with a former tram driver who made his rounds before the Boardwalk arrived. One fun fact of these trams: they used to be the ones that drove guests around Fort Wilderness, which is super cool to hear! Take a look at this video, which shows the route around the area. This episode is full - covering about five resorts, transportation, attractions and so much more. We hope you enjoy and let us know if you have any fun stories from Crescent Lake.
2021: Year Two of The Film
To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post. Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well.
Next Month
Join us next time for Episode 65, where we take you back on another fun episode about WDW history!
We have another movie night coming soon too... Subscribe on YouTube so you are ready.
2 hr 16 min
December 23, 202063 - Project 90
Welcome to Episode 63 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Project 90" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. This month, Ted Linhart joins us as one of our top tier donors - this episode is guided by Ted and his amazing set of documents. Last month we hit Thunder in Paradise pretty hard with multiple episodes.
Listener Mail
Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at [email protected]. Also, top tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode.
Scott Jensen is first with some great pics of Hogan's Beach Shop, which is actually in Clearwater and the Orlando area. Thanks Scott!
Stephen Myers also wrote in about Thunder in Paradise, saying him and Terry have discussed his time at WDW often. Thanks Stephen!
Norris is up next - he wrote in about a vehicle on WDW property that has a mickey head tread pattern. JT is digging into this a bit and found they are made by Trelleborg. We are hoping for more info soon...
Tracy wanted to know if we had any Space Mountain under construction photos, as her father worked on the ride. We found a few, so just do a quick search on our site for "Space Mountain Construction" - this should be a fun rabbit hole to go down.
Mark wrote in complimenting the big three-part Horizons Podcast series. He has a great story about Walt Disney Elementary School, which is near him.
Dane wrote us about a vintage map from the late 70s and it is so cool! Thank you so much Dane!
Audio Rewind
Our audio rewind this month is called Beautiful Beulah, it is from Summer Magic starring Hayley Mills & Burl Ives - Thank you for all the guesses and emails!
We have a winner! Congratulations Carolina Nedal - you will get some RetroWDW & LBVHS Pins!
If you think you know the answer to this month's audio rewind, email us! [email protected] - All entries are due 1/11/2020 and a random winner will be selected.
Main Topic
This month we get into Project 90. Ted Linhart is with us and ready to go with this amazingly important and topical document put together by RCA. We start you off with the history of RCA, how they connected with Disney and what the point of this document is. You have to imagine that back in the late 60s & early 70s, Disney was embarking on an entirely new concept of vacationing with Walt Disney World. Now before you get to into this, you might want to look at the document, and we will make it very easy for you to look at on Ted's site.

Click Here For The Project 90 Doc

The plan, as you can see above, is incredibly in-depth and really is taking the hospitality industry to another level. Nearly every aspect of the RCA corporation is put into use with WDW, and it is all fully outlined in this doc and this episode. The communication systems, security, charging and so much - all linked up and it sounds so seriously 2013 with the invention of the Magic Band. We go through most of this and discuss, so you might want to have the doc pulled up to flip through the pages as we talk. If you imagine the era, what vacationing was like in the 60s/70s, and then also picture the commitment this would require by Disney, it is all super ambitious and neat for the era.

We would like to thank Ted for joining us once again - he always brings something unique and fun to the show and what is great about his mission, you can all join him. Take a look at his site, Disney Docs, where everything is organized and cataloged for your enjoyment. We hope you enjoyed this month's episode and also wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
2 hr 1 min
December 01, 202062.5 - Below Thunder's Deck with Parker Rabe
Main Topic
In the last episode, we took you back to the early 1990s and discussed the filming and history of Thunder in Paradise! Now we've got an exclusive interview with Parker Rabe who's father was the brains behind the custom modified Wellcraft Scarab boat was the pilot for the series as well!. Parker recalls filming locations, boat details, and even his interaction with the cast on set! Don't mess with Thunder!

2020: The Year of Film
To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post. Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well.
Next Month
Join us next time for Episode 63, where we take you back on another fun episode about WDW history!
We have another movie night coming soon too... Subscribe on YouTube so you are ready.
33 min
November 13, 202062 - Thunder in Paradise
Welcome to Episode 62 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Thunder in Paradise" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between.
Listener Mail
Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at [email protected]. Also, top tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode.
Shane is first with a comment about Alien Encounter. He was curious if Tyra Banks was the only host for the pre-show at Alien Encounter.
Miranda sent us some new ephemera which is a 'Vacation Kingdom' brochure from 1984. Take a look at these!
Our next write-in was Daniel, who discusses the talking elevator at The Contemporary Resort. He sent us a photo of the elevator and Daniel also has one at his office building.
Jared wrote us a touching story about his father and attending RetroMagic. We love hearing those stories and Jared has some great memories to remember.
We heard from Gary regarding Tomorrowland and an area just past DreamFlight. We have the picture here and think you should take a look.
Joe Barlow, our turnstile inspector, wrote in about the radio loops asking where they transmitted from. The group explains all of this and how everything worked years ago.
BONUS: We had a tweet about the AAA Comfort Lounge! Interesting area we don't know much about..
Audio Rewind
Our audio rewind this month is from Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Hollywood Studios - Thank you for all the guesses and emails!
We have a winner! Congratulations Jason!
If you think you know the answer to this month's audio rewind, email us! [email protected] - This month, the winner will be getting an LBVHS & RetroWDW Pin, including bonus swag. All entries are due 11/17/2020 and a random winner will be selected.
Main Topic
This month...what can we say. Hulk Hogan is in the building. Well not yet, but hopefully soon. Instead, we are taking you to Paradise - Thunder in Paradise! Our crew takes a deep dive into this show that was almost entirely filmed on the property at Walt Disney World. The idea behind this show was a takeoff on Baywatch and various other 90s action stylized tv shows. We love watching these episodes though and trying to analyze where they filmed the show.

We get into the reason behind the show, production, storylines and so much more. Each member of the group has seen this show at various stages and years, so we all have a little bit to add. As we progress into this main topic, we get into the various episodes and discuss locations. Some are absurd and others are cleverly done. The production team really had free rein to go wherever they needed including the Magic Kingdom, all over the Seven Seas Lagoon, The Grand Floridian and so much more. The one thing we are all curious about though, who was vacationing at WDW during the filming? We would love to see some behind the scenes footage of Thunder driving around the Rivers of America...

Enjoy this super random but super topical episode all about one of the more major film/tv productions that occurred at Walt Disney World.
2020: The Year of Film
To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post. Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well.
Next Month
Join us next time for Episode 63, where we take you back on another fun episode about WDW history
1 hr 26 min
October 13, 202061.5 - Radio Loops - Part 2
Main Topic
Welcome back to another mini-episode, filled with Radio Loops. We had a number of these sent in from fans, listeners and others who were thinking there might be a podcast someday that wants to share these. To start, we go way back to 1995 and this loop has an amazingly catchy theme song at the beginning of the broadcast. Quality is AM and if you are playing this in your car, this will give you all the feels of a car from the past.

This loop includes ticket tips, cleaning up with Jiminy Cricket, AAA tips, and even current room rates. With this being a mini-episode, we run about 25 minutes and wrap up with the 'exit loop', which gives directions, thanks you for coming and so much more. The range seems to be an issue, as this one is not super clear and seems to almost cut out - but it's super cool to hear this once again. We hope you enjoy this mini-episode of radio loops and can't wait for you to listen to our next full episode that will be coming soon.

2020: The Year of Film
To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post. Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well.

Next Month
Join us next time for Episode 62 where we take you back on another fun episode about WDW history!
We have another movie night coming soon too... Subscribe on YouTube so you are ready.
26 min
September 29, 202061 - Alien Encounter - Part 1
Comments & Corrections
We start this month with some sports, weather and candy updates. The Disney World stuff will come eventually, we promise.
Big update on the old school turnstiles around the parks. Carla Carle gave us the full report with pictures – thank you!!
The Kugel Ball is huge – literally! We’ve been getting updates on local Kugel Balls, pictures are being sent and we love seeing this.
How gives us some more information on the Tomorrowland palm trees. We discuss some of the manufacturing, history, and theories on these things. The story goes on….
Listener Mail
Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at [email protected]. Also, top tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode.
Downey wrote in asking about the talking elevator at The Contemporary Resort. We discuss this being a real thing and also the 80s/90s talking craze.
Keith touched base this month regarding Birnbaum’s, which we cite often. Keith actually worked on the books – thanks so much for writing Keith.
We heard from Andie regarding injuries on Alien Encounter. Her mother had some issues on this ‘ride’ and we’re curious who else has been injured on Alien Encounter?
Bill wrote in about being in the College Program and how he collected Alien Encounter flyers, which helped promote the ride. These are so amazing and we’re so glad you saved these and scanned them for us.
Our final note is from Neuro, he gives us some fun acronyms for EPCOT. Good stuff Neuro!
Audio Rewind
Our audio rewind this month is from the Space Mountain exit queue – Thank you for all the guesses and emails!
We have a winner! Congratulations Chuck Jordan!
If you think you know the answer to this month’s audio rewind, email us! [email protected] – This month, the winner will be getting a 2016 WDW Poster Art Calendar. All entries are due 10/12/2020 and a random winner will be selected.
Main Topic
We are staying in Tomorrowland this month, but zeroing in on a specific attraction that is no longer with us: Alien Encounter, or the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter if you are using its full legal name. This one came online back when Tomorrowland had the major overhaul in 1995 and is a fan favorite. X-S Tech is hosting a demonstration at the Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center and everyone is invited, including you! How leads us this month with lots of history, first-hand experiences, and also the two versions. With this being Part 1, we focus on the versions and what everything looked and felt like.
One of the first things everybody notices are those porthole type windows; they had a tint to them that really didn’t allow you to see in, which created some questions right from the get-go outside. We learn about why there is a manhole cover lifted and also why the massive yellow tower is on top of the building. The story elements were plentiful and most of them went unnoticed. This attraction was designed to draw in those teenagers and pull them back from Universal. It was high energy and extreme – which is what the Magic Kingdom needed for that particular crowd.
Now this attraction had two versions – we include them both in this episode comparing the similarities and differences. The first show is missing a bit to connect some dots and the second gets darker and creepier. How explains how the pre-show undergoes a major change across the versions as well. If you never had the chance to go on Alien Encounter, this episode will paint a pretty good picture with lots of audio clips and on-ride sounds. We also get into answering lots of why questions as a group, as we all took a spin on this one over the years with varied success and enjoyment. We hope you have a good time with us back in Tomorrowland of the 90s!
2 hr 9 min

About Retro Disney World Podcast

From the publisher's feed

A monthly trip back in time to Walt Disney World - From pre-opening to 25 years ago; your four retro hosts discuss now closed, but not forgotten attractions, designs, architecture and more! Come…