Disney's Time Machine.

[Rasvar]

I agree, or a month AFTER opening day, just to get all those little kinks worked out. Would love to see the park at a time where people dressed to come to WDW.

Just make sure you do it before Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving 1971 will always be remembered for the epic I-4 traffic jam. Well, epic for the 1970's.

 

[Rasvar]

As far as a time for me to go back to? I'd love to see opening day in '71 as an adult instead of being a small boy. Other than that, probably the mid-90's and December 31, 1999. That is when I had some fantastic memories.

 

[Rasvar]

1976 to see the bicentennial celebration. October 1971 to see Roy and Lillian at the inaguration would be the best too.

It's funny that you say 1976. The Bicentennial Parade is still burned in my brain. That one had some really strange characters in it. Although my bigger 1976 memories are more non-Disney. The Freedom Train and actually visiting the VAB at Kennedy Space Center. The only time it had been open to the public until the last year and why the Bicentennial symbol was on the building forever.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I'm not sure if we can be friends anymore.

Just remember, one day, you can tease your herd of six little C and T juniors about how they've never done SSE, Impressions de France, LwtL.

(But hopefully, they won't mind too much, because they fell in love with the Epcot of their time, of their generation, which I shall never see)

 

[Mikester71]

I'm like you, hatter - didn't get the chance to visit until rather recently and later in my life (2005), but if I had to choose based upon what I've seen or read about the parks back in the day, I think I would have to go with the late 70's/early 80's or the mid 90's. Based upon what I've heard and seen, this would be my best chance to experience all the older attractions in all their glory.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

It's funny that you say 1976. The Bicentennial Parade is still burned in my brain. That one had some really strange characters in it.

WDW would never host a parade like that nowadays, for so many reasons! (And not all of them bad...)

 

[bubbles1812]

WDW would never host a parade like that nowadays, for so many reasons!

Fascinating. I think my favorite float there was the giant sandwich though the one with the girl being dipped into cold water as punishment was quite, erm, special... Also, the giant heads and tiny arms on most of the characters was freaky, lol. But yes, I'd have to agree, no way they'd get that parade past the PC police these days, haha.

 

[Donald96]

Fascinating. I think my favorite float there was the giant sandwich though the one with the girl being dipped into cold water as punishment was quite, erm, special... Also, the giant heads and tiny arms on most of the characters was freaky, lol. But yes, I'd have to agree, no way they'd get that parade past the PC police these days, haha.

Not to mention the bell ringer...

 

[bubbles1812]

Not to mention the bell ringer...

Hah. Yeeeaaaaaaah. I noticed that one too. Also, Dumbo was looking quite creepy.

 

[disney-dan]

I know it's not the SAME...but...this will give you some idea of how awesome it was; it's a first-person 3D model.
Takes a while to load though.
http://www.horizonsresurrected.com/unity/Horizons15/horizons.html

That is AMAZING!!! I loved Horizons, totally epitomised everything Walt wanted EPCOT Center to be.

 

[WondersOfLife]

I wouldn't want to go during the first park opening... From my research you had to pay for the rides..

But I ALWAYS wanted to visit EPCOT in the 80's! I would have loved to see Kitchen Kabaret, as I remembered Food Rocks when I was about like, 8 or 9-ish. Horizons, World of Motion, Energy, SSE, Communicore, The Living Seas..

I love the EPCOT that I get to experience. But I ALWAYS wanted to visit retro-EPCOT as it looks sooo interesting compared to today's version!

Man... If I ran the whole Disney Park company.. I'd make a retro-Disney park re-creating old classic Disney rides that aren't found in parks anymore.. That'd be sooo awesome