Imagination yes, Motion not so much. Horizons hardly.
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Look how crowded Future World used to be
- Thread starter THEMEPARKPIONEER
- Start date
Fantasmic
Well-Known Member
Ah... when Epcot was EPCOT. Sigh. This was the first year we went, I only went to The Magic Kingdom, I was only 6 so my parents decided EPCOT would be lost on me (as all I was interested in was Mickey) - I remember my Dad took an evening trip there, on his own and he came back and told me about Figment!
C&D
Well-Known Member
Couple observation (on the video); pretty great back then, pretty great (imo) now too.
The parking lot looked (very) full, but these days (with the addition of so much guest staying on site); probably a wash as to number in the park.
Lines at the attractions (heavy); again probably a wash as there was less total number (of available attractions)
And as others mentioned: was it a holiday crowd, weekend, special occasion (way back then there were a whole lot more off-season (low crowd days; now, not so much).
So, again in my opinion, pretty special then.....................still special now.
The parking lot looked (very) full, but these days (with the addition of so much guest staying on site); probably a wash as to number in the park.
Lines at the attractions (heavy); again probably a wash as there was less total number (of available attractions)
And as others mentioned: was it a holiday crowd, weekend, special occasion (way back then there were a whole lot more off-season (low crowd days; now, not so much).
So, again in my opinion, pretty special then.....................still special now.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Well, just goes to show you that all of us that think we remember every detail of the past, can be easily mistaken.
There was more capacity back then than today.
Energy ran 6 packs continuously
Horizons was a people eater as was Motion
Same for the longer Imagination plus Imageworks
Seas had more capacity. Three theatres for the preshows.
Communicore had all its guest space used for guests (and not much dead space)
Odyssey was available
And of note... WOL wasn't open, hence my educated guess at the date.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
I can only think of one more = Wonders of Life. But when you add back in Soarin it kinda equals out or actually exceeds because WOL never was that huge an attraction. EDIT: Martin says that WoL wasn't there, and I'll take his word for it. I don't remember. They were maybe better back then and they were also longer rides. Just like Harry Potter, there are always bigger crowds when something is new.That's crazy. And there were more attractions back then, so that was eating up more people. Plus a lot of people were probably in WOL, and their were still that many people. That's crazy. I wish I got to experience it but I didn't take my first trip until 2001
Life's DNA tower is nearing completion (see the tarp) and the ramp is complete but roped off, so its near its October opening. The Living Seas is open and has its added-later fence around the splash sign, so that's 1987+. No sign of Circus Spectacular so that's October 87- March 88 out too. Port and Traders are open so it's again later than spring 87. And its a MK IV Monorail so certainly pre 1990. Wonders is the biggest giveaway to the time frame.
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The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
It's not 1988, I was there in summer 88 and Wonders of Life was nowhere near that stage. It must be 1989, and before October 1989 because WoL isn't open yet.
I'm going to annoy the whippersnappers: there is nothing in that video that is better now. In fact, I saw a thousand things that were infinitely superior. The shiny Imagination crystals! The flamingos! Horizons, the Seas, WoM!!
NowInc
Well-Known Member
Could also a newly opened MGM studios have contributed to a larger # of guests visiting the resorts during this time period? I remember lines at EPCOT from back when I was a kid, but nothing as bad as what is in those pics. (well, except for motion which I always remember having a long line).
HouCuseChickie
Well-Known Member
Ahhh- the EPCOT memories Imagination was the one from our first trip in '85 where I remember an insane wait. Living Seas and Body Wars had the waits that stood out for me on subsequent trips around that time. Things like Horizons and WOM all seemed to keep the lines moving really well.
Imagination was the one from our first trip in '85 where I remember an insane wait. Living Seas and Body Wars had the waits that stood out for me on subsequent trips around that time. Things like Horizons and WOM all seemed to keep the lines moving really well.
Rob562
Well-Known Member
Though it does look like Horizons has some kind of extended queue happening in the video around the left side of the building.
And the video details on YouTube place this video as August 1989.
-Rob
Larry Mondello
Well-Known Member
I noticed an inordinate amount of white t-shirts in that video.Looks like there was some sort of tour group that overtook the place.
Clamman73
Well-Known Member
I would have been there August '89 while staying at GF - did not go to Wonders.
Also, look at walkway between Land and Seas - don't really see any strollers...today it's a parking lot. On thursday I was walking from the Seas back to The Land and overheard an older than me lady CM working the stroller area and another lady mention that when my kids were here, there wasn't all the strollers.
Also, look at walkway between Land and Seas - don't really see any strollers...today it's a parking lot. On thursday I was walking from the Seas back to The Land and overheard an older than me lady CM working the stroller area and another lady mention that when my kids were here, there wasn't all the strollers.
It did. Horizons first overflow was to the north (it had huge overhangs with fire exit stairs exits). Quite a large "patio" type area. Second phase was rope and posts out front but this was aesthetically unpleasing so avoided on all but busiest of days. It chomped nearly 3000 people an hour so was rarely needed.
AdventureHasAName
Well-Known Member
I think it's unlikely that this was a holiday. My family went to WDW both summers 89 and 90 and we stood in lines far longer than what is shown in this video. WoM had full switchbacks underneath it's ramp, SSE would have full switchbacks outside, and as I remember it, Horizons would typically have a very long line stretching down towards Communicore East. I don't ever remember the Imagination pavilion being as packed as in the video, but in 1989, Michael Jackson was arguably at the height of his popularity (his Bad album was released in 1988 and I believe he was deemed "The King of Pop" in 89) and JII would often have full switchbacks inside, that spilled over into extensive outside switchbacks and Captain EO (like UoE) would often have people lining up outside (because the interior waiting area was filled). I don't ever remember the the Living Seas having a line that would have extended outside the building.
Listen, it's been debated ad nauseum, but the people that promote the theory that WoM, Horizons and JII were removed because nobody was riding them (or because there was a sinkhole) are simply wrong. Disney removed them because they thought they could get more sponsorship money by building something new. And in a post-Frank Wells WDC, decisions were (and are) made for short-term monetary reasons and not based on long-term strategic thinking. This video shows Future World when it was a cohesive, well-thought-out land that fit together and made you feel like you were in the most optimistic place on the planet. It was very popular and, despite 20 years of Disney corporate revisionist history, kids liked being there and learning things.
And if you think these lines are long, you should have seen what it was like in the Summer of 1983.
Listen, it's been debated ad nauseum, but the people that promote the theory that WoM, Horizons and JII were removed because nobody was riding them (or because there was a sinkhole) are simply wrong. Disney removed them because they thought they could get more sponsorship money by building something new. And in a post-Frank Wells WDC, decisions were (and are) made for short-term monetary reasons and not based on long-term strategic thinking. This video shows Future World when it was a cohesive, well-thought-out land that fit together and made you feel like you were in the most optimistic place on the planet. It was very popular and, despite 20 years of Disney corporate revisionist history, kids liked being there and learning things.
And if you think these lines are long, you should have seen what it was like in the Summer of 1983.
EvilQueen-T
Well-Known Member
but don't you think the other things were busier because there wasn't test track, mission space, and sorin'?