Remember when there were only TWO Parks..( a Nostalgia Thread)

[EPCOT Explorer]

Heheh...Got a epic condition 1982 Figgy with plain sweater in the mail today.Thanks, eBay!

 

[MAGICFLOP]

Once you arrived at MCO, it was time to hit the Parks!

First, parking. Remember when it was only $2.00 to park On Property?

Good job, I remember these tickets....

If you stayed off property and went to a 7-11 they had guys in a little booth outside yelling at you to come and buy discounted tickets. Then you could get one of these for $15 and it looked like yours (having one day left)..

 

[Figments Friend]

Ah yes...another aspect of those days of yore....

'Re-selling of tickets' or the even more naughty 'Ticket Sharing'...

Back then, with tickets like the above, ANYONE could use them...even the person directly behind you at the turnstiles! Yes, sadly people abused them and that is why today we have biometric readers.

The GREAT thing though about the old style tickets however was they NEVER expired ...'They don't expire until YOU do..' ( quote in the 2001 WDW Birnamns Guide Book!). This was long before the days of having to pay extra for the added 'Non-Expiring' feature. I cannot however bring myself to use the adult one above...it's just too cool having it still be 'vaild admission'!

For those wondering- If you have ANY old WDW ticket media you can visit Guest Services at Downtown Disney to exchange it for vaild admission. This also goes for any multi-day non-stamper style tickets ( magnetic striped tix or cards). They can check to see if you have any remaining days.

 

[Dragonrider1227]

TWO parks? My parents can remember when there was only one!

 

[vonpluto]

A few pix

Matchbooks (The dark red one is from Future World)

Candybox

Attractionbooklet

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

A few pix

Matchbooks (The dark red one is from Future World)

Candybox

Attractionbooklet

Very nice!

 

[yankspy]

A few pix

Matchbooks (The dark red one is from Future World)

Candybox

Attractionbooklet

Matchbooks from the Tobacconist and Epcot center. Very nice indeed.:sohappy:

 

[joel_maxwell]

I`d scan my collection but it`d take me a year. Great memories!

That is a nice burden to have Martin. I feel for you

:lol:

 

[TheBeatles]

Figments Friend, or any else who possesses the old merchandise bags, do you happen to have a larger image available of the graphic on the bag? If I can manage to somehow get a big enough sized image, i was planning on making a desktop background, which when completed, i would share with anyone who wanted it. Just an idea I had...:shrug:

I have large scans on my blog of those bags.

 

[joel_maxwell]

I have large scans on my blog of those bags.

and you supplied some nice scans of the Epcot newsletter didnt you. The construction newsletter?

 

[Since1976]

When there were only two parks, our vacations were just 3 or 4 days long, and we took a side trip to Cypress Gardens. I thought it was a rather boring place, and would have preferred to go back to Disney instead.

I wonder if I would have a different opinion of it visiting as an adult? All I remember are the well-manicured gardens, a stunt show at a pool, and a glass bottom boat ride.

(note: I heard Cypress Gardens closed for a while, no doubt due to the growth of WDW.)

 

[Since1976]

I Just had a random question that I thought of when looking at the tickets. Does anyone else still instinctively hold out their hand to get stamped while exiting a park so you can get back in?

You mean they don't still do this? I haven't park hopped or left a park to return in a long while, and I assumed they were still doing the "invisible" hand stamp thing.

Wow, how things change...

 

[kimmykimmy]

This is all so interesting!
I wasn't alive in the 80s, but I'm a HUGE fan of Disney history and I love seeing all of the tickets and maps and such. & they sold matchbooks! I'm pretty sure they aren't allowed to anymore, right? Haha.

& I can't imagine there only being 2 parks. I can hardly remember when there were only 3!

I wish I could have gone to Disney in the 70s and/or 80s!

 

[MissM]

You mean they don't still do this? I haven't park hopped or left a park to return in a long while, and I assumed they were still doing the "invisible" hand stamp thing.

Not for years now. They don't need to with the biometrics.

 

[IfWeCanDreamIt]

TheBeatles, I will definitely check out the images on your blog! Thanks for the suggestion.:sohappy:

 

[TheBeatles]

and you supplied some nice scans of the Epcot newsletter didnt you. The construction newsletter?

Yeah.

Now I need to buy the tickets and parking passes for that preview. There are some available on eBay in mint condition, but the CP is more important right now.

 

[wedway71]

I remember when it was one park with tickets.

I remember waiting to see what Epcot would be before it opened.

I also enjoy(which I have done recently) my very first Disney book ever. Birnbaums WDW-1986. It is soo cool to see all of the old shops,attractions, hotels etc with just the 2 parks.

For along time too I made my Mom only buy Hunts Ketchup since back then on the back of each bottle it had the Official stamp as the Official ketchup of WDW.

I even have a circa 1985ish Cast Member hiring brochure. I always thought all the guys in the pics looked like Glenn Cambell with the side burns and parted hair.

 

[wedway71]

All this traveling makes me wanna buy stuff! Good thing we have plenty of cool merchandise availible in the Parks from that period up for offer:

^ 85' WDW Merch Catalog t-shirts and golf assesories page

Mmm...look at all those way cool retro shirts! EPCOT fans, try to remain seated please..with all hands and arms behind your monitor!

Of course, we will need a hat to go with our shirt choice. Here is a great sample from 1985:

^ 85' WDW Merch Catalog hats and Florida Citrus page

Crikey! Look at that awesome EPCOT Center hat with the 'pilot wings'! I so totally want one of those! I think they should re-issue these for the Monorail Captains to wear while on duty!

Check out the cool retro box your Florida Citrus arrives in too....very neat.

And talkiing about neat, have a look at what was being offered for camera assesories back then:

^ you just HAVE to love that twin-parks logo!

OMG.... I had that catalog. I remember fighting with my parents telling them I wanted that yellow polo and my Mom said I dont even play Golf so why do I need it????

 

[WDW1974]

What a great thread ... so many great memories. I think I have every printed item on here (and then quite a bit more as my visits go back to when WDW was three) ... I had most of those tees. I wish I had saved more of the old guidebooks from WDW and later the Opening Day Guidewheel at EC (I must have had 25 of them once).

And all that greeenery at WDW Village before they made it a giant Disney/anwhere mall ... WDW's Tencennial: A Year Long and A Smile Wide ... preopening monorial rides out to the EPCOT Center site and just looking up in awe at a completed SSE in an empty, unfinished park ... so much ... and it all seemed so much classier than what we have today.

Just a great thread, wish I had more time to comment or add to it right now ... but maybe later ...

 

[wedway71]

I remember around 1985 or 86 living the local paper-Ft Lauderdale Sun Sentinal every quarter would have an edition of the WDW News.

It was like 2 pages or so. I remember one with the Grand Opening of Living Seas and then another showcasing the promo at the time where they gave a free Oldsmobile car each day to a lucky guest.