Then vs. Now: Your observations

[BrerWayne]

Then:

Now:
https://i0.wp.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IMG_2387.jpg?ssl=1

Wow that looks really sterile now. Also, I have never seen the place that empty. I am not a nervous or claustrophobic person, but the crowds at World of Disney make me uncomfortable. It is just overload for me.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Then: Live show at Diamond Horseshoe

Now: Empty stage with $35pp food.

 

[LittleBuford]

Must remember this next time. I detest the sides more than the hanging Y did in FlamingMonkey.

The sides have their charm. Where else could you see a bendy Eiffel Tower?

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Then: If You Had Wings....catchy earworm song, brought dreams of flying to fun destinations, also a giant ad for Eastern Air Lines.

Now: Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin....fun challenge, but perhaps a little dated/dull compared to roughly similar MiB and To y Story Midway Mania

Am I the only one who still slightly misses IYHW when going through the spaceship projection room near the end of Buzz? (The earlier attraction made you feel like you were flying, slightly similar to the way the Crush tunnel in Epcot makes you feel like you are riding the EAC.)

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Then: World of Motion - a fun look at transportation through the years via slow omnimover, if a bit too cartoony but still fun all the same

Now: Test Track - a fun, fast ride that keeps people...moderately happy aside from the constant breakdowns and shutdowns

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Then: 360 theater....hated standing through the wait and the whole film. I also hated having to see it from a too short height, way too many adults blocking my view. Film was pretty scenery, but also the most boring attraction in all of MK.


NOW: 360 theaters in Epcot: STILL find the films pretty, but boring. Still too much waiting and standing. But at least the China and Canada films aren't the MOST boring attractions in all of WDW: Impressions of France is still running for a little while longer. (The other top contender, "Circle of Life: an Environmental Fable," is now closed.)

 

[Goofyernmost]

Then: Horizons...and everlasting hope for the future of humanity, along with everything that is joyful & promising for the world of tomorrow

Now: Mission Space...and the hollow deprivation of mediocrity, the mundane & the uninspired

And yet, some of us like it better then we liked Horizons. I guess there is no accounting for taste among us lower life forms.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Then: Ticket.
Now: Seasonal, weekday-ish, who knows priced tickets that you have to explain to your family and wedding guests. And then Magic Bands. And then you lose your mind. And then they complain of the prices. And ARGH.

Then: tickets that lasted FOREVER

Remember when that was a WDW selling point? You can buy extra days now, because your tickets will NEVER expire.

I swear, back then they also used to brag that WDW would always sell forever tickets, because WDW was a premium destination. Expiring tickets were for lesser destinations. WDW was confident that it would always be around, so guests could buy extra park days.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

And yet, some of us like it better then we liked Horizons. I guess there is no accounting for taste among us lower life forms.

No one said you were a lower life form. He was merely stating his Then and Now opinion. Please keep this nice.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Then:

Now:

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Then: Tropical Serenade - lovely classic animatronic show of birds singing

Followed by: The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management) - Alongside Zazoo, Iago makes his singing debut appearance and angers the Tiki god; this was cute for what it was

Now: Enchanted Tiki Room - back to the lovely classic animatronic show of birds singing

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Then: Frontierland sold Davy Crockett coonskin hats

Later: giant turkey legs!

Now: DVC rooms?

 

[righttrack]

Then: Paper fastpasses worked for everyone.

Now: A lot of non-computer/app savvy people missing out on fastpass+. I see/hear the frustration all the time. Sure, people in the know, figure it out and it enhances their trip. New people can't seem to figure it out. We might be turning off the next generation due to this.

 

[Goofyernmost]

No one said you were a lower life form. He was merely stating his Then and Now opinion. Please keep this nice.

Actually, I meant it as a sarcastic joke, I just forgot the Icon. So here it is . Sorry! I was also stating my opinion. It just seems that sometimes the dismissal of an attraction because we don't happen to like it can be expressed by just saying I don't like it. The descriptive adjectives seem harsh for those that do like it. I know that the Horizon replacement is a soft spot for many people.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Despite an ostensible party poopah coming in to say "But it's not Tropical Serenade anymore, waahhhh".... I'm surprised they haven't yet - I was the happiest fella in the world when Under New Management went up in flames and the Tiki Room proper returned. YASS!

At one point I seriously thought the "up in flames" was Disney's secret way of getting rid of it.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Then: A much simpler time.
Now: Chaos

Then: about a $22 ticket
Now: A second mortgage

Then: River Country
Now: Blizzard Beach / Typhoon Lagoon
Think about that for a minute. The crowds, the atmosphere, the experience.....if you were fortunate enough to visit RC

Then: Adventurers Club
Now: Nothing that comes close

Then: Tony's Town Square breakfast
Now: Starbucks

Then: No hard ticket
Now: A bunch
(which depending on your perspective - both good and bad)

Then: MGM
Now: A park struggling for an identity

For the flip side of the coin:

Then: Disney Marketplace
Now: Disney Springs

Then: Nothing
Now: Animal Kingdom

Then: Limited dinning options
Now: A bunch more

Then: 60 minute lines
Now: FP
(yes...I think FP is a good thing...as unpopular as that may be)

Then: Limited access to information
Now: A plethora of it.

 

[tomast]

Then: Parades on MGM Studios
Now: We miss the parades at DHS

Near Then: a fantastic fire breathing dragon on Festival of Fantasy Parade
Now: ??

 

[TwilightZone]

then: cute stitch animatronic
now:

 

[tomast]

then: cute stitch animatronic
now:
View attachment 320930

Where does that picture come from??? is it really from stich great escape??

 

[Brad Bishop]

Probably the biggest difference for me is growing up.

Then: I had no idea where we were other than we were at WDW (Just the MK) in Florida and there was nothing else around. (1970s)

Now: I can see it from above via Google Earth, mobile phones work there (which is a good thing but now you're not as remote), and it's less magical and more just a business.

There are so many things I could do a "then and now" on:

The trees in the hub vs expanded hub - no trees.

The highway in the sky! Monorail! vs "We run them so much that we can't fix or clean them"

Pirate changes have already been mentioned. Now pirates are passive creatures from 100s of years back instead of rotten scoundrels, but it makes us all feel better, I suppose.

When I was a kid it seemed more equally theme to both boys and girls. Now it seems to weigh heavily on the girls side with princess stuff everywhere.

Individual shops on Main St. vs the huge Emporium

Epcot was forward-thinking instead of a historical reference into our past.

Tomorrowland was about the exciting world of Tomorrow instead of Pixar/Stitch.

Less trees vs more trees. The park really is prettier, overall, now that things have grown in.

Back then you had fewer (none) empty-non-used buildings (think: Diamond Horseshoe, the Tomorrowland Terrace which I've only seen open once in the last 10 years - sure - you can buy your cupcake/fireworks party there but it used to be a restaurant). The Odyssey over in Epcot comes to mind, too, as does the Life Pavilion.