What's at WDW for the Baby Boomers?

[jkl2000]

I'm in the EARLY stages of planning a trip to WDW, and yes, the trip is mainly for my kids (boys 4 and 14), but I'm wondering if Disney has sort of forgotten the LOAD of movies they made in the 60s and 70s. I was too young to see The Mickey Mouse Club, and too old for the Pixar era of animated movies. I grew up with movies like City Beneath the Sea, Charlie the Lonesome Cougar, The Barefoot Executive, and Million Dollar Duck. Are these kinds of live-action movies (from this era) represented at WDW at all? Would Disney rather just forget them? I'm not complaining (I'm sure Disney knows today's kids pretty well, and that's primarily who they're marketing to) - just wondering if there's anywhere these kinds of movies are involved in any way. The first chapter book I read was Charlie the Lonesome Cougar.

The only I time I went to WDW as a kid was once in the 70s, and I remember coming home with a set of City Beneath the Sea ViewMaster slides, and I guess the old Captain Nemo ride was more in line with what baby boomers might expect. I think they ought to have a little theater somewhere where they show some of these older, less "spectacular" Disney films. Or have a Value resort themed around them!

 

[JIMINYCR]

UNFORTUNATELY ... NO. Disney doesn't promote, remind, recall any of those GREAT movies that you and I saw. You can catch some of the earlier cartoon clips in some of the resorts lobbies but theres nothing in the parks connecting them to any rides or attractions. I've even looked for dvd's including these epic films, being sold at Disney and you can find only a few of the early films being sold. They should have an old time theater showing off all of Disneys stuff. But you can find Phineas and Ferb and other ( IMO ) crappy stuff.

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

Firstly, welcome to WDWMAGIC!! I am probably around the same age range!! (Sigh... World's Fair 1964, is a faint memory, first time I rode Carousel of Progress!!) and Charlie the Lonesome Cougar was one of my fav shows on Wonderful World of Disney! Having just about raised my son (now 24) at Disney, there are still things to do for the child in all of us! Of course, the rides and foods come to mind. You didn't mention when you were planning to visit Disney, but during the Fall, the Food and Wine Festival is going on (mid Sept til first week of November) at Epcot. Also, in the Fall, is the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, in Magic Kingdom. Alot of the themed restaurants are fabulous for *tweens* like us (between adulthood and child LOL) 50s Prime Time at Hollywood Studios comes to mind. Of course, the character meals are always an option too!! Boardwalk area has Jellyrolls for the adults, which is wonderful for a date night. Or, perhaps do an Illuminations or Wishes Cruise? Soooo many possibilities for a fabulous vacation!! Any questions you have, we all will do our best to answer!!! Again, welcome!!!!

 

[Figgy1]

First a magical welcome to the WDmagic family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While the movies you mentioned aren't promoted there's so much grown up stuff to do! EPCOT is my favorite park the shopping and food alone is worth the trip. That being said if the trip is mostly for the children please book the earliest available ADR for the Crystal Palace on a MK day! You'll get into the park early and that view of the castle is priceless not to mention having breakfast in my favorite restaurant. Also book a meal at Chef Mickey's you'll get to see the fab 5 and have a really fun meal. Seeing it's been so long since your last trip please get a copy of the Unofficial Guide to Disney it will answer so many questions and feel free to ask us anything about Disney! xoxo Figggy

 

[Weather_Lady]

While it's true that WDW doesn't pay tribute to many films from the "good old days," you'll find that WDW has as much to offer the baby boomer in terms of plain old great entertainment as it does the youngsters. Have a wonderful time!

 

[zurgandfriend]

I’m a boomer through and through, I watched Annette, Chubby and Jimmy every afternoon. I saw the in theater releases of such classics and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea- Kirk Douglas sings! The gy Dog, The Absent Minded Professor - Fred MacMurray before Robbie, Chip and Mike who was later replaced by Ernie, I told you I was a boomer, and of course Swiss Family Robinson. Other than the tree house, which I had to explain to my son, there isn’t a lot of that era displaced but as others have stated, a Disney vacation is great for the whole family with lots to do.

 

[Susan Savia]

My husband and I are baby boomers. I remember the original Mickey Mouse Club, Spin and Marty series and those great wildlife shows on The Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights. Epcot is our favorite park with so much to see and do there. Love Off Kilter in Canada and shopping at the Department Store in Japan.

 

[Disvillain63]

Same age as you...and WDW offers lots to do for our age group. My DH and I visit w/o the kids (23 & 25) at least once a year. We love Disney/Pixar movies and watch them all the time too.

 

[jkl2000]

Thanks for the welcomes! I didn't mean to imply that I thought there wasn't anything my wife and I would enjoy at WDW - I know there is. I was really only asking about all the mostly live-action movies from that era (I was born in what I believe is the last Baby Boom year, 1963, so I'm talking post Mickey Mouse Club - though I saw a lot of that in syndication ). I was really just interested in if Disney did acknowledge those movies in some way, but I guess it makes sense they focus on the animated films, which probably work best for rides, theming, etc. When it comes to the animated films, I prefer the older ones, and in fact our kids have seen very little of the later ones (they actually haven't seen that many Disney films at all, but a lot of it has still seeped in, what with Disney characters on diapers, etc. But it's all good - I know we'll all have a good time. When we went last, I think it was still just the MK and Epcot, so there's lots more to see now.

Also, I WAS at WDW one other time around 2000. My wife and I brought our son when he was just about 2 yrs old. He was way too young, so really we just wanted to go for ourselves. It was great because the room (we stayed at the Polynesian) was so cool and dark that he slept MUCH later than he did at home. We were at WDW and sleeping till about 10AM. Horrors, I know!

And, I've read through the Unofficial Guide several times, so I'm pretty familiar with WDW for someone who hasn't been there in 13 years! I'm a bit of a guidebook junky, and that book is just fun to read. We took two big vacations in the last 10 years or so, to Amsterdam and Iceland, and I had pretty much memorized everything in those places before we went.

Anyway, we're thinking about the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which I believe is supposed to be relatively uncrowded and cool-ish.

I know there's still a lot to learn, so I'll be asking lots of questions. I'm still trying to decide on which resort to go too. The place is a wee bit more expensive than it was 13 years ago.

 

[Soarin2u]

Thanks for the welcomes! I didn't mean to imply that I thought there wasn't anything my wife and I would enjoy at WDW - I know there is. I was really only asking about all the mostly live-action movies from that era (I was born in what I believe is the last Baby Boom year, 1963, so I'm talking post Mickey Mouse Club - though I saw a lot of that in syndication ). I was really just interested in if Disney did acknowledge those movies in some way, but I guess it makes sense they focus on the animated films, which probably work best for rides, theming, etc. When it comes to the animated films, I prefer the older ones, and in fact our kids have seen very little of the later ones (they actually haven't seen that many Disney films at all, but a lot of it has still seeped in, what with Disney characters on diapers, etc. But it's all good - I know we'll all have a good time. When we went last, I think it was still just the MK and Epcot, so there's lots more to see now.

Also, I WAS at WDW one other time around 2000. My wife and I brought our son when he was just about 2 yrs old. He was way too young, so really we just wanted to go for ourselves. It was great because the room (we stayed at the Polynesian) was so cool and dark that he slept MUCH later than he did at home. We were at WDW and sleeping till about 10AM. Horrors, I know!

And, I've read through the Unofficial Guide several times, so I'm pretty familiar with WDW for someone who hasn't been there in 13 years! I'm a bit of a guidebook junky, and that book is just fun to read. We took two big vacations in the last 10 years or so, to Amsterdam and Iceland, and I had pretty much memorized everything in those places before we went.

Anyway, we're thinking about the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which I believe is supposed to be relatively uncrowded and cool-ish.

I know there's still a lot to learn, so I'll be asking lots of questions. I'm still trying to decide on which resort to go too. The place is a wee bit more expensive than it was 13 years ago.

...Welcome by the way! I see that you mentioned scheduling your trip in for December. Not that'd it be bad to see Disney get done up for the Holidays, but that time of year is way to crowded! As a every 3 year band trip, my sister got to visit Disney for a week after Christmas! She said that the parks filled to capacity....3/4 of them!! Awful! It gets way to overcrowded right around Christmas time. I will save it for early December to November. SAVE YOURSELF!

 

[jkl2000]

I said after Thanksgiving but before Christmas (end of November/early December). I've heard that this is a less crowded time there because kids are in school, it's a lull between the holidays, etc. Is that not true (or not true anymore)? I think the Unofficial Guide says it is. I'm definitely not going in Summer - too hot.

 

[Soarin2u]

I said after Thanksgiving but before Christmas (end of November/early December). I've heard that this is a less crowded time there because kids are in school, it's a lull between the holidays, etc. Is that not true (or not true anymore)? I think the Unofficial Guide says it is. I'm definitely not going in Summer - too hot.

Oh, sorry, need to pay attention more

 

[Figgy1]

Also book a meal at Chef Mickey's you'll get to see the fab 5 and have a really fun meal.

A magical welcome from the Garden state or as some of us call it Joisey!

 

[216bruce]

"One Man's Dream" at The Studios has a decent amount of stuff from this era. Not necessarily from the movies you list, but MMC items, Zorro, etc. Nice to have another greybeard around.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I said after Thanksgiving but before Christmas (end of November/early December). I've heard that this is a less crowded time there because kids are in school, it's a lull between the holidays, etc. Is that not true (or not true anymore)? I think the Unofficial Guide says it is. I'm definitely not going in Summer - too hot.

The time you will be going, after Thanksgiving & before Christmas, usually has lesser crowds during the week but the weekends get a bit full because of locals visiting. ( It has gotten more and more popular of a time to go) Its our most favorite time because of all the lights, decorations and holiday extras Disney brings out. It really gets us in the mood for Christmas. We do a lot of our Christmas shopping while there. I bet you'll love it so much, you'll want to go back again for a return December.

 

[jkl2000]

^ Thanks, Jiminy! Can I ask why you seem to prefer the POFQ over PORS? I'm leaning toward one of those and can't decide. What I've read so far is POFQ is smaller so less walking, less crowded buses, while PORS is has more to do (maybe better for kids, though personally I'd probably prefer a smaller resort).

 

[luv]

I have never heard of the movies the OP mentioned, which may give some indication of how much Disney promotes those.

Uni has a tribute to Lucy. My mom and I were a little disappointed there, but she bought a bunch of stuff.

While it's true that WDW doesn't pay tribute to many films from the "good old days," you'll find that WDW has as much to offer the baby boomer in terms of plain old great entertainment as it does the youngsters. Have a wonderful time!

ITA with this.

 

[jkl2000]

I have never heard of the movies the OP mentioned, which may give some indication of how much Disney promotes those.

I actually realized I was mistaken about City Beneath the Sea- it's not a Disney movie (although it seems like one). I guess because I got the ViewMaster slides when I went to WDW in the 70s I thought it was a Disney movie, but I might have gotten them at the airport actually, or perhaps even in Miami.

I've been remembering some other Disney movies that don't get mentioned at WDW - anyone remember Island at the Top of the World? I liked that one. Or Darbie O'Gill & The Little People? And how about John Carter, from just a couple years ago? That's a good one - where's the John Carter attraction? But, it's all good...

 

[JIMINYCR]

^ Thanks, Jiminy! Can I ask why you seem to prefer the POFQ over PORS? I'm leaning toward one of those and can't decide. What I've read so far is POFQ is smaller so less walking, less crowded buses, while PORS is has more to do (maybe better for kids, though personally I'd probably prefer a smaller resort).

The resort is smaller, more compact, we love the feel of it. We fell in love with it years ago when the Contemp was full on another trip and our TA referred us to POFQ. The bus use is more convenient. Friends of ours who have stayed at PORS had more issues with crowded bus and multiple bus stops. Sometimes the bus at POFQ runs through the PORS bus stops too but you get on first and have a seat. ( Unless you give it up for someone elderly or a person w/ a child ) POFQ has a food court, but no restaurant, but we have all our ADR's in the parks and use the food court for breakfast and late night snacking. PORS has the carriage & bike rentals too but it's a nice 10 min walk along the path to get over there. All the buildings at POFQ are close by to the bus stop, food court, pool, lobby. We have been through PORS ( a lot more to walk around ) and just have a warmer, homier feeling about POFQ.

 

[jkl2000]

^ Thanks, that all makes sense and sounds nice. NOW...I'm back to thinking about the POFQ!