Magic still strong at Disney World

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/04/2019 (2378 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When I first visited Disney World, near Orlando, Fla., in 1972, I was 12 years old and unaware it had only just opened the year before on what was originally swampland.

To me, this magical place had always existed, thanks to the wonders of television.

Like many baby boomers, I grew up watching Walt Disney every Sunday evening inviting television viewers to enjoy the Wonderful World of Disney. For me, the show’s highlight was its opening promo with a fluttering Tinker Bell waving her wand to light up Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom.

Disney, the founder, often talked about his two theme parks — first Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., which opened in 1955, and his plans to create Florida’s Disney World in 1971. (He died in 1966 before the Florida dream was realized.) Still, what kid growing up in the 1960s and ’70s wouldn’t want to visit?

I’m sure my parents, who had five children, dreaded Sunday nights having to listen to their kids whining to take them to this special place.

It finally happened when the two oldest left home, leaving a more manageable three to make the trek to Florida in as economical fashion as possible. No fancy airlines for us. We were driving.

For our reduced in numbers family, this meant a road trip from Barrie, Ont., through five eastern states with two preteens and a seven-year-old, squished in the back seat of a small car. My siblings and I spent the next two days bickering about whose turn it was to sit in the dreaded middle seat and begging our parents to find a motel, with a pool, for the night.

There was so much fighting in the back seat, I honestly thought my dad’s threats to turn back for home might also come true. Tinker Bell was definitely not on hand to help.

But, thankfully, our parents didn’t give up on the dream — as impossible as us kids were making it. And the payoff finally arrived when we pulled up to our destination — Disney World.

Back then, a ticket cost US$3.50 for the day, compared to today’s price of US$109. While today’s price may seem steep, I’d argue there’s so much more to see from when I first laid eyes on Disney World.

Back then, there were definitely fewer rides and attractions — such as Dumbo the Flying Elephant, the Mad Tea Party and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, to name a few.

There was also the magic of seeing audio-animatronic figures for the first time, with banjo-playing bears and talking moose head plaques in the never-to-be-forgotten Country Bear Jamboree show.

When I look back on what was one of my best childhood experiences (minus the car trip there), two other memories stand out for me at Disney World. They were seeing ghosts dancing in the ballroom of the Haunted House ride, and hearing the voices of dancing, audio-animatronic children from around the world singing the song — once heard, never forgotten — It’s a Small World (After All).

It would be more than 45 years before I would return to what has become an ever-expanding, world-renowned park on nearly 122 square kilometres of land — which Disney had snapped up to ensure the park had plenty of space to grow.

And grow it has. As Walt Disney World Resort prepares for its 50th anniversary in 2021, there are so many new experiences to be had, but my first foray into the park, after all these years away, had me returning to the places of my childhood favourites.

Topping that list were the Haunted House, which still had the same cast of scary characters, and a more deluxe version of the It’s a Small World ride.

While I appreciate that they, as well as a handful of other 1971 original rides, still exist at Disney World, much has changed. Like Disney World’s Toy Story Land, which opened in Disney’s Hollywood Studios in June 2018.

The new addition to the theme park was inspired by Pixar Animation Studios’ Toy Story films, and has to be one of the best playgrounds for kids and the young at heart to explore. The timing couldn’t be better, considering Toy Story 4 is set to open in cinemas this summer.

As soon as they walk into Toy Story Land, visitors will feel as if they have been transformed to the size of a small toy. You are greeted by Sheriff Woody, who stands nearly 20 feet tall and, as you continue through the 11-acre park, made up to resemble Andy’s backyard, you are dwarfed by other giant toys like Tinkertoys; a Barrel of Monkeys; board-game pieces; and real-life green, plastic, army men, to name just a few of the park’s large-scale offerings.

The new ride attractions at Toy Story Land include a roller-coaster even I could handle — the Slinky Dog Dash, which looks down on Toy Story Land; an Alien Swirling Saucers ride that spins visitors through a multi-coloured galaxy; and Toy Story Mania! The latter is set up to resemble a carnival play set, where guests can shoot virtual objects like cream pies and baseballs at fun, moving targets.

Two other must-do new rides are located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park: Pandora – the World of Avatar, which opened in 2017. Thrill-seekers will be amazed by the Avatar Flight of Passage, a 3D ride that has guests flying on the back of a mountain banshee while exploring this colourful world; and Na’vi River Journey, which takes guests on a leisurely boat trip through a bioluminescent rainforest in search of the Na’vi Shaman.

Also still to come is the highly anticipated 14-acre Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, set to open Aug. 29. When completed, it will be the largest single-themed expansion ever added to a Disney theme park. Even if you visit Disney World prior to the big Star Wars reveal, you won’t be disappointed. Star Wars characters are everywhere, from staged outdoor shows to Stormtroopers parading through the streets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Despite all the advances at Disney World Resort, as well as what is to come on the near horizon, it’s good to know one thing hasn’t changed. The daily fireworks and lighting of the Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. But instead of a cartoon character on television, here was Tinker Bell, in person, waving her wand as she zip lined over the crowd with an ever-changing riot of colour flashing on the castle walls.

Those fireworks were magical in 1972 and remain so today.

If you go:

Canadian residents can now buy their theme park tickets and special offers online at disneyworld.ca.

Stay in one of the more than 30,000 hotel rooms in the 28 resorts owned and operated by Walt Disney Resort. I stayed at the conveniently located Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, approximately a half-hour away. This resort is within walking distance to two of the four theme parks in Disney World — Epcot and Hollywood Studios. (Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom are a free, short bus ride away.)

kpemberton@shaw.ca