The Walt Disney World we visited in 1972 was a vastly different place than the expansive resort we know today.
That trip, 52 years ago in November, was our first to the Vacation Kingdom of the World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, which opened to guests in October of 1971.
Most guests who visited WDW in 1972 stayed in hotels or motels off-property and arrived at the Magic Kingdom by automobile, either on their own or a rental. Those guests who stayed on the property got around the resort by either monorail or boat.
And the intricate bus transportation system that permeates the resort today didn’t exist in 1972.
Once you paid for parking and found a parking space, you took a tram to the Transportation and Ticket Center, which had great views of Seven Seas Lagoon as you waited on the first of many lines.
You purchased your park tickets at the T&TC. Those tickets – by today’s standards – were downright primitive.
Included in your ticket book was admission to the Magic Kingdom, as well as individual tickets marked A, B, C, D, and E; you needed these tickets to experience each “adventure” in the park.
If you ran out of tickets, there were kiosks located throughout the park where you could purchase more.
During our visit in 1972, we flew into what was then known as Orlando Jetport at McCoy [hence its MCO designation], which at the time served both commercial and military aircraft. Our party consisted of me, my wife Janet, and her younger brother Bob.
We rented a car near the airport and drove past vast open fields that were home to cattle farms and citrus groves. Big box stores and condo communities along the route were still years away. Our hotel was located off International Drive, which was a far cry from the bustling thoroughfare it is today.
The next morning, we headed down Route 4, following the still-glistening road signs pointing the way to a place we had heard and read so much about: Walt Disney World.
We would spend three full days in the Magic Kingdom, with wait times averaging 45-60 minutes for most attractions.
We could see the glowing Cinderella Castle as we stood on the monorail platform, a harbinger of the excitement that awaited us.
After the monorail pulled out of the station, we were floored by the hand-crafted topiaries that lined the early part of the route.
The bustling Grand Canyon Concourse was a sight to behold, as was the beautiful floor-to-ceiling tilework that adorned the elevator shaft in the middle of the resort.
We would learn that the individually handcrafted tiles were the work of Disney Legend Mary Blair and a team of skilled craftsmen.
Once the monorail exited the Contemporary, it was off to the Main Gate at the Magic Kingdom.
We passed through the thigh-smacking turnstiles, under the train station, and into an exciting and magical new world. It took a few minutes to get our bearings as we stood in Town Square, where early 20th-century-style vehicles, some horse-drawn, traversed.
We walked along Main Street, U.S.A. with a true sense of wonder: It was as if a Currier & Ives painting of early Americana was coming to life in front of our eyes. Halfway up the street, four gentlemen in colorful pinstriped clothing [known then as the Barber Shop Quartet, now The Dapper Dans] were delighting a group of guests with their classic songs, done a cappella, and witty, if corny, repartee.
Along the way, we took note of the wide variety of stores: The Chapeau Hat Shop, the Cup’n Saucer China Shop, Wonderland of Wax Candle Shop, Uptown Jewelers, and The Shadow Box Silhouette Studio among them.
Off to our right was a side street known as Flower Alley, which was brimming from one end to the other with giant planters and colorful blooms.
As we walked further along Main Street, the looming presence of Cinderella Castle came into focus. It was a curious juxtaposition: We stood on Main Street, with its distinctly 1900s charm, and looked ahead to the European-inspired, multi-spired castle, with its ageless elegance.
With our guide maps in hand, we paused in The Hub area to plot our day.
We decided to turn left and head into Adventureland, which consisted of three attractions: Swiss Family Island Treehouse, Sunshine Pavilion and its Tropical Serenade, and the Jungle Cruise.
We skipped the Treehouse and opted to check out the Tropical Serenade [now known as Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room] and the Jungle Cruise. Both were – and still are – winners in my book. Note that the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction would be added to WDW’s Adventureland lineup in late 1973.
From Adventureland, we headed over to Frontierland, which had the fewest attractions of any land in the park: The Country Bear Jamboree, the Frontierland Shootin’ Gallery, and Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad [1979] and Splash Mountain [1992] were still years away from joining the fun.
The Country Bear Jamboree was good, old-fashioned, toe-tapping fun. The Audio-Animatronics bears were the stars of the show … that, and their penchant for telling corny jokes.
Next up was Liberty Square, which was, in my mind, the most intriguing land within WDW. The Hall of Presidents blew me away … from the inspirational story of America to the Audio-Animatronics figures of all [at the time]] 37 U.S. presidents … some swaying side to side, others nodding their heads, but all looking amazingly life-like.
I had seen Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair and now here was Honest Abe, joined by all of his fellow Commanders in Chief. A stunning presentation.
The Haunted Mansion proved to be equally entertaining, for different reasons. The ride system – aka Doom Buggies – was ingenious; the “Grim Grinning Ghosts” theme song and the 999 happy haunts who tried their best to scare us also were a hoot.
We finished off our stay in Liberty Square with a relaxing trip aboard the Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat before taking in the hilarious Diamond Horseshoe Revue. We managed to grab a quick bite to eat at Columbia Harbour House, one of our favorite restaurants in the Magic Kingdom.
Before heading back to our hotel, we stuck around to watch a new nighttime feature: The Electrical Water Pageant on the Seven Seas Lagoon. The bright lights and catchy songs were exhilarating. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful first day at Walt Disney World.
After getting off the train at Main Street, we made our way over to Fantasyland, which was awash with several unique and fun attractions.
We started off with “it’s a small world,” which we had also seen at the World’s Fair. WDW’s version was decidedly longer and more elaborate.
Then it was on to Peter Pan’s Flight, the Mickey Mouse Revue, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Submarine Voyage, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Snow White’s Adventures, Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel and, finally, Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
The 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Submarine Voyage was exhilarating. You stepped down into a realistic-looking sub, took a seat, and peered out through a porthole as the submersible traveled through an elaborately detailed undersea world.
The skyway took us to a land which, frankly, was misnamed: There was very little that was futuristic about Tomorrowland in 1972.
The Grand Prix Raceway [WDW’s version of Disneyland’s Autopia] was underwhelming; America the Beautiful was a CircleVision 360 travelogue featuring top American tourist spots; and If You Had Wings, sponsored by Eastern Airlines, gave us a look at all of Eastern’s travel destinations.
Flight to the Moon, the only thing remotely futuristic in the land, was already outdated in 1972 as man had landed on the moon in 1969. Small wonder it became Mission to Mars a few years later.
We managed to catch the afternoon parade, which was fun, if only because we got to see many of the Disney characters in one place.
On our third and last day, we made it a point to go on as many of our favorite attractions as we could a second and third time.
We had a blast during our first visit to Walt Disney World in 1972. We’ve been back dozens of times over the years, either with family or with a special group of people we’ve come to know as “our Disney friends.”
Indeed, although we didn’t know it at the time, that first visit launched a lifetime of cherished memories at the Vacation Kingdom of the World.
Chuck Schmidt is an award-winning journalist and retired Disney cast member who has covered all things Disney since 1984 in both print and on-line. He has authored or co-authored seven books on Disney, including his On the Disney Beat and Disney’s Dream Weavers for Theme Park Press. He has written a regular blog for AllEars.Net, called Still Goofy About Disney, 2015.
That was a lovely article & so vividly remembered.
What a well-written article, Mr. Schmidt! I absolutely adore reading firsthand accounts of Disney days gone by.
Oh, my mom just told me last week about the phone call she got from my Grandma in (probably) 70/71. “Janet, they’re building a Disney in FLORIDA! That’s so much closer!” And she, my mom and I drove down over my spring break in 72 and I swear I can still feel Mickey’s hands tugging on my braids.