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SAILING WITH DISNEY: PART 4: From Park Attractions To Modes Of Transportation In Florida

May 30, 2022 by Chuck Schmidt

In building Disneyland, Disney’s creative staff had to figure out ways to make realistic-looking bodies of water on fertile soil that had supported orange groves for decades; in planning Walt Disney World in Florida, planners had to learn how to manage water in a way that was both efficient and environmentally sound, as well as devise ways to transport guests on the area's waterways.

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SAILING WITH DISNEY, PART 3: The Disneyland Fleet Expands

May 16, 2022 by Chuck Schmidt

As if The Rivers of America waterway wasn’t crowded enough in the late 1950s, Walt Disney decided that another large sailing vessel – preferably one of historical significance – should join the fleet. Walt tapped Joe Fowler, Disneyland’s construction supervisor and a retired Navy admiral, to pilot the project.

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Disney World Changes That Make Us Feel OLD

May 13, 2022 by Jenna Saxton

Disney World is constantly changing, but remembering these 10 things makes us feel like we've been around since the dawn of (Disney) time!

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SAILING WITH DISNEY, PART 2: Disneyland, A Place Without Peer, Opens With Several Piers

May 2, 2022 by Chuck Schmidt

In the sweltering summer of 1955, guests who walked through the turnstiles of Disneyland, under the railroad tracks and into the magical environment of the world’s first theme park, saw things that were atypical for amusement parks of the day. To begin with, there was a perfectly replicated Main Street, circa the turn of the … Continue reading "SAILING WITH DISNEY, PART 2: Disneyland, A Place Without Peer, Opens With Several Piers"

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That Sinking Feeling: How a Keel Boat Skipper Kept His Wobbly Boat Afloat

October 25, 2021 by Chuck Schmidt

Remember the Mike Fink keel boats? You know, those top-heavy, low-capacity vessels that used to navigate the waters around Tom Sawyer Island at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and Frontierland in Disneyland Paris?

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The Most Unintentionally Scary Disney Parks Rides

September 12, 2021 by Jess Landers

Here are Disney Parks rides that you don't expect to be scary... but they are!

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Why Disney’s Most Futuristic Land is Its Most Outdated

July 18, 2021 by Brian Delpozo

These issues have plagued Imagineers working on Tomorrowland for decades, and are still impacting the land today.

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The Evolution of Disney Annual Passes

March 22, 2021 by Brian Delpozo

The story behind the introduction, evolution, ...and temporary (?) elimination of annul passes in Disney's U.S. theme parks.

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The History Behind Walt Disney’s Lilly Belle

February 8, 2021 by Brian Delpozo

The story of Walt Disney's backyard railroad, and how its legacy lives on in Disneyland today.

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The Rise of Disney’s Trackless Ride Systems

January 12, 2021 by Chuck Schmidt

Disney's trackless vehicles are guided by computers, which allow these next-gen attractions to be kept very much under control even as they often appear to riders to be something akin to berserk billiard balls.

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