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Taking you back to the Vacation Kingdom of the World...the way it was...and the way it is in your memories.

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Episode 83: The Disney Institute

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In this episode, we head back to the mid-1980s when Michael Eisner took a vacation at The Chautauqua Institution and decided to bring its blend of enrichment, entertainment, and fun back to Florida, adding a "uniquely Disney" touch. Originally conceived to be part of the Disney Development Corporation's "Celebration" project, The Disney Institute opened in February of 1996 on the site of the former Lake Buena Vista Townhouses/The Disney Village Resort, offering "Discovery Vacations" where guests…Read More...

Podcast Episode 82: Remembering Rolly Crump

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Welcome to another episode of the RetroWDW Podcast. We have quite a few things in the works, but we felt it was best to put those aside and focus on a Disney Legend who recently passed, Rolly Crump. If you remember back to 2019, the crew from The Lake Buena Vista Historical Society made the journey to California to meet with Rolly. What was initially planned as a quick Q&A, turned into a multi-hour interview with…Read More...

Podcast Episode 81: Wonders of Life Part IV – Cranium Command

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We are heading back into the golden dome which is known as Wonders of Life. Over the months, we have taken you through many different episodes all about Wonders of Life including: Body Wars/Making of Me, the pavilion and sponsorship, the original concept, and finally the heated debate on the Magic Kingdom toll plaza sign. As we continue into this amazing pavilion, this episode we decided to take a deep dive into the classic show, Cranium…Read More...

Podcast Episode 80: Holiday Time at Walt Disney World

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Every December, we take a trip back in time as we always do, but we focus on the holiday season and how it took place at Walt Disney World. Christmas, New Years, and all the other December celebrations have always offered up unique experiences and sometimes once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for resort and park guests. We begin with personal stories, traditions, and even gifts we received over the years. Read More...

Podcast Episode 79: Wonders of Life Part III – Body Wars & Making of Me

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For our third part discussing Wonders of Life, we have a good one for you this time around. With our expert guest Dr. Bill, we get things started with How leading the way as we jump right into Body Wars. The thing with Body Wars, it sort of lives in the memories of park guests as the sister attraction to Star Tours and is somewhat lost to history. Body Wars takes guests on a journey through…Read More...

Podcast Episode 78: Wonders of Life Part II

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Welcome to Episode 78 of the RetroWDW Podcast: Wonder of Life Part II – We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. Thank you so much for joining us for more, Wonders of Life. In this episode, we get into the various attractions...Read More...

Podcast Episode 77: Wonders of Life Part I

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Our main topic this month is all about Wonders of Life. With this being Part I, we are just going to scratch the surface about all this pavilion and attraction had to offer. This pavilion is actually still around, the golden dome that is next to Mission: Space, Guardians of the Galaxy, and it also served as a festival center from time to time over the years. How is leading us here in our journey through…Read More...

Podcast Episode 76: The Spirit of America

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This month, we take you through the glorious two-hour special that is The Walt Disney World Fourth of July Spectacular from 1988. This is a commentary on the entire special, which is on YouTube currently on many different channels. Here is the link we used: Click Here. As we go through this discussion, we look at each section, analyzing how things have changed and also how the special seems just a bit off.Read More...

Podcast Episode 75.5 – A Chat With Ray

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Welcome to Episode 75.5 of the RetroWDW Podcast: A Chat With Ray – We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. Main Topic On this episode, we are joined by Disney entertainer Ray DeForest. Ray spent many years in Walt Disney World entertainment...Read More...

Podcast Episode 75: Honey I Shrunk The Kids Movie Set Adventure

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The Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure was one of the early attractions at the Disney-MGM Studios that opened in late 1990, following the success of the film Honey I Shrunk the Kids which opened in 1989. In this episode we start with the film itself and the success of this movie. Back then, this movie was made way different and it lent perfectly to the Disney-MGM Studios and the reason for the park…Read More...