Listen to the Episode:
Welcome to Episode 96 of the RetroWDW Podcast: Banking at WDW – 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.
Listener Mail
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- Nick shares the story of his grandmother surprising the family with a free trip to Walt Disney World and then cooking a giant Italian Christmas meal in their DVC Old Key West villa. Her ravioli had all the boys running to the yard.
- Scott tells us about the time Disney gave him the key to a room at Wilderness Lodge that was already occupied by another family! He ended up with a new clean room and a free dinner at Whispering Canyon.
- David responds to the “Most Unusual Place to Listen to Our Podcast” challenge by listening to our Japan Pavilion episode while piloting a plane to Ireland.
- Heather recounts the story of coming home from an overseas trip and hearing music from Illuminations: Reflections of Earth playing over TV monitors in the Customs inspection area.
- And finally, Abdul corrects us that “The Darkroom” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios became a pin store, while the Photo Pass Center is across the street at the old Sid Cahuengas store.
Main Topic
This month Brian leads a discussion about banking at Walt Disney World and everything guests had to do to pay for their transactions at the parks and resorts before debit card terminals and Magic Bands became ubiquitous. Cash was king, but Traveler’s Checks and personal checks were also common before Walt Disney World began allowing credit cards. We’ll reveal how they worked, their benefits, and their frustrations.
We also dive into the history of Disney’s relationship with its original banking partner, Sun Bank. Find about their full-service branches located in each of the parks and near Disney Springs, including the beautiful late-1880s-styled bank on Main Street which is now the Chamber of Commerce, and why we think the bank vault is still there. If you’re a cast member who can confirm or deny our hunch, send us an email!
Todd also takes us into the many advancements in banking technologies that make paying for things in the park easier and more worry-free today.
RetroMagic Updates
We celebrated 40 years of EPCOT back in the fall of 2023. If you would like to relive that event, all the videos are now live: Click Here.
Our next big event is in the works and we are planning to be in Florida late September 26-28, 2025. As always, these things can change in dates, times, and venues. In the meantime, if you have any specific questions please let us know.
RetroWDW Film Archive
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RetroWDW Merchandise
How designed some great new shirts this month, so be sure to check out the following: a RetroWDW version of the Sun Bank logo, a design celebrating Todd’s continuing promise of Hot Projector Action, and RetroWDW mashups with the Polaroid logo and 126 film packaging.
Be sure to get your shirt, iPhone case, tote bag, pillow or coffee mug today: www.retrowdw.com/supportus
Some of Our Latest Designs
Post-Show Fun
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- Check out our friends at Mouse Adventure to see where you can join them next on a super fun adventure: Mouse Adventure