MouseStation 117 – Our First Time
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Featured Topic – Our First Time
In this week’s feature, Mike and Mark are joined by MouseStation audio engineer
and sound editor Steven Ng as they discuss their very first visits to Walt
Disney World.
Mark’s first visit
Mark went first, since he was the first to visit Walt Disney World; however,
since his first visit was back in 1972 (when he was eight), most of his memories
were very hazy. His clearest memory was of him and his brother arguing with
his father over how many more tickets his father would buy and what letter
tickets they would be. His memory seems to indicate that the discussion took
place in Fantasyland near what was then the Mickey
Mouse Revue. (It’s now Mickey’s PhilharMagic.) They succeeded in getting
two more tickets each, and then everything else that they did had to be free,
so they went to the Hall of Presidents again and then did multiple rides on
If
You Had Wings.
It was so long ago that much of Tomorrowland hadn’t been built yet. You could
look from the heart of Tomorrowland and see the Contemporary Resort as if
it were an extension of the land. Pirates of the Caribbean hadn’t been built
yet. The park felt wide open back then, as the park just ended because so
much hadn’t been built yet. Frontierland just went off into the sunset.
Mike’s first visit
Mike went next, as his first trip was in 1986, when he was one year old.
The first one that he remembers was when he was eight years old. He and his
family would drive down from Atlanta, where they lived at the time, and they
would always stay at the Caribbean Beach Resort.
One of the things that he remembers most was his first time in Disney’s Animal
Kingdom the year that it opened. He went to the park with his aunt, and he
fell in love with Festival of the Lion King, which helped him to develop his
love of The Lion King.
Mike also noted that they didn’t make as big a deal of people’s first visits
to Walt Disney World as they do now.
He also remembers going to Blizzard Beach the year that it opened, going
to Blizzard Beach, and going on Summit Plummit because he was so proud of
himself.
Steven’s first trip
Steven’s first trip wasn’t until 1995, and it was an afterthought when he
had extra time after a space shuttle launch. He had allowed for four days
for the launch to go off before he would head home. The launch went off as
scheduled, and he had extra time at his disposal, so he went to Walt Disney
World.
He started at Epcot, without knowing much about the park at all. He was so
impressed with all of the near-future technology that he rethought his career
path and ended up working for the company that produced one of the gadgets
on display.
He was also impressed by the number of Omnimover rides in the park. He also
talked about Illuminations, which was a spectacular unlike anything that he
had seen at Disneyland. Since he was exploring the park by himself, without
knowing what was around the next turn, he was completely fascinated by the
place. After that, he went every year or two for the next five years or so.
General discussion
Mike wondered how many people go to a Disney park these days without any
idea of what’s coming, and sees it in complete wonder. Mark noted that there
is less ability to see things these days if you don’t plan in advance. Between
the crowds, the effects of Fastpass, and other factors, those who don’t plan
are more likely to feel overwhelmed that to feel wonder.
Mark reminisced a bit about Communicore with the Fountain of Information,
educational kiosks, data traffic control games, and the impact that the attractions
had; he also talked about his wife’s first trip in 1986 and his son’s early
trips.
Steven talked some more about how the emerging technologies on display at
Innoventions back in 1995 are now in use today, which led to a discussion
of whether Innoventions will be showing technologies that are years from being
used out in the real world or if it will just be advertising for the latest
releases. Mike remembered the Sega games area and noted that it looked a bit
like DisneyQuest does now.
There was also some chatter about feeling at home after entering the park,
and riding missed attractions when visiting the opposite coast. Steven talked
about finding the Carousel of Progress, the Peoplemover and the remains of
the Progress City model, but also being disoriented by the changes between
Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom. Mike and Mark talked about a similar experience,
seeing the original Tiki Room show and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and being somewhat
disoriented by the different rides, the Matterhorn, and so forth.
There was also some chatter about the approach to the entrance of the parks
on each coast.
What was your first time like?. Let us know by sending an email
or calling our toll-free feedback line (1-866-939-2278) and let us know what
your favorites are!
Wrapping up
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Thanks to our audio engineer and sound editor Steven Ng.
Thank you for listening!
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