Ted Kellogg – AllEars.Net

Thanksgiving 1971 Put WDW’s Upstart Cast Members To The Test

February 19, 2024 by Chuck Schmidt

Walt Disney World opened rather inauspiciously on Oct. 1, 1971. Attendance was downright disappointing on opening day and things remained stagnant during the first few weeks of operation. But by early November, attendance was on the upswing. Then, during the pivotal Thanksgiving weekend, all hell broke loose.

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Impressions de Walt Disney World: The Changes We Saw After A Nearly Two-Year Hiatus

October 9, 2023 by Chuck Schmidt

After a nearly two-year hiatus, I was looking forward to returning to the four theme parks and everything else that Walt Disney World has to offer. We discovered that much has changed over the past two years ... and much, thankfully, remains the same.

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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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Walt Disney World Cast Members From 1971 Were a Big Part of 50-Year Celebration

April 1, 2022 by Chuck Schmidt

During the recent 50-year anniversary celebration, the Walt Disney Company made it a point to pay special tribute to those long-time cast members who were part of the magic on that memorable day more than five decades ago.

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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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At Disney, It’s Always about The Story … Even When the Story Isn’t Quite True

June 3, 2019 by Chuck Schmidt

The Story is always at the core of everything Disney does in its parks, from restaurants to themed lands, to attractions in those lands to even the properties where guests retreat to after a long day in those parks. But what happens when those stories aren't quite true?

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The Story Behind Disney’s Electrical Water Pageant

October 15, 2018 by Chuck Schmidt

A few weeks after Walt Disney World opened in 1971, the Electrical Water Pageant debuted on Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. It has been a fixture ever since. How the pageant went from concept to finished product is a fascinating story, one that ultimately led to the creation of the beloved Main Street Electrical Parade.

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When a ‘hard freeze’ hit Walt Disney World in 1989, cast members turned to faux plants along Jungle Cruise

June 26, 2017 by Chuck Schmidt

During the hard freeze of 1989 in Florida, most of the vegetation along the Jungle Cruise died, forcing Disney to bring in plastic stand-ins. [AllEars.Net] The term “hard freeze” sends shivers up and down the spines of anyone in Florida associated with plant life. When the temperature dips below 32 degrees and stays that way … Continue reading "When a ‘hard freeze’ hit Walt Disney World in 1989, cast members turned to faux plants along Jungle Cruise"

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