Sunset on Disney's Seven Seas Lagoon

When it comes to the old debate of "Which is Better- Disneyland or Walt Disney World?" there's one point made by East Coasters that no one on the West can argue with: The abundance of water on the Florida property and those gorgeous sunsets that shimmer on it give the point to the World. As we were taking a launch across the Seven Seas Lagoon from the Magic Kingdom on our way to the Polynesian for the evening luau, this was our view. That's the Grand Floridian on the right. Few things are more beautiful than water and sky together, proving once again, that the Greatest Imagineer, the Almighty God, has created something the best of Imagineers cannot duplicate.

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Rumor: Disney World's Thai Resort Overlooks Adventureland's Fire Mountain

Imagine if you will that the beautiful Grand Floridian Resort was not there. Imagine instead a Thai influenced resort, complete with stunning gardens, exotic cuisine, and gorgeous views of the Seven Seas Lagoon. Let's keep dreaming.

Nighttime view of the exterior.

During the planning stages of Walt Disney World, this stunning hotel was to become a reality in one of the first planned expansions to the Florida resort. Of course, it never happened. Were the suits skittish on building something so exotic looking on the grounds? Was it cut due to cash flow along with Western River Expedition? 

Gorgeous place to wine and dine!

As you can see above, the Thai inspired resort even made the cover of the preview souvenir booklet! If you look to the right, you'll notice the model shows the Persian resort in the background, a different Polynesian resort, and a very different take on Space Mountain!

Once planned to be the Magic Kingdom's 3rd mountain.

What would have made this addition of the Asian inspired resort even better? Just imagine if years later the Disney Imagineers had been given the go ahead to build Fire Mountain? Just imagine that view from those resort rooms to Adventureland's very active volcano. Shades of Mount Prometheus at Tokyo Disneysea. It would have been phenomenal! Want more on Fire Mountain? Go here.

Note- Last night (October 18) I read this thread of the WDWMagic forums. Hadn't read it for about a week. An interesting combination of rumors materialized, making this post from yesterday (Friday) a real possibility! Coincidence?

(Art and images copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Gateway to the Magic Kingdom

On Walt Disney World's opening day, the real gateway to the Magic Kingdom in Florida was a boat ride or a monorail trip across or over the Seven Seas Lagoon. Back then in 1971, there were no over crowded busses - just dreams waiting to be built. Anything was possible.

For this California kid, being so used to the congested area around Disneyland in Anaheim, a visit to the World was eye opening from the moment we crossed onto the property. I just couldn't believe the Walt Disney Company had all this land!  

Hitting the parking lot was a bit of a tease. We could see the huge and beautiful Cinderella's castle above the treetops and across the water. But nothing could compare to walking down Main Street U.S.A. for that very first visit! Seeing it in real life was a treat that took four years from seeing it in magazines and on television to seeing it in person. The reality was actually better than what the hype machine built. And in many ways, it still is.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Grand Floridian Adventure

The Grand Floridian Resort has remained the flagship Walt Disney World Resort since its debut in the late 1980s. And for good reason! It is lovely and elegant, but with a price tag to match! Therefore, it has always been one of our must stops with each vacation to the World but never our place of lodging. Fair enough as that probably applies to most visitors.

As a younger but large family with a common sized wallet, during our 1989 visit, we stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort. Even to get to go to Florida took a bit of an unexpected blessing from God. Due to a series on business trips on a highly overbooked route, I was able to amass five free airline tickets. Just the thing we needed to be able to take a trip. Saving for the rest of the expenses would take awhile, but we did it.

Back then, the Caribbean Beach was brand new, but it was modestly priced and therefore affordable. Unknown to us until a week or so before departing for our trip, we discovered some family from the East Coast would be staying at the Grand Floridian at the same time as we would be there. They were very gracious and invited us to a wonderful breakfast at 1900 Park Faire. 

Back in the days before Disney's Magical Express, you had to rent a car or hire a taxi to get to your Disney destination. It was kind of nice because the trip from the airport to on site was filled with anticipation versus non-stop commercials for the place. It allowed the anticipation to build slowly without all the hype.

We chose the car as it allowed us more freedom to move around the property and beyond. Arriving on site for our breakfast, we instantly loved the Floridian's entry filled with palms. As a Californian, we knew Disney had taken more than a passing inspiration from the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California when they designed this place. But we were not at all complaining!

This fine old roadster established the flavor for what we would see inside- and of course, a greeter was there to welcome us onto the Walt Disney World property!  

The interior lobby was gorgeous, and the view straight up to the roof was nothing short of spectacular! On to breakfast. We found where we were headed, and once inside, it was as if we had walked into Mary Poppins' Victorian world.

The caliope at 1900 Park Faire filled the air with a touch of whimsy and victorian charm. The decor and the terrific breakfast were not the only attractions in the place.

Carousel horses were around us and vintage prints filled the space on the walls. An unexpected surprise awaited us- the Disney characters made an appearance for free! That would change in later years as Disney decided to begin fleecing versus delighting their guests. Now, there's a charge for everything, but back then, it was touches like this that helped created a real sense of magic instead of the feeling that you were always being asked to open your wallet!

Our happy little family certainly enjoyed the morning, and there's nothing like Chip or Dale to make smiles appear! We were all so young and innocent then. 

Naturally, we eventually sad to say goodbye to our family. They went their way, and we decided to stay a bit and explore further. It's one thing we have always loved doing- taking the time to explore the hotels and public spaces. We always schedule in a few non-park days to do this sort of thing. It is a luxury that is not available in California.

Moving toward the water, we discovered the marina was a very quiet,  a great place to stop.  With the Magic Kingdom in sight, it was tempting to hop on the monorail right then and take the kids, but that was scheduled for another day.

Later in the week, we would end of taking a water sprite for a cruise around the Seven Seas Lagoon, but it would be from the Disney's Polynesian Resort instead. We wrapped up our morning by hopping back in the car and taking a swim at our hotel. It was a relaxing- and cheap- way to have some fun. Even though Walt Disney World can be very expensive, you can still get creative and enjoy the place. You just have to move away from the "got to do it all now" attitude and realize you can't!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Photos copyright Mark Taft.)