Calling All Deeks! Old School Disney World Videos!

Recently I was asked by some family members to convert some old home movies into digital files.  At first it was a painful process.  The video is captured in real time.  That meant I had to sit through hours of boring footage.  My boredom suddenly turned to surprise.  I stumbled across some old school Disney World footage.  All of it was from 1996, the golden age of Disney World.  Not all of it was usable but I trimmed it up and found some real gems on there.  There was footage of the monorail from riding with the pilot, the old double decker buses in Epcot, a good chunk of the original Illuminatiions and more.

Here is the full list.

Splash Mountain in 1996

Big Thunder Mountain in 1996

Magic Kingdom in 1996

The Monorail from the Pilot's Box (second half)

The Back Lot Studio Tour

Busch Gardens in 1996

Busch Gardens Orangutan Show

Disney MGM Studios in 1996

Mickey Mouse Meet and Greet

Epcot in 1996

Original Illuminations

Review of the Polynesian

A lot of people rave about the Polynesian and there are valid reasons for this.  The Polynesian has a lot going for it.  You can walk to the TTC, the Magic Kingdom is a short monorail ride away and then there is the decor.


Outdoors the Poly is second to none.  The place is swarming with flowers, plants, trees, and shrubs.  On top of that you also run into the stream, springs and volcano pool.  Oh and did I forget to mention the Electric Water Pageant and view of the Magic Kingdom fireworks?

Inside Poly is a mixed bag. The main building is nice and the fountain in the lobby great.  Sadly those are the best features that can be found inside the Poly.

The check in area is cramped.  I get the feeling that when it gets busy it's not a fun place to be.  The non flora decor is bland and almost ugly.  I guess if you really like that kind of style it wouldn't be bad.

The restaurants are okay.  Ohana is average in almost every way.  The Kona Cafe is actually is best dining location on property (see my review of both of those restaurants for more info).  Captain Cooks is good for a quick service meal. There are two aspects about it that stand out. First they have the cool ordering kiosks there. Second you can get a Dole Whip.  Yes you can get a pine apple Dole Whip at the Poly.

The pools are decent.  The adults pool is nothing to write home about.  It's small but it tends to be empty which is nice.  The main pool is larger but still a little small by deluxe standards.  However, the main pool has a volcano with a water slide in it.  The water slide is mostly in the dark an it's fast.  If you lay down on it you will hit the water so hard water will shoot right up your nose. I wish I didn't know that.

The rooms at the Poly are nice but are not as good as other rooms on property.   They are big but rather ugly. The colors are dark and that's not really a good thing.  No matter what the room seems dirty even though house keeping keeps them perfectly clean.  The balcony is bigger than the ones found at the Contemporary but it may have just seemed that way.  The beds and general decor did not match up to Contemporary.  Even the bathroom isn't as good as the ones found in the tower at the Contemporary.  Don't let all of this give you the wrong impression.  Even though you can find better rooms on property these rooms are still nice, large, and clean.

Overall the Poly is a nice hotel but in the end I can't help but feel that it's a little overrated.  Considering the HUGE price you pay I can't recommend staying at the Poly.  If you are going to pay that much the use a discount code and stay in the Contemporary Tower or at the Boardwalk.  Both have great locations and great rooms.

If you want to see a video overview of a room at the Poly click here.

I Bought Another Hat

My string of pointless hat purchases continued on my last trip to the world. I did a post about a year ago about my history of hat buying in WDW. If you read that post you know that I almost never wear hats and don’t really like hats but for some reason I always end up buying a hat on my Disney World vacations.

So what did I end up with this time? I have to say this is the first hat I bought because I fell in love with it. It was in Spanish. I don’t speak or read Spanish but I knew what it said. To make sure it said what I thought it did I ran over to my wife and asked her to translate.

The hat is orange and brown. It has the monorail on it. It also says “Please Stand Clear of the Doors” in Spanish. I don’t think I need to explain why I bought this. Any hardcore WDW dork knows why.

One thing about this hat that stands out is the fact that you have to explain it to about 99.9% of people you meet. All of the other Disney hats I’ve bought explain themselves. This one is so obscure, people have no idea why you are wearing it. After you explain it they still have no idea why you are wearing it.

I can’t imagine I’ll ever buy another Disney hat. Then again I say that after every trip.

Photo of the Week - The Monorail

This Photo seems rather bland but a lot of people who see it have a rush of emotion. After seeing the red and purple road signs, after going through Disney World toll both, and after making it to the parking lot, this is most peoples first true taste of Disney. You know when you see the monorail pulling up you know you've made it.

Pink and Purple Monorails to be Decommissioned

The price of the Pink and Purple Monorail pins just jumped through the roof. Both monorails are being decommissioned. Both of these monorails were in accidents recently. Some of their parts are being recycled but its unknown if the colors will be recycled.

Some people really get into the monorails and try to ride all of them. I’ve never really understood that. I’ve always seen the monorail as a really cool bus that didn’t have to stop. However, there are some people who will be very upset that their favorite monorail is being taken off line. You might laugh at that but there are people who have favorite monorails. I guess someone forgot to tell them they are all the same.

This isn’t the first time monorails have been replaced. From time to time Disney upgrades the entire fleet with new technology. There have been a lot of enhancements over the years. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see mostly automated monorails within a few years.

Disney Taps Wasted Energy Source

Disney World will begin tapping into a renewable energy source beginning next year.

“This energy source has always been there we’ve just been wasting it,” stated a magical dingo named Dom who works in logistics.

The plan is simple. Disney will install low powered vacuums in all bathroom stalls to capture “methane.” The methane will be used to as fuel for giant generators which will produce enough power to run the Monorail system.

The project falls under what is described as “Super Green” energy. That is when something that is harming the environment is not just removed from the environment but converted into energy.

There is also a plan in place to incorporate beans and other gas producing foods into every food product in Disney World. One of the ideas being kicked around is replacing all ice cream with soy ice cream which causes massive gas in some people. This goes in line with the plan to no longer sell Beno, GasX, or any other similar digestive aide in Disney World.

“Our guests will now have a more enjoyable visit to the restrooms. The unpleasant smells are expected to be completely eliminated. Unfortunately we can’t do much about the sounds and we can’t prevent people who are trying to eat around the world from trying to induce a protein spill,” Dom the Magical Dingo stated.

The plan is expected to save millions over the next few years.

Disney Accidents

Some people have criticized Disney recently because of the deaths of three cast members. I normally don’t take Disney’s side on most subjects. I often poke fun at them for not thinking things through or just being stupid. This is one area where I will defend them.

1 – The Monorail Accident: How long has the Monorail been in operation? How many people have ridden the Monorail over that period of time? I’m just going to guess at the number but I’d say it’s at least 500 million. So that means for every 500 million people who ride the Monorail, one person dies. There is nothing wrong with your safety policies if you have the ratio on mass transit. So what happened? It looks like it was gross human error. The safety procedures were not followed. What could Disney have done about that?

2 – The Jack Sparrow Accident: First let me say that I’ve seen this show. This is not an extreme show. It’s just a nice funny show. What can you do to prevent someone from slipping? He was on tarmac. The shoes the actors wear are not crazy. Accidents happen. What are the odds someone is going to slip and strike their head so hard they break a vertebra? It was a fluke accident.

3 – The Indiana Jones Accident: During a rehearsal a cast member blotches a roll and breaks his neck. This one is beyond a fluke. Take into consideration that he was a stunt man in a stunt show. Also remember he was doing a minor stunt that I did all the time when I was a kid. He was just doing a rolling summersault. He wasn’t jumping off a building or anything wild. How can you blame Disney for that? If anything he was doing something that promotes safety. He was practicing.

In the past Disney has made some big mistakes and they have had some loose safety policies that have led to injury and death. In all cases they made changes to try and prevent any future accidents.

Disney has to be one of the safest parks in the world. I’ve never felt unsafe while in a Disney Park or resort. If you want to feel like you are in danger, go check out your local fair. The fairs are starting up in New England this time of year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see duct tape holding some of those rides together. It is the only place you can go and have the merry go round be considered a thrill ride because you don’t know if it’s going to give way seriously injury you.

If you want to criticize Disney do it where they deserve it. Need some ideas? How about: D23, ticket prices, hotel prices, food prices, cut backs, layoffs, poor quality merchandise, ride closures, shameless self promotion, and stuffing Stich down our throats.

Things That Amaze Me: Volume Two – The Monorail

When the Monorail was built it cost a million dollars a mile. It was an amazing technology and seemed like something out of a sci-fi movie. Years later little it’s only gotten better. Not only does the monorail look like something from the future, it now also instills a great deal of emotion in people.

You know you’re in Disney World when you step on a monorail. When I was a kid I rode it so much that I memorized the Spanish warning that plays before the doors closed. I didn’t know any other Spanish and I’m not sure how that would have helped me if I was stuck in a Spanish country but I thought it was important to remember.

Over the years the look of the Monorail hasn’t changed a lot but the technology has continually advanced. Instead of the old buttons and levers they now have a high tech operating system. They’ve also gotten greener over the years. They’ve always been green. People forget that they are electric. There are not many public transit systems in the US that move that many people with no fossil fuels.

The Monorails come in a number of colors. Some people go nuts over that. They have to own all the models and collect all the pins for the different colors. Visibly I believe that’s the only difference between the different Monorails.

The other amazing thing is the speed. If seems like you are going fast but you’re really not. I don’t think you ever go faster than 45 miles an hour. However, they are faster than taking the bus. The buses have to stop at lights and yield to traffic. The Monorail stops for nothing, unless of course one of the tires pops and then bursts into flames. That’s happened before. If you’re afraid of heights you wouldn’t like that. You have to climb out the roof and onto the tracks. If Matt Hochberg reads this he’ll never ride the Monorail again.

The Contemporary

Disney’s Contemporary Resort is the large A framed building that has the monorail running through it. It’s located near the Magic Kingdom and is listed as a deluxe resort. It’s my opinion that every Disney fan should stay in the tower at least once. It’s pure Disney magic. I normally try not to use the term “magical” but I think it’s over used and normally corny. This is an exception. Even if you just ride the monorail through the Contemporary you no doubt have had that moment when you said or thought to yourself “wow!”

The concourse is something else. It’s so big and open that you feel small as soon as you step out of the monorail. The shops only add to that sense of awe. They are as tall as a normal shop but don’t even make it a 5th of the way to the ceiling. On both sides of the concourse are the monorail tracks. Where they enter and exit the building there are large paneled glass walls. Then you have the famous mosaic. It doesn’t really fit anymore but it’s still a classic. One part of it is photographed more than the others. That part is the infamous five legged goat. Can you find it?

As far as food goes I’ll put my neck out there and say that the Contemporary has the best food options of any resort. The California grill is, in my opinion, the best restaurant in Disney World. The Wave is good and a nice break from the typical Disney fare. How could you complain about Chef Mickey’s? It’s a Disney World classic. The only part that is iffy is the quick service area. It’s not bad it just needs to have some bugs worked out. For what it is, it’s decent.

Another overlooked feature of the Contemporary is its access to the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. If you spend the day in the Magic Kingdom and need to get to the Hoop Dee Doo Review, Trails End, Whispering Canyon, or Artist Point, the fastest way is via the Contemporary boat launch.

Right now the Contemporary has the best rooms in Disney World. They are very nice. They are comparably large and have nice amenities. The balconies are small but it’s still nice to sit out there.

A lot of people would argue that if they are staying in the tower they have to stay on the Magic Kingdom side so they can see the fireworks and so they can see MK at night. It’s nice but it’s not worth the extra $30 a night. There is also the fact that the bay side is quieter and you can see Illuminations from a number of the balconies on that side.