Retro Disney World Podcast

We interrupt your normal podcast, for a special edition of the podcast. This episode is filled with lots of news, updates and tour info; so here we go!

• • Our Lake & Lagoon Tour: Discovery Edition is getting closer and closer each day. We have less than one month to go and we are so pumped for this. The old Animal Kingdom boats are being fueled up and float tested as we speak, just for you! Right now, we only have a handful of tickets left, so if you want to join us, click here!
  • How has some news about construction on Bay Lake, which means this tour could be your last chance to get an up close look at River Country. This is new and could be one of your last chances...
  • The gift for our upcoming event is in production and looking amazing. Our tour members will receive a special limited edition version!
  • Join us! We will be at The Outer Rim, Saturday, November 17th from 4:30pm-6:00pm. This is open to anybody who would like to chat, enjoy a drink from the bar and just relax after a fun day.
  • The Walking Tour is back! Join us for another free event, Sunday November 18th - 11:30am. We will be at the main entrance fountain, right in front of Spaceship Earth. This tour will include the former WorldKey site, the news ticker, flamingos, Horizons and so much more. We did this last year and had tons of fun, so we hope you can join us for this bonus event.
  • Contest - We have a contest coming right around the weekend of November 17th. Please check our social media and website for more information regarding this...
  • Finally, we wanted to tell you about something new. The Lake Buena Vista Historical Society. This has been in the works for over a year, and we wanted to create something to preserve the history we are sharing with you. Brian & Todd explain everything regarding this new initiative, which we are super excited for you to join us on.

 Welcome to Episode 43.5! We are here tonight to chat with Chris Debiec, who plays a key role in the early days of Disney-MGM Studios.  Todd, Brian & How are in attendance tonight and we start you off with some information about the upcoming Lake & Lagoon tour.  Some information is also revealed about the gift for this upcoming event and also some key information if you would like to meet any of us. 
For more information, please visit here - Click Here

At the moment, Chris is working on some top secret projects, but we get him on the phone to talk about his time at Disney. He started at the studios in the late 80s, as a production assistant. Like many people, Chris started in the Disney College Program, being one of the last classes at the Snow White Village.  We also learn that Chris worked at Captain Cook's at the Polynesian.
Throughout this episode, Chris has so many amazing stories. We learn all about stealing ice in World Showcase, conversations with Jim Washburn and The Muppets. The entire conversation is filled with amazing, never heard stories related to the early days of Disney-MGM. As a real, working studio, you get real Hollywood stories - which is amazing. The stories almost don't feel like a theme park and more from the backstage area of a movie set, which totally makes sense.

Huge thanks to Chris for spending time with us and answering our questions. We really enjoyed talking with him and found him to be full of amazing stories.

Welcome to Episode 43 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "MGM-Studios Game Shows" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows.

Listener Mail

1. Doug Skinner wrote in to us regarding the giant phone inside Communicore. We did a little research on this, which leads to a live call on the air.  Have a magical day!
2. Our next letter from KJ was about the 1984 Olympics, which were shown live on the screens in Earth Station. We get into a little discussion on how the '84 Olympics were huge, and how the Olympics back then were way different compared to now.
3. Joe wrote in with an absolutely amazing story about some spilled soup, shared pants and a free meal at The Coral Reef restaurant. You seriously have to hear this story, which is one of the best we have ever gotten. 
4. We next heard from Eric about the Eastern Airlines desk outside of If You Had Wings, which was a travel kiosk where you could make reservations and even extend your trip. We are still searching for the airplane phone though....
5. Andy was curious about the Birnbaum's travel guides, which we refer to often. We dig into the history of Birnbaum and also share with you what we use often.
6. We heard from Johnny regarding the Tomorrowland Train Station, which we get into why it isn't a thing...How tells us a little history on this forgotten spot.

Thank you for all the emails, tweets and comments you have sent our way. We try to respond to almost everything and do our best to pick unique questions for the show.  

Questions, Comments & Concerns

We love feedback and hearing your memories!

Drop us a line at podcast@retrowdw.com or call us and leave a voice mail at 978-71-RETRO. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

Audio Rewind

Our audio rewind this month turned out to be the Space Mountain Tunnel! The winner is Jenny Buchannan, winning a copy of The World of Motion brochure. Great job and thanks for playing along to everybody!

If you think you know the answer to this month's audio rewind, email us! contest@retrowdw.com - This month the winner will receive the Micky & Goofy visiting the Universe of Energy comic book.
All entries due 10/15/2018 and a random winner will be selected. Even if you don't win, you will gain an entry into the Second 2018 Prize Pot!

Prize Pot

Prize Pot #2 has begun! Each month, we add a vintage or classic item to the pot. The winner will be announced in December and they get it all. Follow along as we add items and remember, each entry/guess of the audio rewind gets you an entry for the prize pot. Thanks for playing along!

2018 Prize Pot #2 Contents

• WDW Resort Pocket Sewing Kit (See It)
• The Official Album of WDW/Disneyland on vinyl, sealed! 
• 2018 D23 Gold Member Kit - Featuring Mickey's Birthday

Main Topic

Disney-MGM Studios Gameshows

This month is somewhat unique, as we take you back to the studios and give you a taste of the old, working studio. How takes the lead and the main topic relates to how game shows used to be filmed on site, you could visit the sets and even play with a live studio audience! As a group, we join How with a game show styled game where we answer trivia questions and discuss this history.

The game shows filmed here are legendary, somewhat unique and also random in some cases. We hear about everything from Burt Reynolds to DOS games and how some of the shows were simplified for park guests. We go into quite a bit and you get to hear all about the gaming history of the studios in their heyday. 

Corrections & Listener Mail

Corrections

1. The Chapeau Shop on Main Street has come up on the show multiple times, regarding the old time phone. We recently received word that the phone was broken...So sad. Hopefully it will be back up and working soon. BREAKING: As of 8/15/2018, we have received pictures and tweets of the phone back in working order. Check it out now!
2. The Contemporary Resort 3rd floor has been investigated! How visited a few weeks ago and gives his take on what is going on with this floor. The catering offices, fitness center and a few other things are discussed.
3. Another 3rd floor comes up, this time from the Canada Pavilion in Epcot. How gives us some information on what is going on here and where to locate this area.

Listener Mail

1. Kylee writes in about the various products we have promoted. She has purchased so many of them and we thank you for your support!
2. Diane wrote us about how she listens, keeps a running list and then refers to it during each trip. Such a neat idea to keep track of the things you want to see.
3. Eric Jacobson brought up his neighbor restoring a small scale, sugar plantation railroad in his yard. This led to some discussion regarding regional railroads, terminology and other train facts. Very cool!
4. Mike was our next email, discussing a WDW model in the post-show room of the Walt Disney story at the Magic Kingdom. How gets into this one, as he knows the model. This was for Disneyland and we get into what was included on this particular model.

Thank you for all the emails, tweets and comments you have sent our way. We try to respond to almost everything and do our best to pick unique questions for the show. 

Audio Rewind

Our audio rewind this month turned out to be The Adventureland Background Music! The winner is Rachel Dunlop, winning a copy of The EPCOT Explorers Encyclopedia. Great job and thanks for playing along to everybody!

If you think you know the answer to this month's audio rewind, email us! podcast@retrowdw.com - This month the winner will receive a 1993 souvenir brochure from The World of Motion.

All entries due 9/17/2018 and a random winner will be selected. Even if you don't win, you will gain an entry into the Second 2018 Prize Pot!

Prize Pot

Prize Pot #2 has begun! Each month, we add a vintage or classic item to the pot. The winner will be announced in December and they get it all. Follow along as we add items and remember, each entry/guess of the audio rewind gets you an entry for the prize pot. Thanks for playing along!

2018 Prize Pot #2 Contents

• WDW Resort Pocket Sewing Kit (See It)
• The Official Album of WDW/Disneyland on vinyl, sealed! 

Christopher Smith Contest
The winner of the Christoper Smith book is John Tierney! John guessed The Asian Resort, which was the correct answer. Let us know which book you would like to be sent.  Huge thanks to Chris for joining us and thank you for all the trivia guesses.

Main Topic

Communicore West

We are finally back with a full episode! After some interviews, mini-episodes and an event announcement, we felt we owed you a solid EPCOT Center attraction. A little while back, we dedicated some time to Communicore East on Episode 38. This month, we veer right (If you are going through the main entrance) and take you to Communicore West. Todd gets us started with some information on Earth Station and where it was originally planned for.

The Fountain of Information is discussed, which included road signs, neon, and anything connected to communication in a fountain type of sculpture. Touchscreens are brought up frequently, including the super advanced teleconferencing system, Face to Face. This setup allowed guests to look at a cast member who was standing in front of a green-screen; How & Todd lead us in some role playing to see how this all worked.

A special guest joins us, Lisa Bastoni, who is the granddaughter of Walter Einsel. We invited Lisa on because her grandfather worked on something very neat: The Age of Information. Lisa was there during the design phase and we get some major insight into how her grandfather was hired and lots of other great stuff. This was an often overlooked exhibit of Communicore, but when you look back at it now the detail and predictions are amazing. Check out Lisa and her music, at www.lisabastoni.com - We have lots more to scan and share from her, so a huge thank you goes to Lisa!

>> See Lisa's "Einsel Theater" video restored here <<

We also dive into EPCOT Outreach or Ask EPCOT, which was simply an educational section to ask questions. There were displays you could use, or an in person librarian to answer your questions. How actually has a question he asked, which was answered by mail! Incredible to think this was how the theme park worked back then.

We then head over to the South side of Communicore West and talk about the Robotics Expo and robots with swords!

 

Lake & Lagoon Tour: Discovery Edition

Join us this November for the second round of our Lake & Lagoon Tour. We have some major upgrades in store and are excited to invite you. Please join us for a tour around the original WDW property lakes and a look at the "Vacation Kingdom of the World".  For more information, please look here.

Project Florida Film Release

About a week ago, we dropped one of our most amazing film restorations to date. Project Florida was purchased, restored and released to an amazing reception. Take a look at this amazing piece that has been restored to the original condition it deserved. Project Florida film release page

 

Next Month

• Join us next month as we discuss The Disney-MGM Studios production studios in Episode 43!

The Lake and Lagoon Tour is back!

Our popular Lake and Lagoon Tour of 2016 is back, and this time we've got a bigger boat!

Set sail on Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake in true retro style! After boarding a boat previously used for the Animal Kingdom Discovery River Cruise attraction your knowledgeable RetroWDW crew will take you to some of the famed but not forgotten sights and and landmarks including Roy's Cabin, Rile's Island, Polynesian Wave machine, the shoe tree, special monorail beams and more! Your RetroWDW hosts will explain the history of each as you cruise the lake and we'll feature trivia where you can win RetroWDW swag, gifts, t-shirts and more! Plus everyone onboard will receive a special limited edition gift!

 Click for full details and ticket purchases information

Welcome to Episode 41.5 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "A Chat With Author Chris Smith" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows.

A Chat With Author Chris Smith

Chris comes to us as an author of two titles: The Walt Disney World That Never Was and his second book, The Backstories & Magical Secrets of Walt Disney World. We start off the episode with a little bit of history, all about Chris and his connections to Disney. Past trips, The Disney Channel and how often he visits nowadays. Chris also gives us a little background on how he got started. This includes old documents, history and reports that discuss his first book of forgotten and unbuilt attractions. 

The second book we discuss is Volume One of a multi-part series, discussing everything going on in the theme parks. Volume One is all about Frontierland, Liberty Square and Main Street. I found this one to have some much detail, information and almost felt like an encyclopedia about these lands and attractions in the Magic Kingdom. Each ride is discussed as well as the backstories for how the lands are laid out and themed.

Both books are paperback, right around 200 or so pages and really connect to what we love to talk about. Stories, theming and Walt Disney World.  Check these out today and get ready for the next volume, which will be coming soon!

 

Win A Copy!

For a chance to win a free copy of The Walt Disney World That Never Was or The Backstories and Magical Secrets, you need to answer the following question:

What Disney resort was constructed on the original spot for the Asian Resort?

If you know the answer to this questions, email us: podcast@retrowdw.com
We will choose a random, correct answer and let you pick which book you would like sent your way.
Entries due: August 10, 2018 - Best of luck!

Where To Purchase

• The Backstories and Magical Secrets of Walt Disney World: Main Street, U.S.A., Liberty Square, and Frontierland (Disney Backstories) (Volume 1)
• The Walt Disney World That Never Was: Stories Behind the Amazing Imagineering Dreams That Never Came True

 

Welcome to Episode 41 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Fort Wilderness Railroad" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows.

Corrections & Listener Mail

Corrections
 - We get started with the infamous Contemporary Resort third floor. We did a little more digging and found out from some listeners that this is where the fitness center is located, along with some other various offices. The ceiling is noted as being lower, but most times the average guest has no reason to be there. We also heard that the ceiling is lower due to the monorail beam and infrastructure heights.
 - For the Skway, we dug into that extreme angle turn and how tight it actually was. Using aerial photography, we found it to be around sixty degrees. So this is somewhat different when compare to some other angles claimed.

Listener Mail

1. Big thanks to all the new "Binge Listeners" - we get tons of messages from new listeners who hit up the entire catalog at a rapid rate. This is so cool!
2. Kathryn wrote in, asking about the old shops on Main Street. She brings up some miniature jelly jars from the Market House. How & Brian let us know all about this location and some of the history of Main Street. Listen carefully, as some of it is still there today for you to try...
3. Anthony wrote in, as a former cast member, sharing some great operational manuals and information. These should guide some future episodes and answer lots of questions.
4. Finally, Brent wrote to us as a new listener. He first listened to Episode 40 and found that it filled in a memory gap about a skyway/gondola ride from years ago. We also discuss the muskets that were once available at the Walt Disney World Resort. 

Thank you for all the emails, tweets and comments you have sent our way. We try to respond to almost everything and do our best to pick unique questions for the show. 

Audio Rewind

First, we are giving away the Tammy Tuckey albums - Chris & Anna were our winners! They will each be contacted individually and congratulations!
Our audio rewind this month turned out to be Remember The Magic! The winner is Kristin Rappold, winning a copy of Mouse Tales. Great job and thanks for playing along to everybody!

If you think you know the answer to this month's audio rewind, email us! podcast@retrowdw.com - This month the winner will win the EPCOT Explorers Encyclopedia.

All entries due 7/162018 and a random winner will be selected. Even if you don't win, you will gain an entry into the Second 2018 Prize Pot!

Prize Pot

It is time to pull our Prize Pot winner, for the first half of 2018. We go retro with our name pulling this time and pull a random name, from over 300 ping-pong balls. Number 211 came out, and Rick Webster is our winner! Congratulations Rick, we are so excited for you!

2018 Prize Pot #1 Contents

• EPCOT Poster Set
• RetroWDW Logo Embroidered Hat
• McFarkle Family Christmas Card created by our fan, Reese
• EPCOT Center Coin / Medallion
• Mickey Earforce One Balloon Pin
• Set of Retro Disney Pennants
• Turning Dreams into Reality - Autographed by Bob Gurr!
  
  
  Our second Prize Pot for 2018 has also started. The first item is:
• WDW Resort Pocket Sewing Kit

Main Topic

Fort Wilderness Railroad

So this month, we take you back to Fort Wilderness. The main topic is the now removed Fort Wilderness Railroad that provided transportation inside the resort in a unique way. Todd has done his research, focusing on text and personal interviews to give us an amazingly detailed picture into the railroad. If you are familiar with Fort Wilderness, you know that they use the standard bus transportation for the internal resort loop. In the past, they even had the 'trams' that are very similar to the parking lots and also the now gone Backlot Tour. 
We focus though on a much earlier mode of transportation, the railroad. Todd goes into the history, construction, engineering and even some of the myths that have grown over the years. If you think you know why the railroad shut down, you might learn something new or something different in this episode. Fort Wilderness is a fan favorite, has a following and this will be some amazing and unknown history for tons of people.  Hope you enjoy!

 

Fort Wilderness Railroad Video

https://vimeo.com/209766480

Next Month

• Join us next month as we discuss The Disney-MGM Studios in Episode 42!

Welcome to Episode 40.5 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "WDW Radio Loops Part I" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows.

WDW Radio Stations

A few episodes back we discussed the WDW Radio loop that played on the interstate highway system in Florida as you approached Walt Disney World. Wayne from Alabama sent us a copy of the 22 minute loop that he recorded while pulled over on the side of the road back in 1994. Many of our listeners wrote in asking "If you have a loop of the WDW Radio station, why didn't you let us hear it?"  We received additional emails as well with links and downloads to more sources of WDW radio loops! Thanks to our listeners we now have '94, '95, '96 and '97! We'll share those as well in the future.

On you drive this summer take a list as you go back to 1994 along with the welcome and exit AM radio from 1980!
RetroWDW Merchandise

Next Month

    Join us next month as we discuss the Fort Wilderness Railroad in Episode 41!

Corrections & Listener Mail

Corrections
First off, we got a note about The Dutch Inn, with the "Sleepy Bear" - he would greet you as you entered the hotel. Very neat little tip about that chain of hotels. Another listener wrote in about the Vistana resort and how they were the first timeshare you could get into. We got lots of great memories related to Hotel Plaza Boulevard. 

Eric Jacobson wrote in about an article from 1985, regarding the EPCOT Center Polls. We go through some of the information related to this vintage poll from EPCOT and it also led write to a letter from Dan. 

Listener Mail

1. Dan wrote in, a former cast member, about how he was "The Person of the Century". Basically, Dan messed this all up for Disney and he would tell people all day to "Vote For Dan".  This led to a mysterious closure of this area, which we are guessing was due to our listener Dan.  Such a great story, thanks for sharing!
2. Next up, we heard from Christopher. He recently visited Fort Wilderness and sent us a picture of the original River Country Restroom sign. Such a cool gem that is leftover back there.
3. Elizabeth wrote in regarding the third floor of The Contemporary Resort and the compressed floor. We discuss what we know regarding this, but we'd love to hear from some others. Such an interesting topic....
4. Reese touched base about a guard on Tom Sawyer's Island. She wanted some more information about this fort guard, which How is happy to offer. 
5. John wrote in with some artifacts, books, scans and lots of good stuff for us to share. Thanks!
6. Finally, we had numerous listeners ask for the full radio loop from WDW.  This will be coming soon and we have a plan, don't worry!

Thank you for all the emails, tweets and comments you have sent our way. We try to respond to almost everything and do our best to pick unique questions for the show.

Questions, Comments & Concerns

We love feedback and hearing your memories!

Drop us a line at podcast@retrowdw.com or call us and leave a voice mail at 978-71-RETRO. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Audio Rewind

Our audio rewind this month turned out to be the music from Horizons! The winner is Kevin Hitchcock, winning the Giant WDW Pencil. Great job and thanks for playing along to everybody!

If you think you know the answer to this month's audio rewind, email us! podcast@retrowdw.com - This month the winner will win the book "Mouse Tales". 

All entries due 6/11/2018 and a random winner will be selected. Even if you don't win, you will gain an entry into the Early 2018 Prize Pot!

Prize Pot

We are back with a new Prize Pot for 2018! Once again, we will be putting together tons of gifts & random items for our January - June 2018 Prize Pot. Every guess for our audio rewind each month gets you an entry for the Prize Pot. For the best odds of winning, be sure to take a guess every month, even if you do not know. Best of luck and here is what we have so far:

2018 Prize Pot #1

• EPCOT Poster Set
• RetroWDW Logo Embroidered Hat
• McFarkle Family Christmas Card created by our fan, Reese
• EPCOT Center Coin / Medallion
• Mickey Earforce One Balloon Pin
• Set of Retro Disney Pennants
• Turning Dreams into Reality - Autographed by Bob Gurr!
  
  This will be given away next episode, so be sure to get your entry in before the big drawing!!

Main Topic

Skyway
Brian starts us off with the Skyways, another attraction that is no longer around. We do a little bit of Disneyland history along with Skyway history in general. This episode takes you for a ride on the Skyway through our unique perspectives and memories. Most of us have ridden this one, so the picture we paint and the mechanical end of things we go into is quite detailed.  Hope you enjoy!
Swan Boats
This is an interesting one, because none of us have ridden this one. Todd shares an interesting memory how his family used to love the Swan Boats and were super disappointed when it closed. How could have possibly ridden it, but we really don't know for sure. We go into the build history, mechanics, and of course what the ride consisted of. The Swan Boats have such a unique and almost lost history, there isn't much out there. When you look at the path of the boats though, it was a neat and relaxing attraction that I'm sure lots of our listeners would have enjoyed.

This is one of our periodic mini-episodes featuring an interview with a supporter of the show who has an interesting story to tell to our listeners. Tammy Tuckey is an actress, singer, writer, director and Emmy Award winning filmmaker who has hosted her own podcast since she was 14 years old. Her “Tiara Talk Show” can be found on YouTube and iTunes and features occasional interviews with men and women behind some of our favorite Walt Disney World shows and attractions.

Back in November 2017 we chatted with Tammy about her project: putting her vocal talents to use recording an album of past Disney songs including a duet with Ali Olmo, the voice behind the song “Two Brothers” in EPCOT’s “American Adventure” attraction. We are happy to announce that You'll Find me on Main Street is now available on iTunes and Amazon.com! We sit in with Tammy as she takes us through each of the 7 songs, the arrangement, style and more. Be sure to listen during the show on how you can win a copy of her album!

Check out Tammy’s website Tamm