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Thread: Did you know?

  1. #1
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    Default Did you know?

    Did you know:

    1) Magic Kingdom (107 acres), EPCOT (300 acres), *and* Disney's Hollywood Studios (89 acres) can *all* fit inside Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park (over 500 acres) - at the same time? Magic King alone can fit inside the "footprint" for the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction.

    2) Magic Kingdom's "Wishes" and EPCOT's "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth" fireworks are launched by compressed air? The computer-controlled system uses differing air pressures to launch the pyrotechnics at varying heights.

    3) The Walt Disney World Railroad uses real steam trains? The locomotives and tenders were originally built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, PA between 1916 and 1928. They operated hauling sugar cane in the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico before being sent to a scrap pile, where they were discovered by Disney "scouts" in 1968.

    4) On Seven Seas Lagoon, near the Polynesian Resort, there used to be a surf/wave machine? The machine operated for a very short period of time (less than six months) very early on in Walt Disney World Resort history (late 1971-early 1972). The machine was turned off for good after determining that it caused too much "beach erosion".

    5) that the original Walt Disney World Preview Center still exists today? Along Hotel Plaza Boulevard, near Downtown Disney, is the American Amateur Athletic Union headquarters (about halfway between Downtown Disney and the SR 535/CrossRoads intersection). This building, opened in February of 1970, housed the original Preview Center that guests traveling along Interstate 4 could visit before their stay at the "new" vacation destination.
    Former WDW Magic Kingdom Cast Member (2001-2010): Main Street Parades/WDWRR Engineer/Conductor; Frontierland Attractions; Tomorrowland Attractions

    Last: Sep '14 (Coronado Springs)
    Next:Oct 2015: MNSSHP

    Have you ever dreamed the dreams of the children...?

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  3. #2
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    Smile

    Cool! Thanks for the information!
    All Star Sports-Hurricane Jeanne & Old Key West-2004
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  4. #3
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    Very cool! I love learning new WDW facts
    1982 - Offsite
    1985, 1988- Cont.
    1990, 1992- Poly
    1994 - OKW
    1996 - BWI/OKW
    1998 - AS
    2000 - DL
    2001 - POR
    2002 - BWI
    2005 - DL GC
    2005 - BC
    2007 - BWV
    12/2008, 11/10- BCV DVC
    12/2009- Dolphin Honeymoon
    10/11 DL GC!

    Next Up: 12/30/13-1/4/14 BCV

  5. #4
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    Great information! Cool new idea, Jim!
    We all have sparks, imaginations.
    That's how our minds, create creations.
    For they make, our wildest dreams come true.
    Those magic sparks, in me and you. șoș

  6. #5
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    Did you know:

    1) Ferry boat or Monorail? Usually the first choice guests have to make after arriving at Walt Disney World, especially at the Transportation and Ticket Center. Actually, during peak times, when all three boats are operating, and five monorails on the Express loop, they're "about the same speed". The ferry boats can carry up to 625 guests straight across the Seven Seas Lagoon. The Monorail holds 325 guests, and "swings out" around the lagoon. Both forms of transportation arrive at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. Since the ferry carries twice as many guests as the Monorail, but at a much slower pace; and the Monorail has to "swing out and around" but carries half as many guests as the ferry boats, they both actually take just about the same amount of time.

    2) Guests in the Magic Kingdom are actually on the "second floor" of the park? When Florida's Magic Kingdom was designed and built, tunnels - commonly referred to as "Utilidors" by Cast Members - were actually built at ground level, so that Cast Members could access areas of the park unseen by Guests (unless, of course, you take the "Keys to the Kingdom" tour). Fill was used to "build up" around the tunnel system, and that "hole" where the fill came from became the Seven Seas Lagoon.

    3) That the Tomorrowland Speedway "race cars" were patterned after a 1968 Corvette? The original Autopia cars at Disneyland had outlived their "futureness" of the late 1950s and through the 1960s, and ride-vehicle designer Bob Gurr wanted something more "racy" for the Florida park. He looked to the Corvette for inspiration. In 1969, Disneyland's Autopia received the new-look sports cars, and they debuted at Florida's Walt Disney World with the opening of the Grand Prix Raceway in Florida. The cars there sported authentic racing decals, including Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), NASCAR, and United States Auto Club (USAC) decals.

    4) There was actually a fifth Walt Disney World Railroad locomotive purchased, along with the four that are seen today by guests. However, the fifth train was deemed too far gone to be salvageable, and was sold for scrap. In the mid 1980s, another "fifth locomotive" showed up, this time, in a trade from Sandusky, Ohio's Cedar Point amusement park. This "second fifth train" was actually named - to the Ward Kimball. However, it was too small to haul the large coaches at the Florida park, and was put on display at EPCOT Center for a time. It was then traded again for yet another locomotive, which made its way west to Disneyland - and *that* locomotive became Disneyland's fifth train - the Ward Kimball. Kinda confusing

    5) That Space Mountain - the frenetic, in-the-dark, scare-your-pants-off roller coaster....goes a *whopping*....*twenty-seven miles an hour*. Because of all of the tight and twisting turns, and the thrill of being in the dark, guests' experiences feel like the rockets are a LOT faster. The main lift hill carries "astronauts" seventy-seven feet above the floor, and the biggest drop, about two-thirds of the way through the two-and-a-half minute space excursion, is a hair-raising *twenty-three* feet. Oh - and even though the rockets are numbered 1-31, there is no #13, leaving fifteen rockets (thirteen on track at max capacity, and two "spares") for each side - Alpha and Omega.
    Former WDW Magic Kingdom Cast Member (2001-2010): Main Street Parades/WDWRR Engineer/Conductor; Frontierland Attractions; Tomorrowland Attractions

    Last: Sep '14 (Coronado Springs)
    Next:Oct 2015: MNSSHP

    Have you ever dreamed the dreams of the children...?

  7. #6
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    Good to know about the monorail and ferry boat.
    We all have sparks, imaginations.
    That's how our minds, create creations.
    For they make, our wildest dreams come true.
    Those magic sparks, in me and you. șoș

  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Main Street Jim View Post
    Did you know:


    5) that the original Walt Disney World Preview Center still exists today? Along Hotel Plaza Boulevard, near Downtown Disney, is the American Amateur Athletic Union headquarters (about halfway between Downtown Disney and the SR 535/CrossRoads intersection). This building, opened in February of 1970, housed the original Preview Center that guests traveling along Interstate 4 could visit before their stay at the "new" vacation destination.
    My very first recollection of WDW was this preview center. When I rediscovered this building several years ago as an adult I was amazed at how far it was from Downtown Disney. But if we knew what and where the Preview building was/is can we call it Lake Buena Vista instead of Downtown Disney?
    WDW '71-'81(numerous)
    Yearly '98 - '08
    Last Trip July 2014

    Next Trip ???
    Keep to the code... If you fall behind, you get left behind.

  9. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Main Street Jim View Post
    It was then traded again for yet another locomotive, which made its way west to Disneyland - and *that* locomotive became Disneyland's fifth train - the Ward Kimball. Kinda confusing.
    Does the Ward Kimball actually come out and haul coaches on the tracks? Any pics of this locomotive?
    We all have sparks, imaginations.
    That's how our minds, create creations.
    For they make, our wildest dreams come true.
    Those magic sparks, in me and you. șoș

  10. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Disney Connoisseur View Post
    Does the Ward Kimball actually come out and haul coaches on the tracks? Any pics of this locomotive?
    Yes, and yes

    Just do a "Google image" search for "Disneyland Railroad Ward Kimball", and THOUSANDS of pictures will come up.

    If you're interested at all in Disney railroading, I can hook ya up
    Former WDW Magic Kingdom Cast Member (2001-2010): Main Street Parades/WDWRR Engineer/Conductor; Frontierland Attractions; Tomorrowland Attractions

    Last: Sep '14 (Coronado Springs)
    Next:Oct 2015: MNSSHP

    Have you ever dreamed the dreams of the children...?

  11. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Main Street Jim View Post
    If you're interested at all in Disney railroading, I can hook ya up
    Uh... MOST DEFIANTLY! If I was able to convert my backyard into a model (Disney themed, of course) railroad I would. Unfortunately I don't have the money to burn and the winters we get here would be so cruel to it.
    We all have sparks, imaginations.
    That's how our minds, create creations.
    For they make, our wildest dreams come true.
    Those magic sparks, in me and you. șoș

  12. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Disney Connoisseur View Post
    Uh... MOST DEFIANTLY! If I was able to convert my backyard into a model (Disney themed, of course) railroad I would. Unfortunately I don't have the money to burn and the winters we get here would be so cruel to it.
    E-mail me, or look me up on FaceBook (Jim McKinley, Canal Fulton, OH).
    Former WDW Magic Kingdom Cast Member (2001-2010): Main Street Parades/WDWRR Engineer/Conductor; Frontierland Attractions; Tomorrowland Attractions

    Last: Sep '14 (Coronado Springs)
    Next:Oct 2015: MNSSHP

    Have you ever dreamed the dreams of the children...?

  13. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Main Street Jim View Post
    E-mail me, or look me up on FaceBook (Jim McKinley, Canal Fulton, OH).
    Will do! Thanks, Jim!
    We all have sparks, imaginations.
    That's how our minds, create creations.
    For they make, our wildest dreams come true.
    Those magic sparks, in me and you. șoș

  14. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Disney Connoisseur View Post
    Will do! Thanks, Jim!
    Did you ever look me up yet?

    Did you know:

    1) that Walt's favorite song from any of his movies, animated or live-action, was "Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag)" from Mary Poppins?

    2) that Walt's favorite scene from any of his movies, animated or live-action, was the "transformation" of Cinderella from the maiden to the princess dress?

    3) that the quote, "If we can dream it, we can do it", is almost always incorrectly credited to Walt? The line was written by Tom Fitzgerald specifically for the "Horizons" attraction, but, somehow it got credited to Walt - who had passed away some sixteen years earlier.

    4) that Sonny Eclipse, the "star" of Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe', is actually a spare "Trixie" audio-animatronic from Country Bear Jamboree? When Tomorrowland was redesigned in the early to mid-1990s, a full-time "entertainment show" was needed for Cosmic Ray's (formerly the Tomorrowland Terrace). The show producers were given a very small budget to work with. Instead of designing and building an entirely new animatronic for Sonny, he was designed around an exisiting one - and Imagineering ended up using a "Trixie".

    5) that a "cowboy stunt show" was performed on the rooftops of the early Frontierland? When Florida's Magic Kingdom first opened, Frontierland ended at Country Bear Jamboree and the Mile Long Bar (now Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn). Besides CBJ, something was needed to draw guests to the "Wild West", and the stunt show was born.
    Former WDW Magic Kingdom Cast Member (2001-2010): Main Street Parades/WDWRR Engineer/Conductor; Frontierland Attractions; Tomorrowland Attractions

    Last: Sep '14 (Coronado Springs)
    Next:Oct 2015: MNSSHP

    Have you ever dreamed the dreams of the children...?

  15. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Main Street Jim View Post
    Did you ever look me up yet?
    Haven't got around to it yet. I will search for you when I log onto Facebook tonight!
    We all have sparks, imaginations.
    That's how our minds, create creations.
    For they make, our wildest dreams come true.
    Those magic sparks, in me and you. șoș

  16. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Main Street Jim View Post

    5) that a "cowboy stunt show" was performed on the rooftops of the early Frontierland? When Florida's Magic Kingdom first opened, Frontierland ended at Country Bear Jamboree and the Mile Long Bar (now Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn). Besides CBJ, something was needed to draw guests to the "Wild West", and the stunt show was born.
    Did these "gunfights"end up in the street too? Very faint recollections of something like this.
    WDW '71-'81(numerous)
    Yearly '98 - '08
    Last Trip July 2014

    Next Trip ???
    Keep to the code... If you fall behind, you get left behind.

  17. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by indytraveler View Post
    Did these "gunfights"end up in the street too? Very faint recollections of something like this.
    I saw a glimpse of something like that on the DVD, 'Disneyland: Imagineering the Magic" that I picked up a few years ago. Not sure about Florida though.
    We all have sparks, imaginations.
    That's how our minds, create creations.
    For they make, our wildest dreams come true.
    Those magic sparks, in me and you. șoș

  18. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by indytraveler View Post
    Did these "gunfights"end up in the street too? Very faint recollections of something like this.
    Yep!

    I *believe* there's a page for it over at Widen Your World.
    Former WDW Magic Kingdom Cast Member (2001-2010): Main Street Parades/WDWRR Engineer/Conductor; Frontierland Attractions; Tomorrowland Attractions

    Last: Sep '14 (Coronado Springs)
    Next:Oct 2015: MNSSHP

    Have you ever dreamed the dreams of the children...?

  19. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Main Street Jim View Post
    Did you ever look me up yet?
    Also... I added you on FB.
    We all have sparks, imaginations.
    That's how our minds, create creations.
    For they make, our wildest dreams come true.
    Those magic sparks, in me and you. șoș

  20. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Disney Connoisseur View Post
    Also... I added you on FB.
    Which one are you? I added four or five people last night. LOL...PM me if ya want.

    Did you know:

    1) that the Walt Disney World property is its own government as well? When Walt Disney started buying up the property in central Florida, one of the concessions he wanted was complete control over it, including issues relating to how the property would be governed, environmental issues, roadways, building codes, utilities, and all sorts of things. The building and utility codes are much more stringent than Florida code (such as building codes to withstand hurricanes, electrical codes, etc.). The Reedy Creek Improvement District was implemented to control the 27,000-acre resort area. It controls everything from drainage and water treatment facilities to fire departments all over property.

    2) Horizons, the EPCOT/Future World attraction that was replaced by Mission: Space, was meant to be a sequel to Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress? In fact, in the attraction, you would hear the Carousel of Progress' theme song, "There's a Great, Big, Beautiful Tomorrow". The story was meant to be a continuation of the CoP family's "future living", with a look at three possible future living quarters - an underwater seabase, fertile farmland in the desert, and a space station. Guests actually got to choose how their trip ended - the first (I believe) of the "interactive" attractions.

    3) You can take surfing lessons at Typhoon Lagoon? If you've ever wanted to be a "Big Kahuna", the water park offers a surfing "school" prior to the park opening.

    4) The Matterhorn at Disneyland was the world's very first tubular-steel track roller coaster? Every steel coaster built since then owes its roots to the Matterhorn.

    5) That there were, at one time, not just one, but two riverboats on the Rivers of America in Florida's Magic Kingdom? The Richard F. Irvine and the Joe Fowler plowed the river for the first 25 years of the park's existence. In the mid 1990's, the Fowler was sent to drydock for an extensive refurbishment, but, the deck was too far gone. The Irvine was refurbished into the lone boat that guests now know as the "Liberty Belle".
    Former WDW Magic Kingdom Cast Member (2001-2010): Main Street Parades/WDWRR Engineer/Conductor; Frontierland Attractions; Tomorrowland Attractions

    Last: Sep '14 (Coronado Springs)
    Next:Oct 2015: MNSSHP

    Have you ever dreamed the dreams of the children...?

  21. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Main Street Jim View Post
    5) That there were, at one time, not just one, but two riverboats on the Rivers of America in Florida's Magic Kingdom? The Richard F. Irvine and the Joe Fowler plowed the river for the first 25 years of the park's existence. In the mid 1990's, the Fowler was sent to drydock for an extensive refurbishment, but, the deck was too far gone. The Irvine was refurbished into the lone boat that guests now know as the "Liberty Belle".
    Oh wow! I was never aware of this! Very cool information, Jim. Do you know if both ships were identical paddle-wheelers? Or were they different? I don't suppose one of them was a sailing ship like at Disneyland! So, that's why I assume they are similar in style. Kinda like... Mark Twain "Lite" -- clones?
    We all have sparks, imaginations.
    That's how our minds, create creations.
    For they make, our wildest dreams come true.
    Those magic sparks, in me and you. șoș

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